"Well, I think that just about does it for our shopping trip," Buffie giggled, looking at the several large bags Jade and Jonatha were holding. "What now?"
"Well, I kind of...have to go in the opposite direction, of course. But it was so nice to meet all of you!" Ash looked at Jade in particular and smiled, though she didn't show a lot of emotion. Most girls didn't, anyway. "See y'all soon!"
"Bye!"
"Was nice meeting you!"
"Thanks, Ash," Nessa sighed.
Ash nodded in acknowledgement and walked on, out of the store and toward the parking lot.
Buffie looked over at Nessa. "I'm guessing you don't remember you're sleeping over at my house tonight," he exclaimed. "Mom left on a trip this morning, and I really hate being alone in the house. And she loves you. Thinks you are the best behaved friend I have."
Nessa shuddered at the mere prospect of going home to his family. "Probably because my new parents are so strict. I don't want to spend tonight getting the third degree in Korean if they found out some girl tried to attack me."
"I don't blame you, Nessa," Jonatha added. "I like the idea. Let's do it!" Jade nodded.
Buffie looked over. "You guys too? I mean, that's great. But you usually don't...Well, the more the merrier, right? I can teach you all about the finer points of being a boy. Although you seem to be faking it pretty well."
"That'd be good," Jonatha added. "Let's go, then." As the four walked out, Nessa realized something.
"Wait...I don't have any clothes, or a toothbrush."
"You live down the street from me," Buffie reminded him.
"Oh," Nessa sighed in relief.
"And me?" Jonatha asked.
"You're a block over on another street, and of course Jade's right there too."
"Well that's convenient," Jade chuckled.
Jonatha looked at him. "You've always lived that close to me. So has Buffie. Even before this..."
"I guess so. We go to the same school, we can't live that far apart."
"Let's do this!" The group piled back into the green Pontiac and drove back toward Lake Point. Nessa, sitting in the front passenger seat, aimlessly tuned the radio, hoping to find good music to listen to.
"Every song is about boys, and I know no songs at all," he sighed. "Like, almost nothing I recognize."
"Think about it," Jonatha explained. "If an artist suddenly sings in a lower or higher tone, maybe the types of songs that are written for them are totally different. Or someone got into music that didn't otherwise or vice versa."
"Butterflies, remember?" Jade chimed in.
