But then Linda remembered the spare key in a hidden spot among the shrubs. She found it, then used it to get inside. For some reason, it slipped her mind. But given what she was wearing right now and the circumstances in which she found herself wearing it, it was understandable why she wasn't thinking clearly.
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Mrs. Thompson was taking roll call in her class, making sure everyone was there. It was something that most teachers didn't do, but she did. "Stephanie Wright?" When no one answered, she repeated the question. Looking around, she didn't see the Goth girl anywhere. Her eyes then zeroed in on Jon Gibson. "Mr. Gibson, do you know where your friend is?"
The mention of his name broke Jon out of his thoughts. Ever since that morning, he wasn't feeling quite like himself. Oh, he wasn't sick or anything. He just felt different, for some reason. But when he looked over himself, he didn't see anything odd about himself. He was wearing the same thing he put on that morning - a black T-shirt over a fishnet shirt, black leather pants, black buckled boots, and a studded collar. His hair was still long and dyed black, and he still had his thick eyeliner, black painted nails, and nose piercing. He put his handbag on the floor, putting his confusion about himself aside for the moment, and looked up at the teacher. "My friend?" At first, he thought she meant Karyn. But she didn't take this class with him.
"Yes, Stephanie. Do you know where she is?"
Did she mean Stephanie Wright? He paused for a moment, then realized that yes. Yes, Stephanie was his friend. They were both Goths after all. "No, I don't."
The teacher sighed, thinking that she had skipped class again. Technically, that was true, but it wasn't for the usual reasons.
======
"I really hope he's okay," Stephanie said, as they searched for Mikey outside in the neighborhood.
Zoe turned and raised an eyebrow at her friend. "You seem awfully concerned. You okay? Since when did you care so much about my little brother?"
Stephanie just shrugged. "I just do. I mean, ever since becoming close friends with Jon, Mikey almost seems like family, you know?"
"Yeah, sure ... wait, what? Friends with Jon? But you're ..." Zoe trailed. She was about to say that Stephanie was friends with her, but the more she thought about it, the less it made sense. After all, Zoe didn't have much in common with the Goth girl. No one would ever think that Zoe Gibson was anything close to a Goth. But her brother, on the other hand, he definitely looked like a Goth. She had this strange feeling that something wasn't right. That things had changed, for both herself and her brother, but she just shrugged it off. She just got mixed up. That was all. "Sorry, forget I said anything. This whole situation is making my mind ..."
"You don't have to explain it. I feel the same way," Stephanie said.
"Mikey!" Zoe yelled out suddenly, spotting him rushing towards their house from down the road. "Where were you?"
Stopping in his tracks, Mikey looked at Zoe as if he were looking at a stranger. Because right now, she didn't look much like the sister he remembered. First of all, her ethnicity was definitely leaning more towards African than Caucasian, with her skin having a mocha tone to it. And her clothing consisted of a tight bright red T-shirt, blue jeans, and sneakers. Mikey had no idea who this girl was or how she knew him. But he did sort of recognize the Goth girl standing next to her. He couldn't remember her name, but he remembered her hanging out with his sister Zoe occasionally.
"What's wrong?" Zoe asked, seeing Mikey looking confused.
"Who are you?" Mikey asked, cautiously approaching.
Now it was Zoe who was confused. "What do you mean? I'm Zoe. Your sister?"
"Zoe?" Mikey asked, stunned, his eyes wide.
