Ponyboy and Johnny stared at (Y/N) in disbelief. Their mouths were parted slightly as if they wanted to say something, but they didn't know what.
She wiped away a dribble of sweat that was running down her forehead with the back of her hand, amused by their reactions. "So what do you guys say, will you help me out?"
"With what?" Ponyboy asked in a wobbly voice. It was evident that the boys were terrified by what they just witnessed, but (Y/N) didn't have time to hold their hands and explain. She needed to get home before she damaged the timeline any further.
She sighed, putting one hand on her hip and the other to her forehead, looking at the ground. "How do I put this?" She muttered to herself. She could tell them that she was from the future, but she felt that the whole speedster thing was already too much for them.
"Okay... I... I'm not from this state. Yes," She clapped her hands together excitedly, proud of her quick wit. "I need to get back home, but I need you guys to help me keep what I can do a secret."
She waited for them to answer. (Y/N) knew she was asking way too much of two teenagers who she just met, but she needed to know that she could count on them.
(Y/N) watched as Johnny shifted his focus to something behind her. She was going to turn around, but the sight of Ponyboy's face flushing into a sickly pale color caught her attention instead. "What's wrong?" Her voice quaked as she took a step toward Ponyboy, reaching her hand out to him. Johnny inhaled sharply and pulled a switchblade from his back pocket, holding it in the same threatening manner as Steve did earlier that day.
She stopped dead in her tracks, staring at Johnny, who for some reason wasn't looking at her. She wanted to run, but she needed them to know that she wasn't going to harm them, so she held her hands up in surrender instead.
"Please..." (Y/N) whispered, hoping that if she used a gentle voice, Johnny would put away his switchblade. She opened her mouth to plead for them to listen to her, but her air supply was suddenly cut off a hand tightening around her throat. The air around her became polluted with the smell of alcohol and cigarettes, and her mind began to feel hazy.
The Soc's rings were beginning to dig into her neck as she clawed at his hand with her fingers, desperate for air. She tried to concentrate on using her speed to get out of his deadly grasp, but Barry hadn't shown her how to drive a situation like the one she was in now. He was supposed to train her this morning, but their lesson had been cut short by her idiotic idea of racing each other. Stupid, she thought, I'm so stupid. Tears stained her cold, rosy cheeks as she mentally kicked herself for being immature.
The Soc pulled her head back, inching his lips closer and closer to her ear. "You're too pretty to be a Greaser, babe." He chuckled, sending shivers down her spine. He proceeded to tighten his fingers even more than before.
The boys watched in horror as (Y/N) struggled less and less. Her eyes were slowly losing the light that had illuminated their lives, even if it had been just for a day. Her hands went limp and her face turned a sickening color. Johnny's heart began racing even faster than the day that Bob and his friends jumped him. Bob... the same Soc that was now killing (Y/N).
Before Johnny could think his actions through clearly, he lunged toward (Y/N) and Bob, plunging his switchblade into an exposed part of his abdomen.
The first breath was like heaven. The blood in (Y/N)'s face began to flow freely again, and she fell to her knees, gasping loudly as her lungs filled with fresh air.
Johnny kneeled next to her, clutching the bloodied blade in his hand. "I killed him," His voice broke. Ponyboy and (Y/N) stared at each other, listening to the heartbreaking whimpers of Johnny coming to terms with what just happened. "I killed him." Ponyboy struggled to breath as he stared at the lifeless body that laid on the wet, blood stained pavement.
"Oh, I think I'm gonna be sick," Ponyboy warned before he sprinted to the roundabout and emptied out the contents of his stomach.
(Y/N) watched Ponyboy for a second, making sure that none of the other Soc's woke up, then moved to where Johnny sat. She nodded, and squeezed his hand, reassuring Johnny that it would be alright. "You had to, or he would have killed me."
"Yeah, he woulda killed yuh'," he repeated in a broken voice. She spent the next few minutes calming the boys, and once their histeria passed, they wondered what to do next.
"We need to see Dally." One of the boys suggested. (Y/N) rolled her eyes at his name, remembering how he reacted when she first showed up.
"Why?" (Y/N) asked, annoyed.
"We need money. And maybe a gun. And a plan," Johnny answered.
"Yeah, and Dally has all that," Ponyboy added. She saw the desperation in their eyes and knew nothing she could've said would change their mind.
She shrugged, "Fine."
