Chapter 4
Molly awoke to the sound of Jack and Carey arguing over we got the last swallow of orange juice. No matter how much of foods and drinks they seemed to buy they never lasted more then three days. She had no idea where they were, how many states they had went through during her slumber. Her next show was scheduled in two days from now in Tennessee at another small club venue. Molly won't have it any other way. As she laid there with her eyes closed in hopes everyone would assume she was still sleep, and observed the world around her.
The argument over the juice had been settled. Carey got it. Being the oldest sometimes had its advantages. Irene was up in the cab talking with her husband. Little insonicant stuff that only they would really care about. Seeing them often made Molly miss Rick even more. Or just the feeling of love. She still hadn't heard anything from Fiona. Properly still asleep. Molly didn't know at what point to bring up Jseawater. If at all. She would just play it by ear.
"Morning mom." Molly opens her eyes slowly to see Jack standing beside her grinning like a five year old of Halloween.
"Morning sweetie." He smiled again before turning back to return to the table. No doubt to fight Carey over another breakfast food. Well I might as well get up, Molly thinks while sitting up.
"Hey Molly!" Ned calls out from behind the wheel, not looking up. Molly was glad of that. Even though she missed Rick she wasn't ready to meet up with him at quite this moment.
"Hey Ned, Irene. So where are we?" She asks while walking over to them.
"Arkansas, about 2 hours from the border." Irene answers.
"Sleep well?" Ned inquires.
"Well sort of. I encountered a pretty weird situation of Fi's laptop last night. And I had trouble sleeping because of that." Molly couldn't help but to laugh at the look on both their faces. A mixture of shock and wanting to burst out with laughter.
"Molls did you just use the words 'pretty weird' and 'laptop'?!" Ned asks the question both him and Irene were wondering.
"Why yes I did." She answers while contuning to laugh. Catching Carey and Jack's attention, but they don't walk over, deciding it was an "adult" thing. Molly wasn't sure how much to tell the Bells. She would to get their advice, but another part of her was nervous of what their reaction could be. Would they understand her reasoning's her pretending she was Fi? Would they think she didn't do enough? Molly still found it amazing even in forties she still worried of what her peers thought.
"What happened? Or do we have to guess?"
"No Ned you don't have to guess, even though that could be quite entertaining. Do either of you know who Jseawater is?" By the blank stares of their faces Molly had her answer.
"Someone who had extremely cruel parents?" Irene answers.
"Yeah that's coming from someone who named her son Cluette." Molly responses with a friendly smile.
"It's a family name!" Ned fires back trying not to grin but doesn't succeed. Coming from the back of the bus Molly heard sounds of doors opening and closing. Along with water started to run on and off. About the amount that's needed to brush your teeth and wash your face. Fiona was awake. It had to be her. Molly would have to get the story out quickly before she came into hear shot of the adults.
"I was turning Fi's laptop off last night and she had been chatting with some person named Jseawater. I recognized all of her other friends user names but not that one. Any ideas?"
"Maybe I'm missing something here Molly but what's so strange about that?"
"Yeah Fi makes friends easily it's properly someone that posted a message on that web page of hers." Ned says and Irene continued on with.
"I thought of that too, but after talking to him or her I—"
"Whoa hold on! You did what?" They both hiss at around the same moment. Molly was afraid this was going to happen. Too late to stop the story now.
"Well whoever it was started chatting and I just couldn't help myself."
"What did they say?" Molly starts to recite the chat with the best of her ability from her memory. What was said. Her thoughts after each statement. Ned and Irene just listened intently occasionally humming or nodding their ends.
"What do you think?" She asks when the tale is finished.
"Ask Fiona about it." They both reply without batting an eyelash.
"But she'll think I don't trust her."
"Well you don't have to tell her you chatted with the person. Plus she'll get over it." Ned says in his no nonsense tone. Right at the moment from the corner of her eye Molly sees Fiona enter the room. Taking a breath of courage Molly raises from her seat and walks towards her. It was now or never.