"Come on, Sheeps." Vance pushed her shoulder harshly the next morning. "You look ridiculous."

"I don't wanna study today." she argued, staying laid on her bed. "How'd you even get in my house?"

"Back door was unlocked." he shoved her again. "They're stupid kids. They'll come around."

Sarah ignored him, she didn't expect Vance to get it, but it annoyed her that he didn't. She exhaled. "I said I don't wanna talk."

"Well, you made me cancel my plans to go to Grab N Go and you bailed on my yesterday." he mocked her. "Every time we've been in your house, you bail on me. I'm sick of it. From now on, we're going back to studying at Grab N Go."

"Why? So you can pretend i'm not there and focus on your stupid game the whole time?!" he was pissing her off now, making her sit up with a glare. "Go to Grab N Go if you want to! I don't care!"

"Why are you yelling at me?! It's not my fault you got into a fight with a middle schooler!" he yelled back at her, they both got off the bed on sync.

"We didn't get in a fight, Billy got hurt because of me!" she yelled at him with a wave of her hands. "You don't understand how much of a dick his Dad is! I should have been there to get him from school but I was busy skipping school with you! Something I didn't even wanna do in the first place!"

"What are you even talking about?!" Vance was confused by the name she used. "Billy isn't here!"

"I'm not talking about Billy!" she hadn't even realized she said it, glaring harshly at her. "I'm talking about Finney!"

"So then why'd you say Billy?" his words made her realize she had, she didn't wanna yell after that. Sarah sat back down, Vance exhaled in disbelief. "Jesus christ, Sarah. Is this why you're so upset?"

"No, I am upset about Finney and Gwen." she said immediately, because she was. "Finney and I didn't get close like this until after Billy went missing. They remind me of each other."

Vance sat down too when she kept talking. "I love Finney. But I think I love him so much more now because it makes me feel like Billy is still here."

Vance could never understand Sarah the way he wanted to. Before he knew her, she was so plain and boring. Nothing seemed special about her, she just seemed there. Then, he found out she was a bit of a weirdo that wasn't scared of him. Now, he found out her best friend was likely dead and she found comfort in thinking he hadn't been by getting close with a kid she babysat.

Most of all, he didn't understand her because he really did care about Sarah. And that wasn't something that happened much. Vance exhaled, patting her head. "They're not gonna stay mad at you, Sheeps. That would be impossible."

She laughed. "You're always mad at me."

"Yeah, but that's different." he shrugged his shoulders. "Still my Sheeps."

Sarah smiled as she turned her head to look at him, Vance smiled back at her slightly. "Does this mean we're still gonna be friends when summer gets here?"

"What? In a month?" he gave a snort. "I guess so. If you really wanna."

Sarah leaned over and put her head on his shoulder. Vance cleared his throat and put an arm around her shoulders. "Let's go to Grab N Go."

"Finally." Vance exhaled, getting off the bed first. "I wasn't sure what else I had to say to convince you."

"I hate you." she circled the bed, pulling her shoes on in the process. "I gotta get my paycheck anyways."

"If we're still gonna hang out in summer, do I still get to play for free?" Vance looked back at her as he went down the stairs.

"You're funny." she mocked. "I don't think-"

She paused, the back door was open. Sarah's heart fell. "Did you not shut the door?"

"What? Yes I did." Vance argued with her.

"Did you pull it hard? The lock is rusty!" she yelled in a panicked state, hurrying into the living room. "Bingo!"

"Why didn't you tell me about the lock!" Vance gave her an insane look. "How would he have gotten out?"

"Bingo!" Sarah pushed the hall bathroom door open. "He uses his nose to push! Shit!"

Sarah checked the rest of the house before finally meeting Vance back. "We gotta go find him. He couldn't have gone far."

Vance nodded as they hurried out of the house, Sarah grabbing his lesh on the counter. The two spent the evening outside, yelling Bingos name and looking all the places he could have gone.

"Sarah!" Mr.Yamada pulled up in his car. "What's going on?"

"Bingo ran away!" she was on the verge of tears. "Have you seen him?"

"I haven't." he looked at her and Vance. "Get in, we'll drive around. It'll go faster."

"Thank you." Sarah grabbed Vance's arm and pull him to the car. "Do you know them?"

"Not really." he said back, getting in the car.

"This is Vance." Sarah cleared her throat, Bruce was in the front seat. "He's my friend."

"Hey, Vance." Mr.Yamada said in return.

"It'll be okay, Sarah. We'll find him." Bruce offered her a smile, reaching back to shake her knee. "He's a smart dog."

