Back to You

It is the Truth

Johnny walked home with tears staining his face. When he got in the house he collapsed on the couch and cried. "Johnnycake, what's wrong?" Ponyboy asked softly. All the gang had fallen silent around him.

He sniffed and looked from his hands. "She's gone."

"What?!" Darry jumped up. "What do mean she's gone?"

"I t-think she went back to her t-time. I was talking to h-her a-and she...she just p-passed out. Then her body f-faded a-away." Johnny was stuttering like crazy. Erin was gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone.

Everyone feel silent after that. Erin was gone. Now was when they all broke into tears. She was not dead, but she was gone and might not ever be back. Gone forever. Ponyboy and Johnny couldn't process it. Ponyboy's best friend gone? Johnny's best friend...crush...gone?

She had to come back. What would happen to the gang if she didn't?

...

While the gang was grieving the lose of Erin, her parents and friends were astatic. When Erin walked out of her room and her parents seen her, they immediately broke into tears and hugs.

When Erin arrived home her messages ended up sending, leaving her phone blowing up with messages again. She didn't respond back because her parents kept asking her questions. They didn't even notice their own phones going off with her messages.

"Where were you? Why did you leave? Are you okay? You're not hurt are you?" Her Mom asked questions left and right.

"Woah. Slow down, Mom. I'm fine. And I went to Tulsa, Oklahoma-" Before she could explain more, she was cut off.

"Tulsa! Why on earth would you go there? Why didn't you answer your phone?" Her Mom was almost furious.

"I tried, but the messages wouldn't go through. And I wasn't just in Tulsa...somehow...someway, I went inside a book. I went inside The Outsiders back in 1965."

"Erin, this is no times for games," Her Dad scolded.

"I'm not playing. I'm serious. I changed the book, it has my name on it. I'll show you." Erin was about to go to her room before her Mom stoped her.

"Erin...I think you need to sit down." She gave her Mom a funny look before doing as she was told. "Sweetheart, that book has always had your name in it. You came home and showed us, remember. And you showed us the movie."

Erin just stared at her. What was she talking about? She never did that, and the book just now changed. "N-No, I changed it. I just got back. A-And that never...I never showed you. What are you talking about?"

My parents gave each other concerned looks. "Sweetie, why don't you go lay down."

"Mom, I'm fine. I have proof. During the rumble I was stabbed. I still have the scar." She lifted up her shirt, revealing the scar. Both her parents mouth dropped.

"Dear God, what happened? W-Who did that to you?"

"I told you, it happened during the rumble. They were going to stab Johnny! They were going to kill him!"

"Erin, none of that happened. That was all in a book."

"Yes it did happen! It was real! I went inside the book and saved Johnny!"

Her Mom let out a frustrated sigh. "All right. Go to your room for a bit." Erin stood up and went to her room. She laid down on her bed and cried. Her parents didn't believe her. They thought she was crazy. How could she make them believe her?

...

Erin went back to school after a couple days. Her friends ran up to her and hugged her. "Erin!" Rachel screamed. She nearly nocked Erin over because she ran into her so hard. "Where were you? Did you get kidnapped or something?"

Erin let out a small laugh. "No, I was not kidnapped. It's a long story, I'll tell you later when-"

"Erin!" She heard someone yell. It was Paige. She ran up to her and gave her a big bear hug. "Oh, I missed you," She cried.

"I missed you guys, too. Look, I'll tell you all what happened when we all get to gym. And if you see Katlyn, tell her."

They all nodded and headed of to class. Erin ran to the library and checked out a copy of The Outsiders. He had her own copy in her backpack, but she figured she might need more proof then her own book just in case they didn't believe her.

They all met up in gym, and Erin knew it was time to explain everything. She walked up to the them. "Guys...before I tell you, it may sound crazy, but you have to believe."

"All right. Of course we will believe you."

"Good. Okay, so before I start, what happens in The Outsiders?"

"What does this have to do with anything?" Katlyn asked her.

"Can you just do it please. I need to know something."

"But you know everything about that book." Erin glared at her. "Fine. In the book Ponyboy met this girl named Erin. Johnny kills Bob and him, Ponyboy, and Erin go to the church. The church catches on fire and they all make it home safely."

"Have you read the book since I left?"

"No...are you okay?"

No she was not. Somehow they remember something they have never read. Like their memories have been changed. "What about Erin being from the future?"

"Huh? Erin is not from the future. What are you talking about?"

"I went into the book. I'm the Erin who met the boys. And at the church Ponyboy and Johnny found out I was from 2019. I guess he couldn't put that in his paper."

"That's crazy. You can't go inside a book."

"I know it sounds crazy, but it's not. Look," she pulled out a book from her bag. "Erin was stabbed during the rumble. She saved Johnny from dying." She showed them her scar. They had the same reaction her parents did. "I was stabbed during the rumble. And I have pictures too." She pulled out her phone and showed them the pictures she had taken of Johnny. She smiled just looking him. She really missed Johnny.

"What the heck. This can't be real," Paige retorted.

"It is. Please, you have to believe me!"

They all looked at each other and shook their heads. Erin's been through a lot, and she probably doesn't know what she's talking about. That's what they all thought, but deep inside of them they wanted to believe her. "Erin...give us time to think this over." Katlyn let her down easy.

Erin let out a sigh. "Fine."

...

Erin's friends never really accepted the truth. She at least had to get someone to believe her. Her friends were never really that into the book, but they had read it. She hoped they would have enough sense to believe her. Erin had one more friend to turn to, and she really hoped she believed her. If not, she had no clue what she would do.