"Bri," was all Soda could say before he rushed to me and picked me up in his affectionate hug. I hugged him back just as tight. His hugs are a perfect example of intimacy in its most wholesome form. He took the weight off my feet. I closed my eyes, feeling so overjoyed that I got to hold him in my arms once again. I gripped his shirt, just to make sure he was real. That he was really there with me. In my time.

I could feel myself melt whenever I was around Soda. I know that I am never going to find someone who makes me as happy as he does. Ever since the day that I met him, he has been on my mind. He is all I can think about at night when my mind is running amok. He lights up my whole life like the golden morning sunrise.

"I'm sorry, I had to find you again," he said softly. His hand pet down my hair, and he squeezed me a little tighter, like he was afraid to let me go.

When he put me down, I was immediately scooped up by Darry. I gave him the biggest hug I could, trying to send him all of the gratitude I never got a chance to give him when I lived with him. He had a strong grip, and I could feel his muscles around me.

"I can't believe it's you," Pony's voice quivered.

I relaxed my arms around Darry so he let go of me. I stepped up to Pony, and I noticed that his hair was just a little bit longer from the last time I saw him. Most of the blonde from Windrixville has been cut off, but Pony was using his hair grease to darken the ends enough to blend in with the rest of his natural brown hair. I saw him just a couple days ago, how long has it been since he has seen me?

I pulled Ponyboy into a tight hug and he didn't hesitate to hug me back. His hugs make me feel seen. He was like my little brother. He reminded me a lot of my younger sister, which is probably why I felt such a strong connection to him. Plus, being stuck in an abandoned church up in Windrixville for a week with anybody will give you a lifelong connection with them. Pony squeezed me a little tighter, which made me chuckle softly.

"We have had one doozy of a day," Two claimed in his thick southern accent.

Pony slipped from my arms and I could still feel it even after letting go. My eyes met with Dally's, and I froze. The last time I saw him, he admitted that he had feelings for me and I turned him down. My love for him hasn't faded away, but it wasn't the kind of love he felt for me. I felt a deep, personal connection to him. But I couldn't give him what he wanted, and he couldn't give me what I needed.

Dally's blue eyes softened when he saw me. I walked up to him swiftly and wrapped my arms around his neck. His leather clad arms hugged me back and he stood up straight, taking the weight off my feet. Dally whispered softly so only I could hear him. "I thought I lost you."

"I missed you too," I whispered back.

The weight was back on my feet and I took a few steps back, slipping from Dally's arms to really get a good look at them all. I couldn't believe they were all here in front of me. It was like they walked out of my dreams and back into my life.

"You are here. You are all here." My excitement slipped into confusion. I tilted my head to the side and asked, "how are you here?"

"We were hoping you could tell us," Darry said while crossing his arms over his big chest. "What in the Sam Hill happened to us?"

"I found some sort of contraption under my bed," Soda said while using his attractive hands to demonstrate how big it was.

"The Time Machine," Lillian whispered. Her eyes went wide, but then she groaned and her face dropped.

"Stevie here fixed the doohickey and... well... now we are here," Soda finished.

"You fixed it?" I asked Steve in disbelief. "How long did that take you?"

"A few months. It was real confusin', Bri, I'll tell you that," Steve said and rubbed the back of his neck.

"When did you guys get here?" Lillian asked.

The guys all shifted their eyes toward her and squinted as if trying to figure out how they knew her, or if they knew her. Or they all might have just realized she was standing right there and didn't know that she was with me.

"Oh, I know you!" Two snapped his fingers as if it turned on a lightbulb in his brain. "You're Bri's friend. Hell-o, Lillian."

Lillian smiled at him, her expression told me that she was no longer concerned with the issue at hand. She had nothing but hearts in her eyes that no one else could see but me. Two-Bit walked over to her and leaned up against the wall she was next to.

"Two-Bit, right?" She asked with a broad smile.

