CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Molly answered the door to see Binky's mother and Mei-Lin, a cast pressed on her face. Molly gave her a stern glance before really looking at Binky's mother, who was bringing her daughter over to help with James' project.

"Um…he's at the supermarket with Mom. I guess you can wait here. They shouldn't be long," Molly whispered, letting them into the living room. She'd just finished vacuuming for her mom, something her mom asked her to do because she was having friends over. James was never mentioned, meaning that she wasn't expecting Mei-Lin, and she certainly wasn't expecting Mei-Lin in the state she was in.

"Um…what's your name again?" Mrs. Barnes asked. Molly told her. "Okay, Molly, could you get me a small glass of water? I am parched."

Molly brought her a glass of water, grabbing a small juice box for Mei-Lin. She refused it immediately, tossing it across the room. Molly was immediately furious. Why would a girl her age do such a thing? What if Molly had opened it beforehand? The stain would be permanent.

"Oh, sorry about that," Mrs. Barnes giggled. "I'm thinking of signing her up for tee ball next year. What do you think?" she asked with a bright smile. Molly stared at her blankly. "Well I guess you're not into sports," she whispered, taking a small sip of the water. Molly wondered if she'd chuck the water if she was unhappy with it, but she remained silent, retrieving the juice box on her way to put up the vacuum cleaner.

"Oh, you must be Mrs. Barnes!" Molly's mom called. Molly finished her task, putting the juice box back in the fridge as James put a bag of bread on the counter.

"Why do you have a juice box?" James asked. Molly then remembered that James didn't drink those anymore. A box was leftover from when he started turning them down, but Molly didn't take any thinking they were still his.

"I thought Mei-Lin would want one. Is she always so ill behaved? She tossed it across the room," Molly said sternly but softly, using her mother's loud chitchat to cover her voice.

"They seem to pamper her a lot. That's strange that she'd do it in our house. I was hoping it was something she only did it home because she could get away with it," James whispered, leading her out to the car so they could both bring in groceries.

But Mrs. Barnes wouldn't have it. She pleaded that Molly was capable, asking James to hurry so that she and Mei-Lin could do shopping on their own. Their mother was appalled, shaking her head at Mrs. Barnes.

"I'm sorry, but the kids bring in the groceries together. You and Mei-Lin can wait patiently, otherwise you may both come on another day," she said sternly.

Suddenly Mei-Lin broke into a tantrum, sending the glass of water her mother was holding onto the floor. Though Molly was vacuuming, the floor was hardwood. The glass spread everywhere, infuriating her mother. She immediately stood and pointed to the door.

"I don't think I want your daughter working with James anymore. You're both bad influences on him," she called after them, sighing heavily as she turned to her two stunned children. "I'll sweep while you bring in the groceries," she said, grabbing a broom from a side closet.

When the tasks were done, sandwiches were made and they all sat at the table. After a few minutes of watching the news together, their mom turned off the television and turned to her children.

"Just to make sure I was right in my threat," she grinned, "what can you two tell me about the Barnes household?"

"Binky has a lot of trouble with them. He was friends with Rattles and me through school, but he's trying harder to do better in school. Unfortunately, his parents don't seem to notice him. I think they're abusing him, Mom. I know parents are supposed to be strict, but should one person do all the chores? When I took James over yesterday, he was afraid to allow me help rake because his dad might yell, and he did yell at him for taking two seconds to talk to me."

"Is he the only one who does chores?" her mom asked. Molly nodded.

"At least I assume he's the only one," Molly added. Her mom nodded, sighing quietly.

"What about that girl's face? That's a heavy-duty cast she had on her nose."

"She didn't have that when I visited the other day," James replied. Their mom sighed quietly, grabbing a book out of her purse. She flipped through it before pulling out a business card. It was for her friend at a county office that worked with at-risk children.

"I know some about the family, but now that I've heard what you both told me, I think I should ask if Mei-Lin has come in with any more injuries," she whispered, tapping the card as she took to her seat.

"No, it's not Mei-Lin that they abuse," Molly corrected. "It's only Binky. Mei-Lin is the golden child because she's really smart. Binky had to work to get his knowledge, but they don't even care that he's in advanced classes. He wasn't like me either. He pulled away from Rattles, but when Rattles broke in to talk to him, they thought he had something to do with it. Binky is their target, never her."

"Has he been injured?" her mom asked. Molly shook her head; at least she didn't think he'd ever been injured. "I'll call her and see what she can do about this. I know I said I wasn't much in a helping mood, Molly, but after seeing that, I know I can do more. You keep an eye on him, okay? Just don't let it interfere with your studies."

"I know," Molly promised.

With lunch finished, Molly and James decided to go to the park to finish his homework and play catch. They were both pretty quiet though because of the morning's events. Molly was even tempted to stop by their house to see what could be going on, but she decided against it because James was with her. Maybe her mom would let her go out later to check on him; she certainly seemed on board with the idea of helping Binky.

"Do you think I could find someone else to do my project with?" James asked on their way home. Molly nodded.

"There are plenty of kids in Elwood City, James. You just have to find the right ones."

They stopped for ice cream, a welcomed treat on the hot day. Summer was definitely over in Molly's mind. She'd start GED classes the next day, ending her life as a rebel to society. She was happy to the change. But like her mother, she wanted to help someone else too.

A/N: It's nice to know Molly and her family are going to attempt to help Binky and save him from his situation. We'll see if they have any success in a later chapter. Next, we'll visit Arthur on Monday morning. He's about to come face to face with the funeral home, but seeing Grandma Thora is the least of his problems. Did Grandma Thora have secrets? Find out in Chapter Thirty-Nine