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SAT ON THE curb, Jackie contemplated how far of a walk home really was. Would she get lost? Yeah, probably. Was wandering the streets on Halloween the worst thing that could happen? No, not really. She could probably convince some people she was a kid, definitely not too old to trick or treat.
She lost track of how long she sat there, foot digging into the gravel of the loose pavement. Billy surely couldn't drive home tonight, and that only added to the dread. He'd never let her behind the wheel of his precious Camaro, he'd drive that thing into a telephone pole, blacked out, before she could touch the wheel. And convincing him to leave the party wouldn't be easy, either.
Most of all, she missed California. She missed her friends, the sun, the warmth. The easy access to the ocean—where even was the closest beach in Indiana? Did they even have any? Most of all, she missed her dad. The divorce hadn't been easy, not on her, not on Max, and certainly not on Susan. They'd been separated for years, but at least they were still in the same state.
Now, she didn't know if she'd ever see him again. Yeah, he had his new family. Jackie wasn't sure if he'd even want her to visit, he'd send her money and birthday cards, but would she ever meet his new wife? Her half-siblings?
A familiar laugh down the road broke Jackie from her trance. She brightened a bit, remembering that she'd told Max which neighborhood to walk in. Quickly, she clambered to her feet and followed the sound of her sister's laugh.
"Max!" Jackie shouted, and her sister whirled. There were a few boys by her side, but she paid them no mind, snatching the pillowcase of candy from Max and sorting through it. "Anything good?"
"Hey!" Max protested, grabbing it back. "Aren't you supposed to be drunk at a party?"
"Ew. Please do not mention that God-awful party to me again." Then, as if really seeing the boys for the first time, Jackie raised her brows. "Who are your friends?"
"Dustin and Lucas," Max introduced, glancing at the two boys behind her. "The guys that were stalking me."
"We were not stalking you!" Lucas protested, his voice raised to a higher pitch which made Jackie laugh. "We were uh, just making sure she was fitting in okay!"
Jackie cocked an amused eyebrow at the boy, who studiously avoided her gaze. They were cute, both in Ghostbusters costumes. They had good taste in movies, and it instantly made her less suspicious of them. Not to mention they were jittery and obviously nervous with her arrival, she didn't know what Max had told them about her.