"My friends call me, Two." He winked. She blushed. "Did you know, that I have a thing for blondes?" He played with her hair, which made her blush more.

"We come in peace," Pony stated in an alien accent, making Two-Bit laugh.

"Lillian. I met you too, we were... here. But not here. But we were... here," Steve tried to reason it in his brain.

"Yeah, so Darry, Pony, Soda, Dally, and Johnny, this is my best friend Lillian. Lillian, this is the gang," I got to finally introduce.

Johnny looked down at his shoes while Ponyboy greeted her with a small but awkward wave. Darry shook her hand like a gentleman. Dally acted like he didn't care who she was so he didn't even bother to even look at her, and Soda smiled at her to be polite but then he didn't take his eyes off me. It was like if he did, then I would disappear on him again.

"So, when did you guys get here?" I repeated Lillian's question.

"I dunno. Hour or so ago," Two said while glancing at his bare wrist as if it had a watch on it.

"As much as I have loved seeing you guys again, you know that you can't stay here, right?" I asked in a small voice.

I knew the dangers of them all staying here. There was a chance that they could meet their future selves and create a time paradox. It could cause a chain reaction where it would unravel the fabric of the space time continuum and destroy the entire universe. Worst case scenario.

"Is there a way for us to get back home?" Darry asked us.

My eyes widened and my eyebrows shot up. "I don't know, is there?"

"Where is it?" Lillian asked firmly.

"Where is what?" Steve asked.

"The doohickey," I said.

"Funny story," Steve chuckled and his eyes drifted over to Two. "Two-Bit broke it."

"What?" I snapped. "How?"

Pony started laughing softly at the memory. He rubbed his finger against the side of his nose and said, "he sat on it."

"Two? What the hell!" I stared at him with a look that told him that he was a dumbass. They didn't understand just how bad that was. That was the last one in existence.

"Well, it snapped in about five different places." He rubbed his butt and joked, "I'm sure there's a piece stuck up there."

"It was an accident. He tripped and fell onto it," Darry said in his soothing voice, but it was anything but calming information.

"Oh god, this is bad. This is so bad," Lillian chanted to herself. She started pacing and I thought she was going to pull her hair out. I grabbed her arm and pulled her into me to move her out of the way so some people could leave the restaurant, and it pulled her out of her funk.

"What's the big deal?" Ponyboy asked.

"It's not a good place to be talking about this," I said, looking around at all the people who were just trying to enjoy their lunch.

Dally casually walked over to a nearby table where a couple was enjoying their food. He waited until they were busy with their phones to nonchalantly grabbed a few fries from their pile and one of their burgers, somehow without them noticing, and was already enjoying them by the time he got back to our group.

"Why'd you do that?" I asked in a whisper.

"Because I felt like it," Dally whispered back and bit into the cheeseburger.

"Let's just take them to my house," Lillian suggested as she clapped her hands together. "Until we can figure out what to do."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Guys, just follow us," I said and walked out of the restaurant while the guys were following close behind. Like a mama duck and her ducklings.

"What's the hell is a Blizzard?" I heard Steve ask as we were leaving the restaurant, but everyone ignored him.

Lillian used the remote to unlock her car and I just slipped into the passenger's seat while Lillian got in the driver's seat. They could figure the seating arrangement themselves. I was still just trying to process everything.

Darry opened the back door and climbed into the seat right behind mine. He asked, "Bri, do you mind telling us what in the almighty universe is happening? Where are we?"

"You are in Tulsa," I told him in a small voice.

"Listen, California, I've lived in Tulsa my whole life, and this ain't Tulsa," Steve said, looking up to see the digital Dairy Queen sign and asked fearfully, "what in tarnation? What is that?"

"We ain't going no where until you tell us what is going on," Two said while shutting the door behind him.

"I don't got the foggiest clue what is going on here," Soda spoke up.

