Goldie's POV
April 5, 1965

On Saturday morning, I got up early and drove us over to a truck stop so I could freshen up before my first day at the DX. I needed to buy some deodorant, some soaps and shampoo, and I was finally able to take a shower. Just letting the hot water run down my back and soak into my hair helped ground myself into this new and twisted reality we are living in.

Just as I had promised, I met Steve at the DX and he showed me the ropes. Dad had the day off, so he was not there. I had the chance to talk with Steve because the DX really was not that busy. He is actually pretty cool, and really funny. I was not expecting that, considering we are from two completely different worlds. I thought I would sense some generational gap, but we really got along. I did not bring up Dad or Mom at all though. It didn't come up organically since I technically don't know them yet.

I went in on Sunday too just to pass the time, but Steve explained to me that he still has to talk with the manager in order to actually hire me. Until then, this was the only weekend I could work. He paid me under the table, he just gave me my earnings from the register. I'm not sure what Candy and Red did all weekend. My only rule was that they did not wander too far and they did not get themselves into any sort of trouble.

If I am being honest, I was really disappointed when I realized I was only making a buck fifty an hour. Back home, I cannot even get a bottle of soda for that much. I understand inflation and how minimum wage changes throughout the years, but I was still surprised and annoyed. What am I supposed to do with this?

I never told Steve about how the three of us were living in a car. Honestly, for a short term situation, it was not that bad. I brought them back day-old donuts from the DX before my shift started, they'd get burgers for lunch from some nearby joint, and hangout with the other neighborhood kids until I was off work. Neither of them can drive, so they just stuck around. I was worried that they were going to run off and get lost, or worse. Although this is our hometown, we are strangers here. We are aliens.

Monday came along quickly and Candy convinced me to go back to Will Rogers. She thinks it's a good idea that we try to befriend our parents and see if there is a way to get home from them. I know she is right, there is not much else we can do. This still took a lot of convincing, because I think it's the worst idea since the invisible AirPods.

I thank the universe every day that Candy forgot to buy her textbooks, because we would probably be living in a shoebox if she had. Textbooks in 2038 are only online, but if you want the versions that the schools physically supply, you have to pay it directly through them. It's quite complicated.

Red is too young for high school, so I'm not sure what we should do with him. I do not see a reason to drop him off at grade school if it will not help us get home. I guess we could sit him in a nearby diner until we are done with class... or keep him in the car with the windows rolled down low or put the top down.

On Sunday when my shift was over, we stopped at the clothing store again and we picked up a few more things so that we can mix and match to give the illusion that we are wearing different outfits. We will probably be here a lot longer than we had originally anticipated. I noticed that a lot of guys around here wear denim pants with the bottoms rolled up slightly, so I grabbed Red and I a couple more pairs of those. Candy bought whatever she wanted, I didn't really pay much attention to her.

I talked to Candy and we took a slightly different approach today. She was going to try to find Dad, since we haven't seen him at the school yet. My focus was on Mom since I found a class with her.

We ended up sitting Red down in a nearby diner and asked the waitress to keep an eye on him. We told her to let him order whatever he wanted, and we promised to pay for it when we got back. I told her that if he gets bored, have him wash the dishes.

I sat in the only class I could sneak into, and the students filled up quickly. Ms. Valentine came in to greet us and she told us about a paper that she stated was due at the end of the week. She told us the details of what she was expecting from us, but I let it go in one ear and out the other. I am not going to be affected by a poor grade. It's not like it will stay on some sort of permanent academic record or anything. I will be getting back to 2038... right?

"And because of this strenuous paper, we are going to pair up," Ms. Valentine stated. She began listing off names, and I figured that she wouldn't call my name because I never went through the office for class or introduced myself.

"Mr. Parker, you will be paired with Ms. Jones," Ms. Valentine announced. She looked around the class. "Mr. Parker?"

Everyone was glancing around, trying to spot this kid. Myself included. Whoever he is, will be partnered with my mother for this assignment. Do I have to worry about him now too?

Eventually, Ms. Valentine's eyes narrowed to me and she looked at me over the rim of her purple eyeglasses. "Mr. Parker? Goldie?"

That made me freeze. Now, everyone's eyes were on me. I swallowed the lump in my throat and I realized she was talking to me. "Y-yes?" I stammered.

"Mr. Parker, you answer when I speak to you," she scolded.

"Y-yes, ma'am." How did she know my name? More importantly, who is Parker?

My gaze went straight toward Mom, and she was already looking at me. When I locked eyes with her, she gave me a friendly smile before turning her attention back to Ms. Valentine. I relaxed my breath and I learned back in my chair. My hand was shaking so I put it flat against the surface of my desk. 

