Unfortunately Unlucky

Unprepared

Asia's POV

Dallas and I have been living together for almost a year now. Ten months and four days, to be exact. Not much has changed. Except for the fact that we're about to buy our first house!

I still talk to Charlie every once in a while. He's still in Texas with those guys working his ass off.

Devin and Logan both have places of their own in New York. Jackson moved out of Arizona and back to New York, too.

The guys here are still cool, too. Ponyboy and Johnny are still close with Dal, which is who we spend most of our time with.

I was talking to Johnny as we walked down the street and I was cut off by someone yelling at me from behind.

"Asia! Shut up you annoying, fucking bitch!"

I stopped in my tracks along with everyone else. Who was I about to slap?

I turned around with an angry motive, but smiled when I saw everyone.

I ran up to them and tried to hug all of them at once. "Oh my God! What are you guys doing here?" I asked.

"Surprise!" Logan yelled.

"We all were able to get time off of everything to come see ya." Devin continued.

"That's awesome!" I said. "Jackson, you're lucky you're you. Otherwise I would have slapped you so hard for that." He laughed.

"Guess what." Charlie said.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm buying a house of my own!" He said.

"Really! That's awesome!"

"It gets better." I raised an eyebrow. "I'm moving to Oklahoma. Just a couple miles away from this very spot."

"WHAT!" I yelled in shock. "That's amazing! I cant believe it!" Well I was certainly unprepared for that.

"Believe it. Cause it's happening. I'll be moved in completely and living here in a couple of months.

"No way!" I yelled excitedly.

"Hey, guys." Dallas said.

They all did their weird guy thing and said hey. They caught up for a bit as we kept walking.

We ate lunch together and Johnny and Devin took a liking to each other, along with Ponyboy and Logan.

Dallas talked to Jackson for a bit and I talked to Charlie as we all walked down the street.

"So, I wanted to be the one to tell you over anyone else." He started.

"What?" I asked, lighting a cigarette.

"They're opening Jenna's case back up."

"Really?" I asked nervously.

Well I was certainly unprepared for that.

"Yeah. Someone else was taken in the same spot, but the police caught them immediately. They think they're the same people that took her."

"Wow. I dunno if I'm more relieved or nervous." I took a breath. "I don't know if I really wanna know what happened to her if she happens to be dead, which is a very large possibility. But if she's alive, I'm relieved. God, I must sound like an awful friend." I said.

"You aren't. I mean, nobody can tell you how to act. You lost someone you've known for a long time."

"Yeah, but I should be happier they're opening it up and I'm just not."

"I get it. You just want her to be alive. And if them opening up means they find her dead, it's not what you want."

"Yeah. I guess you do get it. Her and her family do deserve some closure, though. So it overall it is a good thing they're looking into it again."

"Yeah." He muttered.

"It doesn't mean they'll find her though. And to think all these years she could be getting tortured and suffering because of me."

"It's not your fault."

"But it is. If I went back in time and fixed me, she would still be here."

"That doesn't mean anything. I could also go back and time and fix one thing and she'd still be here. Her parents could go and fix something. So could Devin, Dallas, Jackson, Logan, her drug dealer, that football guy, even the bus driver. What that one thing called? About the butterflies?"

"The butterfly effect?" I asked.

"Yeah. That one. I mean, one thing could be changed by those guys and she could still be here. And to prove your argument if even more valid, you could go back and time and stop World War 1. You changing it doesn't make it your fault."

I sighed. "I think you're a little off on the whole butterfly effect thing," I said trying to lighten the mood. "Private school really didn't do much for ya. But, thank you." I continued gratefully.

"Anytime. Don't blame yourself for this. It's hard, I understand, but not your fault."

I gave him a weak smile. I never thought they would open it back up again. I tried to push those memories away.

But I guess they're never really gonna be gone.

The guys spent the next week in Tulsa with Dal and I until it was time for them all to go back home. Charlie left a day before everyone else, since he was going to a different place, but it was less hard of a goodbye knowing I'll see him in the near future.

Saying goodbye to Logan, Devin and Jackson was much harder. I loved them so much and having to say goodbye was harder than I thought I'd ever have to know.