"I ain't getting in no small-ass car with six other guys," Dally complained through the other open door. I noticed his empty hand was shaking, something he does when he really wants to smoke. Hopefully he didn't bring his pack with him, because he cannot be smoking in our cars or homes but he would do it anyway if he wanted to. Everyone else was already inside, leaving him the last seat.

"Get in the car, and when we get home I will tell you everything," I promised. I had my window unrolled so he could hear me.

He looked at me with his eyebrows raised and he pointed his finger at me. "Promise?"

"I promise."

He tilted his chin down and kept his eyebrows up as if he didn't believe me. He leaned into the car and reached his hand through the window, sticking up only his pinky. "No lies?"

"No lies." I hooked my own pinky to his, promising that I wasn't going to hide anything from him ever again.

Dally's finger slipped from mine and he finally decided to get into the car.

I ignored any more comments that came out of their mouths as I leaned back against my seat with my eyes closed. Lillian started the car, and everyone else was bickering in the back. Once everyone was squished in, Lillian put her car in drive and pulled out of the parking lot.

I turned back so I could look everyone in the eye while I told them the most shocking news they've probably ever heard. I took a deep breath and tried to find the right words. Finally, I said, "I don't know or how to tell you guys this... but that little doohickey was a Time Machine. And you guys are in the year 2017."

They were all silent for a moment. They suspiciously eyed each other, then they looked back at me. Two took a breath like he was going to say something, but then he stopped himself and put his finger against his pale lips in thought.

Ponyboy spoke out first. "What?"

"Yeah..." I mumbled.

"That's not possible," Darry stated.

"Well... it happened," I said. I didn't really know what else to say.

"What month is it?" Ponyboy asked.

"It's July," I told them.

"I knew it," Ponyboy said under his breath.

"Are you saying... that I invented time travel?" Steve asked, pointing to himself proudly.

"No. I did," Lillian corrected him with an eye roll.

"Oh, I'm sorry. When did you invent time travel?" Steve sounded sarcastic.

"This year," Lillian said slowly.

"Which is?" Steve asked.

"2017."

"Well, I invented it in 1966... so..." Steve replied sassily.

I looked back at him over my shoulder, and everyone was glaring at him with wrinkled noses and squinting eyes in judgement. No one even tried to hide their stink-eyes. Steve refused to make any eye contact with anyone. He just kept looking out the window and drummed his hands against his knees, knowing what he said was stupid.

"Where are we going?" Ponyboy asked.

"To my house," Lillian answered. "You guys can hang around there until we can get this all sorted out."

"Is it far?" Steve asked.

"No, it's not far," I answered.

"What's that?" Pony asked as he pointed out the window.

I followed his finger and noticed that we were driving past the old Nightly Double. The tall iconic sign was now hidden amongst the trees, rusting and withering away from the world.

"That's the sign for the Nightly Double," I told him.

"That's the sign?" Pony asked for clarification.

"Yeah."

Ponyboy was silent for a moment before he asked, "it closed?"

"Yeah. Decades ago," I told him. "Part of it was sold to that bank we just drove by, and the other part is just an empty lot. It's gated and everything."

"That's real sad," he said softly.

"Where are the parts?" Lillian asked, ending my conversation with Ponyboy. "I can fix it with the blue prints."

"You shredded them, remember?" I whispered to her.

"We threw it away," Steve stated from the seat behind mine, with Pony sitting on his lap like a child. He was squished between Darry and Soda.

"Seriously?" Lillian was really pissed. Her eyes darted from the road to staring them down in the rear view mirror. "It's— it's gone?"

"Yes?" Steve's voice went up like it was a question, or he was afraid to answer it truthfully.

"Dammit!" She yelled and slammed her palms on the steering wheel. "Why would you do that?!"

"What's wrong?" Ponyboy asked innocently.

"Y'all are going to be stuck here a little longer than you'd probably want," Lillian responded after she calmed down a little. 

