Notes: Chapter Twelve. Hooray! I may just finish this story! I would have uploaded last night, but High School Musical 2 was on. I'm sorry. The next chapter is definitely the WHAM!! never saw it coming chapter. But I hope You like this one. It was a 'leading to the next' type.
Warning: Language and Violence.
Summary: They were her boys. She was their girl. They were all best friends. Together forever. After the Ray Brower adventure, then what? What happens after? Find out here.
Disclaimer: See Chapter One
Reminder: Please review!


No more pencils
No more books
No more teacher's dirty looks
Well we got no class
And we got no principles
And we got no innocence
We can't even think of a word that rhymes
-Schools Out, Alice Cooper

The rest of the school year went by slowly with nothing really worth mentioning, but it finally ended.

Thank God, you know?

One step closer to High School (which means no more Home Ec. and all-girls gym!)

My boys and I were still as close as before, possibly closer.

Possibly.

I passed Art if that's what you're thinking. I didn't really draw anything though. I found out there were hundreds, maybe even thousands, of ways to pass Art.

Gordie asked me about it once. The topic for that 3-day period was FREEDOM. I had taken construction paper, ripped it into a bunch of tiny pieces, and was gluing them to a piece of white poster board when Gordie turned to me all calm-like and said, "You haven't drawn anything in almost five months."

It actually took me a moment to realize he was talking to me.

Weird, I know.

I turned to him. "And your point is…"

Looking back, I realized I sounded cold. There was Gordie trying to be nice and I had to be a bitch.

Ha, some friend.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his eyebrows coming together as if he would know if I was lying or not.

Others around us who may have heard that may have thought it was just a simple question from one friend to another. But I know now that he meant it to hit deeper.

Make any sense?

I didn't think so. But it's hard to explain.

Some of the most important things are the hardest to say.

I opened my mouth to say one thing, and: "I'm fine. Really. Don't worry about me." Came out.

What kind of friend am I if I can't even say, 'My mother hates me and wants me to live an awful life and die a horrible death'?

A kind that doesn't want to worry her friends.

That kind.

"I just haven't been in the mood to draw. I just don't feel like it anymore." I told him.

I could hear this little voice in my head singing that stupid 'Lair, lair, pants on fire…' song.

Gordie looked as if he had heard it too. The look on his face told me he figured I was lying. But he never brought it up again. And he never told the guys either.

On the other hand, if he did, they never said anything.

ANYWAY! Like I said, school ended.

We were all thankful for that.

Yes, well school ended...where to go on from there...

Okay, never mind, I know.

&♥ - - »

"No more school!" Teddy shouted on the walk home on the last day of school.

I twirled around as I threw ripped notebook paper in the air and spun around in them again, getting them all over me. I started to sing, "No more teachers, no more books, no more teachers dirty looks!" I did some silly little dance before I threw more paper in the air and did some odd jump-twirl thing. I giggled some more and turned to the boys. "Only one more year until High School."

"Guess we don't have to ask if you're excited." Gordie said.

I gave him a DUH look. "Are you an R-tard?" I twirled again. Then I stopped and fell back into step with them again. "Okay, I'm done this time. Sincerely." I had done that twirl-jump-spin-twirl thing all the way from school and kept saying I was done. But then I would just do it again.

Chris reached over, pulled a scrap of notebook paper out of my hair and flicked it at me.

"Funny Chambers. Real funny." I shook my head like a wet dog and combed my fingers through it to get rid of any leftover scraps.

We walked about a block, maybe a block and a half when Vern said, "I almost forgot, my folks said it was okay if we tent out in my back field tonight."

I always wanted to ask Vern what caused him to think about that just then. It had gone from school, to paper scraps, to that.

Guess I could never ask him now.

We all agreed to meet at the treehouse around four as we came to the corner where Vern and I went right, Teddy went left, and Chris and Gordie went straight.

As I walked down the alleyway that took me to the street my house was on (as I kicked an old, rusty can down the dusty street) I thought about what might happen when we got older and really started noticing the opposite sex. Would we still be able to do the 'End of Year Tent-Out' or would it just be too awkward?

I didn't know just then, and I didn't want to spend all my energy thinking about it because I knew, I just knew, Truth or Dare would be Number One on the list of things to do.

I hate that game.

And that stupid tradition of playing it at every tent-out.

The person responsible for creating that game should have been shot.

Personal opinion of course.

I unlocked the front door and let myself inside. Mom was asleep of course. I went to my room and put all of my old school stuff in the drawer in my little out-cove part of my room where a dresser, desk and a couple random things were.

I grabbed my small pack and put an extra set of clothes in it just in case of something.

At the 5th grade tent out, when I wasn't looking, Gordie and Teddy poured when felt like 10 gallons of water over my head.

No change of clothes.

I almost killed them. But the farthest I got was a good couple of hits with a branch for the fire.

I threw in my bathing suit because in the very back on his field, there was a small lake/big pond type thing.

Thankfully, no leeches.

I tied two blankets together with an old belt, put my stuff by the front door, and wrote a small note to my mother.

(Makes it seem like I'm running away.)

Mom,

End of Year Tent-Out tonight. Be at Vern's. Call if something happens.

Bailey.

I added his phone number (though she never called the Tessio's. And if she did, I never knew about it.) I put it in the kitchen and, even if it was only three thirty, I left.