It was three days after Teddy and Randi broke up, and Randi hadn't spoken to any of her friends. She didn't go to them and they didn't come to her. She was becoming stir-crazy, and decided to walk around Castle Rock. She had been here for awhile, and still didn't really know where anything was.

She walked down the main road aimlessly. It was only when she heard the tinkle of a bell that Randi realized she was pushing open the door of the Blue Pointe diner. The diner was pretty much empty, with a few customers at the counter, and an older couple in a booth. Randi took a seat in a lone booth in the corner. A young waitress with long wavy black hair and dark blue eyes came over to Randi's booth.

"Hi, I'm Lorraine," she smiled. "What can I get you?"

"A root beer please," Randi said sullenly.

Lorraine noted Randi's depressed mood, "You look like you could use a root beer float," she commented.

Randi fumbled in her pocket and silently counted her change. "Uh, no thanks, I-"

"It's on me," Lorraine smiled. As she walked away, Randi eyed her more closely. Randi figured she was about eighteen, nineteen maybe. She had some sort of grace about her, even in the dingy diner. Lorraine brought Randi a root beer float.

"Hey," Lorraine said, looking closer at Randi, "I've seen you around! You're friends with Vern Tessio!" she exclaimed.

Randi was a bit puzzled. She could understand if Lorraine had said, "You're friends with one of those no good Chambers kids!" or "...that crazy Duchamp kid" or "...Denny's little brother!". But Vern?

"How do you know Vern?" Randi asked.

"Oh, just from school," Lorraine said hurriedly. "I'm 16," she told her. "I'll be seventeen in January," she added, seeing Randi's skeptical expression. "How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

"When's your birthday?"

"April 18th."

"No way!" Lorraine grinned, "I'm January 18th."

"That's cool," Randi offered a weak smile.

"What's your name?"

"Randi Riverton."

"I'm Lorraine Duncan," she smiled, sticking out her hand. Randi diligently shook it. "Am I bothering you?"

"No."

"Do you mind?" Lorraine gestured to the seat across from Randi.

"Of course not," Randi said, and Lorraine sat down.

"I get off in awhile anyway," Lorraine said, "It's not too busy. So, you just moved in this summer, right?"

"Right. The Peterson's old place," Randi said.

"I've lived here since I was three," Lorraine said, "I was born in Ireland."

"Really?" Randi asked, showing more interest than she had before, "That's so cool! I thought everyone in Ireland had red hair and green eyes and stuff."

Lorraine laughed, "That's just a stereotype. But my dad and my three brothers have red hair. I look like my mother. We've all got Irish names. I'm Lorraine Erin, my oldest brother is Cale Leary, he's still in Ireland. My middle brother is Colin Michael, and my youngest brother is Rudy Conor."

"No shit, I've got a brother named Rudy too!"

"Yes shit!" Lorraine cried.

Randi cracked up. Only Teddy curses funnier than this girl. Teddy, the thought caused Randi's grin to fade. Lorraine noticed this.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Randi said. "Really, I am," she added.

Lorraine still looked doubtful. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Probably, but ask away."

"How come you're here by yourself?" Lorraine asked. Randi studied Lorraine's blackish blue eyes before answering. Her look was one of genuine innocence and concern. Randi sighed.

"It's actually a long story."

Lorraine glanced at the clock. "I've got all the time in the world if you've got the emotional stamina to tell it."

"I think I do," Randi smiled, "It might be nice to get it all out."

"Well, let me clock out, and I'll be all ready to listen," Lorraine said, "Excuse me." She walked into the kitchen and Randi took a gulp of her soda. She wasn't at all worried to trust this total stranger. She seemed so honest and nice that Randi felt an immediate bond to her. It'd be nice to have a non-Goonie female friend. It'd be even nicer to have someone besides her know the entire story. Mikey and Mouth knew certain pieces, Gordie knew certain pieces, but no one knew the whole thing. No one except Randi.

"Okay," Lorraine slid back into the booth. "Hit me kid," she grinned.

"Well, I guess it all starts with my mom. I never really knew her. She left when I was about..." Randi blew out air, trying to recall the year, "...Four or five. I've told people she left when I was one, that she died...I made up a lot of lies, so maybe the truth wouldn't hurt as much. I was one tough little kid though. My mom always said I was going to be in the army. Well, my aunt told me she always used to say that. My aunt's son, Mikey, was and still is my best friend in the whole world. His other best friend was Clark, a kid we nicknamed Mouth when he was real little, 'cause he would never shut up." Randi paused, "Am I jumping around too much?" she asked Lorraine.

"No, I'm okay."

