Speedy’s Drive Thru
Wed. June 30, 1982
Around 10:00 AM
The past 24 hours had been a bit more excitement than Tabby had experienced in her entire life. She’d gone from hanging out with her friends to being kidnapped and held captive, followed by having to be picked up at the police station.
All four of the band’s moms arrived within several minutes of each other. Starla, Trevor and Matt’s moms all knew each other although Starla and Matt's mothers had only been introduced one time previously at one of the band's first gigs. Tabby's parents had not attended.
Matt and Trevor's moms were well acquainted in particular since they had been childhood friends back in grade school. Trevor and Starla’s moms were not as well acquainted, but since their son and daughter were dating they had at least met and chatted a few times.
Things were a bit more awkward for Debbie Blackwell. Due to the highly secretive and reclusive nature of the Blackwell family, Debbie really never got to know the parents of her children’s friends well. That was all by design thanks to Tabby’s father, Karl. He went to great lengths to make sure that the family never got too comfortable.
That’s why it was somewhat of a surprise that Tabby had not only been encouraged to join the cheerleaders, but pushed into it despite not really wanted to. Her father decided that now that Tabby was in high school, his kid should be part of a prestigious group. He had also hoped it would tie up most of her free time so she wouldn’t have time for boys, a band, a D&D game and the other things that Tabby really wanted to be doing.
Ironically, her father didn’t quite understand the “social schedule” that such an activity generated or the fact that Debbie was expected to be involved as much in the booster club as Tabby was on the team or that there were numerous competitions and social events that were mandatory beyond after school practices, summer cheer camp before the school year started and Friday night football games in the fall.
Given Tabby was a first-year member and the school year hadn’t started, aside from the try-outs and a welcome gathering at the end of the year and a separate year-end party, the rigorous social schedule hadn’t really begun. As such, Debbie Blackwell had only briefly met Starla’s mom at one of those events.
Besides the fact their kids had been held hostage overnight by criminals, the other topic of interest was the alleged break-in and attempted abduction of one of the girls' cheerleading teammates. This same boy had apparently been involved in the abduction of the group. The moms were trying to get information about Jerry and exactly what had taken place the night before. Starla and Tabby's mothers were also catching Matt and Trevor's moms up on the angle with Doreen.
After the moms talked amongst themselves, and then the police and then their kids, everyone went their separate ways. Debbie had fully expected Tabby to skip work that day given she had been up all night and she was concerned about the impact of the trauma and getting little sleep.
However, Starla and Shelley had indicated that they intended to go to work and after some pleading in front of everyone and Mrs. Baxter’s encouragement, Debbie conceded. Shelley was concerned she would not be allowed to work since her skates were locked in the trunk of her car which was still in the mall’s parking lot.
Speedy’s opened at 11 AM and it was almost 10 when they left the police station. There was little time to do much more than run home and change, even then, she would be a little late for her shift. There was morning prep to be done before the restaurant began serving its customers. Tabby quickly ran in and put on her uniform.
As she changed clothes, she found the hacky sack in her jeans pocket. She briefly considered discarding it in the waste basket in her bedroom, but something stopped her. It seemed odd to want to hold on to it. Did she need a souvenir from that awful night? Yet for some unknown reason, Tabby stuffed the ball into her sock drawer before hurrying back out.
The conversation picked right back up where it had left off when Debbie and Tabby had left the police station beginning with the fact that if her dad called home before he returned, Debbie was going to have no choice but to tell him about what happened. There was no doubt he'd be angry but even angrier if Debbie didn't tell him about what had happened up front.
It seemed like the news was going to be all over town before the day was out. Since they belonged to the country club, Karl was likely to find out about it there. Tabby dreaded what his reaction would be. She and her friends had not really done anything wrong after all.
The conversation then shifted to Shelley and Gary. How did Tabby know them? Where did they live? How much older were they than the rest of the group. Were they married? Debbie commented that she wasn't comfortable with Tabby going over to an older man's house who was living with a woman he wasn't married to.
Tabby had outright lied and said they didn't spend much time there. She did not volunteer the information about the D&D game. She simply explained that Shelley wasn't really any older than Matt who was a senior and had only been a year ahead of him in high school and just graduated. Gary was only a few years older than that and Matt worked for him. Tabby also made it a point to make sure her mother knew that she was never with Gary alone and Shelley would have been a senior when Tabby was a freshman. "She's only a year older than Starla basically and you have no problem with me being friends with her," Tabby had reminded her mom.
The conversation had paused at her father putting an end to her association with "these people" if he got wind of any of those details. Once changed and back in the car, the conversation resumed with having to once again recap why Tabby and her friends were out so late "that far out of town".
"We were just driving around watching the lightning mom," Tabby explained. "We were meeting Starla up at the mall since she worked there. The road we were on is halfway between the house and dad's country club."
Tabby made a point to call it "her dad's country club". "We just had bad luck with Matt's van breaking down and a trucker stopped. I guess he thought we were spying on them or something but we had no idea anything like that was going on out there. It probably had to do with that Jerry guy."
She very purposefully phrased it that way to put emphasis on the fact she was not friends with Jerry. The remainder of the conversation circled back to the attempted break-in at Doreen. Tabby assured her mom she had no idea why he had tried to 'kidnap Doreen' but apparently he must be obsessed with her and maybe he got this gang to kidnap her and her friends to force her to run off with him or something."
It was about that point that they pulled into the parking lot at the restaurant. She was glad to be done with the trip and had to remind her mom she was already late clocking in.
When Tabby arrived, Starla was already there and her mother was talking to Riley regarding the events of last night and the reason for the girls’ tardiness. Tabby had her skates in hand and hurried into the back to clock in before swapping them with her tennis shoes. As soon as her skates were laced up, Tabby headed back out to catch up on preparation with the other carhops.
Wed. June 30, 1982
Around 10:00 AM
The past 24 hours had been a bit more excitement than Tabby had experienced in her entire life. She’d gone from hanging out with her friends to being kidnapped and held captive, followed by having to be picked up at the police station.
All four of the band’s moms arrived within several minutes of each other. Starla, Trevor and Matt’s moms all knew each other although Starla and Matt's mothers had only been introduced one time previously at one of the band's first gigs. Tabby's parents had not attended.
Matt and Trevor's moms were well acquainted in particular since they had been childhood friends back in grade school. Trevor and Starla’s moms were not as well acquainted, but since their son and daughter were dating they had at least met and chatted a few times.
Things were a bit more awkward for Debbie Blackwell. Due to the highly secretive and reclusive nature of the Blackwell family, Debbie really never got to know the parents of her children’s friends well. That was all by design thanks to Tabby’s father, Karl. He went to great lengths to make sure that the family never got too comfortable.
That’s why it was somewhat of a surprise that Tabby had not only been encouraged to join the cheerleaders, but pushed into it despite not really wanted to. Her father decided that now that Tabby was in high school, his kid should be part of a prestigious group. He had also hoped it would tie up most of her free time so she wouldn’t have time for boys, a band, a D&D game and the other things that Tabby really wanted to be doing.
Ironically, her father didn’t quite understand the “social schedule” that such an activity generated or the fact that Debbie was expected to be involved as much in the booster club as Tabby was on the team or that there were numerous competitions and social events that were mandatory beyond after school practices, summer cheer camp before the school year started and Friday night football games in the fall.
Given Tabby was a first-year member and the school year hadn’t started, aside from the try-outs and a welcome gathering at the end of the year and a separate year-end party, the rigorous social schedule hadn’t really begun. As such, Debbie Blackwell had only briefly met Starla’s mom at one of those events.
Besides the fact their kids had been held hostage overnight by criminals, the other topic of interest was the alleged break-in and attempted abduction of one of the girls' cheerleading teammates. This same boy had apparently been involved in the abduction of the group. The moms were trying to get information about Jerry and exactly what had taken place the night before. Starla and Tabby's mothers were also catching Matt and Trevor's moms up on the angle with Doreen.
After the moms talked amongst themselves, and then the police and then their kids, everyone went their separate ways. Debbie had fully expected Tabby to skip work that day given she had been up all night and she was concerned about the impact of the trauma and getting little sleep.
However, Starla and Shelley had indicated that they intended to go to work and after some pleading in front of everyone and Mrs. Baxter’s encouragement, Debbie conceded. Shelley was concerned she would not be allowed to work since her skates were locked in the trunk of her car which was still in the mall’s parking lot.
Speedy’s opened at 11 AM and it was almost 10 when they left the police station. There was little time to do much more than run home and change, even then, she would be a little late for her shift. There was morning prep to be done before the restaurant began serving its customers. Tabby quickly ran in and put on her uniform.
As she changed clothes, she found the hacky sack in her jeans pocket. She briefly considered discarding it in the waste basket in her bedroom, but something stopped her. It seemed odd to want to hold on to it. Did she need a souvenir from that awful night? Yet for some unknown reason, Tabby stuffed the ball into her sock drawer before hurrying back out.
The conversation picked right back up where it had left off when Debbie and Tabby had left the police station beginning with the fact that if her dad called home before he returned, Debbie was going to have no choice but to tell him about what happened. There was no doubt he'd be angry but even angrier if Debbie didn't tell him about what had happened up front.
It seemed like the news was going to be all over town before the day was out. Since they belonged to the country club, Karl was likely to find out about it there. Tabby dreaded what his reaction would be. She and her friends had not really done anything wrong after all.
The conversation then shifted to Shelley and Gary. How did Tabby know them? Where did they live? How much older were they than the rest of the group. Were they married? Debbie commented that she wasn't comfortable with Tabby going over to an older man's house who was living with a woman he wasn't married to.
Tabby had outright lied and said they didn't spend much time there. She did not volunteer the information about the D&D game. She simply explained that Shelley wasn't really any older than Matt who was a senior and had only been a year ahead of him in high school and just graduated. Gary was only a few years older than that and Matt worked for him. Tabby also made it a point to make sure her mother knew that she was never with Gary alone and Shelley would have been a senior when Tabby was a freshman. "She's only a year older than Starla basically and you have no problem with me being friends with her," Tabby had reminded her mom.
The conversation had paused at her father putting an end to her association with "these people" if he got wind of any of those details. Once changed and back in the car, the conversation resumed with having to once again recap why Tabby and her friends were out so late "that far out of town".
"We were just driving around watching the lightning mom," Tabby explained. "We were meeting Starla up at the mall since she worked there. The road we were on is halfway between the house and dad's country club."
Tabby made a point to call it "her dad's country club". "We just had bad luck with Matt's van breaking down and a trucker stopped. I guess he thought we were spying on them or something but we had no idea anything like that was going on out there. It probably had to do with that Jerry guy."
She very purposefully phrased it that way to put emphasis on the fact she was not friends with Jerry. The remainder of the conversation circled back to the attempted break-in at Doreen. Tabby assured her mom she had no idea why he had tried to 'kidnap Doreen' but apparently he must be obsessed with her and maybe he got this gang to kidnap her and her friends to force her to run off with him or something."
It was about that point that they pulled into the parking lot at the restaurant. She was glad to be done with the trip and had to remind her mom she was already late clocking in.
When Tabby arrived, Starla was already there and her mother was talking to Riley regarding the events of last night and the reason for the girls’ tardiness. Tabby had her skates in hand and hurried into the back to clock in before swapping them with her tennis shoes. As soon as her skates were laced up, Tabby headed back out to catch up on preparation with the other carhops.
Virginia Scott's Car
Wed. June 30, 1982
Around 10:00 AM
Virginia Scott didn't say much as she and Trevor made their way out to her orange Datsun hatchback. "I'll call you later after work," Trevor called out to Starla as he climbed into the passenger side door. Virginia started the car and backed out. They were on the road before she said anything.
"What were you thinking, Trevor," His mother asked.
"Mom, like we told you, no one was up to anything. We just went out after work and drove around a little bit and Matt's van broke down," he tried to explain.
"You put those young ladies lives in danger," Virginia shot back. "You have to use better judgement!"
"Mom, the girls were the ones that wanted to go out in the first place. Starla asked me and Matt to tag along," he began.
"Matt and I. Good lord, I need to have a talk with your English teacher! You're going to be a junior this fall," Virginia interrupted again.
"Sorry, mom. Matt and I were invited to tag along. Think what could have happened had they been there without us there had it been Shelley's car that had broken down on a back road," Trevor said trying to reason with his mother's logic.
"I don't buy the five of you were just out driving around. Too much is going on in this town with the car thefts and that girl who you found... I like Shelley, Trevor. I do. She seems like a very nice young lady but every time something happens, she's right there in the middle of it," Virginia said rather curtly glancing at her son while they were at a red light. "I understand that she wants to be a reporter and I'm sure she had some lead or hunch she was following up on way out there. You kids got very lucky last night."
"You're right mom, we did, and assuming that she did know something was out there, I'm going to stand by what I said a moment ago. What if she'd gone alone or just with her and Tabby and Starla. At least Matt and I were there, too," Trevor stated flatly. "But again, like the cars in the lake and finding the girl in the dumpster... we had nothing to do with that. We just happened to be in the right or wrong place when it happened. I suppose how you view that is based on your perspective."
"Fine. What are you doing now," Virginia asked.
"I need to call dad, let him know what's up, shower, and get changed," Trevor told her.
"Your father is already aware and I said you'd call him when we got home," Virginia informed him.
"I'm going to let him know that we're back," Trevor explained. "I'm heading in and I'll tell him more about the situation when I get to the shop. I also want to see if it's okay with him if I swing by Matt's place, pick him up and run out there so we can get his van. They have cops on-site guarding the premises but they said we could come out there to fetch it. They are aware that I have to do a little work to get it running since there is a busted hose on it. The sergeant at the police station said that wouldn't be any problem."
About that time, Virginia turned on their street. She pulled into the driveway a moment later beside Trevor's car. "Alight, but I expect you to use better judgment in the future, Trevor Joseph," she warned. Trevor nodded, got out, and made his way inside so he could shower and change into his uniform before calling his dad. Lucy happily greeted him when he opened the front door.
OOC: No need to respond to this one or play out Trevor and Matt picking the van up unless you just want to.
Wed. June 30, 1982
Around 10:00 AM
Virginia Scott didn't say much as she and Trevor made their way out to her orange Datsun hatchback. "I'll call you later after work," Trevor called out to Starla as he climbed into the passenger side door. Virginia started the car and backed out. They were on the road before she said anything.
"What were you thinking, Trevor," His mother asked.
"Mom, like we told you, no one was up to anything. We just went out after work and drove around a little bit and Matt's van broke down," he tried to explain.
"You put those young ladies lives in danger," Virginia shot back. "You have to use better judgement!"
"Mom, the girls were the ones that wanted to go out in the first place. Starla asked me and Matt to tag along," he began.
"Matt and I. Good lord, I need to have a talk with your English teacher! You're going to be a junior this fall," Virginia interrupted again.
"Sorry, mom. Matt and I were invited to tag along. Think what could have happened had they been there without us there had it been Shelley's car that had broken down on a back road," Trevor said trying to reason with his mother's logic.
"I don't buy the five of you were just out driving around. Too much is going on in this town with the car thefts and that girl who you found... I like Shelley, Trevor. I do. She seems like a very nice young lady but every time something happens, she's right there in the middle of it," Virginia said rather curtly glancing at her son while they were at a red light. "I understand that she wants to be a reporter and I'm sure she had some lead or hunch she was following up on way out there. You kids got very lucky last night."
"You're right mom, we did, and assuming that she did know something was out there, I'm going to stand by what I said a moment ago. What if she'd gone alone or just with her and Tabby and Starla. At least Matt and I were there, too," Trevor stated flatly. "But again, like the cars in the lake and finding the girl in the dumpster... we had nothing to do with that. We just happened to be in the right or wrong place when it happened. I suppose how you view that is based on your perspective."
"Fine. What are you doing now," Virginia asked.
"I need to call dad, let him know what's up, shower, and get changed," Trevor told her.
"Your father is already aware and I said you'd call him when we got home," Virginia informed him.
"I'm going to let him know that we're back," Trevor explained. "I'm heading in and I'll tell him more about the situation when I get to the shop. I also want to see if it's okay with him if I swing by Matt's place, pick him up and run out there so we can get his van. They have cops on-site guarding the premises but they said we could come out there to fetch it. They are aware that I have to do a little work to get it running since there is a busted hose on it. The sergeant at the police station said that wouldn't be any problem."
About that time, Virginia turned on their street. She pulled into the driveway a moment later beside Trevor's car. "Alight, but I expect you to use better judgment in the future, Trevor Joseph," she warned. Trevor nodded, got out, and made his way inside so he could shower and change into his uniform before calling his dad. Lucy happily greeted him when he opened the front door.
OOC: No need to respond to this one or play out Trevor and Matt picking the van up unless you just want to.
When Tabby arrived, Starla was already there and her mother was talking to Riley regarding the events of last night and the reason for the girls’ tardiness. Tabby had her skates in hand and hurried into the back to clock in before swapping them with her tennis shoes. As soon as her skates were laced up, Tabby headed back out to catch up on preparation with the other carhops.
By the time Tabby came out, Mrs. Baxter had left and Starla was doing some of the preparation work. Besides Tabby, Starla, and Shelley, there were two other carhops scheduled to be working that day, but neither was in sight, although Tabby had seen them working when she’d arrived. Starla came rolling up to her and said, “You probably already guessed that Riley knows what happened last night; my mom filled him in. He’s letting Denise and Lauren know now. They were pretty upset about us not being here earlier, but now that Riley knows what happened he’s grateful we showed up at all. Hopefully Shelley’ll get here pretty soon.”
*tags*
A few minutes later a familiar blue-and-white van showed up with Gary at the wheel. When the van came to a stop in a parking spot, Shelley hopped out of the passenger seat, smiled and waved at Gary, and then hurried toward the building. She was dressed in her carhop uniform, except that she was wearing her sandals and there was no sign of her roller skates. There was some bruising visible on her arms, and she seemed to be wearing a little more makeup than usual, in a mostly-successfully attempt to hide any sign of injury to her face. She noticed Starla and Tabby talking, and gave them a smile and a wave before scurrying inside to talk to Riley.
*tags*
Shelley emerged from the building after clocking in and having a brief discussion with Riley. The other two carhops, Denise and Lauren, followed Shelley out of the building and quickly skated off to continue preparations for the coming lunch-hour rush, although they could sometimes be seen giving the three girls curious glances. “Well, I thought Riley might yell at me for being late, but he didn’t. I guess we have your mom to thank for that, Starla; he said she’d filled him in. He didn’t even give me a hard time about not having my skates. Even so, he doesn’t seem like his usual jovial self.”
“I think when he heard what happened to us, it kind of shook him up,” said Starla.
*tags*
The three girls were behind, so they needed to get to work. Before they got down to business, though, Shelley said, “Oh yeah, there’s something I want to talk to yinz about, but it can wait until after the lunch rush.”
*tags*
By the time Tabby came out, Mrs. Baxter had left and Starla was doing some of the preparation work. Besides Tabby, Starla, and Shelley, there were two other carhops scheduled to be working that day, but neither was in sight, although Tabby had seen them working when she’d arrived. Starla came rolling up to her and said, “You probably already guessed that Riley knows what happened last night; my mom filled him in. He’s letting Denise and Lauren know now. They were pretty upset about us not being here earlier, but now that Riley knows what happened he’s grateful we showed up at all. Hopefully Shelley’ll get here pretty soon.”
*tags*
A few minutes later a familiar blue-and-white van showed up with Gary at the wheel. When the van came to a stop in a parking spot, Shelley hopped out of the passenger seat, smiled and waved at Gary, and then hurried toward the building. She was dressed in her carhop uniform, except that she was wearing her sandals and there was no sign of her roller skates. There was some bruising visible on her arms, and she seemed to be wearing a little more makeup than usual, in a mostly-successfully attempt to hide any sign of injury to her face. She noticed Starla and Tabby talking, and gave them a smile and a wave before scurrying inside to talk to Riley.
*tags*
Shelley emerged from the building after clocking in and having a brief discussion with Riley. The other two carhops, Denise and Lauren, followed Shelley out of the building and quickly skated off to continue preparations for the coming lunch-hour rush, although they could sometimes be seen giving the three girls curious glances. “Well, I thought Riley might yell at me for being late, but he didn’t. I guess we have your mom to thank for that, Starla; he said she’d filled him in. He didn’t even give me a hard time about not having my skates. Even so, he doesn’t seem like his usual jovial self.”
“I think when he heard what happened to us, it kind of shook him up,” said Starla.
*tags*
The three girls were behind, so they needed to get to work. Before they got down to business, though, Shelley said, “Oh yeah, there’s something I want to talk to yinz about, but it can wait until after the lunch rush.”
*tags*
Starla came rolling up to her and said, “You probably already guessed that Riley knows what happened last night; my mom filled him in. He’s letting Denise and Lauren know now. They were pretty upset about us not being here earlier, but now that Riley knows what happened he’s grateful we showed up at all. Hopefully Shelley’ll get here pretty soon.”
Despite the circumstances surrounding her late arrival, Tabby felt guilty about her tardiness and hurried to get going as fast as she could. She didn't want the other 2 carhops that had been on time to be upset with her and Shelley still wasn't here yet. Tabby hoped she hadn't changed her mind about coming in since she had additional problems including not having her car keys.
Starla quickly filled Tabby in on her mother's talk with Riley. Tabby simply nodded and got to work.
A few minutes later a familiar blue-and-white van showed up with Gary at the wheel. When the van came to a stop in a parking spot, Shelley hopped out of the passenger seat, smiled and waved at Gary, and then hurried toward the building. She was dressed in her carhop uniform, except that she was wearing her sandals and there was no sign of her roller skates. There was some bruising visible on her arms, and she seemed to be wearing a little more makeup than usual, in a mostly-successfully attempt to hide any sign of injury to her face. She noticed Starla and Tabby talking, and gave them a smile and a wave before scurrying inside to talk to Riley.
As Tabby feared, Shelley didn't have her skates which confirmed they were indeed locked in the trunk of her bandit mobile. Gary seemed to wait a moment to make sure everything was going to be okay. Once it was clear Shelley was going to be able to work despite not having her skates, he drove off. Given Shelley had to run home and change, it was obvious she had not had time to go by the mall to check on her car. Tabby would have loved to go over and say hi to Gary before he left, but she had seen him about an hour earlier and didn't figure the others would appreciate the fact that they'd already had to do most of the setup that morning in her absence.
Shelley emerged from the building after clocking in and having a brief discussion with Riley. The other two carhops, Denise and Lauren, followed Shelley out of the building and quickly skated off to continue preparations for the coming lunch-hour rush, although they could sometimes be seen giving the three girls curious glances. “Well, I thought Riley might yell at me for being late, but he didn’t. I guess we have your mom to thank for that, Starla; he said she’d filled him in. He didn’t even give me a hard time about not having my skates. Even so, he doesn’t seem like his usual jovial self.”
“I think when he heard what happened to us, it kind of shook him up,” said Starla.
