A/N: Thank you all so much! I'm so glad you're liking this. I really appreciate all the reviews and favourites. I couldn't resist posting this chapter once it was written. Please let me know what you think. Thank you and enjoy!

Chapter 30

"Miss. Thompson, good of you to join us."

"I live to please," I drawled before heading to a seat. I didn't mean to be rude but I hated detention. They were always so boring. I had dealt with my fair share of them when I had done school the first time. At least Saturday detentions weren't a thing. Were they?

God, I couldn't even ask anyone. They'd look at me like I was insane. I needed to ask Joyce. Maybe she'd know. Or Hopper. He seemed like the kind of dude who got into easy trouble in school.

After about five minutes, the teacher looked at the list he had before glancing at the sparse few of us in the room. I didn't know any of the others, at least not by name.

"Detention will last the hour. Do whatever work you brought with you or sit in silence. There will be no talking, understood?"

I pulled out the homework I had been avoiding. It wasn't that I couldn't do it, it was just boring. Even in my attempts to learn something new. I barely got started when the door opened and Billy sauntered in.

"Mr. Hargrove. A rare sight if I ever saw one. Take a seat." The teacher motioned him forwards.

I rolled my eyes as he chose the seat directly behind me. It was no surprise that Billy had gotten detention though, from the sound of it, it was rare that he showed up. I wondered how he found out about me being here.

"Didn't expect to find you here, Peaches," he leaned over the desk behind me as he said it.

"I live to surprise," I drawled. I tried to focus on the work I had in front of me.

"What'd you do?" He asked. "They didn't give you detention when you broke Carol's face, so what'd you do? Key the principal's car?"

"I skipped class. Now, do you mind? Some of us have work to do." It came out harsher than I meant but I knew Billy's type. You had to shut them down quickly before they drew you into more trouble. I could only imagine Sam having a heart attack if he found out Tammy got involved in more trouble with Billy.

"You know, gorgeous, you want fun, all you had to do was ask."

I borrowed one of the common phrases I heard around here. "Gag me with a spoon," I said, not bothering to look at him.

"We can find something better than a spoon…" he said, his voice laced with innuendo.

I ignored him. If he was looking for attention, he needed to find it elsewhere. I was not in the mood. Tammy's mother was still upset at me. It didn't help that her aunt's visit was looming over me. Thanksgiving was next week. I wasn't looking forward to actually having to see the woman again. I was hoping that the next time she was around, she'd see Tammy. Not me.

"Come on, princess," I felt him tug at one of my curls. "Don't ignore me."

"How could I when you can't seem to take a hint," I said. "Let me shorten my responses to something you should be able to understand. No. I'm not interested. I am still seeing someone. Find someone else to entertain yourself with."

I heard him sit back in his chair. "That fucker from the concert."

"Hmm," I agreed, noncommittally. I needed to figure out when that movie came out so I could avoid Billy finding out. Or at least so I could prepare to play it off.

"Where does he live?" He leaned forward to ask.

"Mr. Hargrove," the teacher cut in. Fucking finally. "This is detention, not a social call. Zip it."

I could only imagine the look Billy gave him before the teacher went back to his book.

"Well?" he whispered, way too close to my ear for my liking.

I swatted him away. "You stink like smoke."

"Want to know what I taste like too?" He grinned as I glared back at him.

"God no. I might get cancer from osmosis. Can you just stop? I need to concentrate. If I piss off my parents with bad grades as well as skipping, I'll never be allowed to see the light of day outside of school."

He frowned at that. "They gonna lock you up?"

I remembered suddenly who I was talking to. I smiled softly. "It's just a turn of phrase. I don't want to disappoint them any more than I already have." More than they even knew, really.

Billy stared at me for a moment before nodding. "Alright, peaches." He sat back and put his feet up on the desk next to him. "I can entertain myself."

"Of that, I have no doubt," I said dryly.

He grinned back.

Billy was there all three days I had detention. Robin still wasn't talking to me, while Steve continued trying to play bodyguard. It was almost sweet if I wasn't becoming more aware that he didn't really have any other friends. I was tempted to ask but figured someone would bring it up at some point. Maybe I'd ask Veronica.

I stared at the stupid cabinet I had been making. I was tempted to destroy the thing. It felt like a permanent reminder of Bob's death. It was looking good though. Especially since I had little skill before I started this class. I'd at least wait for the grade before I trashed it.

"You okay?"

I glanced over at Jonathan who was watching me stare this thing down. "Yeah. You?"

"I'm good, I guess. My mom's worried about you. Not that she's said it, but she asks about you."

"I'll see her when I'm not under house arrest," I said. He looked confused and I waved off the comment. "Don't worry about it."

