The Weirdo on Maple Street: Pt. 2

                                    

                                          
"You're actually going to Steve's party?"
"Well, yeah!" Nancy answered.
Barb and I looked at each other, both our eyebrows cocked.
"But aren't you on house arrest?" I reminded.
"I'll just tell my mom that I'm hanging out with one of you guys. Or that I'm going to that assembly tonight. You're coming with me, right?"
"Of course," Barb assured.
"Definitely," I agreed. Now it was Nancy's turn to look confused.
"But I thought-"
"Yeah, I still hate Harrington, but having two friends there is better than one. Plus, Tommy explicitly told me that I wasn't invited, so now I have to go."
"What if he tells you to go home?"
"I'll just tell him to man up and deal with it."
***
My legs felt sore as I sat down at the kitchen table, ready to eat whatever Mom had made. I'd been out in the forest for about an hour, trying to look for that tree, but no luck. It seemed to have just... disappeared.
No, I probably just hadn't looked hard enough. But Mom wouldn't let me search past dark, and besides, Steve's party started in less than an hour. I couldn't just bail out on Nancy and Barb. And don't get me wrong, I think Barb is perfectly capable of watching over Nancy, but it never hurt anyone to have two 'bodyguards'.
"So, sweetie, how was school today?" Mom asked, sitting where Dustin normally sat.
"It was fine. I passed my math test with a 90. Where's Dustin?"
"He's eating with the Wheelers," she responded. "Lucas is there, too. I think they just needed some time to process everything that has happened."
A silence fell over the table as Mom and I ate, just enjoying each other's company.
"You know, if you're having a hard time, you can always talk to me," she assured.
I smiled, "I know."
We finished dinner and loaded our plates, just discussing how our day had went.
"Oh! That's right!" I remembered. "I got invited to a party, and I was wondering if I could go?"
"A- a party?"
"Yeah, you know, where you hang out with people and have a fun time?"
"Yes, I know what a party is, but don't they usually have alcohol and drugs?"
"Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't," I shrugged.
Mom sighed, "Just be smart. If you do get drunk, don't drive."
"I wasn't planning on driving at all," I laughed.
We finished cleaning the dishes and went off to do our own thing. Mom went to watch 'Press Your Luck' while I went up to my room to get ready.
As I was digging through my closet, I wondered what had happened to that girl. Did Mrs. Wheeler call CPS? Or did she decide to take her under her wing for a little bit? I'd have to ask Dustin when he got home.
***
"Barb, pull over," Nancy ordered.
"What?"
"Pull over!"
Barb listened to Nancy's request and parked. We looked at each other, baffled.
"Why are we parked so far away?" I groaned. "I don't wanna walk that far."