p class="MsoNormal""Marie, dinner is ready! We're having the best hamburgers Ocean Shores has to offer!" Violet's voice wafted down the hallway along with the smell of freshly grilled meat. Marie glanced around her room, making sure everything was in a decent order. Nodding to herself reassuringly, she exited her room and walked into the kitchen, which doubled as the dining room. Violet had already started off her plate with a bun and a burger, but left it plain so she could add whatever she wanted. There was also baked beans and potato salad. Marie loaded her burger and enjoyed a relatively quiet conversation with Merv and Violet, primarily listening to them talk and bicker and laugh./p
p class="MsoNormal"After dinner, Marie insisted on doing clean up to try and show her gratitude in some small amount. It was easy, but took longer than it would have because Marie had no idea where they kept anything for storage. After clean-up and a bit of relaxing, Violet decided it was early enough to introduce Marie to the neighbors/p
p class="MsoNormal""Don't you think she's had enough excitement for one day? It could wait until tomorrow. Besides, it's Saturday night. The other kids are probably out with their friends and not even home for her to hang out with. Maybe we should wait until tomorrow," Merv tried to reason. Violet tsked and asked Marie for her opinion. After sitting quietly for a second, she smiled./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""If they're the same kids from earlier, I can still hear them outside. I wouldn't mind meeting everyone tonight, really." Marie was grinning, excited at the prospect of making new friends. Merv sighed in defeat but still smiled a little when he looked at Marie. She just looked so hopeful, so full of life. They definitely made the right decision by taking her in. They could create an environment that she could only grow in./p
p class="MsoNormal"Violet squealed in delight and stood up, ushering Marie towards the door. As soon as Marie stepped out of the Stempleton house and into the view of the cul de sac, everyone stopped and looked at her. She bit her lip and looked down at the ground, concentrating on her outfit and how she probably looked to them. She noticed a couple of split ends in her should length, wavy hair and hoped the girl with purple hair wouldn't notice. Looking at her tattered blue skinny jeans, she hoped the short kid with blond hair didn't think she was some sort of street rat that couldn't afford better clothes, because these were her favorite jeans of all time. Her AC/DC shirt was well worn and she hoped the other two boys, one with sun glasses and one with a backwards hat, didn't think she just jumped on the 80s music band wagon./p
p class="MsoNormal"Violet noticed her ward's nervous behavior and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. When Marie looked up at Violet hesitantly, she offered up a soft smile before waving at the other teens./p
p class="MsoNormal""Hello, kids! How are all of you this evening?" She half shouted as they walked closer. She got a soft chorus of "good's" in reply, eyes still on Marie. She exhaled slowly and tried to smile, although she knew it came across as extremely awkward. In return, though, she got more genuine smiles. The girl with purple hair stepped forward, extending her hand, which Marie gratefully took, starting to feel relieved. She was wearing a purple tank top, capri pants and red vans./p
p class="MsoNormal""Hi! I'm Reggie Rocket. Mrs. Stimpleton told us- well, our parents- that you were coming. It's Marie, right?" The purple hair girl said, smiling warmly at Marie. Some of the tension started to melt away and made the greeting process feel easier. Marie nodded in response and told Reggie it was nice to meet her. The next to step up was a boy of average height with brownish-red dread locks, a yellow t-shirt, red shorts, regular tennis shoes and sun glasses./p
p class="MsoNormal""Hey. I'm Reggie's brother, Otto. Also known as Rocket Boy. Welcome to the neighborhood, Marie," the boy greeted, giving her a reassuring smile. She said hello back, also smiling. This was easy. These teens were kind. She didn't know what she was so afraid of earlier. The shortest of the group, a blond boy with glasses, blue jeans, a black t-shirt with a shark on it and a yellow, button up shirt on over that. He came up to Marie next and shook her hand in the same way Reggie did. He smiled warmly and introduced himself as Sam Dullard. "But everyone around here calls me Squid, so I guess you probably should, too."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Last but not least, there was the tallest boy of the group. The boy with the backwards hat. It was brown with two yellow stripes on it. He wore a blue tank top with what looked like a tornado on it, tan cargo shorts and skate shoes. He carried a video camera in his left hand and smiled easily at Marie. He waved his right hand and, in a moment of thought, decided to extend his hand also./p
p class="MsoNormal""The name's Twister. Legally. Definitely my legal name. Don't ask anyone if it's not, because they'll tell you that it is." He said, laughing a little. Marie laughed with him and then stared at the group for a second./p
p class="MsoNormal""So, as you guys know, I'm Marie. Marie Smith. It's so nice to meet all of you," She stated calmly, feeling completely relaxed. Violet smiled widely and mumbled something about having to clean up after dinner. The group was calm for a second, trying to shift into having a new member. Unfortunately, that calmness only lasted a second. As Reggie opened her mouth to get to know more about Marie, whooping and howling filled the cul de sac as three other boys, a couple years older than the group of teens currently standing there, came skate boarding into the area./p
