Not Just Another Number

You're Not Crazy

Sarah's POV

I pull up into an empty parking space in front of the Family Video. I shut the car off and climb out, Dustin and Max close behind me. Dustin and Max run up to the doors and throw them open.

"Hey, Steve." Dustin says as we walk up to the counter. Steve, Robin, and Christine are behind the counter, facing the small TV above them. I look up at it and see that it's on the news channel. The TV shows the trailer park, now full of onlookers and police.

Steve looks us, concern written all over his face. "Have you guys seen this?" He asks, mostly to the two teens in front of me.

"How many phones do you have?"

"Someone was murdered." Christine points out.

"How many phones do you have?!" Dustin asks again in a louder voice.

"Two, why?" Steve asks, looking over at the phones on the counter. Robin raises her hand, joining in. "Technically three, if you count Keith's in the back." I look down at Dustin and Max, raising an eyebrow to them. Max nods, looking at Dustin. "Three works."

Dustin nods and pulls his bag off his shoulder. Steve gives him a weird look. "What are you doing?" He asks. Dustin ignores him, instead shoving his bag over the counter. Robin, Steve, and Christine jump back, trying to get out of his way.

"My pile!" Robin cries, arms in the air in disbelief. Dustin, continuing to climb onto the counter himself and push himself over onto the other side. In doing so, he knocks over a pile of tapes on the counter. "My tapes! Dude!" Steve yells, looking down at the tapes sadly.

Max and I shake our heads and decide to just walk around the counter. We walk to the small gate separating us and open it. Christine, who's now sitting on the counter near one of the phones, gives us a confused look, tapping her finger on top of her knee as she watches us.

Dustin stands at one of the computers on the counter and begins to type something. Steve, who has yet to get over his fallen tapes, moves over to Dustin. "What are you doing man?"

"Setting up base of operations here."

"Base of operations?" Robin asks as she cleans the mess Dustin made. Max moves over to Dustin, watching him do something to the computer. "Get off." Steve groans.

"I need it."

"Need it for what?"

"Eddie's friends' phone numbers."

Steve rolls his eyes and crosses his arms. "Oh Eddie, your new best friend you think is cooler because he plays your nerdy game?" Dustin groans while nodding his head, before finally processing Steve's words. He furrows his eyebrows as he looks up at Steve. "I never said that."

I shake my head at their bickering, leaning against the counter, right next to Christine. She looks down at me, raising an eyebrow. "So, you gonna explain what that frantic call was about?" She asks.

"Soon, don't worry." I tell her. She nods before looking back over at Robin. The girl in question, is restacking the tapes on the counter while she scolds Dustin, Max, and I. "Seriously, you guys, maybe on a Monday you can play around and yell like toddlers, but it's Saturday. It's our busiest day."

"Look Robin, I totally empathize, but this cannot wait until Monday." Dustin tells her, turing back to the computer screen. Steve groans again while running his hands down his face.

Robin scoffs, not looking at us. "What, calling all of Eddie's friends is an emergency?"

"Correct!"

Steve shakes his head and moves to help Robin finish cleaning. "Do you want me to strangle him or ou want to? 'Cause obviously Sarah won't." He asks. I stifle a laugh at his comment, shaking my head. Robin looks back up at him with a sarcastic smile. "We could take turns." Now it's Christine's turn to laugh.