"There's gotta be another one, right? How'd you get back here?" Steve asked.

"It was destroyed," I told him in a low voice. I rested my head back against my seat. "There isn't another one."

When the car fell back to silence, I leaned over and turned up the volume on the radio. Not too loud that it would blast our eardrums, but enough to fill the silence. No one was talking anyway, they were all either staring out the window to inspect everything around them or they were trying to figure out what was going on.

We pulled into Lillian's driveway, which showcased her two-story ranch style home. It looked massive compared to the Curtis house.

"Do y'all live like Socs?" Dally asked as he got out of the car and the others followed.

"She must be from California too," Two mumbled as he gazed up at the house. "Ninety dollar gas."

"There ain't Socs around here," Lillian said. She was already getting annoyed by their cluelessness.

"Huh?" Steve grunted.

"What?" Soda asked as he slowly walked over to stand beside me.

The guys all darted their eyes between me and Lillian, waiting for an answer. It was hard for them to imagine a world where they don't have to be looking over their shoulder for Socs sneaking up behind them in Mustangs or be weary of other gangs. They have other things to worry about.

"There are no greasers, there are no Socs, there are no drive-in theaters, there are no rumbles, there are no lots—" Lillian listed things off.

"No rumbles?" Dally's thick blonde eyebrows shot up.

"Nope," I said.

"What about drag races?" Soda asked hopefully.

"They're illegal," Lillian answered.

"So?" Steve grunted.

"Means no," I translated.

"This place seems like hell," Dally groaned.

"Hey!" Lillian scolded. "My neighbors will throw a fit if we're too loud. Just get inside."

"You can't tell me what to do," Dally spat at her.

"Dal, will you please just go inside?" I pleaded.

He scowled at me and exhaled roughly. "Fine. Only 'cause you asked nicely."

Dally glared at Lillian as he walked past her, and she lost all the color to her face. I hoped that Dally would loosen up around her like he did with me, but that takes time. A lot of time. She is probably just as afraid to make him mad as I was when I first met him.

We followed the guys into the house and Lillian said, "take your shoes off, please."

Darry's shoes were already off, as it was a rule he tried to implement at his own house. I shut the door behind everyone and I slipped off my sandals. Whenever my converse would get mixed up with everyone else's, I'd always have to go through each shoe until I found my size because they all looked exactly the same.

Dally plopped himself on the couch and he took out a pack of his cigarettes. He stuck one in his mouth and was just bringing his lighter up to it. I quickly plucked it from between his lips and immediately headed to the front door.

Dally sat up straight and his lighter turned off. He shouted at me, "hey! What gives?"

"You can't smoke in here," I said and tossed the cigarette out on the concrete front porch. I'd have to remember to get rid of it later, before her parents come home.

"Then I'll just smoke outside," he groaned and passed me on the way to the door, nudging me with his elbow. He opened it and stepped out to close it behind him.

"Anyone hungry?" I asked as I headed into the kitchen.

"Famished," Ponyboy said.

"Oh, Pony, you're already talkin' like em!" Two exclaimed.

"For the last time, Two, there are no Socs," I groaned exasperatingly.

"Why are you suddenly talkin' to me like this?" Two asked with a goofy glare.

"Because you're in my town now," I replied jokingly.

"I ain't eaten since last night," Soda said while he rubbed his stomach.

"I would go for some Dairy Queen," Johnny said quietly.

"Me too, kid. But who charges a buck for a sodapop? Or an ice cream cone? Hell, I steal when shit is free." Steve rolled his eyes. "What kind of town is this?"

"It's Tulsa," I repeated.

"This is not Tulsa." Steve shook his head and crossed his buff arms over his chest.

"Not accepting that this is 2017?" I asked. Honestly I didn't blame them, I had a hard time accepting that I was in 1965 for a while. The denial was ludicrous.

"Not a chance," he said, before looking at me like I was the delusional one. "2017?"

