The Mystery of the Missing Pint (A Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys FanFiction)

Chapter Three: Lots of Friends

"Bess, it's darling!" Mrs. Marvin admired her daughter's new haircut. It was just off her shoulders, straightened, and part of it was pinned back in her new silver clip. Bess had decided to take Hannah's advice and had done just as she had said she wanted in the car.

"Mom," Bess said, "You said that if I was good I could stay the night with Nancy. George is going to. It'll be a sleepover party! Oh, can I go, pleeeeaaasssssseeee?"

Mrs. Marvin laughed, "Of course, dear. Just let me gather your things, and I'll take you right over."

Bess was bubbling with excitement. She couldn't wait to have fun with her two best friends! When she arrived at Nancy's house, she was surprised to see that George wasn't the only other guest.

"Nancy? How many of us are staying the night?" Bess drug her princess pink sleeping bag through the Drews's yard and onto the porch.

"Well, let's see," Nancy pointed to their friends as she called out their names, "There's Ned, George, you, me, Deirdre, Brenda, and two others are coming later. It's a surprise. Well, that's what Daddy told me. I don't know who they are yet."

"Wow, that's," Bess looked skyward as she counted in her head, "eight of us?"

Nancy nodded her head, "I know, isn't it great!"

Just then George walked up. She didn't look too happy. Bess asked very concerned, "What's the matter, George?"

"Deirdre and Brenda are making fun of me. It wouldn't bother me if they hadn't been talking about you guys too."

"What did they say?" Bess asked, curious.

"Don't tell us," Nancy said, "Bess, it'll just make us upset. George, whatever they said it isn't true. We just need to ignore them, okay?"

"Yeah, okay," George mumbled.

"Well, I want to know what they said," Bess's stubborn side was beginning to show through, "Go ahead, tell me. It won't upset me."

"Bess..." Nancy warned.

"They said that Nancy was just a nosy, know-it-all redhead...and they called you a snobby, goody goody two shoes blondie that couldn't think for yourself."

Tears welled up in Bess's eyes. Her bottom lip began to pouch out and quiver. Nancy took her friend and swallowed her in a reassuring hug. "It's okay, Bess. They don't know what they're talking about. You're incredibly intelligent and not at all snobbish. You're sweet and you should consider 'goody two shoes' a compliment, in my opinion."

"Yeah," George chimed in, "Besides they're both gossip-obsessed, bubble-headed, glamour-lacking, drama-"

Nancy shot George a look, "George, we shouldn't lower ourselves to that standard. Just because they called us names, doesn't mean we should call them names back."

"Yeah," George sighed, "You're right. I know that. It's just...It's just that...Why have they got to be so mean? Don't they know that their words hurt?"

"No, they don't take that into account, George," Nancy's mother squatted next to the group. She had overheard some of the conversation and come to give her advice, "They only say things like that because they don't feel included. They want to fit in with you all, but don't feel like they can."

"So they put us down?" Nancy asked confused.

"Well, in order to make themselves feel good, it's the only thing they know to do." Her mother responded.

"Why did you even invite them?" Bess whimpered.

"Mom made me," Nancy answered, "Believe me, if it were my choice, I wouldn't have." Nancy stuck her tongue out at the two rich girls who stood across the yard whispering and snickering.

"Oh, Nancy," Elizabeth Drew scolded, "Now that's not nice at all. I made you invite them because they have no friends and I thought that they might enjoy staying the night. You should all make a special effort to include them. Maybe if you all make friends with them, you'll find that they aren't so mean after all."

"I doubt that," George snorted and crossed her arms.

Mrs. Drew just gave them all a look and strode off.

"I'll be nice if you all will," Bess said, her tears drying. The other two pinkie promised to do the same. The whole group decided to do their best to live out sticks and stones.

The three friends went into the kitchen to meet up with Ned. Deirdre and Brenda followed smiling confidently at the world.

"Ned!" Bess and George ran up to the blonde, blue-eyed boy that stood aside the kitchen counter. Nancy waved at him from behind. She had already greeted him.

"Hey guys, how goes it with you all?" he smiled. Ned and Bess were in the same class this year. George, Nancy, Deirdre, and Brenda were in a different class together.

"Good, and you?" George asked.

"Fine. Ooh, my parents said that we're going on a surprise vacation this spring! I'm so excited."

"I wonder where it is," Deidre said suspiciously as she walked by him. Deirdre and Brenda both had a huge crush on Ned, but he wasn't quite into girls just yet. At least, not them. The group conversed for ten minutes before Carson walked in.

"Daddy!" Nancy squealed. She ran and jumped into his arms.

He picked her up and swung her around in a circle, "How's My Pumpkin?!"

"I thought you were going to work tonight?" she asked when he set her down.

"Nope," he smiled, "Well, I will be working, but from my office here. So if you need anything just come on in. But right now, I've got an errand to run. I'll be back after a while." He kissed the top of his daughter's forehead, waved to the other children, and then left.

Hannah walked into the kitchen with a large tray of milk and freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. "I don't have anyone to eat all of these cookies for me. I'm too full. Oh what will I do?" She walked into the living room, chased by yelling children, and set the tray on the coffee table. "Don't make a mess!" She smiled as she headed back into the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron.