Scottish Gold (An Outsiders Fic)

Chapter 47: Going Home

Vikki's POV

Karen drove us to the airport the next morning with tears in her eyes. She kept telling Gracie and me how sorry she was and how she never thought this was how this year would turn out. She kept asking for our forgiveness. She was completely crumbling now that Clint wasn't with us. He had told us that morning that he had something important to do for work, but he would meet us at the airport and see us off.

I wished none of this had ever happened. I wished that we never came to America. I wished I had never seen that flyer at our school, telling Cookie it'd be a once in a lifetime opportunity. The moment of talking Cookie and my parents into letting us go on this exchange kept playing in my head. If I wasn't so pushy, Cookie would be alive.

"We're here, girls," Karen said, pulling into a small parking space and getting out of the car. Gracie and I followed closely behind her as a man helped us get our bags. I nodded to the man, silently thanking him, and grabbed Gracie's hand as we followed Karen through the airport terminal and up to our spot of the plane.

"FLIGHT 116 TO EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND IS BOARDING IN FIVE MINUTES," The voice on the intercom spoke loudly through the terminal.

I took a deep breath, before Karen pulled me into a hug.

"I'm so sorry all this happened, darling." Karen said, holding me tight, "I never dreamed that anything like this would happen. I wish I could have stopped all of this somehow."

"There was nothing anyone could do," I said into her shoulder before she released me.

"I'm sorry, honey." Karen said quietly.

I exhaled through my nose and put on a smile. My cheeks were sore from the forced smiles I perfected throughout the week. My voice cracked slightly as I said, "thank ye for everything ye've done for us. Ah hope Ah can see Clint before Ah'm off."

"He should be here by now," she said. "I'll give him a hug from you if he doesn't make it."

"Thanks."

"FLIGHT 116 TO EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND IS NOW BOARDING!" The voice came again and I smiled down at Gracie.

"Are ye ready tae go home?" I asked her. She nodded back at me in excitement.

I gave Karen one last hug, and Gracie said her goodbye. I was disappointed that Clint wasn't able to come in time to see us off, but I was too tired to care too much. We hugged before I left the house, as a precaution. We got to the attendant, showed her our tickets, and started walking toward the tunnel toward the plane.

"WAIT!" Came the scream of an all too familiar voice making me spin around, yanking Gracie along with me. We ran out of the tunnel to see the large group of boys barrelling towards us. People were jumping to the side to avoid them. My foggy mind was struck in awe, and finally Gracie's pull made me back out to the terminal. I had already said my goodbyes to the gang, so I had no idea why they were now running towards me with Clint in tow.

As they came to a stop in front of me, Steve slipped and landed on his bum at my feet. Gracie giggled as they made eye contact because he was now at her level and used her free hand to pat his grease covered hair. She asked him, "are ye okay?"

He nodded to her with a goofy grin as I looked around the gang in confusion. Each boy looked haphazardly thrown together, and I was so confused by their presence until I looked down. In each of their hands, were small and beaten up suitcases with fabrics sticking out the side as if they had just jammed things in them and slammed them shut without a care.

"We're coming with you." Soda spoke quickly while panting. Ponyboy was bent over coughing and breathing heavily for the pain that probably came with his healing lungs.

"How?" I asked in utter surprise.

They smiled before they parted in the middle to reveal Clint. Clint gave me a small smile as he walked through the sea of seven boys. I couldn't quite understand what was happening, because my brain does not work before seven in the morning.

"Cookie loved these boys like family." He told me, "I don't think she'd like it if they missed her funeral."

"But, how?" I asked.

"They're flying with you, but they come back Tuesday." Karen explained, walking up to Clint and giving him a kiss on the cheek. After the hospital, Karen had loosened up tremendously around the gang.

"Thank ye," I said, wrapping them both up in a hug before I could let out any emotion. "Yer the best."

"LAST CALL FOR BOARDING TO EDINBURGH. LAST CALL FOR BOARDING TO EDINBURGH. THANK YOU."

"Ye lads are coming with?" I asked, just to make sure I understood correctly.

"We wouldn't miss it." Soda said, slipping his hand in mine.

Gracie made our goodbye's for Karen and Clint fast and we ran to the gate. We handed the attendant our tickets, and she let us on with the boys close behind. I was supposed to sit next to Gracie, but we switched our seats around so I sat next to Soda and Gracie got to sit next to Two.

I remember when I was a kid, I was scared of planes. The idea of a metal tube flying through the sky terrified me, and it wasn't until a few years ago I was able to go on a plane with ease. Now, I just hate taking off. I hated the feeling of my stomach dropping to my feet and my ears cracking. Otherwise, I was golden. Cookie was never afraid, a few times she would ask if she could fly the bloody plane herself. She always said that she wanted to be a pilot. My folks always said no.

The plane drove slowly to the runway before bolting, gaining speed faster and faster. My hand was crushing the arm rest, when Soda's rested overtop and replaced it.

"Thanks," I said as we started to lift from the ground. "Take off always makes meh feel sick."

"I've never been on a plane before."

"Never?!" I asked, and he just shook his head no.

"Ah donnae care for it much anymore," I said. I couldn't be paid to fly on an airplane every day of my life. Once or twice in a lifetime was good enough for me. Soda smiled at me, lacing his fingers through mine. I smiled back, feeling sad, knowing that we'd soon have to part for good. For now though, I'd let myself continue to keep loving him.