"Is Sesame Street still a thing?" Two asked.

"Yeah," I answered.

Two-Bit loved watching Disney movies, Mickey Mouse, and Sesame Street. He liked watching shows made for younger kids because he never wanted to grow up.

"Is there a Mickey?" Two-Bit suddenly asked.

"What?" I asked.

"Mickey. Mickey Mouse, is he still here?" He asked again.

"Yes, he is," I told him.

"Great." His tone was soft and full of relief. He noticed Lillian looking at him with a confused tilt of her head and he chuckled nervously and said, "for the kids."

"But Walt Disney is dead," I added. I don't know why I said it, it just came out. Two needed to know.

Two suddenly stopped chuckling. He slowly craned his neck toward me, and mouthed, "what?"

"He dies in December of 1966, I think," I said as I opened up the refrigerator to see what I could grab for these guys to eat.

"I don't believe you." I saw real Jesus tears form in his eyes.

"Look it up if you don't believe me."

"What?" He strained.

"I'll do it." Lillian pulled out her phone and all the boys gasped or gawked at it like it came out of Star Trek.

"What the hell is that?" Dally stammered, he had just walked back into the house with the stench of cigarettes surrounding him.

"It's a phone." She typed something on the screen and gave it to Two-Bit so he could see.

"My eyes can't focus on something so small." He squinted.

He tried to look on the words on the screen by bringing the phone closer and farther from his face, until he found the correct focus for him to see the digital words. I saw his eyes grow wide and I giggled but I felt kind of bad.

"Where's the john?" He asked. His eyes had relaxed, but his jaw was clenched.

"Upstairs on the right," Lillian told him while pointing up the stairs.

Two-Bit stomped up the stairs like a child and we all heard the bathroom door slam closed. It made Johnny just about jump out of his skin, but Dally's protective nature came out by the way he looked at him to make sure he was all right.

"I don't think he is gonna come down until mornin'," Steve said. Everyone chuckled at his childishness and the focus went back to the super interesting magical phone.

"What is that rectangle?" Darry asked with his eyes intent on the object.

Lillian handed it to him and Darry studied it like a caveman discovering fire for the first time. Everyone gathered around him, in awe, staring at the contraption that could fit in the palm of his hand.

"And look..." Lillian pressed the home button, which recognized her thumb print, and it unlocked. 

"Oh, shit," Soda said with wide eyes.

Lillian commenced with a little crash course on what the mobile phone could accomplish by demonstrating the features that we use on the daily. This included, calling, texting, music, and social media. This was just in case they were out in the world, they wouldn't be outwardly amazed by something so common.

"You can listen to music on this? What kind?" Darry asked.

"Any kind," Lillian answered. "You can search up any song and it will play."

"Anything?" Steve asked with a suspicious eyebrow cocked up.

"Anything," Lillian reassured.

"What about... an oldie. The Ink Spots," Steve challenged.

"I like The Ink Spots," Dally said in a low voice. He turned toward me and asked, "you know 'em?"

"Mm-hm," I hummed with a nod.

"Just making sure," he said lowly.

Lillian was quick to pull up Spotify and she began playing the first song that popped up from the band. The 1940's rhythm and blues played gently through the speakers, and the guys all looked like they were witnessing black magic right before their eyes.

"So you just... search it? Like you're going through an encyclopedia?" Darry asked.

"Yeah, pretty much." I nodded.

"What is the texting?" Johnny asked bravely and Lillian turned the music off.

"What is the social media?" Ponyboy asked.

"Oh, brother," I sighed softly. Maybe this was all too much for one day.

"Damn, man, I need me a beer." Dally inhaled deeply, and made his way to the kitchen. "Where is your ice box?"

"That will be a no," I said as I turned around and everyone followed with their eyes, staring directly at Dally. "They'll don't have any."

"Whiskey?" He asked as he opened up the high cupboards in hopes to find the non-existent liquor cabinet.

