"Ponyboy?"

Allow me to step in here for a moment and stress to you how entirely strange the next few seconds were for the two boys. That particularly awkward kind of strange. Like when… when on a long road trip, you stop at a gas station for a bathroom break. And in the bathroom, there's a long line. But just your luck, no music is playing. So you're all standing there, avoiding eye contact, in silence, painfully aware of the situation and Just. Wanting. Out. Everything is awkward and every sound (you know the sounds I mean… the coughs, the sink running, the paper towel dispenser, the sounds in the stalls,) every feature feels weird and out of place.

It was something like that for Ponyboy and Johnny.

"You're not… no." Ponyboy shook his head. "Can't be."

Johnny blinked. "Uh... man I…" He rubbed the back of his neck. "God you just, look just like someone I used to know." His eyes fell down to his shoes, the same beat up black converse he'd worn on St. Louis Avenue.

"Look I'm… I'm really sorry about that and everyt…"

"Nature's first green is gold," Ponyboy said it just a little too loud.

Johnny looked at him like he was nuts.

Ponyboy sighed. Too many movies. He turned around and started to walk upstairs and fidget with his tee shirt and…

"Her hardest hue to hold."

He whipped back around. Johnny's eyes were wide and his skin was pale… an odd thing when you're so tan-faced.

"Windrixville, right?"

"Windrixville"

"It was like…" Johnny swallowed, "Like what… 5 days?"

"4 or 5. Longest of my life"

"Golly, man, you..."

"Tell me about it"

They stared at each other for a long few moments, both drinking in the sight of the best friend they thought they'd never see again. Sodapop's loud laugh from the kitchen snapped them out of it.

"Is it really you, Johnnycake?" Pony asked in a whisper. Johnny just looked at him with his old smile, the soft one that answered for him.

"They wear some pretty tight pants these days, huh Pone?" And just like that the two boys were hugging the life out of each other. Burying his head in Johnny's denim jacket (that, was one trend that seemed not to have changed,) Pony was reminded of the first night in the church when he'd broken down because his stomach hurt and he was so tired and shaken up and on top of it all he wanted was his parents and Johnny wasn't doing much better and they just hugged each other and cried all night long.

"Don't cry Ponyboy," he had told him. A pretty dumb thing to say when you're crying yourself, but what else was there to say?

Johnny's mumbled something against his green tee shirt, breaking the memory

"What?"

"How are you here?" He pulled away with huge eyes but kept his hands on Pony's shoulders. "God... how in the heck are you here?"

"I don't know man. I swear I don't," Pony sighed and sank back onto the sofa. He snorted. "None of it makes no sense."

"What are you doing here" Johnny repeated stupidly. Pony just looked at him like Did you not just hear what I said? "I mean, uh… how long?"

Pony sighed. "Not long. Just 3 days. The first one I really wasn't even here." Johnny raised his eyebrows and they disappeared behind his shaggy black hair. "Long story" his friend added.

"Oh."

They sat in silence for a while. The TV was on… playing some reality show where people get married in 90 days.

Johnny chuckled. "Man. I guess things are different, huh?"

Ponyboy nodded.

Another minute went by while they listened to 90 Day Fiance and the sounds of dishes and Anna's laughter from the kitchen.

Eventually, Ponyboy licked his lips "So…"

"So."

"Are we not gonna talk about it?"

Johnny shrugged, in a really small way. He went to open his mouth…

"DINNER!"

Both boys winced as Sodapop's unmistakable voice basically shook the house. Johnny scratched his head. "I know we need to. I just…" he sighed. They both did that a lot. "I don't know where to start."

His best friend just nodded. "Let's start with some dinner. Mom's…" he looked towards the kitchen with such happiness that Johnny was actually moved, "Mom's still such a good cook."

Johnny couldn't help but grin back. "I bet." He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his shorts and turned towards the kitchen when ...

"Johnnycake?"

He glanced back with a raised eyebrow.

Ponyboy pursed his lips and let out a whistle, the greaser whistle that they'd used at the church. Johnny just grinned softly and without a word, whistled back the low reply. It was one of those silent conversations that the two best friends Ponyboy and Johnny had always excelled at: You're really you, and I'm really me, and everything is gonna work out somehow. And of course, also, I am so freaking glad you're here.

Pony started to work sorry walk towards the kitchen. Barbeque smelled real good. But just then Darry appeared next to him tossing a role up in the air and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Dad wants to talk to you."

Pony couldn't help but smile. He'd missed talking to his dad. "What about?" Darry shrugged. "Beats me. He's upstairs."

Pony nodded heading up that direction. He had to physically stop himself from calling out "dad?" once he reached the top, instead settling for a "sir?" He found him in Darry's room sitting on the bed.

"Hey Ponyboy" He patted the spot on the bed next to him, which the younger boy took. Darryl Sr. ran a hand through his hair, so much like Darry that he almost laughed. "I was talking to Dare earlier and he said that the drive 'round town yesterday did a little good?"

Ponyboy nodded. "I think, sir."

Darry had taken him for a little rendezvous of Tulsa, hoping it might jog his memory some. Ponyboy, feeling bad, had let him believe it had done its just and that he was starting to get flashes of memories. (He was 'miraculously' able to direct Darry to Will Rogers High, still in the very same place, for example).

"Good," Darryl Sr. nodded with a grin, "glad to hear it. Hopefully you'll remember enough that we can get you home soon. Not that it's any problem at all having you here" he added quickly.

Ponyboy just nodded and bit back his tongue.

"About that, Ponyboy, Johnny... you met Johnny downstairs right?" Pony just nodded. "Well, that's good. Y'all get along?"

"Yeah, we dig ok."

The older man grinned. "Nice word choice."

"Thanks."

"Anyhow, I think you and Johnny may be real good for each other"

"Why's that sir?"

"Because" He sighed "Johnny's… a little bit in the same boat." When Ponyboy just blinked he realized he didn't understand. "With the memory loss, I mean."

Hmm.

"He uh… well I don't really know the full story myself but he's been with the Avilia's for a little bit and they're helping him through it… he's not blood, ya know?"

Ponyboy nodded slowly. This was not going smoothly but what the heck was he supposed to say?

"So…" his dad sighed and he realized this was really awkward for him. "So, I guess I figure you two could maybe try to talk to each other, help each other out?"

Ponyboy shrugged and pretended to think about it. Really, he was just looking around Darry's room. He hadn't been in here yet. It was certainly Darry, even a 2019 Darry. Neat as a pin, everything in its little place. Poster's of NFL stars lined the walls. There was no Television in this one, but his laptop sat in proper place on a desk littered with neatly stacked work. Pictured sat on the shelves and windowsill, mostly his family, and some of the cute blonde that Pony could only assume to be AK (He'd found out that's what they called her). He didn't know how to explain it but the room was just so Darry… it was even in the smell of it. Air conditioning and old leather.

"Pony?" His dad broke him out of his trance.

"Yeah, sir." He drew designs on the comforter but managed a small smile. "Yeah, we get along real good, I think. We'll talk, and stuff." Flimsy, but it would do.

Mr. Curtis just smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. It made him pause for just a moment, the smile never leaving his face. "You're something else, kid."

"Boys, dinner's gettin' cold!" His wife called from downstairs. He rolled his eyes.

"Alright, let's go make an appearance."

The older man left the room first and Pony was right behind him, feeling, not for the first time like he was in some kind of weird dream. As his socks shuffled along the carpeting and he heard Soda and Anna laughing and vaguely made out Johnny talking to someone on the phone and he could picture his parents right there in the middle of it dishing out pork chops and coleslaw… and his pants were so tight…

Good lord, life was weird.