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Chevon
Jason picked Chevon up too early in the morning and then drove her straight to the Puddys’ house. “I can’t believe this is happening,” he said when he pulled up the driveway.
Chevon snorted. “I know. Isn’t it great?”
“I guess we’re going to find out.” He eyed the minivan. “Are we sure that thing will even make it to Orrington?”
She laughed again and pointed. “Park over there, out of the way.”
“I can’t park on their lawn!”
“That’s not lawn.” There was like a single tuft of grass. “What’s the matter with you?”
Roderick came out of the barn and saw Jason’s hesitation. He pointed to the same spot she had pointed to and hollered, “You can park right over there.”
Jason smiled at him and grunted at her. “Don’t even say it.” He put the car in park and turned the engine off. “I guess at least now we know that Roderick’s on board.”
“Did you think Mary Sue was lying?”
“I thought maybe. This whole plan is insane.”
“Oh, will you stop it! You make it sound like we’re going ziplining with serial killers.” She opened the door.
He was too quiet, so she looked back at him.
“Ziplining with serial killers? What is wrong with you?”
She giggled. “I don’t know. I’m excited.”
“But why?”
“I like having a cause.” She headed toward the Puddys’ front door.
Victor opened it before she got there. “You wanna meet my goat?”
He looked so hopeful she hated to say no, but she really didn’t want to meet his goat. Though her nausea was mostly gone, she wasn’t confident that would be the case if she had to smell a goat. “Sorry, bud. We don’t have time today. Is Mary Sue ready?”
“She will be in just a minute,” Lauren called from somewhere behind Victor. “Come on in.”
Chevon stepped up into the kitchen, and Jason followed.
Lauren greeted them with a big smile. “Did you guys have breakfast yet? Do you want something to eat?”
Her kitchen smelled like food, and Chevon was definitely willing to eat some of it, but she politely declined.
Lauren stopped what she was doing and put her hands on her hips. “And I can assume some other adult has annoyed you with a lecture about what you should and shouldn’t do today?”
No, actually.
“Not really,” Jason said.
Lauren smiled. “I do think this is a good idea. But make sure everyone stays buckled up and pay attention to the road. I know it’s fun having a vanload full of kids. I do it all the time. But it’s easy to be distracted, and distracted driving is deadly driving.”
“Okay.” Chevon had thought she was going to lecture them about the investigative portion of the day.
“I will be super careful,” Jason said.
“Good. Thank you. And then when you get there, really try to listen to the Holy Spirit. I know you guys are on a mission, but if anything feels uncomfortable, get out of there. If you come back home having learned nothing about the man, that is totally fine.”
Jason grinned. “Will do.”
No way was Chevon leaving that church without any information.
“All right then. I’ll go see if I can’t hurry Mary Sue along.” She disappeared, and Chevon looked up at Jason.
“Kind of funny that the adults are so into this.”
“I’m not sure they all are. I think the Puddys are pretty cool adults. Also, we should probably stop calling other people adults as if we aren’t ones.” He glanced down at her stomach.
She put her hands on her daughter. “Oh yeah. Good point. By the way, I forgot to tell you. I felt the baby move on Friday. A lot.”
“Good,” he said in a tone that suggested he had no interest in what she was saying.
So she kept her joy to herself.
Mary Sue appeared. “All right, team, let’s go!”
Lauren hugged her and tried to kiss her, but Mary Sue acted all embarrassed and slithered out of her embrace. She headed for the door and led them outside. “You can have the front!” She ripped the sliding door open.
“Thanks.” Chevon climbed in and watched, amused, as Jason examined his new vehicle. “Mmm, you are so hot in a minivan.”
He laughed. “Shut up.”
“I spent like three hours yesterday cleaning this thing for you guys. It was disgusting. So who are we picking up first?”
“I don’t know. Who’s closest?”
“Emma.”
“And is Emma going?” Jason asked.
“Oh, absolutely. But she had to beg her mom not to come too.”
Chevon was glad she had succeeded. That would have made this mission super weird and far less fun.
“Hype is the next closest,” Jason said as he eased the van down the driveway, “so we can get Emma, then him, and then Zoe.”
“Isn’t Levi coming?” Chevon asked.
Jason laughed. “Yes. He thinks the entire thing is ridiculous, but Zoe is making him come. He’s going to meet us at Zoe’s.”
“Turn the radio up,” Mary Sue said. “I love this song.”
They listened instead of talking all the way to Vicky’s house. Jason kept his hands at ten and two the whole way, and his knuckles were white. It was quite amusing.
When they stopped in front of Vicky’s door, Emma came out trailed by both Tonya and Vicky.
“Oh boy,” Jason said.
Tonya gave them a speech much like the one Lauren had given them. What, did all the moms talk about this behind their backs? Or did moms all think alike? Chevon’s mom hadn’t said anything because Chevon hadn’t told her where she was going.
Jason managed to charm both Vicky and Tonya into believing he had a good handle on this mission, and they wished them well. Then the minivan was bound for Hype’s house.
“You’d better text him. Tell him we’re five minutes out.”
Chevon did.
He didn’t answer.
“Shoot, that means he’s probably not up yet.”
“Are you serious? He knows we’re coming.”
“Yeah, but he’s Hype.”
“Let me at him with a cold bucket of water,” Mary Sue said. Was there a hint of crushing in her tone?
“Call him,” Jason said.
Chevon did.
“Hello?” he said after four rings.
“Oh my word, you’re not even up yet.”
“I’m up, I’m up.”
“We’re five minutes out.”
“Three, now,” Jason said loudly.
“I’m up. I’ll be ready when you get here.”
Chevon wasn’t sure he was ready—his hair was disheveled and his clothes looked like pajamas—but he did come outside as soon as they got there. He climbed into the van and whistled. “Wow, nice wheels, DeGrave.”
Mary Sue giggled.
Yep. Definitely crushing.
“Shut up and buckle up,” Jason said.
“You sure are telling a lot of people to shut up lately,” Chevon said.
“Sorry. I’m finding this venture a bit stressful.”
There was some satisfaction in that. Jason should experience some stress.
“Oh my word!” Hype cried.
Jason, who had started backing out of the driveway, hit the brakes. “What?”
“What is this?”
Chevon turned around. He was holding up a long thin blob of pink. “I don’t know ...”
“It’s a fruit roll up,” Mary Sue said.
“But it’s all hairy! Gross!” He flung it across the minivan.
“Where did you find that?” Mary Sue sounded very small.
“I was reaching into the seat for the seatbelt.”
Mary Sue’s face was red, and she looked ill.
Jason started driving again.
“Oh calm down, Hype,” Chevon said. “Haven’t you ever seen Judith? She’s a little kid. Little kids eat fruit roll ups.” And shove them into seat cracks, apparently. “Don’t be such a wuss.”
Mary Sue gave her a grateful look, and Chevon turned back to the front. She did some quick math. Mary Sue would be a freshman next year—a homeschooled freshman, but still a freshman. And Hype would be a senior. Was that too much of a gap? Hype had the maturity of a sixth grader, so maybe not. Though Roderick would probably have a complete meltdown over his daughter’s choice of boys. Maybe Chevon should focus on introducing Mary Sue to some other boys. Yes, that would be her next mission. Right after she investigated Joe Weir and had a baby.
Zoe climbed into the van, and then a less enthusiastic Levi followed.
“Okay, we’re all here,” Jason said. “Are we really going to do this? It’s not too late to be reasonable.”
Chevon laughed. “Just drive, or I will.”
He sighed and put the car in gear. “Here we go.”