I guess this is good... right? Spending time with Mom, and make her get to know me. I already know her, but I need to get her to trust me. Hopefully in a short amount of time. She will love me, at least eventually. 

Ms. Valentine dismissed the class, and just as I escaped from the classroom there was a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and saw Mom. She was holding her English book in one hand and a pencil in the other. She wore a thin white long sleeve shirt, tucked into a dark skirt that swayed at her knees. A black belt tightened at her waist separated the garments. Her hair was looking wavy... curly maybe. The way it looks when she puts her hair in a French braid after a shower and takes it out the next morning when it's dry. She started teaching that to Candy recently and I've been letting Candy practice braiding on my hair since it has been getting long.

"Goldie?" She asked.

"Y-um, yeah," I stuttered. "Brianna?"

"Just call me Bri." She smiled at me kindly. Her eyes were so bright and alive. It was difficult to even look at her without my hand starting to shake. "Hey, do I know you from somewhere?"

"You could say that," I gulped, but I discreetly pinched my arm to get myself to focus. This is not the time for jokes.

"Right! You were at the Nightly Double on Friday night, weren't you?"

"Yeah, I was." I felt myself relax a little. I'm not quite sure exactly what I am afraid of. I think I'm more afraid of myself than anything, I'm afraid that she will figure me out. How would that be possible?

"With your sister?" She asked. Kids were still filtering out of the classroom and everyone was walking around us to head to their next class. I tried to get out of their way by stepping toward the lockers that lined the hallway.

"And my little brother," I added.

"Right. How did you guys like the movie?" She asked.

"We didn't stay until the end."

"Oh, darn. I didn't either." She clicked her tongue. "Are you Soda and Ponyboy's cousin?"

I chuckled. "No."

"You just look a lot like them. Are you a fourth Curtis brother I don't know about?" She chuckled.

I shook my head with a smile. "Nope. Just a friend."

"Oh, well, if you ever need to you could totally pass as one of their brothers. You have their eyes, and their crooked smiles." She smiled softly for a second.

"Yeah?" I asked teasingly. I leaned against the lockers and I crossed my arms over my chest with a smirk pulling on my lips.

"Yeah," she replied. Then she said, "anyway, how are you feeling about this paper?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, cocking my eyebrow at her.

"The paper is due Friday so I feel like we don't need to focus too much on it."

"Why?" I asked. "That's just four days away."

"Right."

"That's not much time to work on a paper," I stated.

"I don't feel like it's all that important." She shrugged.

"Don't you want a good grade on it?" I asked. The Mom I knew would have stopped at nothing to make sure I started on this assignment right away. The woman went to graduate school, she has never known a bad grade in her life. Why did she have no desire to work on this project?

"Yes, but—"

"So I guess that means we should get started right away," I finished for her with a quick nod. I gave her a wide smile, hoping it would help convince her to do this project with me. Hopefully if we spend more time together, we will be able to get more answers.

Mom took a slow, deep breath before narrowing her eyes and agreeing with me but she was biting the inside of her cheek. I know her too well to know that when she bites her cheek it means she's either pissed, or lying about something.

"Could we do it at your place?" She asked.

"Um.... my folks aren't home... yet..."

"And..?"

"And I'm not allowed to bring girls home without them." This was true. This was a rule they implemented when I was fifteen. Dad gave me a long, awkward conversation about using protection with a story about how he thought he got a girl pregnant when he was sixteen. He tossed me a box of rubbers, and we didn't speak again until dinner that night.

Was that girl Mom? God, I want to barf.

"Understandable," she said with a sigh. "I'm not really living at home so I gotta ask the guys I'm staying with."

"That's fine. Who are you staying with?" We slowly started walking down the hallway together, I wasn't quite sure where we were headed. Mom's wavy brown hair was swaying with every step she took. I was quick to follow her, and I kept walking even after I saw Candy waiting for me in the hallway. She gestured to me, and I could tell that she was wondering where we were going. I gave her a dramatic shrug, because I didn't know either.

"The Curtis's," she stated.

"Oh. Like Ponyboy and Soda?"

"And Darry, yeah."

And Darry. Of course Darry is here too. All we are missing now is Jenni. Where is she?

"I didn't realize you were staying with them," I said.

Mom wasn't living with Grandma and Grandpa? I thought she told me that she lived there her whole life until she met Dad and that's when they moved into their first apartment together. They were high school sweethearts, so doesn't that mean that they met in high school?

Where is Dad anyway? I have been here for a few days now and I have never seen him around the school. I have glanced in classrooms, searched the halls, nothing. It's like he doesn't even go here.

"It's sort of a new situation," she stated.

"How do you like it?"

