On the way home from the game Mark kept replaying it over and over again in his mind, relishing the experience while criticizing his own mistake, although he didn't have many. He continued doing so until he finished his shower, but once he was warm and dry he thought again about his plans for the next day. He really should check first whether or not it was okay before he went to see Beth.

"Hello?", a middle aged woman answered the house phone.

"Hello Mrs. Turner, it's Mark", he recognized Beth's mother by her voice.

"Hi Mark. How are you?", she asked politely, but her voice sounded tired.

Mark didn't think that asking her how they're doing was a good idea, all things considered. "I'm okay. I was wondering if it would be okay for me to come visit tomorrow after school?".

"Please wait a minute". Mark heard a noise as Mrs. Turner put the phone down. She must have gone to ask Beth. He waited patiently until she came back.

"Yes, it's alright. When will you be coming?", Beth's mother asked.

"Straight after school", Mark answered.

"Alright. Goodbye", she said.

"See you tomorrow", Mark answered, but she already hung up.

Mark couldn't fault her for her rudeness. She must be heartbroken over what happened to Beth, and knowing her she must have been worrying incessantly over her daughter's condition. Suddenly he felt bad for trying to use Beth as an excuse to run into Stephanie. She deserved better than that, but since he already arranged to see her tomorrow the only way he could make it right was by doing his best to really be there for her and to try to put Stephanie out of his mind for the duration of the visit.

"But what's Stephanie going to think?", the thought suddenly occurred to him. When she finds out that he went alone to visit his ex-girlfriend she might get the idea that he was trying to rekindle their relationship. With everything Beth went through she was very vulnerable at the moment, so someone might think that seeing her in that condition has awakened his protective instincts, leading to a resurgence of his attraction toward her. It wasn't true, and he didn't want anyone to get that impression.

Mark realized that he trapped himself and spent a long time thinking of a solution, but none came to him.

The next morning Mark was ambushed on his way to the bathroom by his little sister.

"Can you come to my room?", she whispered. Mark groggily wondered what it was about as he followed her. She closed the door behind them.

"So, um, you know about my boyfriend", she said quietly without looking at him.

"Yeah", he answered.

"So, uh, he asked me out on a date tomorrow", Rebecca mumbled.

"Okay". Mark still had no clue where this was going.

"So can you take me?", Rebecca finally got to the point.

"Why do you want me to take you?", Mark was somewhat puzzled. They haven't gotten along much lately, so why would she ask him for this favor?

"Because mom and dad won't let me go alone, and I don't want them to find out about me having a boyfriend", she answered.

"So why not just go with your friends?", he wondered.

"Because I don't want them to find out either. You're the only one that knows". Mark finally understood. Now that she was opening up to him like this it felt like it would be a little too mean to tease her about it, and in any case he was still feeling too sleepy to bother trying to be clever, so he answered her seriously.

"Okay. Where are we going?". Some tension seemed to be released from Rebecca's body.

"To the bowling alley in Hillside", she answered. Now he knew why she needed him. Their parents wouldn't let her take a bus alone to another town yet. Mark made sure to get from her the details of when they would be going and coming back. When he left her room to get ready for school she was smiling shyly, although she still wouldn't look at him directly.

At the breakfast table Mark noticed his parents looking at Rebecca and exchanging significant glances, but they didn't say anything. He didn't think it was very fair that they should tease him mercilessly but leave Rebecca alone. Then he remembered that that they didn't tease him about Beth either. Perhaps they didn't want to discourage a first love? Or is it that he was never in love with Beth in the first place, so there was nothing to tease him about? He certainly never felt as obsessed with her as he was now with Stephanie.

---

"Hi", Stephanie greeted Mark as he sat down next to her at the lunch table. She was looking straight at him for a change, and he noticed that her cheeks were a little flushed.

"Hi", Mark answered. Then, in order not to waste an opportunity to try to start a conversation, he added "what's up?".

"We're going together to see Beth after school. Would you like to come with us?". The redness of her cheeks deepened and spread down to her neck.

Mark realized this was his opportunity to avoid the pitfall that he had dug for himself, but more than that, it was Stephanie who was choosing to approach him and ask him to come with her. It was an encouraging sign.

"Sure, I'd love to go with you", he answered with a smile. Stephanie smiled back, evidently relieved.

Mark noticed that the classmates who were sitting next to them were were looking at them and suddenly felt embarrassed. He wondered if he was blushing since his cheeks felt a little hot, and quickly shifted his focus to his food, trying to ignore the people around them. Stephanie also began eating. Her hair draped around her, hiding her face from the people around her.

"So what's up between you and Stephanie?", Jake asked him on their way back from lunch.

