The Outsiders: Before My Time Sequel | Sodapop

Welcome to 2017

Bri's POV
July 26, 2017
10:45a.m

I don't really remember falling asleep last night. Lillian and I read the entirety of the book, but I might have to reread the ending again because I was so tired. Time travel is really exhausting.

Before I opened my eyes, I almost convinced myself that I dreamt everything about finding Lillian and going back to my time. I kept imagining that I was still in my old bedroom, where I had my record player on the rug, my magazines in a pile, and posters of Elvis and the Beatles taped to my walls. When I get to the living room, I'll see Darry cooking up a Saturday morning breakfast that'll probably consist of chocolate chip pancakes and toast. Maybe some bacon crackling on the stove and eggs frying in a greasy pan. I could almost smell it. Soda will grab the orange juice and drink it straight from the carton before letting anyone else have it, and Ponyboy will be at the table with his nose in a book.

With the warm sun kissing my face, my eyes fluttered open and my heart dropped to my stomach. Instead of music posters and the smell of pancakes, I was looking at plain light blue walls and the sound of Lillian brushing her teeth in the nearby bathroom. I rolled over to grab my phone from the nightstand to look at the time, but I collapsed back down on the bed.

It just boggled my mind that I was finally home. Well, not in my own bed, but in my own time. I didn't have to be too careful about what I said anymore, and I can finally be back to normal. I should feel relieved, but why wasn't I happy?

Lillian has been my best friend since we were ten years old when we met in the fifth grade. I was the new kid in class, I was shy and very nervous for my first day. Our teacher assigned Lillian to be my reading buddy, which turned into her inviting me to sit next to her at lunch. I gave her an extra chocolate pudding cup my mom packed, and she has remained my closest friend ever since.

With our parents out of town for another week or so, Lillian's house was going to be my home away from home. I couldn't wait to see my parents again. I never could have imagined that I would have to live without them with no contact for an entire year. It made me really empathize with the Curtis brothers, they will never even get a chance to talk to their parents again. I couldn't imagine that.

I even missed my little sister, Jenni. She is three years younger than me, which classifies her under the "little sister annoying" trope but I love her anyway. She's my sister, I will always love her even if I can't tolerate her.

I thought about the guys. What are they doing now? Who are they now? Are they still the fun-loving greasers that were my best friends, or did they grow up? Would we be friends now? Do they forgive me for leaving without saying a word? When I read Ponyboy's book, it seemed like he was the only one who had forgiven me. He understood. Everyone else was angry, or sad. Like Soda, he was really sad. Dally was angry.

Reading what Ponyboy thought of me, he never expressed any thought that I was a time traveler. I mean, how could he? That would be insane. He did think that I was a little weird, but he just thought it was because I was from California, and I guess he thought all Californians were strange. I guess there were some things that I said during my time here that confused him, but he'd just move on.

I missed Soda with my whole heart. I missed his hair. I missed the way his eyes lit up when he looked at me. I missed his smile, his soft touch, and his laugh. The way I got butterflies in my stomach when he was near. How he made me feel like I was the only girl in the world. I don't know how I'm going to get over him. I might not.

I can't mope in bed forever. I have to get back into the groove of my life here again. I sat up and rubbed my tired eyes and ran my fingers through my tangled hair to get it off my face. I let a raspberry escape my lips before I tossed the covers off and walked groggily into the bathroom. I could probably sleep for another decade.