The silence would have been awkward if I wasn't focused on figuring out what I needed to do next to make sure the doors opened and closed properly. I needed to adjust the hinges to account for the extra weight of the metal on the doors.

"You proud of yourself?"

"Usually," I said before looking over at Tommy. "I thought you followed your girlfriend to the asylum or is she in prison?"

He scowled back at me. "She transferred."

"Hopefully to a correctional institute," I said. "You should thank me. She might have murdered you in the future if she actually found you cheating on her." I turned to face him. "What do you want?"

"Heard that you got yourself a boyfriend."

"And?" I raise my eyebrows. "What's the point?"

"Just wondering what fucker would date you?"

"Thankfully one who doesn't go to this school," I said. "I wouldn't lower my standards."

"I bet he's a fucking wastetoid," he said to Jonathan who looked distinctly uncomfortable. "If he's even real."

"Yeah, because I spend my free time making up random men to fake date. I have better things to do."

"Or you don't and that's exactly your problem."

I sighed. "Tommy, I get that you're struggling for something to do now that your psycho girlfriend is gone, but why don't you focus on actually moving on with your life." I turned away and my mind instantly went to that vine of two guys at the keyboard. I sang under my breath. "Go suck a dick, suck a dick…"

"Fuck you, Tammy."

"You're the one that came over here, Patricia. Move along." I waved my fingers at him, motioning for him to leave.

"Patricia?" He recoiled as he said it. "That's not my fucking name."

"Imagine that," I drawled. "You don't enjoy being called a name that you don't recognize as yours. Who knew?"

He glared at me. "I don't see what Billy fucking sees in you."

"You and me both," I said. "Now if you don't mind, I have work to do." I glanced over towards where he was working. "Looks like you do too judging from the look on Caldwell's face."

Tommy looked up to see the teacher motioning him back to him. I heard him swear under his breath before he stormed over.

"Good fucking riddance," I muttered.

"One more year," Jonathan offered. "Then high school will be over."

"Yeah but then it's taxes and work. It's all downhill from here." I caught his look of disturbed alarm. "I'm kidding. Anyone who ever says high school is the best years of your life obviously peaked in high school and never discovered the joy that comes with the freedom of being an adult. It'll be amazeballs."

He frowned, confused for a moment before he nodded. "Yeah...amazeballs…."

It sounded weird when he said it and I realized that the slang didn't belong here. I was messing up more. I needed to get my shit together, one way or another.

I stood in the doorway watching as Deanna and Debbie hugged. Tammy's father was in the kitchen, working on the turkey. It left us to greet the woman. Debbie was dressed not conservatively but also not completely off the wall. She still looked like she belonged to the sixties but it was a little more subtle than the last time I saw her. Maybe because she was staying the night with us. I just prayed she didn't say anything to Tammy's parents to tip them off that I wasn't her niece.

"Kate!" She grinned as she saw me. "Did you grow?" She glanced at Tammy's mother. "I swear, Deanna, this girl gets taller every time I see her."

"Tell me about it," Deanna said. "I keep expecting to have her come home from school and hit her head on the doorframe."

"Hey!" I protested on Tammy's behalf. Both of them turned to me with identical smiles. It was a little spooky to see. "I think being five foot ten is tall enough, thanks. I'm already taller than most of the other girls."

"Blame your father, dear. He's the one who's six feet." Deanna turned to Debbie. "The guest bedroom is set up for you. Let's get you inside and settled. Was the drive okay?"

"It was fine." Debbie grabbed her bag out of the backseat and followed Deanna in. She paused for a moment as they passed me. She glanced around me before she gave me a sad smile. "I'm sorry about your friend," she said softly.

She had known long before I did. When she read my palm, before I could escape, she told me I would lose my best friend. God, this woman was really fucking creepy.

"Thanks," I responded. I had no idea what else to say.

"It'll be okay. You'll find your place, Kate." She patted my arm before going inside. I couldn't help but shudder. It was a shame that I was on the outs with Robin. I didn't have any other friends that I could run off to, hoping to hide from the woman. I was going to have to spend the next couple of days with her and try to avoid any more weirdly accurate predictions. I had enough going on in my life.

Dinner was an awkward affair. Tammy's mother listened attentively as Debbie told her about her latest project that involved cleansing a storefront that the owner's daughter was certain was haunted. This, of course, was after the daughter admitted to watching The Exorcist the week before.

Tammy's father kept shooting me incredulous looks as she told the story. It was clear that he didn't believe in any of her mumbo jumbo, as I heard him mutter. I tried not to laugh. Deanna shot us both an unimpressed look and I did my best to ignore Sam's huffs of exasperation.

"And what about you, Kate? How have things been with you?"