Mark was somewhat alarmed by the question. Was it that obvious?

"Nothing, I guess", he tried to evade.

"You don't get that red in the face over nothing", Jake grumbled.

"No I didn't", Mark quickly denied. Jake frowned at him.

"I'm talking about Stephanie. You'd have to be blind not to see how red she got. It was like she turned into a tomato".

"If you say so". Mark was a little nervous, but at the same time he was happy to have another opinion confirming what he already suspected.

"I feel like I'm the last single guy left", Jake sighed.

"What are you talking about? Steve's the only one who's got a girlfriend right now".

"That might not be true. I heard Zeke has a girlfriend, but she moved to another state so they only see each other about once a month", Jake said dejectedly.

"Wow, that's tough". Mark commented. Then he noticed Jake's demeanor and realized what was really on Jake's mind.

"Why don't you try hanging out with Amanda, then? She seems to like books. You should have something in common", he advised. Jake shook his head.

"I already tried that. She only likes cringy romance novels".

"I don't know what to tell you, man. Maybe you can try looking for someone in another class. You do meet a lot of them at your parties, right?". Jake shook his head again.

"The girls that come to my parties are nice, but they're not the kind I want to date, if you know what I mean".

"Then you can try asking them if they can set you up", Mark suggested.

"Yeah, maybe".

Mark decided it was time to put an end to that conversation. "So we're still on for Sunday, right?", he changed the subject.

"Sure", Jake answered distractedly. It seemed he was already absorbed in trying to decide who was the right girl to ask for help and how he should go about it. Either that or there was some other weighty problem on his mind.

During the next break Mark stepped out of school to call Beth's mother again. Since he changed his plans it was only right that he should inform her.

"Hello?", he heard her answer the phone.

"Hi Mrs. Turner, it's Mark".

"Yes, how are you?". She sounded just as tired as the previous evening.

"I'm okay. I just thought that I should let you know that I'll be coming with some of Beth's other friends".

"Yes, Cassandra told me".

"Okay, good, so see you later", Mark ended the conversation.

"Goodbye", Mrs. Turner said before hanging up.

When school finally let out Cassandra, Jessica, Stephanie, Amanda, and Mark walked out together and headed south to Beth's house. As they passed by the commercial streets Mark spoke up.

"Are we going to get something to bring with us?"

"No", Cassandra answered.

"We're just going to hang out, like normal", Stephanie explained. It made sense. What was most likely to be helpful for Beth was a sense of security and normalcy. Not rushing her to move on, but giving her support while conveying to her that nothing has changed as far as the way people regarded her or how much they cared about her. Making a big show out of every visit might just emphasize her hurt instead of soothing it.

Soon they arrived at Beth's front door and rang the doorbell. A few moments later they heard footsteps approaching.

"Who is it?", a muffled voice called out from beyond the door. It was Beth's mother.

"It's Cassandra. We came to visit Beth".

The peephole went dark as Mrs. Turner carefully examined the crowd in front of her home. Then she unlatched the door and unlocked both the knob and the deadbolt. They never used to be so cautious before.

"Beth is in her room. You can go in now. She knows you're coming", Mrs. Turner said as they entered the house.

They filed up the stairs and into Beth's room. It had wall-to-wall lavender-colored carpeting and light pink walls, covered in pictures of family, friends, plants, and animals. The furniture was made out of wood and was painted white.

Beth was sitting up in bed wearing a blue sweatshirt with a polar bear wearing a scarf and holding a cup of hot cocoa printed on it, her quilt covering her up to her waist. Her blond hair hung loose around her. Although it seemed messy compared to her usual pony tail, it made her look prettier.

"Hi", Beth greeted them, her expression neutral.

"Hi", they chorused in response.

Jessica sat down on the edge of the bed while Cassandra pulled over the desk chair. The two flanked Beth and started chatting with her about the goings on in school while the rest of them hung back.

With 5 people in it the small room was quite crowded. Mark felt that he wasn't needed there and decided to make himself useful.

"I'll go get some chairs", he quietly said to Stephanie.

"I'll come with you", she replied.

They left the room discreetly and went down to the basement to get some of the folding chairs the family kept there.

"You played well yesterday", Stephanie suddenly said while they were descending the stairs.

"Is she trying to make conversation with me?", Mark thought excitedly, but what he said out loud was "Thanks. It was nice seeing you there".

Stephanie's thin figure was quite charming when viewed from behind, and Mark felt his heart pounding as he imagined using this moment alone to try to kiss her, but he didn't dare. They weren't dating yet, so even though he thought she was into him he didn't know for sure if such a move would be welcomed.