"No."

"Gin?" He twisted his head back to look at me.

"No."

"I'll take fuckin' champagne at this point."

"Give it up. My folks are dry," Lillian stated.

"So you really don't have nothin'?" His arms fell to his sides in defeat.

"We really don't have nothin'," she said, slightly mocking his accent. It made me crack a smile, but I don't think she did it on purpose.

"Fuck," Dally mumbled under his breath.

I walked into the kitchen and pulled open the door to the refrigerator. I reached my hand toward the back for a can of Diet Coke and handed it to Dally. It wasn't going to give him the same satisfaction, but it was something.

"What's this?" He asked as he looked at the can. Then he looked at the fridge and asked, "what's that?"

"This is like an ice box." I closed the fridge door then gestured to the can and said, "and that is a Diet Coke."

"What's a Diet Coke?" Ponyboy asked.

"A soda that doesn't come out until the 80s," I told him.

"I got a fake ID," Dally proudly reminded everyone.

"Oh, that's right. How could I forget?" I said sarcastically.

"I do not know," he chuckled.

"So, tell me, what will the bouncers do when they see that it says you were born in 1945?" I asked with my eyebrows raised, waiting for his smart-ass answer.

The crooked smile on Dally's face fell. He stammered, trying to think of an answer, but he did not have one. His shoulders dropped and I knew he finally accepted defeat on this.

"You might be able to pass as twenty-two, but not seventy-two," I said.

"Yeah, forget it," he grumbled.

There were still a few questions here and there, and some requests to prove that they were actually in 2017, but by the end of it, everyone was finally convinced that they had gone through time. This resulted in more questions about the future, and more explaining about how they were now stuck here indefinitely.

"Where do you guys want to go eat?" Lillian asked, changing the subject. It would probably be best if we got them happy and full first before we kept going with our uncertainty for the future.

"Is the Dingo still open?" Soda asked. He looked up at me with his elbows resting on his knees.

"No." I shook my head. "It burned down ages ago."

"Bucks?" Asked Dally.

"They took it down to make room for apartments," Lillian informed.

"Jays?" Steve asked hopefully.

"Bulldozed thirty years ago. I think they rebuilt a bar there," Lillian answered.

"This place blows," Steve whined. "But hey, least I got my switchblade."

"Oh yeah, that reminds me. I should get those blades from you guys," I said. I knew they were going to be mad, but I couldn't trust them. Not yet.

"What?" Pony asked with wide eyes.

"I am not going to risk you guys pulling a blade on anyone. You'll get arrested." I glared over at Dally.

Dally put his hands up in an innocent surrender. "What are ya lookin' at me for?"

"Come on, please?" I begged Steve. He rolled his eyes and handed me his blade. I walked around the living room and received the switchblade from everyone with great hesitation.

I ended with Dally. He gave me his blade in a heartbeat. I cleared my throat, and I left my hand out. Dally rolled his eyes and reached into his pocket to hand me another blade that I knew he had.

"And?"

Dally reached for his ankle and he handed me a hunting knife that I have recalled seeing poke out from his jeans sometimes. He glared at me, pissed about this entire situation. I wasn't exactly too thrilled about having to deal with this either.

"That's better." I still didn't believe that those were all his blades, but it was good enough for now.

"Okay, we can go to Hanks, Ike's Chili's, Five Guys, Dairy Queen, Howdy Burger, Freeway, El Rancho, Phat Phillys, Sunny's Diner, Sami's, McDonalds—" Lillian started listing food joints off that she thought they might like.

"Dairy Queen," Johnny spoke up. "I'm starving."

"Me too," Ponyboy said.

"Okay, let's go," I said. Dairy Queen is a favorite amongst these guys, sometimes I wished they'd branch out a little.

"We can't all fit in that tiny box you call a car again," Steve pointed out.

"A goddamn clown car," Dally mumbled.

