Something There: Chapter 2

Once Jeff and Dusty got inside of Jeff's home, Dusty noticed there were two other people there: two more of her classmates, Clarence and Sumo. They both noticed Dusty as well, Clarence got excited that there was someone new to play with.

"Hi!" Clarence said and waved. "Uh…sorry, I forgot your name again."

Dusty gave him a slight smile. "It's Dusty," she replied.

Clarence grinned. "Oh, hi Dusty!" he said.

Sumo waved. "Hey there, Dusty," he said.

Dusty waved back. "Hi!" she said. "Sumo, right?"

Sumo nodded. "You're spot on," he said.

Dusty nodded in approval. "Awesome," she said.

Jeff picked up the phone, looking at the numbers and then at Dusty. "What's your mom's phone number?'

Dusty told him her mother's number, and Jeff punched the digits into the wall phone. The phone rang four times, when a woman's voice finally answered.

"Hello?" the woman said. Jeff assumed that it was Dusty's mother that had picked up, but he decided to check first.

"Hi, this is Jeff Randell, one of Dusty's classmates. Is this her mother that I'm speaking to?"

"Why, yes it is!" Dusty's mother replied. "What can I do for you, young man?"

Jeff started, "Dusty was walking home from school when it started to rain and I spotted her outside. I let her in and I told her that I'd call you."

Dusty's mother said, "So she's with you right now? Oh, thank you! I was worried sick about her! Thank goodness I know where she is now." She paused. "…May I speak to her, please?" she finally asked.

Jeff said, "Of course! I'll go get her." He looked over at Dusty, who was having a conversation with Clarence and Sumo. "Dusty," he called.

Dusty looked over at Jeff. "Yes?" she said.

Jeff held out the phone. "It's your mother," he said.

Dusty stood up and walked over. Jeff gave her the phone, and Dusty put it to her right ear. "Hello?" she said nervously, afraid that her mom was about to yell at her through the phone.

"Dusty!" she shrieked. "I was so worried about you! Why didn't you call earlier?"

Dusty said, "I'm not allowed to have a cell phone, and I ran out of money for the payphone."

Dusty's mother, as Dusty suspected, yelled through the phone out of anger and worriedness. "Dusty!" she shrieked again. "Please, come home right this instance! You have a lot to think about!"

Dusty was getting upset now, because she had wanted to stay with Jeff and the others. "But mom!" she said out of frustration.

Dusty's mother was getting more annoyed and angry by the second. "No buts! You are going to be in so much trouble, young lady!"

Jeff was looking at Dusty in confusion. He sighed a little and looked back at his two friends.

Dusty was trying to think of a way to stay with her cube-headed classmate and the others. She thought of something that might work. She would make a deal with her mother. "Mom," she started. "If you let me stay here with Jeff, Sumo, and Clarence, I promise that I will try my hardest to behave and not get in detention ever again for the rest of the school year!"

Dusty could hear her mom try to catch her breath over the phone from all that yelling and bellyaching. Then she finally said, "So you're saying that if I let you stay at your friend's house, you'll promise not to get another detention for the rest of the school year?"

Dusty replied, "You're pretty much spot on." She heard Sumo say, "Hey, I said that earlier!"

Dusty chuckled a little bit before listening to her mom say, "Alright, but you're promising to do this. No backing out of this, missy. Do you understand?"

Dusty agreed, "Of course I understand."

Dusty's mother then said, "But sweetie, the only problem is that you don't have a change of clothes. You said you were staying the whole night, correct?"

Dusty realized that her mother would never let her sleepover at a boy's house, but why did she sound like she was okay with it now? She said, "But mom, you'd never let me sleepover at the opposite gender's house."

Jeff sat up straighter. "Sleepover?" he said. "Here?" Jeff then blushed slightly. Clarence noticed this, and said, "Uh, Jeff? Why is your face red? It looks like a tomato."

Jeff then tried to hide the fact that he was indeed blushing, and said quickly and anxiously, "What? I'm not blushing, are you blushing? You're the one who's blushing!"

"Tee hee!" Clarence giggled, and continued to talk to the two of them.

Dusty's mother continued, "Well, I figured your mature enough to handle it. Should I bring over your pajamas and a change of clothes, if your friend's mother is alright with it?"

Dusty looked over at Jeff and looked away. "Uh huh," she said.

"Alright," Dusty's mother said. "Well, if your friend's mother says it's okay, call me back!"

"Okay," Dusty said.

"I love you," Dusty's mother said lovingly. "Behave, okay?"

Dusty rolled her eyes but said, "Alright, alright, I will."

Dusty's mother said, "Alright. Bye now!" Dusty's mother hung up.

Dusty put the phone back on the wall, and went over to the three boys. Jeff looked up at Dusty, and then stood up.

"So," Jeff said. "What did she have to say?"

"Well," Dusty started. "My mom thinks I'm sleeping over here, but I'm not sure if your mom would be okay with that."

Jeff's blushing started to come back, but luckily Dusty didn't really notice. Jeff said, "Oh, yeah, that. Heh heh." He scratched the back of his head and continued, "Well, maybe I can ask my mom and have Clarence and Sumo ask their parents."

Clarence and Sumo looked over. "Sleepover?" they both said simultaneously.

Jeff nodded at the both of them, and said, "I think we should all ask our parents. What do you think, Dusty?"

Dusty nodded back at Jeff. "Sure, it would be super fun to spend the night here with all of you!"

Jeff smiled a little bit before saying "Okay guys, call your parents, and I'll ask mine. If they all agree, then I guess it's settled. Do you have a pair of pajamas and a change of clothes, Dusty?"

Dusty shook her head. "Not yet," she said. "But my mom said that if all of your parents agree, she would come over and bring some for me."

Jeff tilted his head. "Do you live in the neighborhood? If you do, you could just walk over."

Dusty said, "I live like 20 minutes away from here. Plus, I think it's still raining."

Jeff looked outside. "Oh yeah," he said. "You're right. It's pouring pretty hard out there."

"But hey," Dusty said. "If all of our parents say it's okay, this sleepover could be a lot of fun!"

Jeff smiled again. "Yeah," he said. "It could."