"I don't understand why he'd want to leave." Sarah rubbed her eyes. "God, Billy is gonna be so upset if we don't find him."

Vance felt guilty, putting a hand on Sarah's knee for support and in his own form of an apology. Neither Bruce or his Dad said anything about how Sarah spoke like Billy was just on a trip, probably because they thought he'd come home too. Bruce looked back. "I wouldn't have guessed you two were together."

"We might not be if we don't find her dog. So, keep your eyes in the road." Vance's demand made Bruce flash Sarah a grin, clearly unbothered by his harsh tone. "Sarah, isn't that your friend?"

Robin.

"Robin!" Sarah rolled down the window as Mr.Yamada hit his breaks, slamming her into the window. "Robin!"

"Sarah?" he jogged to the car. "Why are you hanging out of this car? Who've you got with you?"

"Have you seen Bingo?" her eyes went wide with hope. "He's a golden retriever, had a orange collar on."

"Looks like he needs a haircut?" he rose his eyebrows as Sarah nodded. "Yeah, he ran past me when I walked into Grab N Go."

"Seriously?" she exhaled with wide eyes. "Holy shit! We gotta go to Grab N Go!"

"We gotta go to Grab N Go!" Bruce agreed, looking to his Dad. "You get that?"

"I think all of Denver got that." Vance rolled his eyes at how loud the pair were.

"Get in." Sarah opened the door and sat in the middle so Robin could be on the other side. "This is Vance."

"Right, the late night visitor." Robin hummed.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Vance leaned past Sarah with a glare.

"I hope you know that Finn still does not approve." Robin ignored him and looked at Sarah.

"Hey!" Vance leaned across Sarah and shoved the side of Robins head. "You better stop talking about me like i'm not here, dumbshit!"

"Hey!" Sarah warned them both. "Enough."

"You guys want some bubble gum?" Bruce looked back and held out the pack. "Look, it's got a baseball player on it."

"That's so cute." Sarah agreed. Vance gave her an odd look.

"Sarah's gonna tutor the entire baseball team." Bruce looked at the boys. "Isn't she cool?"

"Alone?" Vance turned his head. "Where?"

"Dug out. It's not till May." she said in return.

"What, like all together?" Vance seemed flabbergasted by this idea. "Who's all on the baseball team?"

"Bruce." she pointed out. "That's all I know."

"Aiden, Michael, Chase, Logan, Tyler-" Bruce began to list on. "Great guys!"

"Oh, i'm sure." Vance mocked as he side eyed Sarah. "Do you even know these people?"

"I didn't know you." she gave a point of her finger. "You can come if you want."

"Yeah, that'll be fun." Bruce agreed from the front.

"You gonna make a bunch of money?" Robin asked as Mr.Yamada took a harsh turn when almost missing the turn. "If you're looking for some extra cash, the Drive In needs a few people this summer."

"Why would she need a job? Her house has flower beds." Vance rolled his eyes. "Do you not know these boys either?"

"So you've been to her house and suddenly know her better then us?" Robin leaned across Sarah to argue. "Does she braid your hair?"

"What?!" Vance yelled as him.

"Because she braided my hair once." Robin shoved a finger his way. "If that doesn't say friendship, then I don't know what does!"

"They aren't friends, they're together." Bruce pointed out.

Mr.Yamama slammed on his breaks, yelling out at the same time Sarah and Vance did. "What!"

"We are not together, dumbass!" Vance yelled.

"Well, that's what everyone at school is saying." Bruce shrugged his shoulders. "What's the matter? I think it's cute."

"Ouu, Sarah. I gotta break the need to Finn that he doesn't get to marry you when he's seventeen." Robin shook his head. "He's gotta be so sad, Sarah. I'm gonna have to throw him in my uncles truck and take him to the drive in."

"Who's Finn and why's he marrying Sarah when she's seventeen?" Mr.Yamada looked back. "Sarah, you're dating Vance Hopper?"

"No!" she and Vance yelled on sync.

"Can we stop talking about dating and marriage?" Sarah threw her hands up. "My dog is missing, we have to find him. He's more important then any of this!"

"True." Mr.Yamada agreed as he started to drive again. "Of course you don't have a boyfriend. I'd be the first person you'd tell."

"Exactly." Sarah agreed. "I can't believe people think we're together."

"Probably because of that stupid hug you insisted on." Vance rolled his eyes. "Your fault."

"I hug Miss Stapleton and no one thinks we're dating." Sarah defended herself.

"Miss Stapleton is eighty years old and has no teeth. I can see why people wouldn't think you're dating." Bruce gave a snort.