"It kinda shook me up, too," Tabby replied. That was an obvious statement and she felt a bit stupid after she said it. She just couldn't come up with anything else to add. Not only had she been through quite an ordeal, but to top it off, Tabby hadn't gotten a lot of sleep in the past 24 hours. She was young though and it was no worse than her being up all weekend because she was at a sleepover at someone's house. That used to be a regular thing back when she was in junior high, although her father made it clear he didn't approve of it and he tended to be an asshole about the fact she'd been gone all night once she got home.
The three girls were behind, so they needed to get to work. Before they got down to business, though, Shelley said, “Oh yeah, there’s something I want to talk to yinz about, but it can wait until after the lunch rush.”
Tabby nodded. "We better do our share of the setup work and hold off discussing last night till we're done," she agreed.
Their shift felt like it lasted an eternity, at least to Tabby. There were so many things on her mind and so much she wanted to talk to Starla and Shelley about. Given her lack of sleep and distractedness, she didn't have the best day. She constantly was forgetting straws, napkins, and condiments. At one point, she forgot to collect the money and the customer drove off without paying for their food.
One particularly flustered man asked to speak to the manager when Tabby got his order wrong. She was beginning to think that she'd made a mistake coming into work today. Just as things got to the breaking point, their shift ended.
It had been an unusually busy day and things had gone non-stop. There had been no time for chitchat. Tabby had never been so glad to clock out in her life. She wasn't sure what her colleagues would have done had the three of them not shown up for work. There was no way two carhops could have covered all of the bays without the extra help.
"So, what are you going to do about your car," Tabby asked when they were finally done and the next shift began arriving.
*Tag Shelley*
She turned to Starla. "Was your mom mad? Are you in any trouble," Tabby inquired.
*Tag Starla*
"Apparently, everyone thinks this is about Jerry trying to kidnap Doreen. I still don't understand why they went to her house and why Jerry tried to break in. It doesn't make sense," Tabby mused.
*Tag Starla, Shelley*
It was then that Tabby remembered Shelley had something she wanted to discuss from earlier. "Hey, what was it you were going to tell us this morning," She asked.
*Tag Shelley*
About that time, several familiar cars pulled up. They didn't stop in the bays to order food. Rather, they were parked in the Fitness Factory part of the parking lot, but much closer to Speedee's. It was all of the junior and senior cheerleaders, ten girls in total arriving in four different cars.
"Uh oh," Tabby managed before they started getting out of their cars.
*Tags Starla & Shelley*
It didn't take more than a moment for Marie to zero in on Starla, Shelley, and Tabby. The cheerleaders circled the 3 of them who were standing in the grassy area near the building, just a few feet from the carhop entrance where the girls picked up their orders. There were a few seldom-used picnic tables set up for anyone that chose not to eat in their car.
"So," Marie began. Doreen was beside her. The others stood silently encroaching on the trio's space. "It sounds like you had quite the little adventure."
*Tags Starla, Shelley*
OOC: We can get through any private conversation above before the cheerleaders show up. We don't have to cut things short or feel rushed to give Shelley time to share what she saw about Mouse thinking Jerry had taken him to Shelley's house.
Despite the circumstances surrounding her late arrival, Tabby felt guilty about her tardiness and hurried to get going as fast as she could. She didn't want the other 2 carhops that had been on time to be upset with her and Shelley still wasn't here yet. Tabby hoped she hadn't changed her mind about coming in since she had additional problems including not having her car keys.
Starla quickly filled Tabby in on her mother's talk with Riley. Tabby simply nodded and got to work.
A few minutes later a familiar blue-and-white van showed up with Gary at the wheel. When the van came to a stop in a parking spot, Shelley hopped out of the passenger seat, smiled and waved at Gary, and then hurried toward the building. She was dressed in her carhop uniform, except that she was wearing her sandals and there was no sign of her roller skates. There was some bruising visible on her arms, and she seemed to be wearing a little more makeup than usual, in a mostly-successfully attempt to hide any sign of injury to her face. She noticed Starla and Tabby talking, and gave them a smile and a wave before scurrying inside to talk to Riley.
As Tabby feared, Shelley didn't have her skates which confirmed they were indeed locked in the trunk of her bandit mobile. Gary seemed to wait a moment to make sure everything was going to be okay. Once it was clear Shelley was going to be able to work despite not having her skates, he drove off. Given Shelley had to run home and change, it was obvious she had not had time to go by the mall to check on her car. Tabby would have loved to go over and say hi to Gary before he left, but she had seen him about an hour earlier and didn't figure the others would appreciate the fact that they'd already had to do most of the setup that morning in her absence.
Shelley emerged from the building after clocking in and having a brief discussion with Riley. The other two carhops, Denise and Lauren, followed Shelley out of the building and quickly skated off to continue preparations for the coming lunch-hour rush, although they could sometimes be seen giving the three girls curious glances. “Well, I thought Riley might yell at me for being late, but he didn’t. I guess we have your mom to thank for that, Starla; he said she’d filled him in. He didn’t even give me a hard time about not having my skates. Even so, he doesn’t seem like his usual jovial self.”
“I think when he heard what happened to us, it kind of shook him up,” said Starla.
"It kinda shook me up, too," Tabby replied. That was an obvious statement and she felt a bit stupid after she said it. She just couldn't come up with anything else to add. Not only had she been through quite an ordeal, but to top it off, Tabby hadn't gotten a lot of sleep in the past 24 hours. She was young though and it was no worse than her being up all weekend because she was at a sleepover at someone's house. That used to be a regular thing back when she was in junior high, although her father made it clear he didn't approve of it and he tended to be an asshole about the fact she'd been gone all night once she got home.
The three girls were behind, so they needed to get to work. Before they got down to business, though, Shelley said, “Oh yeah, there’s something I want to talk to yinz about, but it can wait until after the lunch rush.”
Tabby nodded. "We better do our share of the setup work and hold off discussing last night till we're done," she agreed.
Their shift felt like it lasted an eternity, at least to Tabby. There were so many things on her mind and so much she wanted to talk to Starla and Shelley about. Given her lack of sleep and distractedness, she didn't have the best day. She constantly was forgetting straws, napkins, and condiments. At one point, she forgot to collect the money and the customer drove off without paying for their food.
One particularly flustered man asked to speak to the manager when Tabby got his order wrong. She was beginning to think that she'd made a mistake coming into work today. Just as things got to the breaking point, their shift ended.
It had been an unusually busy day and things had gone non-stop. There had been no time for chitchat. Tabby had never been so glad to clock out in her life. She wasn't sure what her colleagues would have done had the three of them not shown up for work. There was no way two carhops could have covered all of the bays without the extra help.
"So, what are you going to do about your car," Tabby asked when they were finally done and the next shift began arriving.
*Tag Shelley*
She turned to Starla. "Was your mom mad? Are you in any trouble," Tabby inquired.
*Tag Starla*
"Apparently, everyone thinks this is about Jerry trying to kidnap Doreen. I still don't understand why they went to her house and why Jerry tried to break in. It doesn't make sense," Tabby mused.
*Tag Starla, Shelley*
It was then that Tabby remembered Shelley had something she wanted to discuss from earlier. "Hey, what was it you were going to tell us this morning," She asked.
*Tag Shelley*
About that time, several familiar cars pulled up. They didn't stop in the bays to order food. Rather, they were parked in the Fitness Factory part of the parking lot, but much closer to Speedee's. It was all of the junior and senior cheerleaders, ten girls in total arriving in four different cars.
"Uh oh," Tabby managed before they started getting out of their cars.
*Tags Starla & Shelley*
It didn't take more than a moment for Marie to zero in on Starla, Shelley, and Tabby. The cheerleaders circled the 3 of them who were standing in the grassy area near the building, just a few feet from the carhop entrance where the girls picked up their orders. There were a few seldom-used picnic tables set up for anyone that chose not to eat in their car.
"So," Marie began. Doreen was beside her. The others stood silently encroaching on the trio's space. "It sounds like you had quite the little adventure."
*Tags Starla, Shelley*
OOC: We can get through any private conversation above before the cheerleaders show up. We don't have to cut things short or feel rushed to give Shelley time to share what she saw about Mouse thinking Jerry had taken him to Shelley's house.
It had been an unusually busy day and things had gone non-stop. There had been no time for chitchat. Tabby had never been so glad to clock out in her life. She wasn't sure what her colleagues would have done had the three of them not shown up for work. There was no way two carhops could have covered all of the bays without the extra help.
"So, what are you going to do about your car," Tabby asked when they were finally done and the next shift began arriving.
“Um, that’s a good question,” said Shelley, hesitating a moment as she thought about her answer. “I don’t have the key at the moment, so that’s a problem. I guess the first thing to do would be to get it towed back to Gary’s house, but can they tow a car that’s locked? No, wait, that was a stupid question; forget I asked it. I saw some of the ways they have for dealing with cars when I watched them recovering those cars from the lake.” Shelley turned to Starla. “Hey, do you think that’s something Trevor can do?”
“Yeah, probably,” replied Starla. “I mean, I can’t say for sure, but I’d think either Trevor or somebody who works for his dad’s garage could do it. Of course, there might be some kind of towing fee.”
“Yeah, I know, and I don’t have any money right now; those jagoffs stole all the money out of my purse along with my keys. Good thing payday’s only a couple of days away.”
Tabby turned to Starla. "Was your mom mad? Are you in any trouble?"
“I think she was more relieved than angry,” Starla said. “She got a good scare when she realized I was missing, and is still feeling a little shaken up by it. I am grounded, though. And what I mean by ‘grounded’ is that I’m not allowed to fly the plane until August. She said flying a plane is a big responsibility, and I need to ‘learn to have better judgment’ before I’m allowed at the controls.” Starla rolled her eyes, though she privately wondered if her mom had a good point.
"Apparently, everyone thinks this is about Jerry trying to kidnap Doreen. I still don't understand why they went to her house and why Jerry tried to break in. It doesn't make sense," Tabby mused.
Shelley frowned. “Huh? Jerry tried to kidnap somebody else? Who is this Doreen?” Shelley asked. She knew Jerry had been caught trying to break into someone’s house, but this was the first she’d heard about it being related to a kidnapping attempt. And the name “Doreen” sounded familiar, but she couldn’t place it.
“Doreen’s one of the senior cheerleaders, and Marie’s best friend,” said Starla. “You saw her at the festival at the lake, remember? She was the one who wanted to buy your film to get pictures of Felicia in the beauty pageant.”
“Oh, right, I remember her…she was the one whose name I drew a cow next to in my…well, never mind about that. Was it her house that Jerry tried to break into?”
*tags*
It was then that Tabby remembered Shelley had something she wanted to discuss from earlier. "Hey, what was it you were going to tell us this morning," She asked.
“Oh, that…well, I got the address of the house that Jerry tried to break into, and I was going to try to find out who lived there and why Jerry would have tried to break in when he was supposed to be stealing my car. But it sounds like yinz already know…does Doreen live on, what was the name of the street? Rosemont Way, I think?”
*tags*
“So did Jerry and that Mouse guy actually try to kidnap Doreen? I thought it was just a break-in,” asked Shelley. Clearly the cheerleaders had heard some things she hadn’t.
*tags*
About that time, several familiar cars pulled up. They didn't stop in the bays to order food. Rather, they were parked in the Fitness Factory part of the parking lot, but much closer to Speedee's. It was all of the junior and senior cheerleaders, ten girls in total arriving in four different cars.
"Uh oh," Tabby managed before they started getting out of their cars.
“Hmm? What is it?” Shelley asked, glancing in the direction Tabby was looking.
Starla was also looking in that same direction. “It’s the cheerleaders. All of them, I think. Five bucks says they’re not here for lunch.”
“I wouldn’t take that bet, even if I had five bucks,” Shelley replied.
*tags*
It didn't take more than a moment for Marie to zero in on Starla, Shelley, and Tabby. The cheerleaders circled the 3 of them who were standing in the grassy area near the building, just a few feet from the carhop entrance where the girls picked up their orders. There were a few seldom-used picnic tables set up for anyone that chose not to eat in their car.
"So," Marie began. Doreen was beside her. The others stood silently encroaching on the trio's space. "It sounds like you had quite the little adventure."
Shelley wasn’t used to dealing with the cheerleaders, and when she found herself and her two friends surrounded by them, she actually felt a little intimidated. Maybe it was because of the harrowing experience they’d been through the night before, or maybe it was just because of the fact that she and Marie had gotten off on the wrong foot when they first met, but Shelley was a little worried these girls might actually try to attack her. Could it be that the cheerleaders blamed them for what had happened at Doreen’s house? Shelley knew she was probably being paranoid, but she couldn’t get the thought out of her mind that they were surrounded, and were outnumbered by more than three to one. She was relieved when Starla spoke up; Starla knew these girls and would know how to deal with them, she thought. She decided it would be best if she herself stayed silent and let Starla handle it.
“Yeah, we did! It was terrifying!” said Starla. She glanced towards Doreen. “And I heard the same people came after you too, Doreen. Oh my God, are you okay?” She tried to put as much concern in her voice as she could.
“I’m fine,” Doreen responded. “Daddy ran them off; they were cowards.” She looked back towards Marie, as a signal to Marie to resume the conversation. Doreen understood that Marie was running the show here, and she knew better than to try to make this situation about herself.
*tags*
"So, what are you going to do about your car," Tabby asked when they were finally done and the next shift began arriving.
“Um, that’s a good question,” said Shelley, hesitating a moment as she thought about her answer. “I don’t have the key at the moment, so that’s a problem. I guess the first thing to do would be to get it towed back to Gary’s house, but can they tow a car that’s locked? No, wait, that was a stupid question; forget I asked it. I saw some of the ways they have for dealing with cars when I watched them recovering those cars from the lake.” Shelley turned to Starla. “Hey, do you think that’s something Trevor can do?”
“Yeah, probably,” replied Starla. “I mean, I can’t say for sure, but I’d think either Trevor or somebody who works for his dad’s garage could do it. Of course, there might be some kind of towing fee.”
“Yeah, I know, and I don’t have any money right now; those jagoffs stole all the money out of my purse along with my keys. Good thing payday’s only a couple of days away.”
Tabby turned to Starla. "Was your mom mad? Are you in any trouble?"
“I think she was more relieved than angry,” Starla said. “She got a good scare when she realized I was missing, and is still feeling a little shaken up by it. I am grounded, though. And what I mean by ‘grounded’ is that I’m not allowed to fly the plane until August. She said flying a plane is a big responsibility, and I need to ‘learn to have better judgment’ before I’m allowed at the controls.” Starla rolled her eyes, though she privately wondered if her mom had a good point.
"Apparently, everyone thinks this is about Jerry trying to kidnap Doreen. I still don't understand why they went to her house and why Jerry tried to break in. It doesn't make sense," Tabby mused.
Shelley frowned. “Huh? Jerry tried to kidnap somebody else? Who is this Doreen?” Shelley asked. She knew Jerry had been caught trying to break into someone’s house, but this was the first she’d heard about it being related to a kidnapping attempt. And the name “Doreen” sounded familiar, but she couldn’t place it.
“Doreen’s one of the senior cheerleaders, and Marie’s best friend,” said Starla. “You saw her at the festival at the lake, remember? She was the one who wanted to buy your film to get pictures of Felicia in the beauty pageant.”
“Oh, right, I remember her…she was the one whose name I drew a cow next to in my…well, never mind about that. Was it her house that Jerry tried to break into?”
*tags*
It was then that Tabby remembered Shelley had something she wanted to discuss from earlier. "Hey, what was it you were going to tell us this morning," She asked.
“Oh, that…well, I got the address of the house that Jerry tried to break into, and I was going to try to find out who lived there and why Jerry would have tried to break in when he was supposed to be stealing my car. But it sounds like yinz already know…does Doreen live on, what was the name of the street? Rosemont Way, I think?”
*tags*
“So did Jerry and that Mouse guy actually try to kidnap Doreen? I thought it was just a break-in,” asked Shelley. Clearly the cheerleaders had heard some things she hadn’t.
*tags*
About that time, several familiar cars pulled up. They didn't stop in the bays to order food. Rather, they were parked in the Fitness Factory part of the parking lot, but much closer to Speedee's. It was all of the junior and senior cheerleaders, ten girls in total arriving in four different cars.
"Uh oh," Tabby managed before they started getting out of their cars.
“Hmm? What is it?” Shelley asked, glancing in the direction Tabby was looking.
Starla was also looking in that same direction. “It’s the cheerleaders. All of them, I think. Five bucks says they’re not here for lunch.”
“I wouldn’t take that bet, even if I had five bucks,” Shelley replied.
*tags*
It didn't take more than a moment for Marie to zero in on Starla, Shelley, and Tabby. The cheerleaders circled the 3 of them who were standing in the grassy area near the building, just a few feet from the carhop entrance where the girls picked up their orders. There were a few seldom-used picnic tables set up for anyone that chose not to eat in their car.
"So," Marie began. Doreen was beside her. The others stood silently encroaching on the trio's space. "It sounds like you had quite the little adventure."
Shelley wasn’t used to dealing with the cheerleaders, and when she found herself and her two friends surrounded by them, she actually felt a little intimidated. Maybe it was because of the harrowing experience they’d been through the night before, or maybe it was just because of the fact that she and Marie had gotten off on the wrong foot when they first met, but Shelley was a little worried these girls might actually try to attack her. Could it be that the cheerleaders blamed them for what had happened at Doreen’s house? Shelley knew she was probably being paranoid, but she couldn’t get the thought out of her mind that they were surrounded, and were outnumbered by more than three to one. She was relieved when Starla spoke up; Starla knew these girls and would know how to deal with them, she thought. She decided it would be best if she herself stayed silent and let Starla handle it.
“Yeah, we did! It was terrifying!” said Starla. She glanced towards Doreen. “And I heard the same people came after you too, Doreen. Oh my God, are you okay?” She tried to put as much concern in her voice as she could.
“I’m fine,” Doreen responded. “Daddy ran them off; they were cowards.” She looked back towards Marie, as a signal to Marie to resume the conversation. Doreen understood that Marie was running the show here, and she knew better than to try to make this situation about herself.
*tags*
"Apparently, everyone thinks this is about Jerry trying to kidnap Doreen. I still don't understand why they went to her house and why Jerry tried to break in. It doesn't make sense," Tabby mused.
Shelley frowned. “Huh? Jerry tried to kidnap somebody else? Who is this Doreen?” Shelley asked. She knew Jerry had been caught trying to break into someone’s house, but this was the first she’d heard about it being related to a kidnapping attempt. And the name “Doreen” sounded familiar, but she couldn’t place it.
“Doreen’s one of the senior cheerleaders, and Marie’s best friend,” said Starla. “You saw her at the festival at the lake, remember? She was the one who wanted to buy your film to get pictures of Felicia in the beauty pageant.”
“Oh, right, I remember her…she was the one whose name I drew a cow next to in my…well, never mind about that. Was it her house that Jerry tried to break into?”
Tabby nodded and giggled a little bit at the cow comment. "Apparently, that's where they went," Tabby explained. "I didn't know about it till this morning and I'm totally at a loss as to why. It makes no sense at all."
It was then that Tabby remembered Shelley had something she wanted to discuss from earlier. "Hey, what was it you were going to tell us this morning," She asked.
“Oh, that…well, I got the address of the house that Jerry tried to break into, and I was going to try to find out who lived there and why Jerry would have tried to break in when he was supposed to be stealing my car. But it sounds like yinz already know…does Doreen live on, what was the name of the street? Rosemont Way, I think?”
"Yup, that's the bitch's house then," Tabby replied. "So we know that's where they went but that actually creates more questions than answers."
“So did Jerry and that Mouse guy actually try to kidnap Doreen? I thought it was just a break-in,” asked Shelley. Clearly, the cheerleaders had heard some things she hadn’t.
"See, that's what doesn't make sense. I guess it happened in the middle of the night when we were tied up. That's when Jerry would have taken your keys. As soon as it was daylight, they called everyone on the squad. From what I gathered, they broke into Doreen's car to get the garage remote from it. Jerry tried to enter the kitchen through the door leading in from the garage which I assume wasn't locked and I guess her dad heard him and scared him off."
About that time, several familiar cars pulled up. They didn't stop in the bays to order food. Rather, they were parked in the Fitness Factory part of the parking lot, but much closer to Speedee's. It was all of the junior and senior cheerleaders, ten girls in total arriving in four different cars.
"Uh oh," Tabby managed before they started getting out of their cars.
“Hmm? What is it?” Shelley asked, glancing in the direction Tabby was looking.
Starla was also looking in that same direction. “It’s the cheerleaders. All of them, I think. Five bucks says they’re not here for lunch.”
“I wouldn’t take that bet, even if I had five bucks,” Shelley replied.
"Why else would the bitch brigade show up," Tabby asked. "They know we were missing and apparently that we were all taken hostage by Jerry's friends so I'm sure they are hear to find out what happened to us and what we know."
It didn't take more than a moment for Marie to zero in on Starla, Shelley, and Tabby. The cheerleaders circled the 3 of them who were standing in the grassy area near the building, just a few feet from the carhop entrance where the girls picked up their orders. There were a few seldom-used picnic tables set up for anyone that chose not to eat in their car.
"So," Marie began. Doreen was beside her. The others stood silently encroaching on the trio's space. "It sounds like you had quite the little adventure."
Shelley wasn’t used to dealing with the cheerleaders, and when she found herself and her two friends surrounded by them, she actually felt a little intimidated. Maybe it was because of the harrowing experience they’d been through the night before, or maybe it was just because of the fact that she and Marie had gotten off on the wrong foot when they first met, but Shelley was a little worried these girls might actually try to attack her. Could it be that the cheerleaders blamed them for what had happened at Doreen’s house? Shelley knew she was probably being paranoid, but she couldn’t get the thought out of her mind that they were surrounded, and were outnumbered by more than three to one. She was relieved when Starla spoke up; Starla knew these girls and would know how to deal with them, she thought. She decided it would be best if she herself stayed silent and let Starla handle it.
“Yeah, we did! It was terrifying!” said Starla. She glanced towards Doreen. “And I heard the same people came after you too, Doreen. Oh my God, are you okay?” She tried to put as much concern in her voice as she could.
“I’m fine,” Doreen responded. “Daddy ran them off; they were cowards.” She looked back towards Marie, as a signal to Marie to resume the conversation. Doreen understood that Marie was running the show here, and she knew better than to try to make this situation about herself.
"So, I'd love to hear all about your little adventure and how it is they just happened to come after, Dori," Marie stated rather curtly cutting her eyes between Tabby and Starla and then her eyes settled on Shelley. "So, Miss Higgins. I bet you were there, too. Tell me, did you have anything to do with them going to Dori's home? Hoping maybe if you gave up someone you didn't like who was a little more important that they might let you go or something?"
"It's not...," Tabby began.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't recall asking you a damn thing, Blackwell," Marie interrupted. She stared at Tabby hard for a moment and the ginger girl visibly winced. Then, Marie put on a big, fake, sweet smile and returned her gaze to Shelley.
"I'm sorry. One of my girls seems to have rudely interrupted you. I assure you, she didn't mean to. Please, you were about to say," Marie prompted.