p class="MsoNormal""Hey, look at the nerds just standing there, waiting to get whomped on! Man, they're like ducks in a barrel!" They stopped just shortly behind the group, leaving Marie out of their sight. She was able to glance around her new friends and get a good look at the new comers. There was a guy of middle height with long brown hair, some of it covering his right eye. He had on regular blue jeans, a grey hoodie with a red star on it and a grey ski cap. He appeared to be the leader. The guy to his right was shorter, his hair in a buzz cut, wearing a dark pink shirt and green pants. The last one was the tallest of the group, had shaggy red hair, a blue t-shirt with a yellow tank top over it and blue basketball shorts./p
p class="MsoNormal""Back off, Lars. We're just meeting the new girl. Go be annoying somewhere else," Twister sighed, sounding incredibly annoyed. He turned back to Marie to explain. "Lars is my older brother. Total grievance. I wouldn't worry that much about him, though. He's got more bark than bite." Everyone in the group laughed. The middle guy got an annoyed look on his face and stepped off his skate board, giving Twister a shove. Marie instinctively put her hands in front of her to help catch him, even though he didn't need it./p
p class="MsoNormal" "New girl? Oh! You mean the one the old folks are taking in. Geez, that's a pretty big responsibility. Hey, where is she any- oh. Hi. I'm Lars." The last words just seemed to fall out of his mouth before he really knew what he was saying. Marie still had her hands out, a cautious look on her face. She quietly greeted Lars as he helped straighten his little brother up, pretending to brush off the younger's shoulders./p
p class="MsoNormal""Really, Lars? Trying to show off that more sensitive side in front of the new girl?" Otto scoffed. He glanced at Sam and Reggie, who both smirked./p
p class="MsoNormal""Hey, I'm not trying to show off anything in front of anyone! C'mon guys, we're going to Madtown!" With one last shove to Twister, they got back on their skate boards and rode away./p
p class="MsoNormal""Geez, what a jerk," Marie said, once again feeling comfortable. "Are you okay, Twister?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah, I'm fine. He's done worse," He replied, sticking his tongue out and making crude hand gestures in the way his brother just went. They all had a good laugh before Sam was called in for dinner. Soon after, the Rockets were called in and Twister joined them./p
p class="MsoNormal""Hey, Marie. Do you want us to come get you when we're done eating to hang out some more?" Reggie asked, smiling at her new friend./p
p class="MsoNormal""Nah, it's been a long day. I think I'm just gonna hit the hay early. But I'll see you guys tomorrow, right?" There was a little bit of anxiety in her voice. Reggie heard it and pulled her into a quick hug./p
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah, we'll be right out here around noon tomorrow. If we decide to go anywhere, we'll wait for you first, okay?" Marie returned the hug and agreed, grinning widely before saying good night to her new friends./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"After dinner, Marie insisted on doing clean up to try and show her gratitude in some small amount. It was easy, but took longer than it would have because Marie had no idea where they kept anything for storage. After clean-up and a bit of relaxing, Violet decided it was early enough to introduce Marie to the neighbors/p
p class="MsoNormal""Don't you think she's had enough excitement for one day? It could wait until tomorrow. Besides, it's Saturday night. The other kids are probably out with their friends and not even home for her to hang out with. Maybe we should wait until tomorrow," Merv tried to reason. Violet tsked and asked Marie for her opinion. After sitting quietly for a second, she smiled./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""If they're the same kids from earlier, I can still hear them outside. I wouldn't mind meeting everyone tonight, really." Marie was grinning, excited at the prospect of making new friends. Merv sighed in defeat but still smiled a little when he looked at Marie. She just looked so hopeful, so full of life. They definitely made the right decision by taking her in. They could create an environment that she could only grow in./p
p class="MsoNormal"Violet squealed in delight and stood up, ushering Marie towards the door. As soon as Marie stepped out of the Stempleton house and into the view of the cul de sac, everyone stopped and looked at her. She bit her lip and looked down at the ground, concentrating on her outfit and how she probably looked to them. She noticed a couple of split ends in her should length, wavy hair and hoped the girl with purple hair wouldn't notice. Looking at her tattered blue skinny jeans, she hoped the short kid with blond hair didn't think she was some sort of street rat that couldn't afford better clothes, because these were her favorite jeans of all time. Her AC/DC shirt was well worn and she hoped the other two boys, one with sun glasses and one with a backwards hat, didn't think she just jumped on the 80s music band wagon./p
p class="MsoNormal"Violet noticed her ward's nervous behavior and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. When Marie looked up at Violet hesitantly, she offered up a soft smile before waving at the other teens./p
p class="MsoNormal""Hello, kids! How are all of you this evening?" She half shouted as they walked closer. She got a soft chorus of "good's" in reply, eyes still on Marie. She exhaled slowly and tried to smile, although she knew it came across as extremely awkward. In return, though, she got more genuine smiles. The girl with purple hair stepped forward, extending her hand, which Marie gratefully took, starting to feel relieved. She was wearing a purple tank top, capri pants and red vans./p