"Feel free to stop me with questions," Randi laughed. "Anyway, Mikey, Mouth and I, along with a few of our other friends, called ourselves the Goonies because we lived on land that everyone called the Goondocks. Me, Mouth, and Mikey would have play dates together that our parents arranged. I know, it's retarded. My mother used to put me and Mouth together constantly. She wanted us to get married."

"Married?" Lorraine squealed. "Isn't that a bit premature?"

"Yeah, but my mom thought it'd be perfect. Kinda, tie Mouth's family and my family together, I guess. And we did seem to like each other. But at three, how can you really tell? But the point is, that my mother wanted me to be in the army and marry Mouth. A girl in the army is a bit radical, but it's what she thought I should do.

"A couple of months after my fourth or fifth birthday, she left. Just got up and left. It was like...like we weren't all turning out the way she wanted or something. Like we weren't good enough. She left a note. All it said was 'I'm sorry'." Randi paused for a moment, her eyes closed in the memory.

"So," she continued, "It was like, I had to marry Mouth. I had to keep that part of my mother with me still. I guess it was that I didn't...know what to do with myself after she left, so I just did what she had said. I made myself romantically attracted to Mouth. Not that he's hideous or anything, he's actually quite cute. I mean, I always cared about him as a friend, but I didn't love him. So, we ended up, 'going out', if you could even call it that.

"Everything was going pretty well until the summer my father proposed camp to me. My brother needed to get ready for college, and without anyone to help him, my dad couldn't deal with one rambunctious kid and a shitload of paperwork."

*******************************

"MMMIIIIKKKKEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!" I shrieked, chasing after my cousin. Mouth, Data, Chunk, Mikey and I had been playing pirates in my basement, and Mikey had taken my sword. You might say, being 11 and 12, that we were too old to be playing pirates, but we never felt that way. Plus, it wasn't stupid kid stuff, it was like a play, acting out stories with winding plots and intricate details. And wooden swords.

Mouth was hot on my heels, trying to help me catch Mikey. Data was up ahead of Mikey, and Chunk was puffing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Why do you always have to run," he whined.

"Gotcha!" I tackled Mikey's legs. We fell to the ground with a loud thud. He tried to hit me with the sword, but Mouth grabbed it.

"Randi Riverton!" my dad yelled. We all paused. "Will you come in the den please?"

"Oooooo," Mouth pulled me off of Mikey and poked me in the ribs. "You're in trouble," he smirked at me.

"Shove off dipwad," I giggled. I grabbed my sword from Mouth and bounded into the living room. "What?" I asked my dad, who was massaging his temples, surrounded by paperwork. He didn't reply. "What?" I asked again, this time quietly.

"How would you like to go to camp?" Dad asked.

I paused. "Why?"

Dad sighed. "I have to get Rudy ready for college-"

"Heh heh, Rudy-ready," I giggled.

"-And I don't have time to watch you constantly. I don't want you to feel neglected-"

"Why can't I just stay with Aunt Irene?" I interrupted.

"Well," Dad started, "I figured at this camp you could be with kids and have fun."

I twirled my sword. "The Goonies are kids...I have fun with them."

My dad sighed again. "Maybe at this camp, you could make some new friends...girls, perhaps?"

I grimaced, then my eyes widened. "Please tell me you didn't sign me up to an all girls camp!"

Dad chuckled, "No, I wouldn't do that to you. It's a nice sports and arts camp, pretty much general stuff. I already made a deposit, but if you really don't want to go..." he trailed off. I groaned, he was so good at making me feel guilty.

"How long is it?" I asked.

"Two weeks," Dad said hopefully.

"All right, all right," I gave in, "I'll go."

"Good!" My dad pulled me into a hug, "This is going to be a great experience for you," he smiled, "It really is."

If I had known what I know now, I would have dug my heels in the floor and demanded to stay put, keep my life a whole lot simpler.

"Um, the Goonies are waiting," I told him.

"Right, go have fun," he shooed me out of the den. I heard noises in the kitchen, and found the guys in there. Chunk was raiding the fridge. I smacked him in the back of the head.

"Save some for my family," I said dryly.

"Hmmpmmhhmmm," he replied. I rolled my eyes.

"So what did your dad want?" Data asked.

"He's sending me to a camp this summer," I mumbled.

"What?" Chunk dropped a can of whipped cream. "Why?" he asked as he scrambled to pick it up.

"He wants me to make new friends," I told them.

"But we're your friends," Mouth objected.

"I know, but he wants me to get girl friends. Plus, he already paid," I said sullenly, "I can't back out."

"Is it the whole summer?" Mikey asked. I told him that it wasn't. I knew that it'd kill me to be away from him the most. I smiled.

"Yoink," I grabbed Mikey's sword and ran into the basement, my friends chasing after me.

A/N: Please review and tell me what you think. Thanks :)