"What's going on?" Doug asked his wife as she stalked back into the living room, her eyes still blazing.

"She lied to me!" Jo spat. "She told me she was spending the night with Staci when she really went to a party at the house of someone named Delaney, whose parents are away for the weekend."

"I've always suspected that Staci was gonna turn out to be a bad influence on her," Doug replied. "I didn't say anything because I thought that perhaps it wasn't my place to." He was thinking of the unfortunate events of the previous summer.

"It's a shame she and Taylor fell out," said Jo. "They were such good friends for so long. And all over a boy."

Doug laughed. "Seems pretty typical to me. So what happened?"

"I grounded her for a month. No cell phone, no internet, no television, and no going out."

Doug gave a low whistle.

"Do you think that was too harsh?" Jo had begun to doubt her decision.

"It'll definitely give her some time to think about what she did. Maybe she'll make wiser decisions in the future. The important thing is that she's safe."

"It's scary to think she'll legally be an adult in less than three years. She'll be a lot more independent then." Jo shuddered. "I remember what I was like when I was eighteen. Sometimes I wonder how in the world I ever survived."

"But you did survive." Doug chuckled as he gave his wife a comforting embrace. "And so will Jamie. It's only natural to worry, but she'll be fine."

Just then Bethany toddled over to her mother, gave her a big, toothy grin, and plopped her favorite book, the Gingerbread Man, down in her mother's lap. "At least we've got a few more years before we have to start worrying about you," Jo laughed as she lifted the toddler up into her lap.

The following morning, Doug noticed an article in the newspaper that caught his interest. "Says here the police were called to the scene of a wild party that got out of control," he told Jo as she was retrieving a piece of toast Bethany had dropped. "Says they found drugs, underage drinking, and suspected sexual assault. Several people were arrested. A couple of them were juveniles so it doesn't give their names, but one was an eighteen-year-old known as 'Spike'."

The sound of the name was like a bolt of lightening going through Jamie. She was so startled that she forgot where she was. "That was the guy who asked me to dance with him!" she blurted out.

Jo gaped at her daughter.

"He tried to give me a drink," Jamie continued. "That was when Earl showed up. He snatched the drink away from me and drug me away from the party." Her voice quivered just a little. "What was Spike arrested for?"

"Possession of a date rape drug."

"Oh. My. God." Suddenly feeling sick, Jamie dashed for the bathroom.

"I think that was even worse punishment than being grounded," Doug said to his wife in a low voice.

"I think it would be a good idea to discourage this friendship with Staci," Jo replied.

"I think you're absolutely right."

Jamie returned to the table a few minutes later. "Are you all right?" Jo asked her.

"Yeah. It was a false alarm."

"Honey, your father and I have talked it over and decided that perhaps you should stop hanging out with Staci."

Jamie snorted. "Since I'm grounded, I can't hang out with anyone anyway."

"You know what I mean. Perhaps you could find another girl or group of girls to eat lunch with at school."

"Oh yeah, there's just gobs of friendless kids roaming the school begging somebody to be nice to them." Jamie's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Well, you never know," said Jo.

Jamie returned to school on Monday to a flurry of excitement. "What's going on?" she asked a classmate, Riley.

"Delaney got arrested!" Riley told her. "Her Dad had to bail her out of juvie. Boy, is he pissed!"

"I'll bet!"

Jamie joined the flow of students entering the school building, wondering what to do about Staci. Should she shun the other girl, as her mother had suggested? After all, if she'd never met Staci, she never would have gone to Delaney's party. Yet was one lousy party worth throwing away an entire friendship? She just didn't know.

At lunchtime, she purposely chose a seat on the opposite end of the cafeteria from where she usually sat. She had to think.

She was able to avoid running into Staci until it was time to walk out to the bus stop, when she heard someone calling to her and turned to face the other girl. "So what do you think about Delaney?" asked Staci.

Jamie shrugged. "I guess she had it coming to her."

Staci frowned. "What did she ever do to you?"

"You mean you think what happened was OK?"

"I think it was a great party. Sucks that the cops had to show up when they did."

"I'm grounded for a month, Staci. No telephone, no internet, and no going out."

"Aw, that's too bad. I didn't get in any trouble at all. Well, see you in a month!" Staci skipped ahead, leaving Jamie alone with her thoughts.

Somehow she survived the month of being grounded and was genuinely surprised when Taylor approached her a couple of weeks later. "Jamie! It's been forever, hasn't it?" Taylor was so excited she was out of breath. "Won't you come to my birthday party?"