My car was still parked in her driveway from before I went back to 1965, so I suggested, "why don't half of you go in my car, and half in Lillians? Fair?"

The guys all looked at each other, nodding in agreement.

"Fair," Pony spoke for everyone.

I slipped my sandals back on before I walked to the table in Lillian's open concept house to grab my wallet and car keys. The guys were deciding who got to ride with who as they rummaged around to get their shoes back on, and I headed out the door. I got settled in the drivers seat and started the car.

"Oh, I missed you," I sighed. I felt the steering wheel in my hands again, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw the aux so I could play my own tunes while I drove. I looked up at the front door and honked a couple times to make them hurry.

The guys came running out all together. Soda took the passenger seat, and Dally and Steve filled in the back seats. Darry, Johnny, and Ponyboy packed into Lillian's car.

We didn't talk much on the way there. All their faces were pressed against the window, admiring the brand new city. They did what I did when I first arrived in 1965; pointing out the buildings that they recognized and ones that they didn't.

The drive is incredibly short, so when we parked we only had to wait a few seconds before Lillian and the rest of the guys pulled in beside us. We decided to go to a different location than the one where Dally decided to verbally abuse the staff.

"I'll pay, so you don't have to flip out again, Dally," I teased.

Dally rolled his eyes and didn't have a witty comeback. Instead, he tried to reason it by saying, "I don't like gettin' scammed."

"It's just inflation, you aren't getting scammed," I reassured.

"Oh, no. They've already brainwashed you," Dally teased with a dramatic gasp.

"You are being so dramatic," I said as I took off my seatbelt and slipped out of the car. I closed the door and headed to the sidewalk to wait for everyone.

"I'm dramatic?!" I heard Dally yell. "I'm..." he struggled to open the door and when he finally did, he pointed at me and said, "I am not dramatic."

"Would you prefer the term theatrical?" I asking teasingly as Dally walked up to me.

"I'd prefer the term..." he couldn't think of anything so instead he resorted to, "shut up."

Soda came around the car and he immediately walked over to stand beside me as we waited for everyone else.

"Have I told you today that you look good?" Soda asked.

"Not yet." I fought a smile.

"I like this shirt on you."

"Evie picked it out for me," I told him. She loved to go shopping with me. I missed her. I wonder how she's doing now.

"Looks beautiful on you."

"Thank you." I could feel myself blush, so I had to look away.

Once everyone was out of the car, we headed into the Dairy Queen and we were the only ones in line to order. It took a while, so Pony and Johnny had the responsibility to save a large booth that we could all fit into.

"This Dairy Queen is so... different," Steve pointed out as he slipped into the booth.

"Everything is different," Darry agreed. He scrunched his face and said, "I don't like it."

When the cashier called our number, Steve had to grab it since he was the last one into the booth. He came back with trays that had all our food on them.

"Grab it and growl," he said as we all snatched our burgers and fries before someone else could.

For the last year, I have lived with the rule that if you don't eat your food fast enough, the guys will slither around and snatch it from your plate. I've learned to eat fast. Lillian slowly ate her burger as she watched the rest of us devour them like vultures.

I took a bite of my burger and was met with the unsavory bitterness and crunch of a pickle. I took the bun off my burger and pinched the half eaten pickle and lifted it up in the air. "Anyone want my pickles?"

"I'll take 'em." Soda opened his burger and I plopped all my pickles on his patty.

"What about tomatoes?" I asked.

"Give 'em to me," he said.

I gave Soda my tomato slices too. We both closed our respective burgers and I took a bite of mine, happy that it was no longer contaminated with pickles or tomatoes.

"What kind of stuff do y'all do for fun around here?" Soda asked while he snapped his teeth down on a fry.

"Yeah, it's pretty lame to have no rumbles and drag races," Steve grunted.

"It's certainly safer," Lillian added to try to make 2017 not seem so bad but this isn't what they'd want to hear.