Once they made their way to where Dally was staying, the boys told (Y/N) to wait outside, afraid that he would've acted hostile toward them if she was there. As soon as Dally came to the door, Ponyboy told him of the dead Soc in the park that Johnny killed. (Y/N)'s heartbeat sped up as she listened in, hiding behind the door.
After Dally took both boys inside, (Y/N) began crying. She hugged herself, shrinking into the large jacket that Cisco had given her for the race. She thought about him, Barry, and Caitlin and what they were doing at that very moment. About whether they were looking for her, or if they were busy with another metahuman. She cried harder than she ever had, releasing the fear and sadness she had been holding in since the moment she realized she was no longer home. (Y/N) contemplated leaving the boys, and running away to figure out her next move alone, but she felt a sort of responsibility to them and their wellbeing. So she stayed.
She waited outside for what felt like hours, staring at the buzzing red neon sign that read "bud." A few minutes later the front door flew open, startling her back to reality. "All done?" She asked once she realized it was only Ponyboy and Johnny. She thought she was hallucinating at first, but a glint of what she thought was relief flashed before both boys' eyes.
"We thought you took off 'n left us," Johnny said, tucking a few bills into his pants pocket.
"Nope, unfortunately you guys are still stuck with me," She chuckled following Ponyboy down the stairs of the tall, concrete porch.
As they walked toward the train track, the boys told her what Dally told them to do. They told her about taking a freight train to an abandoned church and waiting there until everything calmed down at home.
"I guess if we have no other choice," She sighed before jumping onto one of the train cars. The three sat close together, but no one said a word. Instead, they lit up cigarettes to keep them busy on their ride to what felt like the end of their lives.
When they got there, they immediately bought a few ingredientes to make sandwiches, then proceeded to seclude themselves in the church that Dally spoke of. The days felt pretty short, though. She spent the majority of her time poking fun at the boys' new hairstyles, and listening to Ponyboy read Gone With the Wind.
The nights, however, were the ones she dreaded the most. She laid wide awake on a hard, wooden bench, tormenting herself with thoughts of what Barry and the others must be feeling right now, or even if they were feeling. She usually moved to another room in the church, so she wouldn't wake them with her crying. On average, she would get three hours of sleep, four if she was lucky.
But it wasn't until Dally showed up to take the boys out to eat when (Y/N) finally had time to herself, without the worry of bringing the boys down with her.
(Y/N) sat in a dusty corner of the church, tossing playing cards across the room as she watched the boys sleep. Her mind drifted far off into her thoughts, so she didn't notice Dally come in until he was standing directly in front of her. He didn't notice her either, and went straight to where the boys laid, waking them up in the process. "Rise and shine," he said.
Dally sat on the edge of the bench, his back facing where (Y/N) was. "Ahem," she cleared her throat as she stood up. Dally whipped his head back, his face contorting into a grimace when he realized who she was. He snapped his head back toward the boys, "You didn't tell me this broad was involved." He pointed an accusatory thumb at her, then snatched the cigarette out off Johnny's fingers, lighting it up.
"Don't worry, I'm leaving," she spat, making her way to the door, but not before muttering the words "fuck face" under her breath.
"What did you say?"
She stopped walking and slowly moved her gaze upon him. She noticed the cigarette hanging limply from the corner of his mouth, and decided he needed a taste of his own medicine.
(Y/N) ran toward Dally, took the cigarette out of his mouth and dropped it on his hand without breaking a second. "Sss," Dally hissed in pain, waving his hand in midair to ease the stinging of where his cigarette burned him. The dust in the aisle kicked up, revealing to the boys what (Y/N) did. Dally looked at her, her lips lifting into a half-smile. The boys chuckled as she walked out of the church, and she could hear Dally begin to raise his voice, but she felt like too much of a badass to turn around.
After about an hour, (Y/N) made her way back, figuring Dally's visit would have been over by now. She walked most of the way, enjoying the fresh air and greenery of the place, but the smoke clouds that hovered over where the church was located caught her attention. She ran as fast as she could, her heart pounding in her ears, but it wasn't fast enough.
She watched as Dally pulled out an unconscious Ponyboy from the burning church, placing him on the ground. She ran, crashing into Dally. The hostility that once plagued his eyes whenever he saw her was no longer there, instead what she saw was desperation. "Johnny's still in there, man," He looked like he was about to break down and cry, until Johnny let an agonizing scream. "Johnny!" He tried to jump back into the church through the charred window, but (Y/N) pulled him back. She jumped into the church instead, quickly pulling Johnny over her shoulders, and ran back toward the window as the church finally collapsed, barely missing them.