*Tags*
"I want to hear the story from the beginning. Sounds like something out of a Nancy Drew novel. You know, it's kind of funny... Miss Higgins, ace wanna-be reporter shows up from Philadelphia or wherever the hell it is you came from, and my car gets stolen on the very day we met you strangely enough. Then Sharon, another popular and VERY respected person in our community and high school is abducted, tied up, and thrown in a trash dumpster at the restaurant you people just conveniently happened to be hanging out at. Next thing you know, Reporter Higgins has stories in the Chronicle. Now, you people get kidnapped... That's an awful lot of shit in two weeks given nothing like that ever happened in Teal Cove before. Some funny coincidences if you ask me, right girls?"
The cheerleaders all nodded in agreement.
*Tags*
"So, did you write the story in advance so it was ready to hand to the editor first thing this morning when you got rescued," Marie pressed.
*Tags*
She then settled her eyes on Tabby. "So Miss Blackwell, you were with them. Tell me all about it. Did they break into your house through the garage, too? Were you taken one by one as they took the garage door remote from each of your family's cars or did you have an arranged meeting point for Jerry and crew to pick you up... er uh, I'm sorry... abduct you from?"
*Tags*
Shelley frowned. “Huh? Jerry tried to kidnap somebody else? Who is this Doreen?” Shelley asked. She knew Jerry had been caught trying to break into someone’s house, but this was the first she’d heard about it being related to a kidnapping attempt. And the name “Doreen” sounded familiar, but she couldn’t place it.
“Doreen’s one of the senior cheerleaders, and Marie’s best friend,” said Starla. “You saw her at the festival at the lake, remember? She was the one who wanted to buy your film to get pictures of Felicia in the beauty pageant.”
“Oh, right, I remember her…she was the one whose name I drew a cow next to in my…well, never mind about that. Was it her house that Jerry tried to break into?”
Tabby nodded and giggled a little bit at the cow comment. "Apparently, that's where they went," Tabby explained. "I didn't know about it till this morning and I'm totally at a loss as to why. It makes no sense at all."
It was then that Tabby remembered Shelley had something she wanted to discuss from earlier. "Hey, what was it you were going to tell us this morning," She asked.
“Oh, that…well, I got the address of the house that Jerry tried to break into, and I was going to try to find out who lived there and why Jerry would have tried to break in when he was supposed to be stealing my car. But it sounds like yinz already know…does Doreen live on, what was the name of the street? Rosemont Way, I think?”
"Yup, that's the bitch's house then," Tabby replied. "So we know that's where they went but that actually creates more questions than answers."
“So did Jerry and that Mouse guy actually try to kidnap Doreen? I thought it was just a break-in,” asked Shelley. Clearly, the cheerleaders had heard some things she hadn’t.
"See, that's what doesn't make sense. I guess it happened in the middle of the night when we were tied up. That's when Jerry would have taken your keys. As soon as it was daylight, they called everyone on the squad. From what I gathered, they broke into Doreen's car to get the garage remote from it. Jerry tried to enter the kitchen through the door leading in from the garage which I assume wasn't locked and I guess her dad heard him and scared him off."
About that time, several familiar cars pulled up. They didn't stop in the bays to order food. Rather, they were parked in the Fitness Factory part of the parking lot, but much closer to Speedee's. It was all of the junior and senior cheerleaders, ten girls in total arriving in four different cars.
"Uh oh," Tabby managed before they started getting out of their cars.
“Hmm? What is it?” Shelley asked, glancing in the direction Tabby was looking.
Starla was also looking in that same direction. “It’s the cheerleaders. All of them, I think. Five bucks says they’re not here for lunch.”
“I wouldn’t take that bet, even if I had five bucks,” Shelley replied.
"Why else would the bitch brigade show up," Tabby asked. "They know we were missing and apparently that we were all taken hostage by Jerry's friends so I'm sure they are hear to find out what happened to us and what we know."
It didn't take more than a moment for Marie to zero in on Starla, Shelley, and Tabby. The cheerleaders circled the 3 of them who were standing in the grassy area near the building, just a few feet from the carhop entrance where the girls picked up their orders. There were a few seldom-used picnic tables set up for anyone that chose not to eat in their car.
"So," Marie began. Doreen was beside her. The others stood silently encroaching on the trio's space. "It sounds like you had quite the little adventure."
Shelley wasn’t used to dealing with the cheerleaders, and when she found herself and her two friends surrounded by them, she actually felt a little intimidated. Maybe it was because of the harrowing experience they’d been through the night before, or maybe it was just because of the fact that she and Marie had gotten off on the wrong foot when they first met, but Shelley was a little worried these girls might actually try to attack her. Could it be that the cheerleaders blamed them for what had happened at Doreen’s house? Shelley knew she was probably being paranoid, but she couldn’t get the thought out of her mind that they were surrounded, and were outnumbered by more than three to one. She was relieved when Starla spoke up; Starla knew these girls and would know how to deal with them, she thought. She decided it would be best if she herself stayed silent and let Starla handle it.
“Yeah, we did! It was terrifying!” said Starla. She glanced towards Doreen. “And I heard the same people came after you too, Doreen. Oh my God, are you okay?” She tried to put as much concern in her voice as she could.
“I’m fine,” Doreen responded. “Daddy ran them off; they were cowards.” She looked back towards Marie, as a signal to Marie to resume the conversation. Doreen understood that Marie was running the show here, and she knew better than to try to make this situation about herself.
"So, I'd love to hear all about your little adventure and how it is they just happened to come after, Dori," Marie stated rather curtly cutting her eyes between Tabby and Starla and then her eyes settled on Shelley. "So, Miss Higgins. I bet you were there, too. Tell me, did you have anything to do with them going to Dori's home? Hoping maybe if you gave up someone you didn't like who was a little more important that they might let you go or something?"
"It's not...," Tabby began.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't recall asking you a damn thing, Blackwell," Marie interrupted. She stared at Tabby hard for a moment and the ginger girl visibly winced. Then, Marie put on a big, fake, sweet smile and returned her gaze to Shelley.
"I'm sorry. One of my girls seems to have rudely interrupted you. I assure you, she didn't mean to. Please, you were about to say," Marie prompted.
*Tags*
"I want to hear the story from the beginning. Sounds like something out of a Nancy Drew novel. You know, it's kind of funny... Miss Higgins, ace wanna-be reporter shows up from Philadelphia or wherever the hell it is you came from, and my car gets stolen on the very day we met you strangely enough. Then Sharon, another popular and VERY respected person in our community and high school is abducted, tied up, and thrown in a trash dumpster at the restaurant you people just conveniently happened to be hanging out at. Next thing you know, Reporter Higgins has stories in the Chronicle. Now, you people get kidnapped... That's an awful lot of shit in two weeks given nothing like that ever happened in Teal Cove before. Some funny coincidences if you ask me, right girls?"
The cheerleaders all nodded in agreement.
*Tags*
"So, did you write the story in advance so it was ready to hand to the editor first thing this morning when you got rescued," Marie pressed.
*Tags*
She then settled her eyes on Tabby. "So Miss Blackwell, you were with them. Tell me all about it. Did they break into your house through the garage, too? Were you taken one by one as they took the garage door remote from each of your family's cars or did you have an arranged meeting point for Jerry and crew to pick you up... er uh, I'm sorry... abduct you from?"
*Tags*
Gary waited for a moment once Shelley got out of the van. He watched as she went over to the building. She had been worried that she wouldn't be allowed to work if she didn't have her skates. From everything Gary understood, it was required that all the car hops wear roller skates when serving customers. Maybe her boss would at least let her work in the back and grill burgers or something.
Once it was clear that Shelley wasn't going to be sent home, he headed on his way. Next stop, the mall. Hopefully, Shelley's car was still there and unharmed. Gary didn't know exactly where it was parked, but it would have only just now opened so it was likely the parking lot wouldn't be too crowded. Even if it was, he need only go up and down the rows. The police had confirmed that there had been no calls to have it towed or impounded. Of course, there was always a chance that the thieves had located it and stolen it. They did have the keys, after all.
Half an hour later, Gary pulled up beside Shelley's Trans-Am. He got out and tried the door and sure enough, it was locked. Peering into the driver-side window, it appeared that nothing was disturbed. Gary did a quick walk around to make sure the car had not been damaged. It looked fine. Glancing around, he didn't see any payphones outside the building but there were always a few near the elevators or restrooms in the main section of the mall. He fished a few coins out of the ashtray.
Since he would have to call the operator to get a number, there was no point in attempting to use any of the tricks he knew to get around the system and make a free call. After a few minutes of cutting through the main anchor store and making his way to the food court, Gary was able to quickly locate a pair of payphones near the restrooms.
He dialed 0 and when the operator was unable to hear him, he deposited a dime and asked her to find a listing for a tow truck. After depositing another quarter and asking her to dial the number for him, he quickly explained the situation to dispatch and where he was and that the car was locked without access to a key. He assured the person he had a copy of the police paperwork with an address and he could provide ID since he was not the vehicle owner.
After grabbing something to eat at the food court, he headed back to the van and waited for the tow truck. Almost an hour later, it arrived. Gary repeated the story and circumstances and showed the driver the police report and his license to prove that the addresses matched. The driver was able to pick up easily since the rear was facing out. Because it was rear-wheel drive, not having access to the keys was not an issue. The tow truck driver said he had done plenty of repo jobs in his time and was used to dealing with cars that he didn't have keys for.
A little while later, Shelley's car was back in the driveway. Gary got the receipt from the towing service. Shelley's insurance company would likely pay part if not all of the bill given the circumstances. If not, Gary would cover the cost. He knew Shelley didn't have any cash since the thugs took what little money she had from her purse when they got the keys. He still had a few hours until it was time to pick her up from work so he headed back inside for a while.
Once it was clear that Shelley wasn't going to be sent home, he headed on his way. Next stop, the mall. Hopefully, Shelley's car was still there and unharmed. Gary didn't know exactly where it was parked, but it would have only just now opened so it was likely the parking lot wouldn't be too crowded. Even if it was, he need only go up and down the rows. The police had confirmed that there had been no calls to have it towed or impounded. Of course, there was always a chance that the thieves had located it and stolen it. They did have the keys, after all.
Half an hour later, Gary pulled up beside Shelley's Trans-Am. He got out and tried the door and sure enough, it was locked. Peering into the driver-side window, it appeared that nothing was disturbed. Gary did a quick walk around to make sure the car had not been damaged. It looked fine. Glancing around, he didn't see any payphones outside the building but there were always a few near the elevators or restrooms in the main section of the mall. He fished a few coins out of the ashtray.
Since he would have to call the operator to get a number, there was no point in attempting to use any of the tricks he knew to get around the system and make a free call. After a few minutes of cutting through the main anchor store and making his way to the food court, Gary was able to quickly locate a pair of payphones near the restrooms.
He dialed 0 and when the operator was unable to hear him, he deposited a dime and asked her to find a listing for a tow truck. After depositing another quarter and asking her to dial the number for him, he quickly explained the situation to dispatch and where he was and that the car was locked without access to a key. He assured the person he had a copy of the police paperwork with an address and he could provide ID since he was not the vehicle owner.
After grabbing something to eat at the food court, he headed back to the van and waited for the tow truck. Almost an hour later, it arrived. Gary repeated the story and circumstances and showed the driver the police report and his license to prove that the addresses matched. The driver was able to pick up easily since the rear was facing out. Because it was rear-wheel drive, not having access to the keys was not an issue. The tow truck driver said he had done plenty of repo jobs in his time and was used to dealing with cars that he didn't have keys for.
A little while later, Shelley's car was back in the driveway. Gary got the receipt from the towing service. Shelley's insurance company would likely pay part if not all of the bill given the circumstances. If not, Gary would cover the cost. He knew Shelley didn't have any cash since the thugs took what little money she had from her purse when they got the keys. He still had a few hours until it was time to pick her up from work so he headed back inside for a while.
"So, I'd love to hear all about your little adventure and how it is they just happened to come after Dori," Marie stated rather curtly cutting her eyes between Tabby and Starla and then her eyes settled on Shelley. "So, Miss Higgins. I bet you were there, too. Tell me, did you have anything to do with them going to Dori's home? Hoping maybe if you gave up someone you didn't like who was a little more important that they might let you go or something?"
"It's not...," Tabby began.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't recall asking you a damn thing, Blackwell," Marie interrupted. She stared at Tabby hard for a moment and the ginger girl visibly winced. Then, Marie put on a big, fake, sweet smile and returned her gaze to Shelley.
"I'm sorry. One of my girls seems to have rudely interrupted you. I assure you, she didn't mean to. Please, you were about to say," Marie prompted.
“It’s alright, Tabby,” Shelley said as she rested a reassuring hand on Tabby’s shoulder. She then stepped forward a bit, partially interposing herself between Marie and Tabby. “You want to know about my night? I’ll tell you…no, I’ll do better than that; I’ll show you.” Shelley pulled up her sleeves, exposing the bruises on her upper arms. “You see these bruises? How about these abrasions on my wrists and ankles? Those were caused by the ropes those criminals used to tie me up. I spent the night tied hand and foot to a chair, and gagged. So yeah, I was there too. And no, I didn’t have anything to do with them going to Dori’s home…”
“That’s DOREEN to you,” Doreen interrupted. “Only my friends get to call me DORI.”
Shelley glanced at Doreen for a second, then back to Marie. “DOREEN’s home,” she continued. “And I couldn’t give Doreen up even if I’d wanted to, for a couple of different reasons. First of all, I had absolutely no useful information to give them about her to begin with. The only thing I knew about her was that she was a cheerleader, and she was in the beauty pageant in the festival by the lake. I’d never even spoken to her before until tonight. Second of all, they had me gagged with a knotted handkerchief the whole time, so I couldn’t have told them anything even if I had known something.”
It was true that she and Shelley hadn’t spoken before, Doreen thought. Doreen remembered trying to buy the film out of Shelley’s camera from that old guy she was with, but Shelley herself had gone off to get ready to compete in the adult pageant. And the old guy hadn’t cooperated; it had been very irritating.
*Tags*
"I want to hear the story from the beginning. Sounds like something out of a Nancy Drew novel. You know, it's kind of funny... Miss Higgins, ace wanna-be reporter shows up from Philadelphia or wherever the hell it is you came from, and my car gets stolen on the very day we met you strangely enough. Then Sharon, another popular and VERY respected person in our community and high school is abducted, tied up, and thrown in a trash dumpster at the restaurant you people just conveniently happened to be hanging out at. Next thing you know, Reporter Higgins has stories in the Chronicle. Now, you people get kidnapped... That's an awful lot of shit in two weeks given nothing like that ever happened in Teal Cove before. Some funny coincidences if you ask me, right girls?"
The cheerleaders all nodded in agreement.
Doreen’s jaw dropped when she heard Marie make a reference to Nancy Drew novels. As soon as she heard Marie make the comment, Doreen’s mind leaped back to the time at the club a few days ago when Marie had practically thrown a fit on Jerry for bringing up the Hardy Boys. Marie had acted like she didn’t know anything about the Hardy Boys, and anyone who did was practically a pariah. But those two series of novels were closely associated, and they’d even been adapted into a TV show called “The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries” back in the late 70’s. Doreen quickly shut her mouth after her initial shock, and furtively glanced at the other cheerleaders to see if any of them had noticed. She didn’t think any of them had; they’d all been focusing their attention on Marie and Shelley.
“I’ve got news for you; stuff like that WAS happening in Teal Cove before I got here,” Shelley said. “I have police sources that confirm that cars were being stolen here weeks before I arrived. All those other cars in the lake next to yours? Stolen before I got in town. As for Sharon, I don’t know who attacked her and tied her up, but I know how she must have felt, having spent the night tied up myself. I’m just glad me and my friends were there to find her and help her. And as a reporter, I would have been shirking my duty to the community if I didn’t report on what happened.”
"So, did you write the story in advance so it was ready to hand to the editor first thing this morning when you got rescued," Marie pressed.
“Of course not. You think I was involved in causing any of this stuff?” Shelley asked, and a bit of scorn was evident in her voice. “I wasn’t; I’ve been working to put an end to it. But if you have any real evidence to the contrary, then by all means present it; and by real evidence, I mean something other than vague insinuations.”
*Tags*
Marie then settled her eyes on Tabby. "So Miss Blackwell, you were with them. Tell me all about it. Did they break into your house through the garage, too? Were you taken one by one as they took the garage door remote from each of your family's cars or did you have an arranged meeting point for Jerry and crew to pick you up... er uh, I'm sorry... abduct you from?"
“Hang on a minute,” Shelley cut in, intending not to let them bully the younger girl. “You’re calling the guy who tried to break into Doreen’s house ‘Jerry’? Not ‘Hardy’, or ‘Mr. Hardy’, or ‘that Jerry guy’? Are you on a first-name basis with him? And…and why would he have chosen Doreen’s house specifically to break into, after having stolen YOUR car?” Shelley paused a second or two as the puzzle pieces clicked together in her head. “And the criminals who kidnapped us had a police scanner, and while I was tied up I heard a dispatch come through saying that there had been a break-in, and that one of the culprits was identified as ‘Jerry Hardy’. Who made that identification? How do yinz know Jerry Hardy?”
Shelley glanced for a second at Doreen, but Doreen didn’t reply; instead, she was staring at Marie with an expression that seemed to be beseeching her to do something.
*Tags*
"It's not...," Tabby began.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't recall asking you a damn thing, Blackwell," Marie interrupted. She stared at Tabby hard for a moment and the ginger girl visibly winced. Then, Marie put on a big, fake, sweet smile and returned her gaze to Shelley.
"I'm sorry. One of my girls seems to have rudely interrupted you. I assure you, she didn't mean to. Please, you were about to say," Marie prompted.
“It’s alright, Tabby,” Shelley said as she rested a reassuring hand on Tabby’s shoulder. She then stepped forward a bit, partially interposing herself between Marie and Tabby. “You want to know about my night? I’ll tell you…no, I’ll do better than that; I’ll show you.” Shelley pulled up her sleeves, exposing the bruises on her upper arms. “You see these bruises? How about these abrasions on my wrists and ankles? Those were caused by the ropes those criminals used to tie me up. I spent the night tied hand and foot to a chair, and gagged. So yeah, I was there too. And no, I didn’t have anything to do with them going to Dori’s home…”
“That’s DOREEN to you,” Doreen interrupted. “Only my friends get to call me DORI.”
Shelley glanced at Doreen for a second, then back to Marie. “DOREEN’s home,” she continued. “And I couldn’t give Doreen up even if I’d wanted to, for a couple of different reasons. First of all, I had absolutely no useful information to give them about her to begin with. The only thing I knew about her was that she was a cheerleader, and she was in the beauty pageant in the festival by the lake. I’d never even spoken to her before until tonight. Second of all, they had me gagged with a knotted handkerchief the whole time, so I couldn’t have told them anything even if I had known something.”
It was true that she and Shelley hadn’t spoken before, Doreen thought. Doreen remembered trying to buy the film out of Shelley’s camera from that old guy she was with, but Shelley herself had gone off to get ready to compete in the adult pageant. And the old guy hadn’t cooperated; it had been very irritating.
*Tags*
"I want to hear the story from the beginning. Sounds like something out of a Nancy Drew novel. You know, it's kind of funny... Miss Higgins, ace wanna-be reporter shows up from Philadelphia or wherever the hell it is you came from, and my car gets stolen on the very day we met you strangely enough. Then Sharon, another popular and VERY respected person in our community and high school is abducted, tied up, and thrown in a trash dumpster at the restaurant you people just conveniently happened to be hanging out at. Next thing you know, Reporter Higgins has stories in the Chronicle. Now, you people get kidnapped... That's an awful lot of shit in two weeks given nothing like that ever happened in Teal Cove before. Some funny coincidences if you ask me, right girls?"
The cheerleaders all nodded in agreement.
Doreen’s jaw dropped when she heard Marie make a reference to Nancy Drew novels. As soon as she heard Marie make the comment, Doreen’s mind leaped back to the time at the club a few days ago when Marie had practically thrown a fit on Jerry for bringing up the Hardy Boys. Marie had acted like she didn’t know anything about the Hardy Boys, and anyone who did was practically a pariah. But those two series of novels were closely associated, and they’d even been adapted into a TV show called “The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries” back in the late 70’s. Doreen quickly shut her mouth after her initial shock, and furtively glanced at the other cheerleaders to see if any of them had noticed. She didn’t think any of them had; they’d all been focusing their attention on Marie and Shelley.
“I’ve got news for you; stuff like that WAS happening in Teal Cove before I got here,” Shelley said. “I have police sources that confirm that cars were being stolen here weeks before I arrived. All those other cars in the lake next to yours? Stolen before I got in town. As for Sharon, I don’t know who attacked her and tied her up, but I know how she must have felt, having spent the night tied up myself. I’m just glad me and my friends were there to find her and help her. And as a reporter, I would have been shirking my duty to the community if I didn’t report on what happened.”
"So, did you write the story in advance so it was ready to hand to the editor first thing this morning when you got rescued," Marie pressed.
“Of course not. You think I was involved in causing any of this stuff?” Shelley asked, and a bit of scorn was evident in her voice. “I wasn’t; I’ve been working to put an end to it. But if you have any real evidence to the contrary, then by all means present it; and by real evidence, I mean something other than vague insinuations.”
*Tags*
Marie then settled her eyes on Tabby. "So Miss Blackwell, you were with them. Tell me all about it. Did they break into your house through the garage, too? Were you taken one by one as they took the garage door remote from each of your family's cars or did you have an arranged meeting point for Jerry and crew to pick you up... er uh, I'm sorry... abduct you from?"
“Hang on a minute,” Shelley cut in, intending not to let them bully the younger girl. “You’re calling the guy who tried to break into Doreen’s house ‘Jerry’? Not ‘Hardy’, or ‘Mr. Hardy’, or ‘that Jerry guy’? Are you on a first-name basis with him? And…and why would he have chosen Doreen’s house specifically to break into, after having stolen YOUR car?” Shelley paused a second or two as the puzzle pieces clicked together in her head. “And the criminals who kidnapped us had a police scanner, and while I was tied up I heard a dispatch come through saying that there had been a break-in, and that one of the culprits was identified as ‘Jerry Hardy’. Who made that identification? How do yinz know Jerry Hardy?”
Shelley glanced for a second at Doreen, but Doreen didn’t reply; instead, she was staring at Marie with an expression that seemed to be beseeching her to do something.
*Tags*
"So, I'd love to hear all about your little adventure and how it is they just happened to come after Dori," Marie stated rather curtly cutting her eyes between Tabby and Starla and then her eyes settled on Shelley. "So, Miss Higgins. I bet you were there, too. Tell me, did you have anything to do with them going to Dori's home? Hoping maybe if you gave up someone you didn't like who was a little more important that they might let you go or something?"
"It's not...," Tabby began.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't recall asking you a damn thing, Blackwell," Marie interrupted. She stared at Tabby hard for a moment and the ginger girl visibly winced. Then, Marie put on a big, fake, sweet smile and returned her gaze to Shelley.
