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Confession time: Marlowe and Percy ditched Grover as soon as they got to the bus terminal.
Marlowe knew it was bound to happen, so as soon as the bus pulled in, she grabbed her duffel bag and got ready to run.
Percy, on the other hand, felt bad for leaving his friend. But Grover was freaking him out, looking at him like he was a dead man, muttering, "Why does this always happen?" and "Why does it always have to be sixth grade?"
Grover had to use the bathroom—his bladder always acted up when he was upset—so Marlowe and Percy took this as an opportunity to grab the first taxi uptown.
"East One-hundred-and-fourth and First," Percy told the driver.
Then they were on their way.
"Thanks for letting me ride with you," Marlowe said, messing with the rings on her fingers.
Percy shrugged. "I couldn't leave you with Grover freaking out like that. He might have started planning your funeral instead."
Marlowe laughed lightly. "I just hope he has some pretty flowers next to my coffin." She tapped her chin, deep in thought. "Hm, maybe daisies, but pink! Ooh, those would be so pretty!"
Percy found himself smiling at her. He genuinely thought she was pretty and wondered why she would want to spend time with him of all people.
"What kind of flowers would be next to my coffin?" he asked.
"Definitely bluebells. You radiate...'blue', if that makes any sense," Marlowe tried to explain.
Percy knew she was right. He loved the color blue. It was kind of an inside joke he had with his mother: trying to make anything edible blue.
"No, it does," Percy said. "Maybe I'm just weird."
Marlowe furrowed her brows at him. "You're not weird. You're actually quite the opposite. I love the color pink," she said, pointing to her chest. "That doesn't mean I'm weird. We just happen to like a specific color a lot."
The black haired boy tried to ignore the compliment she gave him. He felt his cheeks start to turn to Marlowe's favorite color: pink.
The two kids were quiet for a majority of the ride. It wasn't uncomfortable, but nice and calming.
When the taxi driver pulled to the curb in front of an apartment complex, Marlowe looked up, a smile on her face. She was about to meet the greatest mother known to mankind.
"I have to warn you, about my step-father," Percy said, as the kids approached a door.
Marlowe gave a small smile. She knew all about Smelly Gabe and the horrible things he had done to Percy.
