Over the years nightmares have been a frequent friend in the Hopper house. Chills and a scream lodged in the back of her throat is the only way that Christine Hopper knows how to wake up. Her father tries hard to believe his daughter has a handle on...
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Ronda leans against the brick siding of the school building as the phone rings in her ear. She's at the payphone, waiting impatiently for someone to answer. "Come on, come on, come on."
Robbie and Chris sit on the bench beside her. Chris has her head in her hands, her eyes closed tight. Robbie traces circles on her back, trying to soothe the pain.
"Hello?" Ronda asks into the phone as the line picks up. Robbie peeks over at her, watching her nervously play with the phone wire.
"Hi."
"Hi, uh, Ms. Holland, it's Ronda."
"Oh, Ronda, how are you?" Mrs. Holland asks.
Ronda can hear her chopping food on the other end of the phone. She sounds okay, like nothing is wrong. "Good. I'm good. Um, I was just wondering, uh, is Barb there?"
"Mmm," Mrs. Holland stares out the kitchen window. "No, she hasn't come home yet."
"But she did come home, right?" wonders Ronda. "After the vigil?"
Mrs. Holland stops chopping her vegetables. "No, she said she was staying with you last night."
Ronda pinches the bridge of her nose. "Right, yes. She did, sorry. I meant, did she come home this morning?" Ronda's voice wavers a little bit as she bounces on the balls of her feet. Her brown eyes have turned watery. Her glasses slide down her nose slightly. "I think she left some textbooks and she was gonna go pick them up."
"Oh, um, no, I haven't seen her." Mrs. Holland sets down her cutting knife and grabs the phone with her hand, frowning slightly.
"Do—do you know what?" Ronda croaks. "I just remembered she's at the library."
"Ronda, will you please have her call me as soon as you find her?" Mrs. Holland questions. Her voice is stern.
"Yeah. Yeah, I will." Ronda hangs her head. "Sorry to bother you." She turns to Robbie and Chris, who have both turned their attention to her. She shakes her head, opening her mouth and closing it. She struggles to speak.
"Ronnie," Robbie begins, rising to his feet. He helps Chris up, putting his arm around her shoulders. "I know you're worried about her, okay? She's a friend and you...care about her, but it's fine. Barbara is just skipping. You said it yourself, she got upset with Nancy and—"
"No!" she blurts. "You don't understand." Ronda bites her tongue. She looks between Chris and Robbie. She sighs heavily and turns on her feet, heading toward the parking lot.
"Ronnie," her brother calls. Robbie takes Chris's hand and pulls her after the crying girl. "Hey, then tell us." Robbie catches her arm, causing the three of them to stop abruptly. "You can tell us what's really going on."