"I'm sorry. One of my girls seems to have rudely interrupted you. I assure you, she didn't mean to. Please, you were about to say," Marie prompted.
“It’s alright, Tabby,” Shelley said as she rested a reassuring hand on Tabby’s shoulder. She then stepped forward a bit, partially interposing herself between Marie and Tabby. “You want to know about my night? I’ll tell you…no, I’ll do better than that; I’ll show you.” Shelley pulled up her sleeves, exposing the bruises on her upper arms. “You see these bruises? How about these abrasions on my wrists and ankles? Those were caused by the ropes those criminals used to tie me up. I spent the night tied hand and foot to a chair, and gagged. So yeah, I was there too. And no, I didn’t have anything to do with them going to Dori’s home…”
“That’s DOREEN to you,” Doreen interrupted. “Only my friends get to call me DORI.”
Shelley glanced at Doreen for a second, then back to Marie. “DOREEN’s home,” she continued. “And I couldn’t give Doreen up even if I’d wanted to, for a couple of different reasons. First of all, I had absolutely no useful information to give them about her to begin with. The only thing I knew about her was that she was a cheerleader, and she was in the beauty pageant in the festival by the lake. I’d never even spoken to her before until tonight. Second of all, they had me gagged with a knotted handkerchief the whole time, so I couldn’t have told them anything even if I had known something.”
It was true that she and Shelley hadn’t spoken before, Doreen thought. Doreen remembered trying to buy the film out of Shelley’s camera from that old guy she was with, but Shelley herself had gone off to get ready to compete in the adult pageant. And the old guy hadn’t cooperated; it had been very irritating.
Tabby didn’t say anything. She felt Shelley’s hand on her shoulder. Despite that, she bit her lip and twirled her hair around her finger nervously as her stomach knotted up. Marie was obviously trying to intimidate the group and unfortunately, it was working. Why did her courage have to abandon her in situations like this? She’d survived being held hostage by a group of criminals and yet, she couldn’t stand up to a slightly older girl bullying her even with two of friends standing right next to her.
"I want to hear the story from the beginning. Sounds like something out of a Nancy Drew novel. You know, it's kind of funny... Miss Higgins, ace wanna-be reporter shows up from Philadelphia or wherever the hell it is you came from, and my car gets stolen on the very day we met you strangely enough. Then Sharon, another popular and VERY respected person in our community and high school is abducted, tied up, and thrown in a trash dumpster at the restaurant you people just conveniently happened to be hanging out at. Next thing you know, Reporter Higgins has stories in the Chronicle. Now, you people get kidnapped... That's an awful lot of shit in two weeks given nothing like that ever happened in Teal Cove before. Some funny coincidences if you ask me, right girls?"
The cheerleaders all nodded in agreement.
Doreen’s jaw dropped when she heard Marie make a reference to Nancy Drew novels. As soon as she heard Marie make the comment, Doreen’s mind leaped back to the time at the club a few days ago when Marie had practically thrown a fit on Jerry for bringing up the Hardy Boys. Marie had acted like she didn’t know anything about the Hardy Boys, and anyone who did was practically a pariah. But those two series of novels were closely associated, and they’d even been adapted into a TV show called “The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries” back in the late 70’s. Doreen quickly shut her mouth after her initial shock, and furtively glanced at the other cheerleaders to see if any of them had noticed. She didn’t think any of them had; they’d all been focusing their attention on Marie and Shelley.
“I’ve got news for you; stuff like that WAS happening in Teal Cove before I got here,” Shelley said. “I have police sources that confirm that cars were being stolen here weeks before I arrived. All those other cars in the lake next to yours? Stolen before I got in town. As for Sharon, I don’t know who attacked her and tied her up, but I know how she must have felt, having spent the night tied up myself. I’m just glad me and my friends were there to find her and help her. And as a reporter, I would have been shirking my duty to the community if I didn’t report on what happened.”
"So, did you write the story in advance so it was ready to hand to the editor first thing this morning when you got rescued," Marie pressed.
“Of course not. You think I was involved in causing any of this stuff?” Shelley asked, and a bit of scorn was evident in her voice. “I wasn’t; I’ve been working to put an end to it. But if you have any real evidence to the contrary, then by all means present it; and by real evidence, I mean something other than vague insinuations.”
Marie didn’t respond for a moment. From her reaction and the look on her face, she realized that Shelley was right. She only lost her pokerface for a moment. Rather than reply to Shelley’s asking for evidence to disprove what she’d said, Marie switched gears and took the conversation in a new direction.
Marie then settled her eyes on Tabby. "So Miss Blackwell, you were with them. Tell me all about it. Did they break into your house through the garage, too? Were you taken one by one as they took the garage door remote from each of your family's cars or did you have an arranged meeting point for Jerry and crew to pick you up... er uh, I'm sorry... abduct you from?"
“Hang on a minute,” Shelley cut in, intending not to let them bully the younger girl. “You’re calling the guy who tried to break into Doreen’s house ‘Jerry’? Not ‘Hardy’, or ‘Mr. Hardy’, or ‘that Jerry guy’? Are you on a first-name basis with him? And…and why would he have chosen Doreen’s house specifically to break into, after having stolen YOUR car?” Shelley paused a second or two as the puzzle pieces clicked together in her head. “And the criminals who kidnapped us had a police scanner, and while I was tied up I heard a dispatch come through saying that there had been a break-in, and that one of the culprits was identified as ‘Jerry Hardy’. Who made that identification? How do yinz know Jerry Hardy?”
Shelley glanced for a second at Doreen, but Doreen didn’t reply; instead, she was staring at Marie with an expression that seemed to be beseeching her to do something.
Again, Marie was caught of guard. She made a face for a moment. It appeared that she’d realized she’d slipped up. Her cut from Shelley back to Tabby.
“Well,” The older girl prompted, ignoring the question Shelley had just posed to her.
Tabby took a breath and tried to muster up her courage. “Everything Shelley said so far is true. No, it wasn’t staged and no one came after us one at a time nor did anyone break into anyone else’s house. We were out with friends that evening just driving around…”
“Friends? Those two dorky guys in your singing group,” Marie asked.
“Trevor and Matt,” Tabby corrected. “They are the singer and drummer in our band. Matt and I don’t sing.”
“Oh, excuse me. Thanks for clarifying all of that,” Marie shot back. Her eyebrows raised at the correction from the first-year member.
“We were just driving around and talking. Not much to it really,” Tabby explained, trying to sound as casual as possible. “Matt’s van broke down. We were on some back roads and a trucker driving a semi came by. He offered to radio the cops and went on his way. A little while later, a cop showed up to help. He picked up Shelley and Trevor. It turns out he was crooked and he was part of this gang.”
“Oh, now this is getting good! So how did you and Starla end up there,” Marie asked.
Tabby opted to skip the part about hiding in the woods in the story. “Matt was there, too. He waited with us,” Tabby continued. “They came back for us and once we were taken to a nearby farm where the car thieves apparently operate, we were overpowered and tied up.”
“And gagged,” Marie pressed.
Tabby nodded. “They stuck a hackey sack in a pair of pantyhose and stuffed it in my mouth and tied it behind my head.
“Hackey sack,” Marie inquired glancing to see if anyone knew what that was.
“It’s one of those bean bag balls,” Tiffini responded. “You know, guys stand around in a circle kicking it and try to keep it from hitting the ground.”
Marie nodded. “Hackey sack in pantyhose. Pretty clever,” Marie mused. “I’ll have to keep that in mind. Did it keep you shut up, Blackwell?”
Tabby nodded again. “Yup, couldn’t say a word,” Tabby confirmed.
“Oh, I would have paid to see that,” Marie commented. “So, that’s it?”
“That’s pretty much it,” Tabby explained. “The gang assumed we knew about their operation but it was just bad luck… for us.”
“I guess when you have a snoopy reporter around, that happens,” Marie scoffed. “So, how did you escape?”
Tabby cut her eyes to Starla since she was the one that had gotten loose. Trevor had managed to get free, too. However, Starla was the one that had freed her and Matt.
*Tag Starla*
“Well, quite the little tale,” Marie replied. “I feel enlightened now. I had no idea how much happened here in Teal Cove. People getting kidnapped and tied up, cars ending up in the lake, popular people being targeted…”
*Tags*
“Well, I think that will do it, ladies. Come along, Starla. The work day is over. It’s playtime! We’re heading to the country club. You can ride with us,” Marie prompted.
*Tag Starla*
Shelley noticed Gary's van pulling up and stopping at the edge of Speedy's parking lot, just short of where the bays were to order food.
*Tag Shelley*
"It's not...," Tabby began.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't recall asking you a damn thing, Blackwell," Marie interrupted. She stared at Tabby hard for a moment and the ginger girl visibly winced. Then, Marie put on a big, fake, sweet smile and returned her gaze to Shelley.
"I'm sorry. One of my girls seems to have rudely interrupted you. I assure you, she didn't mean to. Please, you were about to say," Marie prompted.
“It’s alright, Tabby,” Shelley said as she rested a reassuring hand on Tabby’s shoulder. She then stepped forward a bit, partially interposing herself between Marie and Tabby. “You want to know about my night? I’ll tell you…no, I’ll do better than that; I’ll show you.” Shelley pulled up her sleeves, exposing the bruises on her upper arms. “You see these bruises? How about these abrasions on my wrists and ankles? Those were caused by the ropes those criminals used to tie me up. I spent the night tied hand and foot to a chair, and gagged. So yeah, I was there too. And no, I didn’t have anything to do with them going to Dori’s home…”
“That’s DOREEN to you,” Doreen interrupted. “Only my friends get to call me DORI.”
Shelley glanced at Doreen for a second, then back to Marie. “DOREEN’s home,” she continued. “And I couldn’t give Doreen up even if I’d wanted to, for a couple of different reasons. First of all, I had absolutely no useful information to give them about her to begin with. The only thing I knew about her was that she was a cheerleader, and she was in the beauty pageant in the festival by the lake. I’d never even spoken to her before until tonight. Second of all, they had me gagged with a knotted handkerchief the whole time, so I couldn’t have told them anything even if I had known something.”
It was true that she and Shelley hadn’t spoken before, Doreen thought. Doreen remembered trying to buy the film out of Shelley’s camera from that old guy she was with, but Shelley herself had gone off to get ready to compete in the adult pageant. And the old guy hadn’t cooperated; it had been very irritating.
Tabby didn’t say anything. She felt Shelley’s hand on her shoulder. Despite that, she bit her lip and twirled her hair around her finger nervously as her stomach knotted up. Marie was obviously trying to intimidate the group and unfortunately, it was working. Why did her courage have to abandon her in situations like this? She’d survived being held hostage by a group of criminals and yet, she couldn’t stand up to a slightly older girl bullying her even with two of friends standing right next to her.
"I want to hear the story from the beginning. Sounds like something out of a Nancy Drew novel. You know, it's kind of funny... Miss Higgins, ace wanna-be reporter shows up from Philadelphia or wherever the hell it is you came from, and my car gets stolen on the very day we met you strangely enough. Then Sharon, another popular and VERY respected person in our community and high school is abducted, tied up, and thrown in a trash dumpster at the restaurant you people just conveniently happened to be hanging out at. Next thing you know, Reporter Higgins has stories in the Chronicle. Now, you people get kidnapped... That's an awful lot of shit in two weeks given nothing like that ever happened in Teal Cove before. Some funny coincidences if you ask me, right girls?"
The cheerleaders all nodded in agreement.
Doreen’s jaw dropped when she heard Marie make a reference to Nancy Drew novels. As soon as she heard Marie make the comment, Doreen’s mind leaped back to the time at the club a few days ago when Marie had practically thrown a fit on Jerry for bringing up the Hardy Boys. Marie had acted like she didn’t know anything about the Hardy Boys, and anyone who did was practically a pariah. But those two series of novels were closely associated, and they’d even been adapted into a TV show called “The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries” back in the late 70’s. Doreen quickly shut her mouth after her initial shock, and furtively glanced at the other cheerleaders to see if any of them had noticed. She didn’t think any of them had; they’d all been focusing their attention on Marie and Shelley.
“I’ve got news for you; stuff like that WAS happening in Teal Cove before I got here,” Shelley said. “I have police sources that confirm that cars were being stolen here weeks before I arrived. All those other cars in the lake next to yours? Stolen before I got in town. As for Sharon, I don’t know who attacked her and tied her up, but I know how she must have felt, having spent the night tied up myself. I’m just glad me and my friends were there to find her and help her. And as a reporter, I would have been shirking my duty to the community if I didn’t report on what happened.”
"So, did you write the story in advance so it was ready to hand to the editor first thing this morning when you got rescued," Marie pressed.
“Of course not. You think I was involved in causing any of this stuff?” Shelley asked, and a bit of scorn was evident in her voice. “I wasn’t; I’ve been working to put an end to it. But if you have any real evidence to the contrary, then by all means present it; and by real evidence, I mean something other than vague insinuations.”
Marie didn’t respond for a moment. From her reaction and the look on her face, she realized that Shelley was right. She only lost her pokerface for a moment. Rather than reply to Shelley’s asking for evidence to disprove what she’d said, Marie switched gears and took the conversation in a new direction.
Marie then settled her eyes on Tabby. "So Miss Blackwell, you were with them. Tell me all about it. Did they break into your house through the garage, too? Were you taken one by one as they took the garage door remote from each of your family's cars or did you have an arranged meeting point for Jerry and crew to pick you up... er uh, I'm sorry... abduct you from?"
“Hang on a minute,” Shelley cut in, intending not to let them bully the younger girl. “You’re calling the guy who tried to break into Doreen’s house ‘Jerry’? Not ‘Hardy’, or ‘Mr. Hardy’, or ‘that Jerry guy’? Are you on a first-name basis with him? And…and why would he have chosen Doreen’s house specifically to break into, after having stolen YOUR car?” Shelley paused a second or two as the puzzle pieces clicked together in her head. “And the criminals who kidnapped us had a police scanner, and while I was tied up I heard a dispatch come through saying that there had been a break-in, and that one of the culprits was identified as ‘Jerry Hardy’. Who made that identification? How do yinz know Jerry Hardy?”
Shelley glanced for a second at Doreen, but Doreen didn’t reply; instead, she was staring at Marie with an expression that seemed to be beseeching her to do something.
Again, Marie was caught of guard. She made a face for a moment. It appeared that she’d realized she’d slipped up. Her cut from Shelley back to Tabby.
“Well,” The older girl prompted, ignoring the question Shelley had just posed to her.
Tabby took a breath and tried to muster up her courage. “Everything Shelley said so far is true. No, it wasn’t staged and no one came after us one at a time nor did anyone break into anyone else’s house. We were out with friends that evening just driving around…”
“Friends? Those two dorky guys in your singing group,” Marie asked.
“Trevor and Matt,” Tabby corrected. “They are the singer and drummer in our band. Matt and I don’t sing.”
“Oh, excuse me. Thanks for clarifying all of that,” Marie shot back. Her eyebrows raised at the correction from the first-year member.
“We were just driving around and talking. Not much to it really,” Tabby explained, trying to sound as casual as possible. “Matt’s van broke down. We were on some back roads and a trucker driving a semi came by. He offered to radio the cops and went on his way. A little while later, a cop showed up to help. He picked up Shelley and Trevor. It turns out he was crooked and he was part of this gang.”
“Oh, now this is getting good! So how did you and Starla end up there,” Marie asked.
Tabby opted to skip the part about hiding in the woods in the story. “Matt was there, too. He waited with us,” Tabby continued. “They came back for us and once we were taken to a nearby farm where the car thieves apparently operate, we were overpowered and tied up.”
“And gagged,” Marie pressed.
Tabby nodded. “They stuck a hackey sack in a pair of pantyhose and stuffed it in my mouth and tied it behind my head.
“Hackey sack,” Marie inquired glancing to see if anyone knew what that was.
“It’s one of those bean bag balls,” Tiffini responded. “You know, guys stand around in a circle kicking it and try to keep it from hitting the ground.”
Marie nodded. “Hackey sack in pantyhose. Pretty clever,” Marie mused. “I’ll have to keep that in mind. Did it keep you shut up, Blackwell?”
Tabby nodded again. “Yup, couldn’t say a word,” Tabby confirmed.
“Oh, I would have paid to see that,” Marie commented. “So, that’s it?”
“That’s pretty much it,” Tabby explained. “The gang assumed we knew about their operation but it was just bad luck… for us.”
“I guess when you have a snoopy reporter around, that happens,” Marie scoffed. “So, how did you escape?”
Tabby cut her eyes to Starla since she was the one that had gotten loose. Trevor had managed to get free, too. However, Starla was the one that had freed her and Matt.
*Tag Starla*
“Well, quite the little tale,” Marie replied. “I feel enlightened now. I had no idea how much happened here in Teal Cove. People getting kidnapped and tied up, cars ending up in the lake, popular people being targeted…”
*Tags*
“Well, I think that will do it, ladies. Come along, Starla. The work day is over. It’s playtime! We’re heading to the country club. You can ride with us,” Marie prompted.
*Tag Starla*
Shelley noticed Gary's van pulling up and stopping at the edge of Speedy's parking lot, just short of where the bays were to order food.
*Tag Shelley*
Marie then settled her eyes on Tabby. "So Miss Blackwell, you were with them. Tell me all about it. Did they break into your house through the garage, too? Were you taken one by one as they took the garage door remote from each of your family's cars or did you have an arranged meeting point for Jerry and crew to pick you up... er uh, I'm sorry... abduct you from?"
“Hang on a minute,” Shelley cut in, intending not to let them bully the younger girl. “You’re calling the guy who tried to break into Doreen’s house ‘Jerry’? Not ‘Hardy’, or ‘Mr. Hardy’, or ‘that Jerry guy’? Are you on a first-name basis with him? And…and why would he have chosen Doreen’s house specifically to break into, after having stolen YOUR car?” Shelley paused a second or two as the puzzle pieces clicked together in her head. “And the criminals who kidnapped us had a police scanner, and while I was tied up I heard a dispatch come through saying that there had been a break-in, and that one of the culprits was identified as ‘Jerry Hardy’. Who made that identification? How do yinz know Jerry Hardy?”
Shelley glanced for a second at Doreen, but Doreen didn’t reply; instead, she was staring at Marie with an expression that seemed to be beseeching her to do something.
Again, Marie was caught of guard. She made a face for a moment. It appeared that she’d realized she’d slipped up. She cut from Shelley back to Tabby.
“Well,” the older girl prompted, ignoring the question Shelley had just posed to her.
Tabby took a breath and tried to muster up her courage. “Everything Shelley said so far is true. No, it wasn’t staged and no one came after us one at a time nor did anyone break into anyone else’s house. We were out with friends that evening just driving around…”
“Friends? Those two dorky guys in your singing group,” Marie asked.
“Trevor and Matt,” Tabby corrected. “They are the singer and drummer in our band. Matt and I don’t sing.”
“Oh, excuse me. Thanks for clarifying all of that,” Marie shot back. Her eyebrows raised at the correction from the first-year member.
Shelley might have been irritated by that fact that Marie chose to ignore her questions if she hadn’t recognized it as a sign that she had won that exchange. Marie didn’t have an answer for her, at least not one that she was willing to give in front of the other cheerleaders. Shelley didn’t like it when Marie started pressing Tabby for answers again, but she decided not to interrupt Marie at the moment. She felt that letting the other cheerleaders see Marie ignoring her questions would be more effective than arguing with Marie, and the cheerleaders could draw their own conclusions about what it meant. But when Marie “thanked” Tabby for clarifying, Shelley nonchalantly said, “You did ask her to tell you all about it. She’s just supplying you with the information you wanted.”
“We were just driving around and talking. Not much to it really,” Tabby explained, trying to sound as casual as possible. “Matt’s van broke down. We were on some back roads and a trucker driving a semi came by. He offered to radio the cops and went on his way. A little while later, a cop showed up to help. He picked up Shelley and Trevor. It turns out he was crooked and he was part of this gang.”
“Oh, now this is getting good! So how did you and Starla end up there,” Marie asked.
Tabby opted to skip the part about hiding in the woods in the story. “Matt was there, too. He waited with us,” Tabby continued. “They came back for us and once we were taken to a nearby farm where the car thieves apparently operate, we were overpowered and tied up.”
“And gagged,” Marie pressed.
Tabby nodded. “They stuck a hackey sack in a pair of pantyhose and stuffed it in my mouth and tied it behind my head.
“Hackey sack,” Marie inquired glancing to see if anyone knew what that was.
“It’s one of those bean bag balls,” Tiffini responded. “You know, guys stand around in a circle kicking it and try to keep it from hitting the ground.”
Marie nodded. “Hackey sack in pantyhose. Pretty clever,” Marie mused. “I’ll have to keep that in mind. Did it keep you shut up, Blackwell?”
Tabby nodded again. “Yup, couldn’t say a word,” Tabby confirmed.
“Oh, I would have paid to see that,” Marie commented. “So, that’s it?”
“That’s pretty much it,” Tabby explained. “The gang assumed we knew about their operation but it was just bad luck… for us.”
“I guess when you have a snoopy reporter around, that happens,” Marie scoffed. “So, how did you escape?”
Tabby cut her eyes to Starla since she was the one that had gotten loose. Trevor had managed to get free, too. However, Starla was the one that had freed her and Matt.
Starla was caught off guard, and it took her a second or two to realize that they were expecting an answer from her. She’d been distracted by Marie’s reaction to the description of the hackey sack gag; she had a feeling Marie was going to make use of the idea when it was time for the cheerleaders to kidnap the first-years. She put the thought aside for the moment to think about how to answer the question about their escape. “Well, the bad guys left a pair of scissors in the room where I was tied up. They thought they were out of my reach, but they underestimated how flexible I was because of my cheerleader training. I was able to pull the scissors to me with my legs, and managed to cut myself loose with them. By then the gang had fled the house because they’d heard on the scanner that Jerry Hardy had been identified as the culprit in a break-in, so I was able to find Tabby and get her untied.”
“Well, quite the little tale,” Marie replied. “I feel enlightened now. I had no idea how much happened here in Teal Cove. People getting kidnapped and tied up, cars ending up in the lake, popular people being targeted…”
“We at the Chronicle will do our best to keep you informed,” said Shelley, trying to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. “Make sure you get a subscription if you don’t have one already. It’s a great way to keep yourself up-to-date on all the latest news and happenings around town.”
“Well, I think that will do it, ladies. Come along, Starla. The work day is over. It’s playtime! We’re heading to the country club. You can ride with us,” Marie prompted.
Starla hadn’t expected to be making a trip to the country club after work. Still, it wasn’t unusual for the cheerleaders to get together for various reasons, either at one of their houses or at the country club. Starla noted that they hadn’t invited Tabby to tag along, but that wasn’t unusual either; she wasn’t officially a member of the squad yet. “Okay, let me go call my mom real quick and let her know where I’m going.” She hurried into the Speedy’s to use the phone, hoping her mother hadn’t already left to pick her up. She emerged a couple of minutes later and announced that she was ready to go. She wasn’t looking forward to this trip; she was sure the other cheerleaders would be questioning her about the kidnapping for the rest of the evening.