Once she was outside, she helped place the boys and the children into ambulances. (Y/N) drove Dally's car back into town, and waited inside the hospital with Ponyboy. She looked over at his soot covered face, biting her lip to suppress a smile, "You look fuckin' stupid," she said. They both stared at each other for a second, before breaking into laughter.
However, their few seconds of joy were soon gone when one of Ponyboy's brothers walked down the hallway. Ponyboy ran to him, without hesitation, and pulled him into a tight hug. They were soon joined by his other brother, Darry. (Y/N) watched as they hugged Ponyboy and cried, relieved that he was okay. She watched them closely, wishing that it was her and Barry who were hugging and crying. She placed her head into her hands, sobbing silently.
"You alright, (Y/N)?" Pony asked her in a worried voice. She wiped her tears away quickly, and looked up.
"Yeah, yeah. Fine." She stood up. Pony pulled her into a hug, surprising her.
"Darry said it's okay for you to come home with us, since you helped us out 'n all," He grabbed her hand, tugging her toward where his brothers stood. She smiled, but shook her head.
"No, Ponyboy. You go, I'll be alright here."
"You sure?" (Y/N) nodded, afraid that if she spoke again, she would break down crying. "Mm... okay," Pony said, unsure if he should try to convince her. Instead, he gave up and went home with his brothers, leaving (Y/N) behind. She sat back down on the plastic chairs that lined the wall of the hallway. She closed her eyes, and soon was fast asleep.
The next day, Johnny called (Y/N) into his room, wanting to know the truth about her.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"You dress different, you talk different, you even move different," His voice was weak, but his attitude was strong. "What's your secret, huh?"
"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."
"Oh, yeah? Try me."
(Y/N) huffed, "Okay," she said in a sing-songy voice. (Y/N) sat in Johnny's room all morning, telling him of how she arrived in Tulsa, and about the world she lived in. She told him of the music, the art, the technology, and everything that made her timeline special. She even told him of the stupid feuds between celebrities that dominated everyone else's time. But the best part was when she told him of Barry and the others, and of how much she loved and missed them.
Johnny didn't believe her at first, but every time she talked, her eyes would light up. And Johnny knew there was no denying how much she missed her home.
After Johnny's mother kicked her out of his room, (Y/N) made her way to Dally's room. She opened the door gently, only to find him wide awake and smoking. "What do you want?" He asked, annoyed.
She smacked her lips, "Fuckin'... stop being an ass. I just came to see how you were doing." She closed the door behind her, and raised her hands by her sides. "Can I do that?" She asked sarcastically.
He took a puff of his cigarette, then motioned to the chair that sat by the bed without saying a word. She nodded once, and put her hands down, making her way over. They sat in an awkward silence for a minute, before Dally finally spoke up. "What are you doing here in Tulsa anyway? It's obvious you don't belong here."
(Y/N) shrugged. She wished she could answer him, but there was no way without giving away her secret. "I could ask you the same thing."
Dally scoffed, "Pony and Johnny are my family, for all I know you could still be a Soc."
(Y/N) stood up angrily, unaware that she was practically yelling, "What do I have to do to prove to you that I am not-" She was interrupted by Pony and Two-bit walking into Dally's room. They all stared at each other for a second, before (Y/N) moved over to a chair in the corner. She waved at Ponyboy, who was visibly happy to see her.
"You and your girl having a fight, Dal?" Two-bit asked, amused by how angry Dally and (Y/N) looked.
(Y/N) chortled, "Oh please, I don't date kids." Dally glared at her.
"What's goin' on, man?" Dally directed his attention to Two-bit and Pony. (Y/N) closed her eyes, listening to their conversation, but not retaining a single word.
"Can you fight?" Two-bit asked, startling her. She had been staring at the wall absentmindedly and lost all track of time.
"Uh... sure, I guess," She was confused by his question, but she just shrugged it off.
"Great, you joinin' the Greaser's tonight in the rumble," He laughed, putting his arm around her shoulder.
"Rumble?" She asked. Dally shook his head, smiling as he smoked his cigarette. She looked at Ponyboy, hoping he would tell her what the hell a rumble was, but he stared at her solemnly.