p class="MsoNormal""Hi! I'm Reggie Rocket. Mrs. Stimpleton told us- well, our parents- that you were coming. It's Marie, right?" The purple hair girl said, smiling warmly at Marie. Some of the tension started to melt away and made the greeting process feel easier. Marie nodded in response and told Reggie it was nice to meet her. The next to step up was a boy of average height with brownish-red dread locks, a yellow t-shirt, red shorts, regular tennis shoes and sun glasses./p
p class="MsoNormal""Hey. I'm Reggie's brother, Otto. Also known as Rocket Boy. Welcome to the neighborhood, Marie," the boy greeted, giving her a reassuring smile. She said hello back, also smiling. This was easy. These teens were kind. She didn't know what she was so afraid of earlier. The shortest of the group, a blond boy with glasses, blue jeans, a black t-shirt with a shark on it and a yellow, button up shirt on over that. He came up to Marie next and shook her hand in the same way Reggie did. He smiled warmly and introduced himself as Sam Dullard. "But everyone around here calls me Squid, so I guess you probably should, too."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Last but not least, there was the tallest boy of the group. The boy with the backwards hat. It was brown with two yellow stripes on it. He wore a blue tank top with what looked like a tornado on it, tan cargo shorts and skate shoes. He carried a video camera in his left hand and smiled easily at Marie. He waved his right hand and, in a moment of thought, decided to extend his hand also./p
p class="MsoNormal""The name's Twister. Legally. Definitely my legal name. Don't ask anyone if it's not, because they'll tell you that it is." He said, laughing a little. Marie laughed with him and then stared at the group for a second./p
p class="MsoNormal""So, as you guys know, I'm Marie. Marie Smith. It's so nice to meet all of you," She stated calmly, feeling completely relaxed. Violet smiled widely and mumbled something about having to clean up after dinner. The group was calm for a second, trying to shift into having a new member. Unfortunately, that calmness only lasted a second. As Reggie opened her mouth to get to know more about Marie, whooping and howling filled the cul de sac as three other boys, a couple years older than the group of teens currently standing there, came skate boarding into the area./p
p class="MsoNormal""Hey, look at the nerds just standing there, waiting to get whomped on! Man, they're like ducks in a barrel!" They stopped just shortly behind the group, leaving Marie out of their sight. She was able to glance around her new friends and get a good look at the new comers. There was a guy of middle height with long brown hair, some of it covering his right eye. He had on regular blue jeans, a grey hoodie with a red star on it and a grey ski cap. He appeared to be the leader. The guy to his right was shorter, his hair in a buzz cut, wearing a dark pink shirt and green pants. The last one was the tallest of the group, had shaggy red hair, a blue t-shirt with a yellow tank top over it and blue basketball shorts./p
p class="MsoNormal""Back off, Lars. We're just meeting the new girl. Go be annoying somewhere else," Twister sighed, sounding incredibly annoyed. He turned back to Marie to explain. "Lars is my older brother. Total grievance. I wouldn't worry that much about him, though. He's got more bark than bite." Everyone in the group laughed. The middle guy got an annoyed look on his face and stepped off his skate board, giving Twister a shove. Marie instinctively put her hands in front of her to help catch him, even though he didn't need it./p
p class="MsoNormal" "New girl? Oh! You mean the one the old folks are taking in. Geez, that's a pretty big responsibility. Hey, where is she any- oh. Hi. I'm Lars." The last words just seemed to fall out of his mouth before he really knew what he was saying. Marie still had her hands out, a cautious look on her face. She quietly greeted Lars as he helped straighten his little brother up, pretending to brush off the younger's shoulders./p
p class="MsoNormal""Really, Lars? Trying to show off that more sensitive side in front of the new girl?" Otto scoffed. He glanced at Sam and Reggie, who both smirked./p
p class="MsoNormal""Hey, I'm not trying to show off anything in front of anyone! C'mon guys, we're going to Madtown!" With one last shove to Twister, they got back on their skate boards and rode away./p
p class="MsoNormal""Geez, what a jerk," Marie said, once again feeling comfortable. "Are you okay, Twister?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah, I'm fine. He's done worse," He replied, sticking his tongue out and making crude hand gestures in the way his brother just went. They all had a good laugh before Sam was called in for dinner. Soon after, the Rockets were called in and Twister joined them./p
p class="MsoNormal""Hey, Marie. Do you want us to come get you when we're done eating to hang out some more?" Reggie asked, smiling at her new friend./p
p class="MsoNormal""Nah, it's been a long day. I think I'm just gonna hit the hay early. But I'll see you guys tomorrow, right?" There was a little bit of anxiety in her voice. Reggie heard it and pulled her into a quick hug./p
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah, we'll be right out here around noon tomorrow. If we decide to go anywhere, we'll wait for you first, okay?" Marie returned the hug and agreed, grinning widely before saying good night to her new friends./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p