Shelley noticed Gary's van pulling up and stopping at the edge of Speedy's parking lot, just short of where the bays were to order food. The cheerleaders were moving across the parking lot to the cars they’d arrived in, and Starla was going with them. When Shelley thought they were out of earshot, she said, “I hope they don’t give her a hard time.” She turned to Tabby and said, “Well, that was a little scary, being outnumbered and surrounded by all of them like that. But I want you to know, I’m proud of the way you handled yourself. Marie was trying to intimidate you, but you kept your calm and answered her questions. She was probably hoping you would break down and start crying or something like that, but when you didn’t, it just made her seem like kind of a failure.”
*Tag Tabby*
“Looks like Gary’s here to pick me up,” said Shelley, nodding toward the van. “Want to go talk to him? I bet he wouldn’t mind giving you a ride home too, if you want. Or if not, maybe Gary and I can just wait with you until your mother gets here to pick you up.”
*Tags*
“Hang on a minute,” Shelley cut in, intending not to let them bully the younger girl. “You’re calling the guy who tried to break into Doreen’s house ‘Jerry’? Not ‘Hardy’, or ‘Mr. Hardy’, or ‘that Jerry guy’? Are you on a first-name basis with him? And…and why would he have chosen Doreen’s house specifically to break into, after having stolen YOUR car?” Shelley paused a second or two as the puzzle pieces clicked together in her head. “And the criminals who kidnapped us had a police scanner, and while I was tied up I heard a dispatch come through saying that there had been a break-in, and that one of the culprits was identified as ‘Jerry Hardy’. Who made that identification? How do yinz know Jerry Hardy?”
Shelley glanced for a second at Doreen, but Doreen didn’t reply; instead, she was staring at Marie with an expression that seemed to be beseeching her to do something.
Again, Marie was caught of guard. She made a face for a moment. It appeared that she’d realized she’d slipped up. She cut from Shelley back to Tabby.
“Well,” the older girl prompted, ignoring the question Shelley had just posed to her.
Tabby took a breath and tried to muster up her courage. “Everything Shelley said so far is true. No, it wasn’t staged and no one came after us one at a time nor did anyone break into anyone else’s house. We were out with friends that evening just driving around…”
“Friends? Those two dorky guys in your singing group,” Marie asked.
“Trevor and Matt,” Tabby corrected. “They are the singer and drummer in our band. Matt and I don’t sing.”
“Oh, excuse me. Thanks for clarifying all of that,” Marie shot back. Her eyebrows raised at the correction from the first-year member.
Shelley might have been irritated by that fact that Marie chose to ignore her questions if she hadn’t recognized it as a sign that she had won that exchange. Marie didn’t have an answer for her, at least not one that she was willing to give in front of the other cheerleaders. Shelley didn’t like it when Marie started pressing Tabby for answers again, but she decided not to interrupt Marie at the moment. She felt that letting the other cheerleaders see Marie ignoring her questions would be more effective than arguing with Marie, and the cheerleaders could draw their own conclusions about what it meant. But when Marie “thanked” Tabby for clarifying, Shelley nonchalantly said, “You did ask her to tell you all about it. She’s just supplying you with the information you wanted.”
“We were just driving around and talking. Not much to it really,” Tabby explained, trying to sound as casual as possible. “Matt’s van broke down. We were on some back roads and a trucker driving a semi came by. He offered to radio the cops and went on his way. A little while later, a cop showed up to help. He picked up Shelley and Trevor. It turns out he was crooked and he was part of this gang.”
“Oh, now this is getting good! So how did you and Starla end up there,” Marie asked.
Tabby opted to skip the part about hiding in the woods in the story. “Matt was there, too. He waited with us,” Tabby continued. “They came back for us and once we were taken to a nearby farm where the car thieves apparently operate, we were overpowered and tied up.”
“And gagged,” Marie pressed.
Tabby nodded. “They stuck a hackey sack in a pair of pantyhose and stuffed it in my mouth and tied it behind my head.
“Hackey sack,” Marie inquired glancing to see if anyone knew what that was.
“It’s one of those bean bag balls,” Tiffini responded. “You know, guys stand around in a circle kicking it and try to keep it from hitting the ground.”
Marie nodded. “Hackey sack in pantyhose. Pretty clever,” Marie mused. “I’ll have to keep that in mind. Did it keep you shut up, Blackwell?”
Tabby nodded again. “Yup, couldn’t say a word,” Tabby confirmed.
“Oh, I would have paid to see that,” Marie commented. “So, that’s it?”
“That’s pretty much it,” Tabby explained. “The gang assumed we knew about their operation but it was just bad luck… for us.”
“I guess when you have a snoopy reporter around, that happens,” Marie scoffed. “So, how did you escape?”
Tabby cut her eyes to Starla since she was the one that had gotten loose. Trevor had managed to get free, too. However, Starla was the one that had freed her and Matt.
Starla was caught off guard, and it took her a second or two to realize that they were expecting an answer from her. She’d been distracted by Marie’s reaction to the description of the hackey sack gag; she had a feeling Marie was going to make use of the idea when it was time for the cheerleaders to kidnap the first-years. She put the thought aside for the moment to think about how to answer the question about their escape. “Well, the bad guys left a pair of scissors in the room where I was tied up. They thought they were out of my reach, but they underestimated how flexible I was because of my cheerleader training. I was able to pull the scissors to me with my legs, and managed to cut myself loose with them. By then the gang had fled the house because they’d heard on the scanner that Jerry Hardy had been identified as the culprit in a break-in, so I was able to find Tabby and get her untied.”
“Well, quite the little tale,” Marie replied. “I feel enlightened now. I had no idea how much happened here in Teal Cove. People getting kidnapped and tied up, cars ending up in the lake, popular people being targeted…”
“We at the Chronicle will do our best to keep you informed,” said Shelley, trying to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. “Make sure you get a subscription if you don’t have one already. It’s a great way to keep yourself up-to-date on all the latest news and happenings around town.”
“Well, I think that will do it, ladies. Come along, Starla. The work day is over. It’s playtime! We’re heading to the country club. You can ride with us,” Marie prompted.
Starla hadn’t expected to be making a trip to the country club after work. Still, it wasn’t unusual for the cheerleaders to get together for various reasons, either at one of their houses or at the country club. Starla noted that they hadn’t invited Tabby to tag along, but that wasn’t unusual either; she wasn’t officially a member of the squad yet. “Okay, let me go call my mom real quick and let her know where I’m going.” She hurried into the Speedy’s to use the phone, hoping her mother hadn’t already left to pick her up. She emerged a couple of minutes later and announced that she was ready to go. She wasn’t looking forward to this trip; she was sure the other cheerleaders would be questioning her about the kidnapping for the rest of the evening.
Shelley noticed Gary's van pulling up and stopping at the edge of Speedy's parking lot, just short of where the bays were to order food. The cheerleaders were moving across the parking lot to the cars they’d arrived in, and Starla was going with them. When Shelley thought they were out of earshot, she said, “I hope they don’t give her a hard time.” She turned to Tabby and said, “Well, that was a little scary, being outnumbered and surrounded by all of them like that. But I want you to know, I’m proud of the way you handled yourself. Marie was trying to intimidate you, but you kept your calm and answered her questions. She was probably hoping you would break down and start crying or something like that, but when you didn’t, it just made her seem like kind of a failure.”
*Tag Tabby*
“Looks like Gary’s here to pick me up,” said Shelley, nodding toward the van. “Want to go talk to him? I bet he wouldn’t mind giving you a ride home too, if you want. Or if not, maybe Gary and I can just wait with you until your mother gets here to pick you up.”
*Tags*
“Well, I think that will do it, ladies. Come along, Starla. The work day is over. It’s playtime! We’re heading to the country club. You can ride with us,” Marie prompted.
Starla hadn’t expected to be making a trip to the country club after work. Still, it wasn’t unusual for the cheerleaders to get together for various reasons, either at one of their houses or at the country club. Starla noted that they hadn’t invited Tabby to tag along, but that wasn’t unusual either; she wasn’t officially a member of the squad yet. “Okay, let me go call my mom real quick and let her know where I’m going.” She hurried into the Speedy’s to use the phone, hoping her mother hadn’t already left to pick her up. She emerged a couple of minutes later and announced that she was ready to go. She wasn’t looking forward to this trip; she was sure the other cheerleaders would be questioning her about the kidnapping for the rest of the evening.
Tabby didn't say anything. She knew Starla had no choice but to go with them. One did not simply turn down Marie Evans. Besides, any objections would just jeopardize Starla's position on the squad. She wouldn't be in danger of being kicked off, but the senior girls could be vultures and they could make her life difficult. It made Tabby again question why Starla wanted to be friends with these people. Surely, it wasn't worth all the grief and she had to lead two lives and walk a fine line in balancing her life. Tabby knew about that all too well.
Starla was still in her work uniform. It seemed a bit uncool to go to the country club in that. Tabby was a bit surprised that Marie hadn't noticed that. She was willing to bet that Starla would either think of it and ask to run by her house to change or Marie would call it out and take her home to change unless she had clothes at the country club. Most of the dads had lockers in the locker room for golf. It was unlikely any of them kept changes of their clothes in there, however. Tabby watched Starla follow the cheerleaders to their cars before turning to Shelley.
Shelley noticed Gary's van pulling up and stopping at the edge of Speedy's parking lot, just short of where the bays were to order food. The cheerleaders were moving across the parking lot to the cars they’d arrived in, and Starla was going with them. When Shelley thought they were out of earshot, she said, “I hope they don’t give her a hard time.”
"They'll hound her all day for every little detail of what happened," Tabby replied. She caught herself twirling her hair around her finger. She blew a big pink bubble with her gum.
She turned to Tabby and said, “Well, that was a little scary, being outnumbered and surrounded by all of them like that. But I want you to know, I’m proud of the way you handled yourself. Marie was trying to intimidate you, but you kept your calm and answered her questions. She was probably hoping you would break down and start crying or something like that, but when you didn’t, it just made her seem like kind of a failure.”
"Thanks," Tabby said quietly. She was a bit ashamed, despite the fact she had stood up to them. Her stomach was still tied in knots and her anxiety was still up.
“Looks like Gary’s here to pick me up,” said Shelley, nodding toward the van. “Want to go talk to him? I bet he wouldn’t mind giving you a ride home too, if you want. Or if not, maybe Gary and I can just wait with you until your mother gets here to pick you up.”
"Sure, I should talk to him anyway. I told my mom I'd call her if I needed a ride," Tabby replied. She followed Shelley over to the van. Gary had the windows down. "Hey, Gary!"
Starla hadn’t expected to be making a trip to the country club after work. Still, it wasn’t unusual for the cheerleaders to get together for various reasons, either at one of their houses or at the country club. Starla noted that they hadn’t invited Tabby to tag along, but that wasn’t unusual either; she wasn’t officially a member of the squad yet. “Okay, let me go call my mom real quick and let her know where I’m going.” She hurried into the Speedy’s to use the phone, hoping her mother hadn’t already left to pick her up. She emerged a couple of minutes later and announced that she was ready to go. She wasn’t looking forward to this trip; she was sure the other cheerleaders would be questioning her about the kidnapping for the rest of the evening.
Tabby didn't say anything. She knew Starla had no choice but to go with them. One did not simply turn down Marie Evans. Besides, any objections would just jeopardize Starla's position on the squad. She wouldn't be in danger of being kicked off, but the senior girls could be vultures and they could make her life difficult. It made Tabby again question why Starla wanted to be friends with these people. Surely, it wasn't worth all the grief and she had to lead two lives and walk a fine line in balancing her life. Tabby knew about that all too well.
Starla was still in her work uniform. It seemed a bit uncool to go to the country club in that. Tabby was a bit surprised that Marie hadn't noticed that. She was willing to bet that Starla would either think of it and ask to run by her house to change or Marie would call it out and take her home to change unless she had clothes at the country club. Most of the dads had lockers in the locker room for golf. It was unlikely any of them kept changes of their clothes in there, however. Tabby watched Starla follow the cheerleaders to their cars before turning to Shelley.
Shelley noticed Gary's van pulling up and stopping at the edge of Speedy's parking lot, just short of where the bays were to order food. The cheerleaders were moving across the parking lot to the cars they’d arrived in, and Starla was going with them. When Shelley thought they were out of earshot, she said, “I hope they don’t give her a hard time.”
"They'll hound her all day for every little detail of what happened," Tabby replied. She caught herself twirling her hair around her finger. She blew a big pink bubble with her gum.
She turned to Tabby and said, “Well, that was a little scary, being outnumbered and surrounded by all of them like that. But I want you to know, I’m proud of the way you handled yourself. Marie was trying to intimidate you, but you kept your calm and answered her questions. She was probably hoping you would break down and start crying or something like that, but when you didn’t, it just made her seem like kind of a failure.”
"Thanks," Tabby said quietly. She was a bit ashamed, despite the fact she had stood up to them. Her stomach was still tied in knots and her anxiety was still up.
“Looks like Gary’s here to pick me up,” said Shelley, nodding toward the van. “Want to go talk to him? I bet he wouldn’t mind giving you a ride home too, if you want. Or if not, maybe Gary and I can just wait with you until your mother gets here to pick you up.”
"Sure, I should talk to him anyway. I told my mom I'd call her if I needed a ride," Tabby replied. She followed Shelley over to the van. Gary had the windows down. "Hey, Gary!"
Heading to TC Chronicle Offices
Wed. June 30, 1982
Around 2:00 PM
“Looks like Gary’s here to pick me up,” said Shelley, nodding toward the van. “Want to go talk to him? I bet he wouldn’t mind giving you a ride home too if you want. Or if not, maybe Gary and I can just wait with you until your mother gets here to pick you up.”
"Sure, I should talk to him anyway. I told my mom I'd call her if I needed a ride," Tabby replied. She followed Shelley over to the van. Gary had the windows down. "Hey, Gary!"
“Hey Tabs,” Gary replied. “Need a ride?”
“Sure,” Tabby replied. “That is if it isn’t any trouble. I can always call my mom…”
“No, it’s fine. I assume Shelley is anxious to get to the newspaper to tell her editor all of the details of last night’s ordeal,” Gary replied.
*Tag Shelley*
“I got the car towed back to the house,” Gary said. “You can probably contact your insurance. Under the circumstances, they will probably reimburse you in full or at least pay part of it. We can figure that out later. The bigger problem is you said you didn’t have any spare keys. I have no idea if the door locks and ignition switch will have to be replaced or if there is a way for a locksmith to make new keys for it without them. Anyone back in Pennsylvania have spare keys they could put in the mail for you?”
*Tag Shelley*
“Well, let’s get on the road. No point in standing around in this heat! We can talk in the AC while we are on the way to Tabby’s house,” Gary suggested. “Unless you’re not in a hurry to get home and want to tag along to the newspaper.”
“Sure, I guess. I mean if Shelley doesn’t mind,” Tabby replied. “I need to let my mom know and would like to change out of my work uniform if I do. She may insist that I need to rest or something after last night, but it's not like I'm going to take a nap. I'll just end up sitting around the house bored. Starla had to go with the cheerleaders, so I don’t really have anything to do.”
Tabby had brought her sneakers with her and already had removed her skates. She was carrying them by the laces which she had tied together.
*Tag Shelley*
Once Shelley and Tabby got in the van. Gary backed out and headed out of the parking lot. Tabby let Shelley sit up front in the passenger seat. She sat behind them, in between the front seats.
“How come they didn’t take you, too,” Gary inquired glancing in the review at Tabby.
“I’m a first-year member. We haven’t done cheer camp. Until they do their big kidnapping thingy, I’m not on the squad officially," Tabby explained. "You’re not allowed to call yourself a cheerleader until after the initiation, although officially no one knows about that. It’s a pretty open secret, though. They tell you you’re not a member until after you complete cheer camp before school starts.”
"So you're not invited to do things with them until you are a full member," Gary asked.
Tabby nodded.
“You mentioned that before,” Gary noted, remembering that the girls had explained cheerleading culture at Teal Cove High previously. “So you’re going to get kidnapped twice in the same summer.”
Tabby nodded. “Looks like it,” she responded absently as if distracted. She was staring out the window at nothing in particular, once again fiddling with her hair. Tabby glanced back toward the front of the van after an awkward moment of silence. “Marie seemed a little too keen on all of the details about how we were tied up. She took particular interest in the fact that I mentioned that our kidnappers made a ball gag out of a hacky sack and pantyhose.”
*tag Shelley*
Wed. June 30, 1982
Around 2:00 PM
“Looks like Gary’s here to pick me up,” said Shelley, nodding toward the van. “Want to go talk to him? I bet he wouldn’t mind giving you a ride home too if you want. Or if not, maybe Gary and I can just wait with you until your mother gets here to pick you up.”
"Sure, I should talk to him anyway. I told my mom I'd call her if I needed a ride," Tabby replied. She followed Shelley over to the van. Gary had the windows down. "Hey, Gary!"
“Hey Tabs,” Gary replied. “Need a ride?”
“Sure,” Tabby replied. “That is if it isn’t any trouble. I can always call my mom…”
“No, it’s fine. I assume Shelley is anxious to get to the newspaper to tell her editor all of the details of last night’s ordeal,” Gary replied.
*Tag Shelley*
“I got the car towed back to the house,” Gary said. “You can probably contact your insurance. Under the circumstances, they will probably reimburse you in full or at least pay part of it. We can figure that out later. The bigger problem is you said you didn’t have any spare keys. I have no idea if the door locks and ignition switch will have to be replaced or if there is a way for a locksmith to make new keys for it without them. Anyone back in Pennsylvania have spare keys they could put in the mail for you?”
*Tag Shelley*
“Well, let’s get on the road. No point in standing around in this heat! We can talk in the AC while we are on the way to Tabby’s house,” Gary suggested. “Unless you’re not in a hurry to get home and want to tag along to the newspaper.”
“Sure, I guess. I mean if Shelley doesn’t mind,” Tabby replied. “I need to let my mom know and would like to change out of my work uniform if I do. She may insist that I need to rest or something after last night, but it's not like I'm going to take a nap. I'll just end up sitting around the house bored. Starla had to go with the cheerleaders, so I don’t really have anything to do.”
Tabby had brought her sneakers with her and already had removed her skates. She was carrying them by the laces which she had tied together.
*Tag Shelley*
Once Shelley and Tabby got in the van. Gary backed out and headed out of the parking lot. Tabby let Shelley sit up front in the passenger seat. She sat behind them, in between the front seats.
“How come they didn’t take you, too,” Gary inquired glancing in the review at Tabby.
“I’m a first-year member. We haven’t done cheer camp. Until they do their big kidnapping thingy, I’m not on the squad officially," Tabby explained. "You’re not allowed to call yourself a cheerleader until after the initiation, although officially no one knows about that. It’s a pretty open secret, though. They tell you you’re not a member until after you complete cheer camp before school starts.”
"So you're not invited to do things with them until you are a full member," Gary asked.
Tabby nodded.
“You mentioned that before,” Gary noted, remembering that the girls had explained cheerleading culture at Teal Cove High previously. “So you’re going to get kidnapped twice in the same summer.”
Tabby nodded. “Looks like it,” she responded absently as if distracted. She was staring out the window at nothing in particular, once again fiddling with her hair. Tabby glanced back toward the front of the van after an awkward moment of silence. “Marie seemed a little too keen on all of the details about how we were tied up. She took particular interest in the fact that I mentioned that our kidnappers made a ball gag out of a hacky sack and pantyhose.”
*tag Shelley*
“Looks like Gary’s here to pick me up,” said Shelley, nodding toward the van. “Want to go talk to him? I bet he wouldn’t mind giving you a ride home too if you want. Or if not, maybe Gary and I can just wait with you until your mother gets here to pick you up.”
"Sure, I should talk to him anyway. I told my mom I'd call her if I needed a ride," Tabby replied. She followed Shelley over to the van. Gary had the windows down. "Hey, Gary!"
“Hey Tabs,” Gary replied. “Need a ride?”
“Sure,” Tabby replied. “That is if it isn’t any trouble. I can always call my mom…”
“No, it’s fine. I assume Shelley is anxious to get to the newspaper to tell her editor all of the details of last night’s ordeal,” Gary replied.
“Yeah, I’m sure Mike and Cindy are going to be excited to hear about this. This might turn out to be the biggest story they’ve published all year,” said Shelley. She kind of wished she could just go home and crawl into bed after not getting any sleep the night before, but she realized what a big story this would be and what a huge opportunity it represented for her career in journalism. She was tired, but she was also young, fit, and motivated, so sleep could wait a while longer. This was much more important.
“I got the car towed back to the house,” Gary said. “You can probably contact your insurance. Under the circumstances, they will probably reimburse you in full or at least pay part of it. We can figure that out later. The bigger problem is you said you didn’t have any spare keys. I have no idea if the door locks and ignition switch will have to be replaced or if there is a way for a locksmith to make new keys for it without them. Anyone back in Pennsylvania have spare keys they could put in the mail for you?”
“You did? Oh, thank you!” Shelley said enthusiastically. She didn’t know he was going to do that, but she was glad he had; that was one less thing she had to worry about. When Gary mentioned that the insurance might pay for at least part of the towing cost, it occurred to her that the insurance card was in her glove compartment, which she didn’t have access to at the moment without her car key. And almost as if he was reading her mind, Gary brought up the key problem next.
Shelley considered Gary’s question about a spare key, and said “Um, yeah, I guess there is. There should be a spare key at my mom’s house. Unless…” Shelley paused, trying to remember if she might have left the extra key at Tony’s place. Most of her stuff was at her mom’s house, but she had occasionally left things at Tony’s. A notable example was the dress and shoes she had worn to her high school prom. Tony had been her date, and they’d gone to his place afterward, but she’d brought along some more comfortable clothes to change into and had left her prom clothes there. He must have liked how she looked in those clothes, because he’d asked her to change into them on a couple of her visits to his place. Looking back on it now, maybe that should have seemed a little creepy, but at the time she thought he was just being nostalgic. Besides the prom clothes, there were a few other things she’d brought to his place and left there as well, but the spare key? No, she was pretty sure that was still at her mom’s house, unless her mom had thrown it out or something. “No, she should have it. I, uh, haven’t talked to her since I arrived in Teal Cove. I guess I should give her a call. It’s long overdue, I suppose.”
*tags*
“Well, let’s get on the road. No point in standing around in this heat! We can talk in the AC while we are on the way to Tabby’s house,” Gary suggested. “Unless you’re not in a hurry to get home and want to tag along to the newspaper.”
“Sure, I guess. I mean if Shelley doesn’t mind,” Tabby replied. “I need to let my mom know and would like to change out of my work uniform if I do. She may insist that I need to rest or something after last night, but it's not like I'm going to take a nap. I'll just end up sitting around the house bored. Starla had to go with the cheerleaders, so I don’t really have anything to do.”