"It's pretty good, the boys have been so nice to me. Letting me stay must have been a pretty difficult decision."

"How long have you known them?" I asked.

"Only a few days."

"Oh, wow." I don't know what I was expecting.

We turned a corner. I realized we were heading toward the office. Mom said, "I know. It's actually kind of crazy."

"How did that happen?"

"Well... I met Soda the day I came into town. I had to get gas for my car, and he was working at the DX."

"The one in Sperry?" I asked.

"Yeah. Exactly."

"I know where that is, yeah."

"So, I got gas and left. A few hours later, I saw Soda walking home in the dark. I offered him a ride, and he realized that I was stuck in Tulsa with no where to go so he let me stay the night. I met Darry, his older brother, the next day and he said I could stay as long as I wanted," she finished her story.

"How'd you get to Tulsa?" I asked her as soon as we reached the office.

"Um..." her cheeks got red. I stumped her. "I drove."

"From where?"

"California."

"How long did that take?"

"Four days. Almost five." She gave her answers quickly. Almost too quickly.

"By yourself?"

She paused, looking right into my eyes. "Yes."

Strike one. I know she moved to Tulsa when she was in grade school with her family to be closer to Grandpa Two after her grandmother died, and because her dad got a promotion if he accepted a job over here. Her conflicting backstories don't match up.

But to play devils advocate, there is a chance she could have run away from home and just found it to be easier to tell everyone this other story to avoid the shame and guilt of running away. And if she ever ran away, she likely would never have told me growing up. Although not probable, it's just a theory.

"Got any family in California?" I asked.

"Just my parents and my sister."

"What made you stop at Tulsa?"

Mom paused, but then started to laugh. "You ask a lot of questions."

"I'm a curious guy," I replied. I flashed her my handsome smile. 

Mom halted our cycle of questions by asking the receptionist if she could borrow the phone. The receptionist handed her the thick base of a rotary phone and Mom started dialing. I watched her intently as she dialed the phone number. I have never touched a rotary phone in my life. 

"I could say the same to you." She tossed her fluffy hair back behind her shoulder and brought the phone up to her ear. "How long have you been in town?"

"Not too long," I answered vaguely.

"How's you guys get here?"

"Drove. Just like you," I replied cheekily. My cheeks rose as I fought a smile.

"Where did you live before?" She asked.

She stumped me too. I should not have been so confident in my ability to lie on the spot. I have lived in Tulsa all my life. Mom actually did live in California before she moved to Tulsa with her family, so she already had a good backstory down. Thankfully, I was saved by the bell. Someone answered her call so her attention shifted from me to the phone.

Mom really didn't seem that different to how she is in 2038... maybe she's more hyper and jittery. She has the same sparkle in her eyes and the same smile. She still had the same magnetic energy she carries with her everywhere she goes, but a thirty second conversation is not going to cut it.

Once she hung up, she said that it was fine if we worked on our project at their house. Why couldn't we just go to the library or something? This might be better. I can be around my uncles this way too.

Mom scribbled on a scrap piece of paper the address of the house, and she told me to meet her there in an hour. When we went our separate ways, and I ran back to Candy to update her on the plan as we rushed to pick up Red at the diner. We paid for the burger and milkshake he ordered and we filled him in too.

"And my teacher knows my name," I stated after addressing all the other issues we were currently dealing with. "I don't know how she does. I haven't told anyone."

"Oh, yeah. That one is on me," Candy admitted.

"What did you do?" I asked.

"I got caught." When I turned to her with my eyes about to pop out of their sockets, she elaborated, "it was not that bad, okay? I have been going into classrooms too. One of the teachers didn't recognize me, so she sent me to the office. I gave her my information, and told her that you were my brother. By the way, there is a schedule in the office for you to pick up tomorrow."

"That would have been nice to know earlier."

"My bad," she said sarcastically.

"What made you think of Parker?" I asked, still trying to figure out how she came up with our fake last name.

"I panicked. I couldn't say Curtis, obviously. I wanted to use Mom's maiden name but that wouldn't have worked either. Dad's middle name is Patrick so Parker just sort of came out."

"Smart. That was smart," I said genuinely. 

"By the way, I cannot find Dad anywhere. He is like a ghost. I will have to do more digging, since you have your hands full with Mom." 

"Maybe it is because Dad is an upperclassman? Technically they'd put you in freshman classes so you might not cross paths," I stated.

"Oh, maybe," she said. 

I might seem dramatic, but I literally felt sick to my stomach over the fact that this was our current situation. I had no idea what to do, and there was no one who could help us. I not only have to deal with this, but I also have to think of my younger siblings too. I least I have them, I can't imagine being stuck here completely by myself. I would feel so lonely, and I'd probably be borderline hysterical.