"Um.." I trailed off, not sure what to say. "Okay. Not much has been happening since I last saw you."

Deanna sighed. "That's not quite true, is it?"

"Well," I shrugged. "I did get in trouble for skipping class and had detention. But that's over now." I paused as I looked at Tammy's parents. "Right?"

"Yes," Sam said. "You'll be able to go back to your babysitting and karate this week."

Oh, thank god. I didn't say it out loud, but I definitely thought it. I needed to get back to the routine. It wasn't a major thing, but the self-defence classes helped me feel like I was in control of this body. It helped me feel like it was mine.

I was left in charge of doing the dishes. Buster lay near, watching me carefully as I washed them. Sam had left, claiming that he needed to check on the car. I was pretty sure he was just trying to gain a bit of air, a break from the chatter between sisters that was happening in the living room. No one stopped him and I was left on my own.

I fell into the mindless motions of washing dishes. I could hear Debbie and Deanna talking softly in the room but I tried to ignore it. Nothing good had come from me overhearing any of Deanna's conversations so far. Knowing that didn't stop my ears from picking up parts of the conversation.

"Children grow," I heard Debbie say. "Do you remember when we snuck out to attend that party at Baker's house? Our father was so angry...because that was where you met Sam who showed up at our house the next day to ask you out. He rolled up in that station wagon."

Deanna started laughing hysterically. "That thing was the ugliest car I've ever seen."

"And you still went with him!"

"You saw Sam! Who wouldn't," Deanna said. Debbie started laughing.

I walked into the room, Buster following at my side. "Alright, alright. I don't need to know anything else," I said.

"Not even-"

"Ah!" I covered my ears quickly which sent both of them into hysterics again. It made me smile. It seemed like such a typical family moment. I couldn't resist playing my part, even though I knew Tammy should have been here instead. "I'm going upstairs," I said. "You can continue this...when I'm not here." That made them laugh again. I left them to it and headed for my bedroom.

I was lying on the bed reading when someone knocked on my door.

"Come in," I called out. I jumped up quickly when Debbie walked in. "Oh. It's you." I winced as soon as I realized how that sounded. "Sorry, I just wasn't expecting you."

She gave me a soft smile. "It's okay. Can I come in?"

"Um.." I wanted to say no. I couldn't come across as too rude though. Not after all the trouble I already got Tammy in. Debbie might tell Deanna that Tammy didn't want to talk. It would be suspicious, especially since I had spent the night at her house not that long ago. "Sure." I moved back so that I was sitting against the headboard.

She closed the door and then sat by my feet. "I wanted to apologize for the last time we saw each other. I should not have pushed. You were clearly uncomfortable. I'm sorry."

That was unexpected.

"Thank you," I said. There were many people who had a tendency to not apologize, even when they were wrong. Myself included. "I appreciate that."

She stared at me for a moment before she started to wave her hand above my head again. "Your aura is dark. Your grief has mixed with fear." She looked at me carefully as she stopped what she was doing. "What's wrong, Kate?"

"I…" I paused for a moment, confused about the woman before me. "How do you know all of this?"

She shrugged. "The universe is clear to me."

"That's not an answer."

"It is, it's just not what you're looking for." She took a deep breath and regarded me carefully before she spoke again. "This is about Tammy."

My heart leapt into my throat. "What do you mean?"

She smiled softly before she reached over and took my hand. "You've been worried about her, haven't you? It's okay, I know." Her voice was quiet and her grip warm but firm. It was oddly reassuring despite our previous interactions. "You don't have to worry about her. Tammy is where she is meant to be, Kate."

What the hell did that mean? I stared at her in surprise. "What?"

She nodded. "This must be very confusing for you but it will be okay. Do you remember what I said before? You have a great future here, Kate."

A lump grew in my throat. "No, that's not…" I tried to swallow it back. "Tammy-they need their daughter," I said, nodding towards the door.

"They have you." Debbie gave me another small smile. "I know it is not the same and we both know that neither of us will tell them exactly what they lost. You're here now, Kate. I know you'll protect them."

My mouth dropped open. "I don't...how did this happen?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "I can only see what lies before you and even that can change at a whim. Our choices dictate the path our future takes. Do not let this consume you. You are your mother's daughter, after all, are you not?"

That stunned me. My mother back home had a habit of telling me that I would recover from whatever set me back, that I was her daughter and therefore nothing could hold me back if I didn't want it to.

Debbie smiled at me again. "You are going to do great things here. Trust in that and the people around you. Like your friend...the one who came with you to the concert? You can trust her too."

She leaned forward and kissed my forehead before getting up. "Sleep well, Kate. The dawn brings new opportunities for us all." She left quietly and I sat there, overwhelmed by the information she had given me.

"Holy shit."

[tbc]