"But he's not even her type." Robin held a hand in Vance's direction. "Why would people ever think that?"

"Oh, she couldn't get so lucky." Vance rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Tell him i'm your type, Sheeps."

"I don't think I have a type." she admitted with a shrug as Vance elbowed her in the ribs. "Not that you don't meet the description if I did."

"Woah, and I have no clue why anyone would assume you two were dating." Mr.Yamada mocked as he pulled into Grab N Go. "This is where he was?"

"He was by the door. I thought he was waiting on someone." Robin got out first as Sarah and Vance followed.

Sarah hurried to the door, circling the store. "Bingo!"

A familiar bark echoed as Sarah ran faster, coming face to face with an older man that stood infront of a van. His hair was white but he had gentle eyes, one's Sarah was welcomed by. A top hat on his head, and the remaining of his face covered in paint. "Looks like we found who you belong to, little guy."

"Bingo." Sarah cried as she hurried over, dropping down on her knees and hugging him tightly. He made her feel close to Billy, she couldn't have imagined what would have happened if she'd lost him. She'd cried so much that she couldn't even thank the man that had stayed with him until Sarah came back. She especially didn't stop for think about how he knew he was hers.

"Aw, look at that." Mr.Yamada walked over.

"Told you we'd find him." Bruce hurried over with a smile, rubbing Sarah's back as she held onto Bingo.

Vance and Robin were in the middle of arguing when they'd made it to the back. They both seemed relieved to see Bingo and Sarah, but Vance had been beyond thankful they'd found him. He knew Sarah would never forgive him for that, and if she had, he'd always feel the guilt of taking away the only part of Billy she had left.

"You scared her, you shit head." Vance leaned down to rub Bingo on the head and put his arm around Sarah's emotional state. "See? He's all good."

"Yeah." she inhaled deeply and leaned her head onto Vance's. Robin held the lesh out to Sarah to get Bingi on it. When she stood up, she stared at the taller man. "Thank you so much."

"Oh, sure." he gave a giggle. "His collar was too new for him to be a stray, figured he'd escaped not too long ago."

"Yeah." Sarah laughed as she wipped her eyes. "Thank you, again."

Vance wrapped his arm around Sarah in comfort. Robin shook his head in disapproval. "Can't believe I gotta be the one to tell Finn."

"Not everyone would have done what you did." Mr.Yamada shook the man's hand with a smile. "We really appreciate your help. We weren't sure if we'd have find him."

"How come you have face paint on?" Bruce asked him curiously.

"Oh, i'm a magician." he smiled at the group. "You kids wanna see a magic trick?"

He didn't wait for an answer, Sarah took the second to wrap her arms around Vance's waist and drop her head on his shoulder. She was tired from running and crying, plus she'd sensed his guilt for Bingo. Robin continued to disapprove, but Mr.Yamada found them cute. The man held his hands out to the group. "Each of you take a card."

Robin, Sarah, and Bruce all took one. Sarah took an extra and made Vance hold it. The man smiled at the boys, Sarah didn't think to much into it. How could she? Nothing about this man was common in their town, she'd never come across anyone that had the same sinister thoughts and intentions as he had. She figured he smiled at the boys because Bruce was already smiling, Robin seemed genuinely interested, and he'd been trying to get a better reaction from Vance.

He pulled a card from his own stack. "Which of you has the queen?"

Vance sighed as he looked at his. "I've got it."

"Congratulations!" the man yelled with a loud laugh, making every single one of them jump. "You have a surprise coming your way soon!"

"That's the big magic trick?" Vance gave a look of disbelief.

"Vance." Sarah whispered in a scolding state, handing their cards back. "Thank you again."

"Anytime, Sarah." he smiled at her. "He's a cute little fella!"

She assumed he was talking about Bingo, they all did.

"How'd you know her name was Sarah?" Vance cut in, because he noticed it when no one else did.

The man froze, laughing slightly. Sarah laughed too. "I put my name on Bingos collar incase something like this happened."

"Exactly!" the man laughed.

"I better get you kids home." Mr.Yamada spoke up, getting the same weird vibe Vance had. "Thank you for your help."

"Bye." Bruce and Sarah said on sync with a wave.

Vance forcefully pulled Sarah. "Don't talk to that guy if you see him again."

"Why? He saved Bingo." she said in return.

"He's a total creep." he said in return with a look of disbelief.

•

kylie speaks

see if i ever got my hands on
the grabber id have done so
much worse then stranger the
mf with a cord. finney was too
nice about it.