Tabby had brought her sneakers with her and already had removed her skates. She was carrying them by the laces which she had tied together.
“No, I don’t mind at all,” said Shelley with a smile. “But I can’t promise that you won’t get bored at the newspaper. Probably not, though. They might even ask if they can interview you, since you were part of the story. If you’d rather they didn’t, feel free to say no.”
*tags*
Once Shelley and Tabby got in the van, Gary backed out and headed out of the parking lot. Tabby let Shelley sit up front in the passenger seat. She sat behind them, in between the front seats.
“How come they didn’t take you, too,” Gary inquired glancing in the review at Tabby.
“I’m a first-year member. We haven’t done cheer camp. Until they do their big kidnapping thingy, I’m not on the squad officially," Tabby explained. "You’re not allowed to call yourself a cheerleader until after the initiation, although officially no one knows about that. It’s a pretty open secret, though. They tell you you’re not a member until after you complete cheer camp before school starts.”
"So you're not invited to do things with them until you are a full member," Gary asked.
Tabby nodded.
“You mentioned that before,” Gary noted, remembering that the girls had explained cheerleading culture at Teal Cove High previously. “So you’re going to get kidnapped twice in the same summer.”
Tabby nodded. “Looks like it,” she responded absently as if distracted. She was staring out the window at nothing in particular, once again fiddling with her hair. Tabby glanced back toward the front of the van after an awkward moment of silence. “Marie seemed a little too keen on all of the details about how we were tied up. She took particular interest in the fact that I mentioned that our kidnappers made a ball gag out of a hacky sack and pantyhose.”
“Yeah, I noticed that too,” Shelley said. “And I wouldn’t be surprised if Marie and the other cheerleaders decide to use that idea when they do the initiation kidnappings. I wish you didn’t have to go through that, but sometimes you have to if you want to be part of a group. I’ve heard that college fraternities and sororities sometimes do things like that, too; they call it ‘hazing’, I think. I guess the idea is that, by going through it, you prove you deserve to be part of the group. But here’s the thing: now that you’ve been kidnapped for real and gotten through it okay, nothing Marie and her cheerleaders are going to do will be nearly as bad as that. If I were the one they were going to kidnap, I’d just be thinking about how lame their kidnapping is compared to the real thing, and I’d be laughing at them on the inside.”
*tags*
"Sure, I should talk to him anyway. I told my mom I'd call her if I needed a ride," Tabby replied. She followed Shelley over to the van. Gary had the windows down. "Hey, Gary!"
“Hey Tabs,” Gary replied. “Need a ride?”
“Sure,” Tabby replied. “That is if it isn’t any trouble. I can always call my mom…”
“No, it’s fine. I assume Shelley is anxious to get to the newspaper to tell her editor all of the details of last night’s ordeal,” Gary replied.
“Yeah, I’m sure Mike and Cindy are going to be excited to hear about this. This might turn out to be the biggest story they’ve published all year,” said Shelley. She kind of wished she could just go home and crawl into bed after not getting any sleep the night before, but she realized what a big story this would be and what a huge opportunity it represented for her career in journalism. She was tired, but she was also young, fit, and motivated, so sleep could wait a while longer. This was much more important.
“I got the car towed back to the house,” Gary said. “You can probably contact your insurance. Under the circumstances, they will probably reimburse you in full or at least pay part of it. We can figure that out later. The bigger problem is you said you didn’t have any spare keys. I have no idea if the door locks and ignition switch will have to be replaced or if there is a way for a locksmith to make new keys for it without them. Anyone back in Pennsylvania have spare keys they could put in the mail for you?”
“You did? Oh, thank you!” Shelley said enthusiastically. She didn’t know he was going to do that, but she was glad he had; that was one less thing she had to worry about. When Gary mentioned that the insurance might pay for at least part of the towing cost, it occurred to her that the insurance card was in her glove compartment, which she didn’t have access to at the moment without her car key. And almost as if he was reading her mind, Gary brought up the key problem next.
Shelley considered Gary’s question about a spare key, and said “Um, yeah, I guess there is. There should be a spare key at my mom’s house. Unless…” Shelley paused, trying to remember if she might have left the extra key at Tony’s place. Most of her stuff was at her mom’s house, but she had occasionally left things at Tony’s. A notable example was the dress and shoes she had worn to her high school prom. Tony had been her date, and they’d gone to his place afterward, but she’d brought along some more comfortable clothes to change into and had left her prom clothes there. He must have liked how she looked in those clothes, because he’d asked her to change into them on a couple of her visits to his place. Looking back on it now, maybe that should have seemed a little creepy, but at the time she thought he was just being nostalgic. Besides the prom clothes, there were a few other things she’d brought to his place and left there as well, but the spare key? No, she was pretty sure that was still at her mom’s house, unless her mom had thrown it out or something. “No, she should have it. I, uh, haven’t talked to her since I arrived in Teal Cove. I guess I should give her a call. It’s long overdue, I suppose.”
*tags*
“Well, let’s get on the road. No point in standing around in this heat! We can talk in the AC while we are on the way to Tabby’s house,” Gary suggested. “Unless you’re not in a hurry to get home and want to tag along to the newspaper.”
“Sure, I guess. I mean if Shelley doesn’t mind,” Tabby replied. “I need to let my mom know and would like to change out of my work uniform if I do. She may insist that I need to rest or something after last night, but it's not like I'm going to take a nap. I'll just end up sitting around the house bored. Starla had to go with the cheerleaders, so I don’t really have anything to do.”
Tabby had brought her sneakers with her and already had removed her skates. She was carrying them by the laces which she had tied together.
“No, I don’t mind at all,” said Shelley with a smile. “But I can’t promise that you won’t get bored at the newspaper. Probably not, though. They might even ask if they can interview you, since you were part of the story. If you’d rather they didn’t, feel free to say no.”
*tags*
Once Shelley and Tabby got in the van, Gary backed out and headed out of the parking lot. Tabby let Shelley sit up front in the passenger seat. She sat behind them, in between the front seats.
“How come they didn’t take you, too,” Gary inquired glancing in the review at Tabby.
“I’m a first-year member. We haven’t done cheer camp. Until they do their big kidnapping thingy, I’m not on the squad officially," Tabby explained. "You’re not allowed to call yourself a cheerleader until after the initiation, although officially no one knows about that. It’s a pretty open secret, though. They tell you you’re not a member until after you complete cheer camp before school starts.”
"So you're not invited to do things with them until you are a full member," Gary asked.
Tabby nodded.
“You mentioned that before,” Gary noted, remembering that the girls had explained cheerleading culture at Teal Cove High previously. “So you’re going to get kidnapped twice in the same summer.”
Tabby nodded. “Looks like it,” she responded absently as if distracted. She was staring out the window at nothing in particular, once again fiddling with her hair. Tabby glanced back toward the front of the van after an awkward moment of silence. “Marie seemed a little too keen on all of the details about how we were tied up. She took particular interest in the fact that I mentioned that our kidnappers made a ball gag out of a hacky sack and pantyhose.”
“Yeah, I noticed that too,” Shelley said. “And I wouldn’t be surprised if Marie and the other cheerleaders decide to use that idea when they do the initiation kidnappings. I wish you didn’t have to go through that, but sometimes you have to if you want to be part of a group. I’ve heard that college fraternities and sororities sometimes do things like that, too; they call it ‘hazing’, I think. I guess the idea is that, by going through it, you prove you deserve to be part of the group. But here’s the thing: now that you’ve been kidnapped for real and gotten through it okay, nothing Marie and her cheerleaders are going to do will be nearly as bad as that. If I were the one they were going to kidnap, I’d just be thinking about how lame their kidnapping is compared to the real thing, and I’d be laughing at them on the inside.”
*tags*
Shelley considered Gary’s question about a spare key, and said “Um, yeah, I guess there is. There should be a spare key at my mom’s house. Unless…” Shelley paused, trying to remember if she might have left the extra key at Tony’s place. Most of her stuff was at her mom’s house, but she had occasionally left things at Tony’s. A notable example was the dress and shoes she had worn to her high school prom. Tony had been her date, and they’d gone to his place afterward, but she’d brought along some more comfortable clothes to change into and had left her prom clothes there. He must have liked how she looked in those clothes, because he’d asked her to change into them on a couple of her visits to his place. Looking back on it now, maybe that should have seemed a little creepy, but at the time she thought he was just being nostalgic. Besides the prom clothes, there were a few other things she’d brought to his place and left there as well, but the spare key? No, she was pretty sure that was still at her mom’s house, unless her mom had thrown it out or something. “No, she should have it. I, uh, haven’t talked to her since I arrived in Teal Cove. I guess I should give her a call. It’s long overdue, I suppose.”
Tabby was surprised to hear that Shelley hadn't contacted her mom since she arrived in Teal Cove. Of course, she had no knowledge of the circumstances that had led her here. It was hard to imagine her moving to a new state and not immediately reaching out to her mother as soon as she arrived. But then again, Shelley was also older.
"Wow, my mom would have someone like Boba Fett hunting me down if she didn't hear from me for weeks," Tabby commented. "What was he? I know Darth Vader hired him to capture Han Solo... what did they call him and the lizard guy and the mummy guy and the bug guys and robot?"
She paused a moment biting her lower lip. Suddenly, the word she was looking for came to her. "Bounty hunter! She'd hire a bounty hunter to come find me," Tabby said before the others could answer. "Sorry, I was channeling Matt for a moment."
“Well, let’s get on the road. No point in standing around in this heat! We can talk in the AC while we are on the way to Tabby’s house,” Gary suggested. “Unless you’re not in a hurry to get home and want to tag along to the newspaper.”
“Sure, I guess. I mean if Shelley doesn’t mind,” Tabby replied. “I need to let my mom know and would like to change out of my work uniform if I do. She may insist that I need to rest or something after last night, but it's not like I'm going to take a nap. I'll just end up sitting around the house bored. Starla had to go with the cheerleaders, so I don’t really have anything to do.”
Tabby had brought her sneakers with her and already had removed her skates. She was carrying them by the laces which she had tied together.
“No, I don’t mind at all,” said Shelley with a smile. “But I can’t promise that you won’t get bored at the newspaper. Probably not, though. They might even ask if they can interview you, since you were part of the story. If you’d rather they didn’t, feel free to say no.”
Tabby hesitated. Again, she bit her lower lip and twisted a red curl around her finger absently. Was that a good idea? She was already probably in for it when her father got home. Of course, the cheer squad already knew all the major details and all of their parents were members at the same country club her dad seemed to live at on the weekends when not working. There was no way to hide this from him. Like it or not, he was going to know. If Tabby was lucky, it wouldn't be until he got home and after the band played the Fourth of July event Saturday night.
"Uh... sure," She replied after a beat. Her voice was noticeably quieter. "I guess..."
Once Shelley and Tabby got in the van, Gary backed out and headed out of the parking lot. Tabby let Shelley sit up front in the passenger seat. She sat behind them, in between the front seats.
“How come they didn’t take you, too,” Gary inquired glancing in the review at Tabby. She was grateful for the change of subject.
“I’m a first-year member. We haven’t done cheer camp. Until they do their big kidnapping thingy, I’m not on the squad officially," Tabby explained. "You’re not allowed to call yourself a cheerleader until after the initiation, although officially no one knows about that. It’s a pretty open secret, though. They tell you you’re not a member until after you complete cheer camp before school starts.”
"So you're not invited to do things with them until you are a full member," Gary asked.
Tabby nodded.
“You mentioned that before,” Gary noted, remembering that the girls had explained cheerleading culture at Teal Cove High previously. “So you’re going to get kidnapped twice in the same summer.”
Tabby nodded. “Looks like it,” she responded absently as if distracted. She was staring out the window at nothing in particular, once again fiddling with her hair. Tabby glanced back toward the front of the van after an awkward moment of silence. “Marie seemed a little too keen on all of the details about how we were tied up. She took particular interest in the fact that I mentioned that our kidnappers made a ball gag out of a hacky sack and pantyhose.”
“Yeah, I noticed that too,” Shelley said. “And I wouldn’t be surprised if Marie and the other cheerleaders decide to use that idea when they do the initiation kidnappings. I wish you didn’t have to go through that, but sometimes you have to if you want to be part of a group. I’ve heard that college fraternities and sororities sometimes do things like that, too; they call it ‘hazing’, I think. I guess the idea is that, by going through it, you prove you deserve to be part of the group. But here’s the thing: now that you’ve been kidnapped for real and gotten through it okay, nothing Marie and her cheerleaders are going to do will be nearly as bad as that. If I were the one they were going to kidnap, I’d just be thinking about how lame their kidnapping is compared to the real thing, and I’d be laughing at them on the inside.”
"I guess and I wish I didn't have to do it, either. My mom pushed me into it. The only reason my dad not only supported it but demanded it is all of the people he golfs with have daughters on the cheerleading squad at his uppity-up country club. It's like he was going to be ashamed if he didn't, too. His whole thing is it will force me to be accountable. I have to keep my grades up to stay on the squad and the younger girls have to respect the older ones. He used to be in the military and he liked the sound of all of that. I guess the only saving grace is Starla is on it, too."
The reality was, in Karl's mind Tabby would be forced to only associate with people he approved of. He saw the cheerleaders as "the right people" because their dads were all wealthy... or well off, like him. To hear Karl tell it, the family was near-broke. Money didn't grow on trees and he would argue that the Blackwells were definitely not rich. He would argue that as a way to justify not spending money on his wife and children.
Cheering would be the only social activity Tabby needed and there would be no time for boys or the band because the rest of her time should be spent on her studies. So far, the band hadn't really been on his radar, but she had a sinking feeling, it would soon. Tabby again wondered how last night would impact her in being able to continue that. She got quiet again as she contemplated things. In the back of her mind, she was also worried that it might lead to another move, even if her dad's company weren't the ones that initiated it.
"So," She said quickly before Gary and Shelley had a chance to sense her uncomfortableness in opening up about not wanting to be on the squad. "I'm just curious, Shelley. How did you end up in Texas? I mean you literally came all the way from Pennsylvania. Why Teal Cove? You kinda mentioned it before, but haven't really said much else and didn't know anyone before you met us."
The band had been wondering what Shelley's story was, but until now, no one had asked her directly. She'd been pretty vague so far about what had brought her here from clear across the country. It did seem a bit strange to learn she'd not been in contact with her mother over the past several weeks. And what about her dad? She had made no mention of him.
It didn't cross Tabby's mind that her questions might be intrusive and she was genuinely curious. They'd been through a lot in the short time they'd met her and it felt like a good time to find out more about the circumstances surrounding her arrival. Besides, she wanted to head off any further questions about her own dad and his motives for her trying out for cheerleading.
*Tags*
Gary was getting close to where they lived. Tabby only lived on the next street and their houses were not that far from Speedy's. Tabby had requested they stop there so she could let her mom know where she was going and change out of her work clothes.
Tabby was surprised to hear that Shelley hadn't contacted her mom since she arrived in Teal Cove. Of course, she had no knowledge of the circumstances that had led her here. It was hard to imagine her moving to a new state and not immediately reaching out to her mother as soon as she arrived. But then again, Shelley was also older.
"Wow, my mom would have someone like Boba Fett hunting me down if she didn't hear from me for weeks," Tabby commented. "What was he? I know Darth Vader hired him to capture Han Solo... what did they call him and the lizard guy and the mummy guy and the bug guys and robot?"
She paused a moment biting her lower lip. Suddenly, the word she was looking for came to her. "Bounty hunter! She'd hire a bounty hunter to come find me," Tabby said before the others could answer. "Sorry, I was channeling Matt for a moment."
“Well, let’s get on the road. No point in standing around in this heat! We can talk in the AC while we are on the way to Tabby’s house,” Gary suggested. “Unless you’re not in a hurry to get home and want to tag along to the newspaper.”
“Sure, I guess. I mean if Shelley doesn’t mind,” Tabby replied. “I need to let my mom know and would like to change out of my work uniform if I do. She may insist that I need to rest or something after last night, but it's not like I'm going to take a nap. I'll just end up sitting around the house bored. Starla had to go with the cheerleaders, so I don’t really have anything to do.”
Tabby had brought her sneakers with her and already had removed her skates. She was carrying them by the laces which she had tied together.
“No, I don’t mind at all,” said Shelley with a smile. “But I can’t promise that you won’t get bored at the newspaper. Probably not, though. They might even ask if they can interview you, since you were part of the story. If you’d rather they didn’t, feel free to say no.”
Tabby hesitated. Again, she bit her lower lip and twisted a red curl around her finger absently. Was that a good idea? She was already probably in for it when her father got home. Of course, the cheer squad already knew all the major details and all of their parents were members at the same country club her dad seemed to live at on the weekends when not working. There was no way to hide this from him. Like it or not, he was going to know. If Tabby was lucky, it wouldn't be until he got home and after the band played the Fourth of July event Saturday night.
"Uh... sure," She replied after a beat. Her voice was noticeably quieter. "I guess..."
Once Shelley and Tabby got in the van, Gary backed out and headed out of the parking lot. Tabby let Shelley sit up front in the passenger seat. She sat behind them, in between the front seats.
“How come they didn’t take you, too,” Gary inquired glancing in the review at Tabby. She was grateful for the change of subject.
“I’m a first-year member. We haven’t done cheer camp. Until they do their big kidnapping thingy, I’m not on the squad officially," Tabby explained. "You’re not allowed to call yourself a cheerleader until after the initiation, although officially no one knows about that. It’s a pretty open secret, though. They tell you you’re not a member until after you complete cheer camp before school starts.”
"So you're not invited to do things with them until you are a full member," Gary asked.
Tabby nodded.
“You mentioned that before,” Gary noted, remembering that the girls had explained cheerleading culture at Teal Cove High previously. “So you’re going to get kidnapped twice in the same summer.”
Tabby nodded. “Looks like it,” she responded absently as if distracted. She was staring out the window at nothing in particular, once again fiddling with her hair. Tabby glanced back toward the front of the van after an awkward moment of silence. “Marie seemed a little too keen on all of the details about how we were tied up. She took particular interest in the fact that I mentioned that our kidnappers made a ball gag out of a hacky sack and pantyhose.”
“Yeah, I noticed that too,” Shelley said. “And I wouldn’t be surprised if Marie and the other cheerleaders decide to use that idea when they do the initiation kidnappings. I wish you didn’t have to go through that, but sometimes you have to if you want to be part of a group. I’ve heard that college fraternities and sororities sometimes do things like that, too; they call it ‘hazing’, I think. I guess the idea is that, by going through it, you prove you deserve to be part of the group. But here’s the thing: now that you’ve been kidnapped for real and gotten through it okay, nothing Marie and her cheerleaders are going to do will be nearly as bad as that. If I were the one they were going to kidnap, I’d just be thinking about how lame their kidnapping is compared to the real thing, and I’d be laughing at them on the inside.”
"I guess and I wish I didn't have to do it, either. My mom pushed me into it. The only reason my dad not only supported it but demanded it is all of the people he golfs with have daughters on the cheerleading squad at his uppity-up country club. It's like he was going to be ashamed if he didn't, too. His whole thing is it will force me to be accountable. I have to keep my grades up to stay on the squad and the younger girls have to respect the older ones. He used to be in the military and he liked the sound of all of that. I guess the only saving grace is Starla is on it, too."
The reality was, in Karl's mind Tabby would be forced to only associate with people he approved of. He saw the cheerleaders as "the right people" because their dads were all wealthy... or well off, like him. To hear Karl tell it, the family was near-broke. Money didn't grow on trees and he would argue that the Blackwells were definitely not rich. He would argue that as a way to justify not spending money on his wife and children.
Cheering would be the only social activity Tabby needed and there would be no time for boys or the band because the rest of her time should be spent on her studies. So far, the band hadn't really been on his radar, but she had a sinking feeling, it would soon. Tabby again wondered how last night would impact her in being able to continue that. She got quiet again as she contemplated things. In the back of her mind, she was also worried that it might lead to another move, even if her dad's company weren't the ones that initiated it.
"So," She said quickly before Gary and Shelley had a chance to sense her uncomfortableness in opening up about not wanting to be on the squad. "I'm just curious, Shelley. How did you end up in Texas? I mean you literally came all the way from Pennsylvania. Why Teal Cove? You kinda mentioned it before, but haven't really said much else and didn't know anyone before you met us."
The band had been wondering what Shelley's story was, but until now, no one had asked her directly. She'd been pretty vague so far about what had brought her here from clear across the country. It did seem a bit strange to learn she'd not been in contact with her mother over the past several weeks. And what about her dad? She had made no mention of him.
It didn't cross Tabby's mind that her questions might be intrusive and she was genuinely curious. They'd been through a lot in the short time they'd met her and it felt like a good time to find out more about the circumstances surrounding her arrival. Besides, she wanted to head off any further questions about her own dad and his motives for her trying out for cheerleading.
*Tags*
Gary was getting close to where they lived. Tabby only lived on the next street and their houses were not that far from Speedy's. Tabby had requested they stop there so she could let her mom know where she was going and change out of her work clothes.
Tabby was surprised to hear that Shelley hadn't contacted her mom since she arrived in Teal Cove. Of course, she had no knowledge of the circumstances that had led her here. It was hard to imagine her moving to a new state and not immediately reaching out to her mother as soon as she arrived. But then again, Shelley was also older.
"Wow, my mom would have someone like Boba Fett hunting me down if she didn't hear from me for weeks," Tabby commented. "What was he? I know Darth Vader hired him to capture Han Solo... what did they call him and the lizard guy and the mummy guy and the bug guys and robot?"
She paused a moment biting her lower lip. Suddenly, the word she was looking for came to her. "Bounty hunter! She'd hire a bounty hunter to come find me," Tabby said before the others could answer. "Sorry, I was channeling Matt for a moment."
Shelley chuckled. “I don’t know how much it costs to hire a bounty hunter, but I would think it would be a lot! I don’t think my mom could afford it.” That was probably a true statement, and Shelley couldn’t imagine her mother actually hiring a bounty hunter to find her. But then, a sobering thought occurred to her: Tony might be a different story. She didn’t know how much money he had to throw around, but she imagined it was a lot. After all, he had given her the Firebird as a gift. She hadn’t understood at the time how he could afford all the things he bought, but on the night she’d fled Pennsylvania she’d learned he had been dealing drugs. Until Tabby had brought up the idea of bounty hunters, the idea that Tony might hire one to track her down had never really occurred to her. Was it something she needed to worry about? She couldn’t be frozen in carbonite if a bounty hunter found her, but she could be killed, or dragged back to Tony in chains. If she knew Tony, he would want her brought back to him alive. It didn’t seem likely that anyone could find her all the way out here in Texas, but who knew what methods someone in that business had at their disposal? A little shiver ran down Shelley’s back.
