Being suspended from school might have sucked, but at least I still had the McBride kids to hang out with. I also got to spend some time with the other neighbors, like the Marchams on the other side of us or the Keiths across the street from us. The Marchams, in particular, seemed really nice. They only consisted of this lady named Linda and another older lady named Martha. I guess they were roommates or something, but I never got a confirmation on what their relationship was like. Either way, they seemed pretty handsy with each other. As for the Keiths, they seemed like they were still getting used to this part of the state years after they moved here. They seemed like that typical white suburban family you would see on sitcoms like "Family Ties." They always seemed so cheery and optimistic, always eager to face the situation at hand. Hell, I even got to babysit for them once or twice on the weekends (with Namęšéme's permission, of course).

Anyway, my first day of suspension truly began for me when Mrs. Keith invited me and Namęšéme to join her and the rest of her family over for lunch. It didn't matter what they were serving. I wanted to be out of the house ASAP. So Namęšéme and I walked about five to six feet over to the Keiths' house across from us. As soon as we made it up to the front door, Namęšéme gave it a couple knocks and waited.

"Coming!" Mrs. Keith yelled out from behind the door.

She soon opened up and let me and Namęšéme inside. Immediately, I managed to spot the rest of the Keiths at the kitchen table.

"Hey, guys," I said. "How's it going?"

"It's good," Mr. Keith simply replied. "Why aren't you in school right now?"

Namęšéme cleared his throat. "Well, it's a long story, Randy, but Jessica got in trouble at school for supposedly standing up to bullies. However, from what the principal and the girls' families were saying, it sounds like Jessica might have been the one to instigate the fight."

"Oh dear... well, I hope she learned her lesson at least."

Namęšéme let out a small throat laugh. "She definitely won't be trying that again, that's for sure."

I just fumed while they talked. I didn't care if Namęšéme was trying to protect me somehow. He was making me feel like I was more of a bad guy than an actual kid struggling with how others saw me and how I could see myself. In fact, all of the adults seemed to be doing it. One thing was clear to me, however. No matter how the adults spun it, at the end of the day, Elena and Tiffany were still assholes for what they did to me and Frankie.

"What do you plan to do while you're suspended, Jessica?" Mr. Keith asked me.

I shrugged. "Watch TV or something? Maybe help Namęšéme out with the cows?"

"Really? That's it?"

I shrugged again. "I mean, I've got a Colecovision and an Intellivison, but I've managed to play through almost every game I have. There's not much else I could do other than watch TV or play games or work outside with the cows."

"Hmm..." Mr. Keith tried to think of something to suggest to me. "I tell you what... you ever heard of Frontier City?"

"Frontier City? What the hell's that?"

"Language, Jessica. Anyway, Frontier City is an amusement park located in Oklahoma City. It's got roller coasters and everything. You and your grandpa could also take a visit to the Crossroads Mall while you're in Oklahoma City, but I know that's a long ways away."

One of the Keith kids piped up. "Frontier City? Hey, I wanna go there!"

"We'll see about that, Peter," Mr. Keith said. "We've only got a few days before Halloween, so I don't reckon we have much time to plan out a visit to Oklahoma City. Besides, I haven't even scheduled any time off from work."

"Well, can you find time to do it?"

Mr. Keith just chuckled. "I told you, Peter, we'll have to see about that. Just focus on school right now."

My curiosity was piqued enough. "So... how long would it take for me and Namęšéme to travel from Vinita to Oklahoma City just so we could go to Frontier City and the Crossroads Mall?"

Mr. Keith scratched the back of his head. "Should probably take no more than two to three hours. Depends on which highway you take along I-44."

I looked over to see how Namęšéme would react. He seemed genuinely intrigued by Mr. Keith's answer.

"Could I bring Arizona along as well?" Namęšéme asked while maintaining that same intrigue.

Goddamn it. Just when I thought I could get away from that crap... at least Tiffany wouldn't be there, right?

"Of course you can," Mr. Keith answered with a smile. "In fact, you can bring anybody you want. Just make sure to have fun if you decide to make the travel, okay?"

Namęšéme gave a thumbs up. "Will do, Randy. I'll just have to make sure Arizona will be free that day."

Mr. Keith smiled. "Great."

Namęšéme, the Keiths, and I just ate our lunches in mostly silence. Namęšéme and the Keith parents cracked some jokes here and there, but that was about it. Meanwhile, I just stared at the five-year-old triplets and their three-year-old kid sister. Two of the girls, Courtney and Maxine, were swiping food off of each other's plates while their triplet brother Josh poked and prodded at his meal. That kid was a picky eater, that much was certain, but it didn't seem like it was hurting anyone. Melody, the youngest Keith kid, smashed food all over her face. What I wouldn't give to be her age again. At least then, I wouldn't have to deal with the bullshit that had been tossed my way.

In any case, once lunch was finally over with, Namęšéme and I had to say our goodbyes to our across-the-street neighbors. It was nice to hang out with them from time to time, even when I had the chance to babysit the kids, but we had our own lives to attend to. I could especially see in the kids' eyes just how hard it was for them to see me and Namęšéme go home.

Once inside, Namęšéme and I finally started talking again.

"You know..." Namęšéme began. "A trip to Frontier City followed by a trip to Crossroads Mall might not be so bad."

"I suppose not," I replied. "But are you actually considering bringing Mrs. Richardson with us?"

"Well, I enjoy her company. Of course I want to bring her along. Listen, I get that it's hard to imagine me being with someone else besides your dear old éškeme, but I assure you it will be good for us all. Besides, you'll be getting an aunt or uncle soon enough, so I don't really have much of a choice in the matter."

"Okay... are you sure there's something between you guys?"

"I'm absolutely sure. She's a lovely woman. She deserves to have something good happen to her for a change."

I didn't have a good feeling about any of this, but for Namęšéme's sake (and especially Frankie's sake), I would have to keep my feelings about Mrs. Richardson to myself once again.