"Safer shmafer." Dally propped his elbows on the table. "I like a little danger."

"We all know you do." I rolled my eyes and chuckled.

"This broad didn't." He pointed over to Lillian without even looking at her. "Who even is she? Who are you?"

"Have we not told you?" I asked while covering my mouth as I continued to eat. Everyone leaned in slightly toward me as I continued, "you guys are kinda famous around here."

"How so?" Ponyboy asked, peaking his interest.

"Well..." I started but my voice trailed off. I didn't know how to bring it up delicately.

"We ain't supposed to talk about it," Lillian snapped to interrupt me. "They can't know about their futures."

"Oh my god, do I die?" Steve asked while dramatically putting his hand over his heart.

Soda put his two fingers against Steve's neck and his face was frozen with concentration. Steve closed his eyes, as if that was going to deliver a better outcome. Then he nodded with puckered lips and he said, "you're alive."

"Not that I know of," I chortled.

"Thank god. I really thought my liver would get the best of me," he chuckled.

"I haven't met any of you guys before, so I don't really know what happens to you. I don't exactly hang out with seventy year olds," I chuckled. The only person I had idea of was Ponyboy, because he was going around and speaking at different middle schools about his book. From what I remember, he was an English professor for some university and did more of his book tours after he retired. He came to my school when I was in eighth grade, but he didn't really talk about anything else. He might have briefly mentioned what he and the gang were up to now, but I can't remember. Besides, Johnny and Dally were supposed to be dead anyways.

"We are how old now?" Soda asked, his voice went high and he leaned forward towards me, clearly caught off guard.

"About sixty-nine or seventy years old. I think," Lillian answered with a shrug.

"Oh, god almighty," Dally gasped, nearly choking on his burger. He pounded his chest with his fist while coughing a bit and clearing his throat.

"I'm like the crypt keeper!" Steve wailed, putting his hands up to his cheeks.

"Do I look any different?" Soda asked, assuming that he instantly aged. His fingers grazed his neck and sharp jawline for fear of feeling wrinkles and saggy leathered skin.

"Still as pretty as a peach," I joked with an old southern accent.

"Thank god," he said, putting his hand over his heart. "I don't wanna be an old man. I ain't ready."

"Well, what exactly did you guys think?" I asked. "You are fifty years into the future. Your future."

"I still want to believe that this is all just a very weird dream," Dally said after he polished off his burger. "I'm going to wake up from some sort of drinkin' induced hallucination and hear the real Bri blabbing about God knows what. I have my switchblades back, and I go get hammered and toss some Socs into the dirt."

"This is real life, kiddo," Darry said in a calm voice. He was taking this all a lot better than what I expected. Or he might just be disassociating.

There was a pause before Johnny spoke up and asked, "I wonder how Two-Bit's doin'."

"I totally forgot about him," Lillian mumbled as she looked at me wearily.

"I'm sure he is just spooked, that's all." Dally crumpled up his wrapper and attempted to throw it in the nearby trashcan. He missed.

I took a bite of my fry and looked around the table. Seeing all of my guys here with me again made me smile. I don't have to lie or hide things from them anymore, but I just have so many questions. Why are they here? Is this really a good idea? How are we going to bring them back to their time? I'm not sure how fair this situation is. This is going to be a real big adjustment for them, and we don't know how long they're going to have to stay. It's almost like I get another chance to spend more time with them, before we really have to say goodbye. And this time, it's going to be so much harder.

"Ready to go?" Lillian asked. I glanced around, not noticing before that everyone was done eating already, including myself.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm ready," I said.

We all stood up from the table and threw our garbage away. Soda held the door open for me, nearly letting it smack in Steve's face which made both of us laugh. We jumped back into our respected vehicles and drove back to Lillian's house.

The first outting was relatively a success. There wasn't any negative attention brought to our big group, and they found a way to blend in. But we really needed to educate these poor guys on life in the twenty-first century before they tear the town apart.