The girls climbed into Gary’s van, and they started on their way to Tabby’s house so she could change clothes. They talked about several things on the way, including the possibility of Tabby being interviewed by Mike and Cindy about the previous nights’ events. Tabby seemed reluctant, and Shelley hoped she understood it would be okay to decline. Then the conversation shifted to the cheerleaders and the upcoming initiation, and Tabby revealed her reasons for joining them. It sounded like she really didn’t want to be part of that group, but felt she had to in order to make her parents happy. Shelley found that troubling; if Tabby ended up stuck in a group she didn’t want to be part of, she was never going to be happy, and Shelley felt that the other cheerleaders were always going to be giving her a hard time. But Shelley didn’t know what to tell her; this seemed like something Tabby needed to work out with her parents. Shelley certainly didn’t feel qualified to give any advice on that sort of thing.
"So," Tabby said quickly before Gary and Shelley had a chance to sense her uncomfortableness in opening up about not wanting to be on the squad. "I'm just curious, Shelley. How did you end up in Texas? I mean you literally came all the way from Pennsylvania. Why Teal Cove? You kinda mentioned it before, but haven't really said much else and didn't know anyone before you met us."
“Oh, uh…” These questions had caught Shelley off guard, and her mind raced to think of the best way to answer them. “Well, the truth is, when I left Pittsburgh I wasn’t actually heading to Teal Cove, or even Texas, necessarily. I actually hadn’t even heard of Teal Cove, and I didn’t know where I was going.” While she was saying this, she continued to think about how much she should reveal. This was not a subject that was comfortable to talk about, and yet she felt like she should give them at least some of the information. They deserved that, especially considering how good they had been to her.
“So, back home I was in a relationship with a guy, and he turned out to have some…violent tendencies. To make a long story short, I decided it wasn’t safe for me to remain in Pittsburgh, and I had to leave in a hurry, without even packing anything or making any plans. Before I left Pittsburgh I called my mom from a phone booth and told her I was leaving but not where I was going, and I told her to call the police if my ex-boyfriend showed up at her house and not to let him in. That was the last time I talked to her. I didn’t know where I was going, but I started driving across the country, and as I was passing through the Teal Cove area I realized I was almost out of money and needed to stop, at least for a while. And that’s when Gary found me and offered me a place to stay.”
*tags*
Gary was getting close to where they lived. Tabby only lived on the next street and their houses were not that far from Speedy's. Tabby had requested they stop there so she could let her mom know where she was going and change out of her work clothes.
“I guess I should change clothes too, if you don’t mind running by our house afterwards,” commented Shelley. “I can’t remember if I washed my other dress since the last time I wore it. I really need to get more clothes. If I’m going to call my mom to get her to send me the extra car key, maybe I can talk her into including a couple hundred bucks so I can buy some more.”
*tags*
"Wow, my mom would have someone like Boba Fett hunting me down if she didn't hear from me for weeks," Tabby commented. "What was he? I know Darth Vader hired him to capture Han Solo... what did they call him and the lizard guy and the mummy guy and the bug guys and robot?"
She paused a moment biting her lower lip. Suddenly, the word she was looking for came to her. "Bounty hunter! She'd hire a bounty hunter to come find me," Tabby said before the others could answer. "Sorry, I was channeling Matt for a moment."
Shelley chuckled. “I don’t know how much it costs to hire a bounty hunter, but I would think it would be a lot! I don’t think my mom could afford it.” That was probably a true statement, and Shelley couldn’t imagine her mother actually hiring a bounty hunter to find her. But then, a sobering thought occurred to her: Tony might be a different story. She didn’t know how much money he had to throw around, but she imagined it was a lot. After all, he had given her the Firebird as a gift. She hadn’t understood at the time how he could afford all the things he bought, but on the night she’d fled Pennsylvania she’d learned he had been dealing drugs. Until Tabby had brought up the idea of bounty hunters, the idea that Tony might hire one to track her down had never really occurred to her. Was it something she needed to worry about? She couldn’t be frozen in carbonite if a bounty hunter found her, but she could be killed, or dragged back to Tony in chains. If she knew Tony, he would want her brought back to him alive. It didn’t seem likely that anyone could find her all the way out here in Texas, but who knew what methods someone in that business had at their disposal? A little shiver ran down Shelley’s back.
The girls climbed into Gary’s van, and they started on their way to Tabby’s house so she could change clothes. They talked about several things on the way, including the possibility of Tabby being interviewed by Mike and Cindy about the previous nights’ events. Tabby seemed reluctant, and Shelley hoped she understood it would be okay to decline. Then the conversation shifted to the cheerleaders and the upcoming initiation, and Tabby revealed her reasons for joining them. It sounded like she really didn’t want to be part of that group, but felt she had to in order to make her parents happy. Shelley found that troubling; if Tabby ended up stuck in a group she didn’t want to be part of, she was never going to be happy, and Shelley felt that the other cheerleaders were always going to be giving her a hard time. But Shelley didn’t know what to tell her; this seemed like something Tabby needed to work out with her parents. Shelley certainly didn’t feel qualified to give any advice on that sort of thing.
"So," Tabby said quickly before Gary and Shelley had a chance to sense her uncomfortableness in opening up about not wanting to be on the squad. "I'm just curious, Shelley. How did you end up in Texas? I mean you literally came all the way from Pennsylvania. Why Teal Cove? You kinda mentioned it before, but haven't really said much else and didn't know anyone before you met us."
“Oh, uh…” These questions had caught Shelley off guard, and her mind raced to think of the best way to answer them. “Well, the truth is, when I left Pittsburgh I wasn’t actually heading to Teal Cove, or even Texas, necessarily. I actually hadn’t even heard of Teal Cove, and I didn’t know where I was going.” While she was saying this, she continued to think about how much she should reveal. This was not a subject that was comfortable to talk about, and yet she felt like she should give them at least some of the information. They deserved that, especially considering how good they had been to her.
“So, back home I was in a relationship with a guy, and he turned out to have some…violent tendencies. To make a long story short, I decided it wasn’t safe for me to remain in Pittsburgh, and I had to leave in a hurry, without even packing anything or making any plans. Before I left Pittsburgh I called my mom from a phone booth and told her I was leaving but not where I was going, and I told her to call the police if my ex-boyfriend showed up at her house and not to let him in. That was the last time I talked to her. I didn’t know where I was going, but I started driving across the country, and as I was passing through the Teal Cove area I realized I was almost out of money and needed to stop, at least for a while. And that’s when Gary found me and offered me a place to stay.”
*tags*
Gary was getting close to where they lived. Tabby only lived on the next street and their houses were not that far from Speedy's. Tabby had requested they stop there so she could let her mom know where she was going and change out of her work clothes.
“I guess I should change clothes too, if you don’t mind running by our house afterwards,” commented Shelley. “I can’t remember if I washed my other dress since the last time I wore it. I really need to get more clothes. If I’m going to call my mom to get her to send me the extra car key, maybe I can talk her into including a couple hundred bucks so I can buy some more.”
*tags*
"So," Tabby said quickly before Gary and Shelley had a chance to sense her uncomfortableness in opening up about not wanting to be on the squad. "I'm just curious, Shelley. How did you end up in Texas? I mean you literally came all the way from Pennsylvania. Why Teal Cove? You kinda mentioned it before, but haven't really said much else and didn't know anyone before you met us."
“oh uh…” These questions had caught Shelley off guard, and her mind raced to think of the best way to answer them. “Well, the truth is, when I left Pittsburgh I wasn’t actually heading to Teal Cove, or even Texas, necessarily. I actually hadn’t even heard of Teal Cove, and I didn’t know where I was going.” While she was saying this, she continued to think about how much she should reveal. This was not a subject that was comfortable to talk about, and yet she felt like she should give them at least some of the information. They deserved that, especially considering how good they had been to her.
"huh...," Tabby said and trailed off. In an instant, she went from curious to feeling like she'd just taken the conversation in a direction she shouldn't have. Tabby picked up on the fact that Shelley suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable. It didn't occur to her that Shelley might be here for more personal reasons.
“So, back home I was in a relationship with a guy, and he turned out to have some…violent tendencies. To make a long story short, I decided it wasn’t safe for me to remain in Pittsburgh, and I had to leave in a hurry, without even packing anything or making any plans. Before I left Pittsburgh I called my mom from a phone booth and told her I was leaving but not where I was going, and I told her to call the police if my ex-boyfriend showed up at her house and not to let him in. That was the last time I talked to her. I didn’t know where I was going, but I started driving across the country, and as I was passing through the Teal Cove area I realized I was almost out of money and needed to stop, at least for a while. And that’s when Gary found me and offered me a place to stay.”
Tabby was stunned. "Holy shit," she blurted out without thinking. Suddenly, things had taken an awkward turn and Tabby felt her stomach knot up. That was not the answer Tabby had expected and she felt bad for asking. It also hit a little too close to home for her liking. She'd had to lie her whole life every time she arrived in a new place. Well, at least not give the whole truth. They did always move because her dad got transferred by his company...
Gary was getting close to where they lived. Tabby only lived on the next street and their houses were not that far from Speedy's. Tabby had requested they stop there so she could let her mom know where she was going and change out of her work clothes.
Tabby felt an uncomfortable silence fall over the van. She wasn't sure if Gary was equally unaware of Shelley's plight or if he knew about it and felt that Shelley should be the one to address things. Tabby knew he was often not the best with conversations or social situations and was not always sure what to say. That had been the case with Jerry's standoffish behavior when he turned hostile at their D&D game.
Fortunately, Shelley changed subjects right as the van pulled up to the curb in front of Tabby's house.
“I guess I should change clothes too, if you don’t mind running by our house afterwards,” commented Shelley. “I can’t remember if I washed my other dress since the last time I wore it. I really need to get more clothes. If I’m going to call my mom to get her to send me the extra car key, maybe I can talk her into including a couple hundred bucks so I can buy some more.”
Tabby sat there for a moment wishing she hadn't said anything. She flashed back to being tied up and locked in the closet with that ball shoved in her mouth.
"Um," She stammered. "I... uh... had no idea about all that... I'm sorry I brought it up..." Tabby caught herself playing with a lock of hair and forced herself to stop. Again, she thought about lying in the darkness with her hands bound. She remembered wanting to fiddle with her hair and not being able.
*Tag Shelley*
"I'll be right back," Tabby said quickly and opened the van door and shut it immediately behind her before running to the front porch. There was no covering up that she felt bad and was embarrassed by asking Shelley about her situation. She hoped her face hadn't turned bright red.
"Tabby," Debbie called as soon as she slammed the front door. "Are you home from work?"
"Uh, yeah! A co-worker, uh, just dropped me off. Uh, I need to grab something out of my room and give it to her real quick... I borrowed a tape and need to give it back to her," she lied. Tabby felt too awkward to go with Gary and Shelley now. She ran back to her room, closed the door, and counted to 10. What would she tell them?
"Tabby," Debbie called after her daughter from the kitchen. She momentarily ignored her mom while thinking about how to handle things before emerging again.
"Hang on, mom," Tabby yelled over her shoulder. "I'll just be a moment!"
She took a deep breath, opened the front door, and ran out to the van. The window rolled down when it was clear that Tabby wasn't getting back in.
"Hey, I'm uh, really sorry, but um, my mom said I couldn't go with you," Tabby explained. "You know, rough night and all and she thinks I need to rest and stuff after everything we've been through. Maybe we can catch up later?"
*Tags*
“oh uh…” These questions had caught Shelley off guard, and her mind raced to think of the best way to answer them. “Well, the truth is, when I left Pittsburgh I wasn’t actually heading to Teal Cove, or even Texas, necessarily. I actually hadn’t even heard of Teal Cove, and I didn’t know where I was going.” While she was saying this, she continued to think about how much she should reveal. This was not a subject that was comfortable to talk about, and yet she felt like she should give them at least some of the information. They deserved that, especially considering how good they had been to her.
"huh...," Tabby said and trailed off. In an instant, she went from curious to feeling like she'd just taken the conversation in a direction she shouldn't have. Tabby picked up on the fact that Shelley suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable. It didn't occur to her that Shelley might be here for more personal reasons.
“So, back home I was in a relationship with a guy, and he turned out to have some…violent tendencies. To make a long story short, I decided it wasn’t safe for me to remain in Pittsburgh, and I had to leave in a hurry, without even packing anything or making any plans. Before I left Pittsburgh I called my mom from a phone booth and told her I was leaving but not where I was going, and I told her to call the police if my ex-boyfriend showed up at her house and not to let him in. That was the last time I talked to her. I didn’t know where I was going, but I started driving across the country, and as I was passing through the Teal Cove area I realized I was almost out of money and needed to stop, at least for a while. And that’s when Gary found me and offered me a place to stay.”
Tabby was stunned. "Holy shit," she blurted out without thinking. Suddenly, things had taken an awkward turn and Tabby felt her stomach knot up. That was not the answer Tabby had expected and she felt bad for asking. It also hit a little too close to home for her liking. She'd had to lie her whole life every time she arrived in a new place. Well, at least not give the whole truth. They did always move because her dad got transferred by his company...
Gary was getting close to where they lived. Tabby only lived on the next street and their houses were not that far from Speedy's. Tabby had requested they stop there so she could let her mom know where she was going and change out of her work clothes.
Tabby felt an uncomfortable silence fall over the van. She wasn't sure if Gary was equally unaware of Shelley's plight or if he knew about it and felt that Shelley should be the one to address things. Tabby knew he was often not the best with conversations or social situations and was not always sure what to say. That had been the case with Jerry's standoffish behavior when he turned hostile at their D&D game.
Fortunately, Shelley changed subjects right as the van pulled up to the curb in front of Tabby's house.
“I guess I should change clothes too, if you don’t mind running by our house afterwards,” commented Shelley. “I can’t remember if I washed my other dress since the last time I wore it. I really need to get more clothes. If I’m going to call my mom to get her to send me the extra car key, maybe I can talk her into including a couple hundred bucks so I can buy some more.”
Tabby sat there for a moment wishing she hadn't said anything. She flashed back to being tied up and locked in the closet with that ball shoved in her mouth.
"Um," She stammered. "I... uh... had no idea about all that... I'm sorry I brought it up..." Tabby caught herself playing with a lock of hair and forced herself to stop. Again, she thought about lying in the darkness with her hands bound. She remembered wanting to fiddle with her hair and not being able.
*Tag Shelley*
"I'll be right back," Tabby said quickly and opened the van door and shut it immediately behind her before running to the front porch. There was no covering up that she felt bad and was embarrassed by asking Shelley about her situation. She hoped her face hadn't turned bright red.
"Tabby," Debbie called as soon as she slammed the front door. "Are you home from work?"
"Uh, yeah! A co-worker, uh, just dropped me off. Uh, I need to grab something out of my room and give it to her real quick... I borrowed a tape and need to give it back to her," she lied. Tabby felt too awkward to go with Gary and Shelley now. She ran back to her room, closed the door, and counted to 10. What would she tell them?
"Tabby," Debbie called after her daughter from the kitchen. She momentarily ignored her mom while thinking about how to handle things before emerging again.
"Hang on, mom," Tabby yelled over her shoulder. "I'll just be a moment!"
She took a deep breath, opened the front door, and ran out to the van. The window rolled down when it was clear that Tabby wasn't getting back in.
"Hey, I'm uh, really sorry, but um, my mom said I couldn't go with you," Tabby explained. "You know, rough night and all and she thinks I need to rest and stuff after everything we've been through. Maybe we can catch up later?"
*Tags*
Gary sensed he'd hit on an uncomfortable subject with Tabby and the cheer squad. She'd expressed her regrets about joining the team previously. Gary cursed his terrible memory. Tabs had explained all this to him before and he was sorry he'd brought the issue up again, although he did get a little further insight into the reasoning behind her trying out for the team. He noticed Tabby quickly changed the subject.
"So," Tabby said quickly before Gary and Shelley had a chance to sense her uncomfortableness in opening up about not wanting to be on the squad. "I'm just curious, Shelley. How did you end up in Texas? I mean you literally came all the way from Pennsylvania. Why Teal Cove? You kinda mentioned it before, but haven't really said much else and didn't know anyone before you met us."
Gary was surprised Tabby was so blunt in asking Shelley about why she was in Texas. However, Shelley had been rather short on details. He'd suspected since meeting her that there was more to her arrival than she let on and possibly in some kind of trouble. Gary had not pressed her on details and only wanted to help her out. He figured she'd open up if and when she was ready.
“oh uh…” These questions had caught Shelley off guard, and her mind raced to think of the best way to answer them. “Well, the truth is, when I left Pittsburgh I wasn’t actually heading to Teal Cove, or even Texas, necessarily. I actually hadn’t even heard of Teal Cove, and I didn’t know where I was going.” While she was saying this, she continued to think about how much she should reveal. This was not a subject that was comfortable to talk about, and yet she felt like she should give them at least some of the information. They deserved that, especially considering how good they had been to her.
"huh...," Tabby said and trailed off. In an instant, she went from curious to feeling like she'd just taken the conversation in a direction she shouldn't have. Tabby picked up on the fact that Shelley suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable. It didn't occur to her that Shelley might be here for more personal reasons.
“So, back home I was in a relationship with a guy, and he turned out to have some…violent tendencies. To make a long story short, I decided it wasn’t safe for me to remain in Pittsburgh, and I had to leave in a hurry, without even packing anything or making any plans. Before I left Pittsburgh I called my mom from a phone booth and told her I was leaving but not where I was going, and I told her to call the police if my ex-boyfriend showed up at her house and not to let him in. That was the last time I talked to her. I didn’t know where I was going, but I started driving across the country, and as I was passing through the Teal Cove area I realized I was almost out of money and needed to stop, at least for a while. And that’s when Gary found me and offered me a place to stay.”
Gary wasn't quite sure what to say at this point. While he hadn't specifically guessed it was to escape an abusive boyfriend, he had long suspected that it was something along those lines. While he was taken aback by this new revelation, he was glad to hear that it wasn't because she was running from the law. It had also been in the back of Gary's mind that she might be lying and had been involved in some sort of criminal activity to avoid being arrested. While that was still in the realm of possibilities, he had no reason to believe she was lying. He just felt really bad that she had been through all of that and then kidnapped by a criminal gang and held hostage. That was a lot of trauma for anyone to endure.
Tabby was stunned. "Holy shit," she blurted out without thinking. Suddenly, things had taken an awkward turn and Tabby felt her stomach knot up. That was not the answer Tabby had expected and she felt bad for asking. It also hit a little too close to home for her liking. She'd had to lie her whole life every time she arrived in a new place. Well, at least not give the whole truth. They did always move because her dad got transferred by his company...
Gary was getting close to where they lived. Tabby only lived on the next street and their houses were not that far from Speedy's. Tabby had requested they stop there so she could let her mom know where she was going and change out of her work clothes.
Tabby felt an uncomfortable silence fall over the van. She wasn't sure if Gary was equally unaware of Shelley's plight or if he knew about it and felt that Shelley should be the one to address things. Tabby knew he was often not the best with conversations or social situations and was not always sure what to say. That had been the case with Jerry's standoffish behavior when he turned hostile at their D&D game.
Fortunately, Shelley changed subjects right as the van pulled up to the curb in front of Tabby's house.
“I guess I should change clothes too, if you don’t mind running by our house afterwards,” commented Shelley. “I can’t remember if I washed my other dress since the last time I wore it. I really need to get more clothes. If I’m going to call my mom to get her to send me the extra car key, maybe I can talk her into including a couple hundred bucks so I can buy some more.”
"Yeah, we can stop by the house after Tabby runs by hers," Gary said, glad to get off the subject of Shelley's reasons for coming to Teal Cove.
Tabby sat there for a moment wishing she hadn't said anything. She flashed back to being tied up and locked in the closet with that ball shoved in her mouth.
"Um," She stammered. "I... uh... had no idea about all that... I'm sorry I brought it up..." Tabby caught herself playing with a lock of hair and forced herself to stop. Again, she thought about lying in the darkness with her hands bound. She remembered wanting to fiddle with her hair and not being able.
*Tag Shelley*
"I'll be right back," Tabby said quickly and opened the van door and shut it immediately behind her before running to the front porch. There was no covering up that she felt bad and was embarrassed by asking Shelley about her situation. She hoped her face hadn't turned bright red.
Gary noted Tabby's quick exit from the van. "I think she feels bad about asking you why you came here," Gary mused, once again stating the obvious. "She's only 14 and didn't think about it. I'm sure she wasn't expecting that."
*tag Shelley*
Tabby was only inside for a minute or two before coming right back out. She was still in her work uniform. Gary had a feeling she wasn't going to go with them.
"Roll down the window," Gary said to Shelley. The van didn't have electric windows and had to be cranked down. "I don't think she's coming with us."
*Tag Shelley*
"Hey, I'm uh, really sorry, but um, my mom said I couldn't go with you," Tabby explained. "You know, rough night and all and she thinks I need to rest and stuff after everything we've been through. Maybe we can catch up later?"
"Sure, completely understandable," Gary replied glancing to see what Shelley had to add.
*Tag Shelley*
"So," Tabby said quickly before Gary and Shelley had a chance to sense her uncomfortableness in opening up about not wanting to be on the squad. "I'm just curious, Shelley. How did you end up in Texas? I mean you literally came all the way from Pennsylvania. Why Teal Cove? You kinda mentioned it before, but haven't really said much else and didn't know anyone before you met us."
Gary was surprised Tabby was so blunt in asking Shelley about why she was in Texas. However, Shelley had been rather short on details. He'd suspected since meeting her that there was more to her arrival than she let on and possibly in some kind of trouble. Gary had not pressed her on details and only wanted to help her out. He figured she'd open up if and when she was ready.
“oh uh…” These questions had caught Shelley off guard, and her mind raced to think of the best way to answer them. “Well, the truth is, when I left Pittsburgh I wasn’t actually heading to Teal Cove, or even Texas, necessarily. I actually hadn’t even heard of Teal Cove, and I didn’t know where I was going.” While she was saying this, she continued to think about how much she should reveal. This was not a subject that was comfortable to talk about, and yet she felt like she should give them at least some of the information. They deserved that, especially considering how good they had been to her.
"huh...," Tabby said and trailed off. In an instant, she went from curious to feeling like she'd just taken the conversation in a direction she shouldn't have. Tabby picked up on the fact that Shelley suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable. It didn't occur to her that Shelley might be here for more personal reasons.
“So, back home I was in a relationship with a guy, and he turned out to have some…violent tendencies. To make a long story short, I decided it wasn’t safe for me to remain in Pittsburgh, and I had to leave in a hurry, without even packing anything or making any plans. Before I left Pittsburgh I called my mom from a phone booth and told her I was leaving but not where I was going, and I told her to call the police if my ex-boyfriend showed up at her house and not to let him in. That was the last time I talked to her. I didn’t know where I was going, but I started driving across the country, and as I was passing through the Teal Cove area I realized I was almost out of money and needed to stop, at least for a while. And that’s when Gary found me and offered me a place to stay.”
Gary wasn't quite sure what to say at this point. While he hadn't specifically guessed it was to escape an abusive boyfriend, he had long suspected that it was something along those lines. While he was taken aback by this new revelation, he was glad to hear that it wasn't because she was running from the law. It had also been in the back of Gary's mind that she might be lying and had been involved in some sort of criminal activity to avoid being arrested. While that was still in the realm of possibilities, he had no reason to believe she was lying. He just felt really bad that she had been through all of that and then kidnapped by a criminal gang and held hostage. That was a lot of trauma for anyone to endure.