They remained quiet for a few moments while they walked over to the stack of chairs when Mark was hit with a flash of inspiration, which prompted him to break the silence.

"Um, my little sister is going on a date tomorrow, and, uh, she asked me to come with her, you know, like a chaperone. So, uh, I thought it could be nice to have someone else to hang out with".

Stephanie's back was turned toward him, so Mark couldn't see her face when she spoke.

"Are you asking me to come?"

"Yeah".

"Okay. Where are we going?". She kept her face turned away from him while they collected the chairs, two each, and headed back. This time she followed him.

"The bowling alley in Hillside. It should be fun, right?". Mark struggled to contain his excitement. It wouldn't leave a good impression on her if he started jumping up and down like a lunatic.

"Yes, bowling is nice. How old is your sister?"

"She's 11 years old, 5th grade". His mouth and throat felt swollen. It was difficult to get words out.

"That's cute. What about her boyfriend?"

"I don't know".

When they entered Beth's room everyone turned to look at them. The stares made Mark uncomfortable, but no one said anything, and a moment later the conversation resumed. Mark recovered while arranging the chairs. Stephanie bent while she worked, and her hair fell around her face, hiding it from everyone's view. When she finished arranging the chairs she sat down on one of them, and Mark quickly sat down on the the chair next to her.

With everyone now seated the room didn't feel so crowded anymore, and the conversation flowed for hours. Eventually Stephanie joined in, and even Mark and Amanda made the occasional contribution. It didn't feel like much time had passed, yet before he knew it it was already dark outside.

"It's getting late. What are we going to do for supper?", Mark remarked.

"How about we order some pizza?", Jessica suggested. The girls often went together to the nearby pizza shop.

"I don't want pizza", Beth said quietly.

"Okay, then how about burgers?", Jessica asked.

"I don't want it. I had it last week". Beth, who was previously looking more relaxed, was now gripping her blanket tightly. It took a moment for Mark to realize what she meant. Her kidnapper must have fed her Burgers and Pizza, turning those foods into painful reminders of her captivity.

"So what would you like to eat?", Stephanie asked softly.

"I don't know. Anything else", Beth answered.

"How about Chinese food?", Jessica suggested. Beth nodded.

Cassandra took everyone's order then left the room to call the restaurant. While she was doing that Mark took out his phone and typed a message to his mother.

Hi mom. I'm going to eat supper out with some friends. Don't wait for me.

By the time the food arrived Beth seemed to have recovered, and they all moved to the dining room to eat. The conversation got lively again, and finally, when they were finished with the meal, they got ready to leave. That's when Beth's parents finally came down from their bedroom, where they seemed to be hiding, and accompanied them to the door.

"Please don't be strangers. Come again soon", Beth's mother said with a wan smile.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Turner, we will", Cassandra answered. The Turner family watched from the doorway while the group walked to street and started making their way back toward the school. However, shortly after they turned the corner Cassandra stopped and turned to face them.

"Here's my car", she pointed with her thumb. Now that she pointed it out to them Mark recognized it. "I'll drive you home".

Jessica took the passenger seat again. Stephanie took the middle seat in the back, and as a result Mark ended up sitting next to her, their sides and legs touching each other for the duration of the trip. He had the urge to take her hand in his, or to put his hand on her thigh, but he resisted.

"Maybe after the date tomorrow, if it goes well", he told himself.

Stephanie raised her voice to speak. "It seems sad to leave her alone at night", she said. "How about we do a sleepover next time?"

"Am I invited?", Mark asked innocently.

"Hell no!", Jessica exclaimed.

Mark rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation. "I'm just joking".

"Sounds like a good idea. I'll talk about it with Beth and her parents. We'll see". Cassandra said.

Mark's house was the closest so he was the first to be dropped off.

"See you", he said to the girls, but he was looking at Stephanie.

"Bye", the girls replied to him, except for Stephanie, who instead echoed his words back to him.

"See you".

"Yes!", Mark finally let loose an exclamation of victory when he was safely back in the privacy of his own room, and proceeded to vent his excitement through a dance that consisted of a lot of jumping and throwing his fist in the air.

Finally, after what felt like forever but was only about a week, he got a date with Stephanie. At least, he thought it was a date. It really is a date, right? After all, they're going out together for bowling. That's a date activity. The only other people that are going to be there are another couple on a date, so it's a double date, right?

He felt a little uncertain, but at the same time he could hardly contain his excitement. He wanted to tell everyone, but at the same time he didn't want to ruin it. He just needed to control his mouth until tomorrow. He could do that, right? He had to. There was no way he'd do something to jeopardize this opportunity.