Joan's POV

"What do you mean, lost?" Jason, my best friend since grade school, proclaimed as he was moving stuff out of his locker next to mine. "How far did he get?"

"He doesn't even know." I sighed. "He couldn't say, and he was so out of it. It really freaked me out."

"Alright, well that's...a little concerning" He shrugged. "..but hasn't he sleepwalked before?"

"...Yeah, after my mom died, but not..not like this, I- I mean..he's never left the house before."

"That you know of." He added, somehow thinking that would be reassuring.

I shook my head. "You're not helping, Jason."

"Sorry…"

I half smiled at the damned puppy dog face card he was attempting to play.

"Ugh, that's not fair, Jase! I told you you're not allowed to use that on me."

"You told me I wasn't allowed to use it in an argument." He defended. "..which I didn't think this was."

"Fuck.." I muttered, trying not to laugh. "Alright, new rule, you don't get to use it PERIOD….not for at least another week."

"Fiiinnne." He sighed. "But you can't say it didn't work!"

"No, I guess I can't."

"Can't say what didn't work?" Jocelyn interrupted, sneaking up behind me with her arms around my waist.

"Jason's being unreasonable again."

"Ughh, men." She scoffed. "Why do you keep putting up with him?"

"I know, I'm starting to wonder that, myself, now that you mention it." I smirked

"You're mean." Jason fake whined, shutting his locker door before taking off. "So, we still on for movie night tomorrow?"

"If you can stay behaved til then!" I teased.

He rolled his eyes as he went. "Nooot helping your case."

"...right back at ya!" I called back.

"So, what were you guys talking about?" Jocelyn asked, when he was out of earshot.

"Ohh, stalker much?" I smirked, zipping up my backpack.

"Come onnn.." She pleaded. "I just wanna know what Jason's in trouble for."

The bell rang before I could open my mouth again. "Too much to get into, I'll tell you after class."

"You don't wanna tell me during class?" She offered.

I smirked. "Nah, I kinda like watching you squirm more."

"Ughh..you are mean." She fake whined.

"Ohh, boo hoo. Maybe you can have Jason over at your house instead tonight."

"Fiiine, have it your way."

I took her hand as we walked. "Now that's what I like to hear."

The dogs all raced up to greet me at the door when I got in, Sammy at the head of the pack knowing it was me.

I smiled, as I scoured the area for a nearby post it or a notepad of some sort to remind Dad I'd probably still be at Jocelyn's house when he got home.

I stuck it on the kitchen counter, Sammy's leash in my other hand as I whistled for him..

All of them seemed to accept they weren't coming except for Winston, who sat there staring at me and whining impatiently when I leashed Sammy up to head out the door.

"Winston, you and I both know that if I bring you along with us, you're just gonna run back here right about the time Dad's coming home from work." I gave him a sympathetic head scratch. "You're too much of a Daddy's boy."

He whined again, as if to protest what I had just explained. "We'll be back in a few hours."

He and the others followed Sammy and I back to the front door, til I shut it behind us.

Sammy and Feather, Jocelyn's dog, ran right alongside of each other and just ahead of us while we walked.

"He left the house this time?" Jocelyn proclaimed in shock.

I nodded. "He left the house this time….Still kind of freaked out about it."

"Yeah, I would be too." She paused for a moment, watching the dogs play wrestle each other in the near distance. "Did you talk to him about it?"

I shrugged. "I asked him where he went, after he said he didn't consciously take himself anywhere, to quote his words, he said he wasn't sure. I asked him about it the next day, he kept pretty vague about it."

"How vague is pretty vague?" She asked.

"Just that he was doing some field profiling, might've affected his sleepwalking. Somethin like that." I looked back up at Sammy, who was barking playfully at his buddy.

"I thought he was a teacher for the FBI."

I shrugged. "I guess they gave him special permission or something. I don't really know the details. He doesn't really talk all that much at all, much less about work."

"Right." She agreed. "Yeah, I suppose he has always been a little….."

"A little….what?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "Off? Different?"

"He's just not very sociable...in most cases."

"Keyword most cases."

"Yeah…" I sighed. "Well, I'd be lying if I said my mom's death hasn't been all that big a part of it. I mean, he sleepwalked a few times after that….then again, he'd never left the house."

"That you know of." She corrected.

I rolled my eyes. "Why do I even bother telling you this stuff?" I was only half serious though.

"Ahhh, come on!" She pleaded. "You know I'm teasing!"

I smirked as I realized we were getting closer to Joc's house. "Maybe I'm teasing too...you'll have to catch me to find out though!" I bolted toward the house, as we had just approached within sight of it.

The dogs, wanting to join in on the new game, changed their own direction to bound toward me, barking excitedly as they followed.

"Damn it, Joan!" Jocelyn exclaimed, trying desperately to keep herself from laughing. "Now you've got him all riled up!"

"Well, that's your own fault!" I laughed. "You're the reason I took off running in the first place."

I stopped to catch my breath, once I reached her front porch.

"Alright." She sighed, nearly out of breath, herself. "I give, you win."

"This wasn't about winning, Joc." I reminded her. "This was about you finding out if I was teasing or not."

"Alright then, I guess I've decided I don't care as much." She chuckled.

"Well, where's the fun in that?" I fake whined.

"Oh, I'll show you where's the fun in that!" She snickered, picking up speed to chase me in through the front door.