Tabby was stunned. "Holy shit," she blurted out without thinking. Suddenly, things had taken an awkward turn and Tabby felt her stomach knot up. That was not the answer Tabby had expected and she felt bad for asking. It also hit a little too close to home for her liking. She'd had to lie her whole life every time she arrived in a new place. Well, at least not give the whole truth. They did always move because her dad got transferred by his company...
Gary was getting close to where they lived. Tabby only lived on the next street and their houses were not that far from Speedy's. Tabby had requested they stop there so she could let her mom know where she was going and change out of her work clothes.
Tabby felt an uncomfortable silence fall over the van. She wasn't sure if Gary was equally unaware of Shelley's plight or if he knew about it and felt that Shelley should be the one to address things. Tabby knew he was often not the best with conversations or social situations and was not always sure what to say. That had been the case with Jerry's standoffish behavior when he turned hostile at their D&D game.
Fortunately, Shelley changed subjects right as the van pulled up to the curb in front of Tabby's house.
“I guess I should change clothes too, if you don’t mind running by our house afterwards,” commented Shelley. “I can’t remember if I washed my other dress since the last time I wore it. I really need to get more clothes. If I’m going to call my mom to get her to send me the extra car key, maybe I can talk her into including a couple hundred bucks so I can buy some more.”
"Yeah, we can stop by the house after Tabby runs by hers," Gary said, glad to get off the subject of Shelley's reasons for coming to Teal Cove.
Tabby sat there for a moment wishing she hadn't said anything. She flashed back to being tied up and locked in the closet with that ball shoved in her mouth.
"Um," She stammered. "I... uh... had no idea about all that... I'm sorry I brought it up..." Tabby caught herself playing with a lock of hair and forced herself to stop. Again, she thought about lying in the darkness with her hands bound. She remembered wanting to fiddle with her hair and not being able.
*Tag Shelley*
"I'll be right back," Tabby said quickly and opened the van door and shut it immediately behind her before running to the front porch. There was no covering up that she felt bad and was embarrassed by asking Shelley about her situation. She hoped her face hadn't turned bright red.
Gary noted Tabby's quick exit from the van. "I think she feels bad about asking you why you came here," Gary mused, once again stating the obvious. "She's only 14 and didn't think about it. I'm sure she wasn't expecting that."
*tag Shelley*
Tabby was only inside for a minute or two before coming right back out. She was still in her work uniform. Gary had a feeling she wasn't going to go with them.
"Roll down the window," Gary said to Shelley. The van didn't have electric windows and had to be cranked down. "I don't think she's coming with us."
*Tag Shelley*
"Hey, I'm uh, really sorry, but um, my mom said I couldn't go with you," Tabby explained. "You know, rough night and all and she thinks I need to rest and stuff after everything we've been through. Maybe we can catch up later?"
"Sure, completely understandable," Gary replied glancing to see what Shelley had to add.
*Tag Shelley*
Shelley had been in town for a few weeks, but until now she hadn’t really talked to anyone here about what had happened with Tony back in Pittsburgh or why she’d driven across half the country to end up here in Teal Cove. Now that the secret was out, she almost felt like a burden had been lifted from her. She wondered why she hadn’t spoken to anyone about it before; it wasn’t like she was trying to hide anything from anyone, but it was just uncomfortable to talk about.
"Um," Tabby stammered. "I... uh... had no idea about all that... I'm sorry I brought it up..." She caught herself playing with a lock of hair and forced herself to stop. Again, she thought about lying in the darkness with her hands bound. She remembered wanting to fiddle with her hair and not being able.
Shelley could sense Tabby’s discomfort. She could understand it to a degree, but it seemed like her revelation had unsettled Tabby more than she would have expected. She shifted in her seat into a more sideways position facing towards Gary, so that she could look back over the seat to more easily make eye contact with Tabby. She gave her what she hoped was a comforting smile, and said, “It’s okay. Really. I should have told yinz about it a long time ago. So I had a boyfriend who turned out to be a jagoff, but so what? The important thing is I put that behind me and moved on with my life. And I met you guys! I don’t regret it.”
"I'll be right back," Tabby said quickly and opened the van door and shut it immediately behind her before running to the front porch. There was no covering up that she felt bad and was embarrassed by asking Shelley about her situation. She hoped her face hadn't turned bright red.
Gary noted Tabby's quick exit from the van. "I think she feels bad about asking you why you came here," Gary mused, once again stating the obvious. "She's only 14 and didn't think about it. I'm sure she wasn't expecting that."
“Yeah, she was pretty shaken up by it,” mused Shelley as she watched Tabby running toward her house. “I, uh…well, it wasn’t my intention to upset her. I just hope she doesn’t think I’m mad at her for bringing it up.” She turned her gaze to Gary and said, “Really, I’m not mad. I’m actually kind of glad to get it off my chest. I should have told yinz about it before; I don’t know why I didn’t. I guess it just never really came up.”
Tabby was only inside for a minute or two before coming right back out. She was still in her work uniform. Gary had a feeling she wasn't going to go with them.
"Roll down the window," Gary said to Shelley. The van didn't have electric windows and had to be cranked down. "I don't think she's coming with us."
“Yeah, I think you’re right,” said Shelley when she saw Tabby still in her Speedy’s uniform. She began cranking the window down as Gary had suggested.
"Hey, I'm uh, really sorry, but um, my mom said I couldn't go with you," Tabby explained. "You know, rough night and all and she thinks I need to rest and stuff after everything we've been through. Maybe we can catch up later?"
"Sure, completely understandable," Gary replied glancing to see what Shelley had to add.
“Bummer! But that’s okay, I understand,” said Shelley. “You’re mom’s probably right about you needing rest. Truth is, I wouldn’t mind crawling into bed for a little nap myself. But sure, we can get together whenever you want.” Shelley suspected Tabby’s mom wasn’t really the reason she wasn’t going to be coming with them, but it seemed best to just accept Tabby’s explanation without challenge. Tabby had clearly been shaken by her revelation, and Shelley figured she just needed time to think it over and come to grips with it.
*tags*
Shelley cranked the window back up as Tabby returned to her house. “Well, she took that pretty hard, I think. I hope she gets over it soon.”
Gary’s house was only a minute or two away. Shelley took a few minutes to change clothes, brush her hair, and spruce up her makeup, and then she and Gary were back in the van on their way to the newspaper office. “I guess Starla, Matt, and Trevor are all going to know about my jagoff ex-boyfriend by tomorrow. I imagine they’ll have lots of questions.” She turned to Gary. “How about you? Do you want to talk about it? I’m willing to discuss it if you want.”
*tags*
"Um," Tabby stammered. "I... uh... had no idea about all that... I'm sorry I brought it up..." She caught herself playing with a lock of hair and forced herself to stop. Again, she thought about lying in the darkness with her hands bound. She remembered wanting to fiddle with her hair and not being able.
Shelley could sense Tabby’s discomfort. She could understand it to a degree, but it seemed like her revelation had unsettled Tabby more than she would have expected. She shifted in her seat into a more sideways position facing towards Gary, so that she could look back over the seat to more easily make eye contact with Tabby. She gave her what she hoped was a comforting smile, and said, “It’s okay. Really. I should have told yinz about it a long time ago. So I had a boyfriend who turned out to be a jagoff, but so what? The important thing is I put that behind me and moved on with my life. And I met you guys! I don’t regret it.”
"I'll be right back," Tabby said quickly and opened the van door and shut it immediately behind her before running to the front porch. There was no covering up that she felt bad and was embarrassed by asking Shelley about her situation. She hoped her face hadn't turned bright red.
Gary noted Tabby's quick exit from the van. "I think she feels bad about asking you why you came here," Gary mused, once again stating the obvious. "She's only 14 and didn't think about it. I'm sure she wasn't expecting that."
“Yeah, she was pretty shaken up by it,” mused Shelley as she watched Tabby running toward her house. “I, uh…well, it wasn’t my intention to upset her. I just hope she doesn’t think I’m mad at her for bringing it up.” She turned her gaze to Gary and said, “Really, I’m not mad. I’m actually kind of glad to get it off my chest. I should have told yinz about it before; I don’t know why I didn’t. I guess it just never really came up.”
Tabby was only inside for a minute or two before coming right back out. She was still in her work uniform. Gary had a feeling she wasn't going to go with them.
"Roll down the window," Gary said to Shelley. The van didn't have electric windows and had to be cranked down. "I don't think she's coming with us."
“Yeah, I think you’re right,” said Shelley when she saw Tabby still in her Speedy’s uniform. She began cranking the window down as Gary had suggested.
"Hey, I'm uh, really sorry, but um, my mom said I couldn't go with you," Tabby explained. "You know, rough night and all and she thinks I need to rest and stuff after everything we've been through. Maybe we can catch up later?"
"Sure, completely understandable," Gary replied glancing to see what Shelley had to add.
“Bummer! But that’s okay, I understand,” said Shelley. “You’re mom’s probably right about you needing rest. Truth is, I wouldn’t mind crawling into bed for a little nap myself. But sure, we can get together whenever you want.” Shelley suspected Tabby’s mom wasn’t really the reason she wasn’t going to be coming with them, but it seemed best to just accept Tabby’s explanation without challenge. Tabby had clearly been shaken by her revelation, and Shelley figured she just needed time to think it over and come to grips with it.
*tags*
Shelley cranked the window back up as Tabby returned to her house. “Well, she took that pretty hard, I think. I hope she gets over it soon.”
Gary’s house was only a minute or two away. Shelley took a few minutes to change clothes, brush her hair, and spruce up her makeup, and then she and Gary were back in the van on their way to the newspaper office. “I guess Starla, Matt, and Trevor are all going to know about my jagoff ex-boyfriend by tomorrow. I imagine they’ll have lots of questions.” She turned to Gary. “How about you? Do you want to talk about it? I’m willing to discuss it if you want.”
*tags*
Gary noted Tabby's quick exit from the van. "I think she feels bad about asking you why you came here," Gary mused, once again stating the obvious. "She's only 14 and didn't think about it. I'm sure she wasn't expecting that."
“Yeah, she was pretty shaken up by it,” mused Shelley as she watched Tabby running toward her house. “I, uh…well, it wasn’t my intention to upset her. I just hope she doesn’t think I’m mad at her for bringing it up.” She turned her gaze to Gary and said, “Really, I’m not mad. I’m actually kind of glad to get it off my chest. I should have told yinz about it before; I don’t know why I didn’t. I guess it just never really came up.”
Gary just nodded understandingly. His eyes were fixed on the front door of the house.
Tabby was only inside for a minute or two before coming right back out. She was still in her work uniform. Gary had a feeling she wasn't going to go with them.
"Roll down the window," Gary said to Shelley. The van didn't have electric windows and had to be cranked down. "I don't think she's coming with us."
“Yeah, I think you’re right,” said Shelley when she saw Tabby still in her Speedy’s uniform. She began cranking the window down as Gary had suggested.
"Hey, I'm uh, really sorry, but um, my mom said I couldn't go with you," Tabby explained. "You know, rough night and all and she thinks I need to rest and stuff after everything we've been through. Maybe we can catch up later?"
"Sure, completely understandable," Gary replied glancing to see what Shelley had to add.
“Bummer! But that’s okay, I understand,” said Shelley. “Your mom’s probably right about you needing rest. Truth is, I wouldn’t mind crawling into bed for a little nap myself. But sure, we can get together whenever you want.” Shelley suspected Tabby’s mom wasn’t really the reason she wasn’t going to be coming with them, but it seemed best to just accept Tabby’s explanation without challenge. Tabby had clearly been shaken by her revelation, and Shelley figured she just needed time to think it over and come to grips with it.
"Yeah," she Tabby replied nervously. She was twisting a lock of red hair around her finger. "I'll see you guys later. Thanks for the ride, Gary!"
"Sure thing, Tabs," Gary replied. Tabby turned and headed back toward her house. She didn't run this time, but she didn't pause or look back, although she did turn to give a slight wave when she opened the door.
Shelley cranked the window back up as Tabby returned to her house. “Well, she took that pretty hard, I think. I hope she gets over it soon.”
Gary nodded. He put the van in gear and started driving to the end of Tabby's street.
Gary’s house was only a minute or two away. Shelley took a few minutes to change clothes, brush her hair, and spruce up her makeup, and then she and Gary were back in the van on their way to the newspaper office. “I guess Starla, Matt, and Trevor are all going to know about my jagoff ex-boyfriend by tomorrow. I imagine they’ll have lots of questions.” She turned to Gary. “How about you? Do you want to talk about it? I’m willing to discuss it if you want.”
"Uh, well... I mean if you need to talk about or want to talk about it, you can," Gary fumbled. "That's entirely up to you." Suddenly, he seemed a bit nervous himself, but Gary was never good with this kind of thing.
"I'll admit, I kind of suspected it was something like that. I figured if and when you'd wanted to tell me, you would."
They were already approaching the house. "So, do you want to make that phone call now or wait until we get back," Gary asked. "If your mom has a spare set of keys, she might be able to get them in the mail today and overnight them. That might be expensive, but not a fraction of the cost to rekey your door and ignition. That's up to you of course."
Gary pulled into the driveway beside the Trans-Am. It was in its usual spot, although its hood was facing toward the street instead of the house.
"I meant when you made that call of course," Gary clarified. He shut the engine off and hopped out. "You know what? You probably don't have a key to the house now, either! We probably should do something about that, too. Maybe I can get another one made at the hardware store while you're talking to the newspaper."
“Yeah, she was pretty shaken up by it,” mused Shelley as she watched Tabby running toward her house. “I, uh…well, it wasn’t my intention to upset her. I just hope she doesn’t think I’m mad at her for bringing it up.” She turned her gaze to Gary and said, “Really, I’m not mad. I’m actually kind of glad to get it off my chest. I should have told yinz about it before; I don’t know why I didn’t. I guess it just never really came up.”
Gary just nodded understandingly. His eyes were fixed on the front door of the house.
Tabby was only inside for a minute or two before coming right back out. She was still in her work uniform. Gary had a feeling she wasn't going to go with them.
"Roll down the window," Gary said to Shelley. The van didn't have electric windows and had to be cranked down. "I don't think she's coming with us."
“Yeah, I think you’re right,” said Shelley when she saw Tabby still in her Speedy’s uniform. She began cranking the window down as Gary had suggested.
"Hey, I'm uh, really sorry, but um, my mom said I couldn't go with you," Tabby explained. "You know, rough night and all and she thinks I need to rest and stuff after everything we've been through. Maybe we can catch up later?"
"Sure, completely understandable," Gary replied glancing to see what Shelley had to add.
“Bummer! But that’s okay, I understand,” said Shelley. “Your mom’s probably right about you needing rest. Truth is, I wouldn’t mind crawling into bed for a little nap myself. But sure, we can get together whenever you want.” Shelley suspected Tabby’s mom wasn’t really the reason she wasn’t going to be coming with them, but it seemed best to just accept Tabby’s explanation without challenge. Tabby had clearly been shaken by her revelation, and Shelley figured she just needed time to think it over and come to grips with it.
"Yeah," she Tabby replied nervously. She was twisting a lock of red hair around her finger. "I'll see you guys later. Thanks for the ride, Gary!"
"Sure thing, Tabs," Gary replied. Tabby turned and headed back toward her house. She didn't run this time, but she didn't pause or look back, although she did turn to give a slight wave when she opened the door.
Shelley cranked the window back up as Tabby returned to her house. “Well, she took that pretty hard, I think. I hope she gets over it soon.”
Gary nodded. He put the van in gear and started driving to the end of Tabby's street.
Gary’s house was only a minute or two away. Shelley took a few minutes to change clothes, brush her hair, and spruce up her makeup, and then she and Gary were back in the van on their way to the newspaper office. “I guess Starla, Matt, and Trevor are all going to know about my jagoff ex-boyfriend by tomorrow. I imagine they’ll have lots of questions.” She turned to Gary. “How about you? Do you want to talk about it? I’m willing to discuss it if you want.”
"Uh, well... I mean if you need to talk about or want to talk about it, you can," Gary fumbled. "That's entirely up to you." Suddenly, he seemed a bit nervous himself, but Gary was never good with this kind of thing.
"I'll admit, I kind of suspected it was something like that. I figured if and when you'd wanted to tell me, you would."
They were already approaching the house. "So, do you want to make that phone call now or wait until we get back," Gary asked. "If your mom has a spare set of keys, she might be able to get them in the mail today and overnight them. That might be expensive, but not a fraction of the cost to rekey your door and ignition. That's up to you of course."
Gary pulled into the driveway beside the Trans-Am. It was in its usual spot, although its hood was facing toward the street instead of the house.
"I meant when you made that call of course," Gary clarified. He shut the engine off and hopped out. "You know what? You probably don't have a key to the house now, either! We probably should do something about that, too. Maybe I can get another one made at the hardware store while you're talking to the newspaper."
“I guess Starla, Matt, and Trevor are all going to know about my jagoff ex-boyfriend by tomorrow. I imagine they’ll have lots of questions.” She turned to Gary. “How about you? Do you want to talk about it? I’m willing to discuss it if you want.”
"Uh, well... I mean if you need to talk about or want to talk about it, you can," Gary fumbled. "That's entirely up to you." Suddenly, he seemed a bit nervous himself, but Gary was never good with this kind of thing.
"I'll admit, I kind of suspected it was something like that. I figured if and when you'd wanted to tell me, you would."
They were already approaching the house. "So, do you want to make that phone call now or wait until we get back," Gary asked. "If your mom has a spare set of keys, she might be able to get them in the mail today and overnight them. That might be expensive, but not a fraction of the cost to rekey your door and ignition. That's up to you of course."
Gary pulled into the driveway beside the Trans-Am. It was in its usual spot, although its hood was facing toward the street instead of the house.
"I meant when you made that call of course," Gary clarified. He shut the engine off and hopped out. "You know what? You probably don't have a key to the house now, either! We probably should do something about that, too. Maybe I can get another one made at the hardware store while you're talking to the newspaper."
Shelley groaned. “Yeah, that’s right. The house key was on that same key ring. I’m sorry, Gary; I’ll cover the cost of the new key. And it would probably be best if I go ahead and make that call now. The sooner I call, the better the chances that my mom will be able to get to the post office before it closes.”
Once in the house, Shelley went right to the phone. She was nervous about making the call, not knowing how her mother was going to react, but it had to be made, and as she’d said to Gary, the sooner she made it, the better. She took a moment to think through what she wanted to say, and then picked up the receiver and dialed the number of her mother’s house back in Pittsburgh.
*tag Gary*
A few minutes later Shelley hung up the phone. The conversation with her mother had gone about as well as could be expected. There had been some tense moments during the call, but it had been good to hear her mother’s voice again, and Shelley had achieved what she had wanted. She’d been pretty focused on the conversation during the call, so she wasn’t sure how much of it Gary had overheard or what he would think about it.
Shelley took a few minutes to change clothes, brush her hair, and spruce up her makeup, and then she and Gary were back in the van on their way to the newspaper office. “Well, I called my mom. She said she’d send the spare key to the Firebird to me, so I should be getting it in a day or two,” Shelley said. “I asked her to throw in some cash as well, and she agreed.”
*tag Gary*
“So, my ex-boyfriend back in Pittsburgh was a guy named Tony Alphonso. I met him sometime last year, and we started dating. He was my date for the senior prom, in fact. He seemed so cool, and he was rich. That Firebird used to be his, but then he got himself a red Camaro, and gave me the Firebird as a Christmas gift. Huh…I just realized Marie and Tony drove the same kind of car. Are all red Camaro owners jagoffs? Anyway, I didn’t know where he got all his money until I found out he was a dealing drugs. One of his drug deals went bad and turned violent, and I witnessed part of it. When he realized I’d discovered his secret, he came after me, and I had to flee Pittsburgh.” Shelley shook her head in frustration. “I don’t know why I didn’t realize sooner what was going on; I guess I was just too naïve or something. I don’t want anything to do with that, and I hope I never see him again.”
*tag Gary*
"Uh, well... I mean if you need to talk about or want to talk about it, you can," Gary fumbled. "That's entirely up to you." Suddenly, he seemed a bit nervous himself, but Gary was never good with this kind of thing.
"I'll admit, I kind of suspected it was something like that. I figured if and when you'd wanted to tell me, you would."
They were already approaching the house. "So, do you want to make that phone call now or wait until we get back," Gary asked. "If your mom has a spare set of keys, she might be able to get them in the mail today and overnight them. That might be expensive, but not a fraction of the cost to rekey your door and ignition. That's up to you of course."
Gary pulled into the driveway beside the Trans-Am. It was in its usual spot, although its hood was facing toward the street instead of the house.
"I meant when you made that call of course," Gary clarified. He shut the engine off and hopped out. "You know what? You probably don't have a key to the house now, either! We probably should do something about that, too. Maybe I can get another one made at the hardware store while you're talking to the newspaper."
Shelley groaned. “Yeah, that’s right. The house key was on that same key ring. I’m sorry, Gary; I’ll cover the cost of the new key. And it would probably be best if I go ahead and make that call now. The sooner I call, the better the chances that my mom will be able to get to the post office before it closes.”
Once in the house, Shelley went right to the phone. She was nervous about making the call, not knowing how her mother was going to react, but it had to be made, and as she’d said to Gary, the sooner she made it, the better. She took a moment to think through what she wanted to say, and then picked up the receiver and dialed the number of her mother’s house back in Pittsburgh.
*tag Gary*
A few minutes later Shelley hung up the phone. The conversation with her mother had gone about as well as could be expected. There had been some tense moments during the call, but it had been good to hear her mother’s voice again, and Shelley had achieved what she had wanted. She’d been pretty focused on the conversation during the call, so she wasn’t sure how much of it Gary had overheard or what he would think about it.
Shelley took a few minutes to change clothes, brush her hair, and spruce up her makeup, and then she and Gary were back in the van on their way to the newspaper office. “Well, I called my mom. She said she’d send the spare key to the Firebird to me, so I should be getting it in a day or two,” Shelley said. “I asked her to throw in some cash as well, and she agreed.”
*tag Gary*
“So, my ex-boyfriend back in Pittsburgh was a guy named Tony Alphonso. I met him sometime last year, and we started dating. He was my date for the senior prom, in fact. He seemed so cool, and he was rich. That Firebird used to be his, but then he got himself a red Camaro, and gave me the Firebird as a Christmas gift. Huh…I just realized Marie and Tony drove the same kind of car. Are all red Camaro owners jagoffs? Anyway, I didn’t know where he got all his money until I found out he was a dealing drugs. One of his drug deals went bad and turned violent, and I witnessed part of it. When he realized I’d discovered his secret, he came after me, and I had to flee Pittsburgh.” Shelley shook her head in frustration. “I don’t know why I didn’t realize sooner what was going on; I guess I was just too naïve or something. I don’t want anything to do with that, and I hope I never see him again.”
*tag Gary*
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