Different Is Good

Chapter three

Jess chose not to address the whole "Lindsey" situation that had occurred a few nights before. He felt that Barbara getting a hold of Stephanie was good enough.

"Have you seen Norman Bates lately?" Chris nudged his sister as he barged in her room without knocking
"That's not funny" she said, straight faced.

"I thought it was."

"You're a poor judge"

"Ouch! What's eating you?" Chris asked, continuing to pester his sister.
"Mom and Dad wont let me live it down! They watch me every time I leave the house! I've caught Mom staring at me through the fucking window!"

"I tried to tell you...you chose to go help him," Chris smirked
"He needed help. If I wouldn't have stuck up for him, he'd be in jail or something. Those officers were going to arrest him."

"For what? A string of murders outside Santa Fe?" Chris chuckled at his own cleverness.

"You're no help Chris. He's not what you think."
"Well he surely isn't helping his case any," pointing out the window to Lindsey's house where more cop cars were pulling up. Ruth Buckingham running toward them in hysterics followed by the rest of the family.
"I wonder what's going on now?" Stevie thought allowed.

"I told you, he's been found out."

"He has not. I just...I need to go out there and see."

"No way. You got us both in trouble last time. I knew not to plot with you."
"Maybe I'll just have to tell Mom you smoked weed on the roof and said the smell was a annul across the street..."
"You wouldn't dare"

"Oh, but I would"

"What if I share?" Chris offered and Stevie looked thoughtful a moment.

"No dice." she said, opening her window. "See ya"
"Don't get killed!"

"I'll try!" Stevie replied as she hopped down. Jogging over to Morris he met her at the edge of the lawn. "Have you seen Lindsey?!" He was frantic

"N-no, not since the other night..."
"You're sure?" He placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Y-yes, I'm sure." Stevie too became panicked. "You don't think..."

"His mother is fearing the worst."
"I want to help," Stevie replied without hesitation

"Are you sure?" Morrison asked

"Of course. I'll help look for him!" Stevie jumped at he pulled her into his arms

"Lindsey has never had a friend before..."
"He does now" Stevie said, smiling softly as he pulled away. He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. She oils see the worry in his eyes. "We'll find him, Mr Buckingham."

"Please, call me Morris."
"He likes to take walks but he says he always stays on the sidewalks, would you mind taking a walk?" Morris asked

"Of course I will!"
She and Morris walk down the sidewalk, seeing if they can spot him. The community wasn't so large that he could not be found.
"Do you know when he might have left?"

"I don't know." Morris stopped, at a loss. How could he not realize his own son was missing? "He never leaves without telling us where he is going. He knows to come right back, not to take too long."
"Want me to look in the woods?" Stevie asked, they lived on the edge of the neighborhood which meant that a patch of woods was located behind their houses

"Would you?"

"Yeah, I used to go back there all the time."
"Is that a popular hang out?" Morris asked. Stevie shrugged, not wanting to tell them that kids form school would go back there to neck and smoke pot after school. "Your parents raised a good kid"