Melody came to the Baker house during breakfast while Max and her mom were in the middle of arguing. "This Saturday night is the most important night of my entire life!" Max shouted. "I don't know what to tell you, you're grounded!" "Mom this is sophomore sleepover this transcends grounding! Why don't you understand that? I'll die if I don't go!" Max told her mother dramatically. "I'll die If I do go." Marcus added in. Ellen took a second to breathe before grabbing a big binder, waking over, and slamming it on the table. "I have spent hours and hours working my ass off, reasurching hot dog vendors, glow stick suppliers! If anyone gets to die, it's me!" Ellen told everyone. No, we could all die together. As a family! Clint signed to them, Making Melody chuckle. Ellen looked at the doorway and saw Melody. "Hey Melody! Breakfast?" She offered. "Of course!" Melody said while walking over to join everyone else at the table and sitting in between Max and Marcus. "None of my friends are going!" Marcus  told his mother. It was true, Melody had to go to a wedding for her cousin in New York that day. "You are literally the worst mother ever. Why can't you be cool like Georgia?" Max asked her mother.

"I am pretty cool! Morning neighbors!"A voice said from the door. The all whipped their heads to the door and saw Georgia. "Come in join us!" Ellen told her with feigned happiness. Run save yourself! Clint signed to her before standing up and walking to the sink. "He says run, save yourself." Ellen translated. "Oh!" Georgia replied and laughed. "I'm just here to get Ginny's ticket!" Georgia told her. "See mom? Ginny's going." Max said. "Would you like some breakfast?" Ellen asked. "Wow you're such a good mom! Isn't she a good mom Max? Max, If you want to prove that you deserve to go to sophomore sleepover, there are other ways to amigo about it then yelling at Ellen!" Georgia told her. "Yeah! Stop yelling at Ellen!" Ellen told Max. Max thought about it for a second and then ran to wash her dishes. Shocking Melody and Marcus beyond words.

"Wow that is some serious Jedi mind shit." Marcus spoke. "Marcus go to school and learn something!" Ellen told him. "Mm you know I won't." Marcus sassed as he walked ahead of Melody. "By mama Ellen!" Melody said. "Bye bye Mel!" Ellen said to her.

Marcus and Melody walked to school together and talked the entire way there. Marcus heard his alarm go off in his pocket and stopped to grab a bottle of pills from his backpack. "Time for some good ol adderall." Marcus said. "Oh yeah I have to take mine too." Melody said while grabbing her pill bottle. Both of the Baker twins were diagnosed with ADHD when they were in first grade, Melody was diagnosed with it when she was in fifth. They've all been medicated for it ever since. "I lowkey have been thinking about selling these." Marcus said while putting the pills back in his bag. "Why?" Melody asked. "More money for weed." Marcus told her. Melody rolled her eyes and laughed. "Take your adderall and shut up Baker." Melody told him. "Shut up and take yours Manelli." He told her while playfully smacking her shoulder. They continued their walk to school and talked more.

"I wish I didn't have to go to the stupid wedding. It's a Catholic wedding so it's going to take forever." Melody told Marcus as they approached the school doors. "Yikes guess I'm luckier than I thought." Marcus said. "This sleepover is going to be so stupid. I can't believe I'm actually being forced to go to it." He ranted as they walked through the hallway to get to the red area to sit with their other friends.

Saturday came way too soon. Max somehow convinced Ellen into letting her go to the sleepover and now Marcus had to listen to her annoying dress arrangements that she had with her friends. He didn't want to go to the sleepover at all but his parents were making go based on the fact that his therapist recommended that he went to more social events. He hadn't been able to go to big parties since Drew died. It didn't feel right to be in a big place and have fun without him. Marcus could do fun things with Melody because it felt like it was him and her against the world but now he had to be in a big party without her.

He had to be at the sleepover early because his mom had to be there early. As people started to arrive, he tried making small conversation with them but after a while he gave up and went to his out in the school bathroom. He found a place to hide out in the showers. Nobody used them so it was clean enough to stay in for a while. He had a bag of rolled joints that he rolled just for this night. He took one of the joints and a lighter from his front jean pocket. He lit the joint and took a long inhale from it.

He was able to lay low alone for an hour before Ginny Miller joined him in the bathroom. "Hey." He said to her.

"What are you doing in here?" Ginny asked him. "I am riding out this lame sleepover." Marcus corrected her. "It's not lame, it's fun."Ginny said while wetting her heir. "Doing the cupid shuffle?" He asked her. She went silent and finished her hair. "Nice hair." He said to her. "Shut up about my hair, why is everyone so obsessed with my hair. Worry about your own hair." Ginny ranted while walking over to him. "Ooh, I'm tough and alternative and too cool for fun." Ginny said before ruffling his hair. He silently laughed before speaking up. "Is that you impression of me? It's all wrong, I'm way more debonair. I'm too cool for fun." He said to her as he stood up. "Seriously why aren't you into this, there's a freaking bounce house." Ginny asked him. "None of my friends are here." He told her. "Or your girlfriend?" She said. "No Padma isn't my girlfriend. I don't really do girlfriends." He said. "I don't really do girlfriends." Ginny mocked him. Making them both chuckle.

"I'm sure you could hang with Max and us." Ginny told him. "The bro squad?" He said, "No thanks." He said before being silent for a few more seconds. "All right. well, I'll get out of your hair. Hey, pun! Cus the-" He said before Ginny said, "mm hm.". "Alright he said lastly before turning to leave. "Wait, I actually think you're more in the bush than debonair." Ginny said in a fake British accent. He stopped and then walked back to her. "You'd like that, wouldn't ya mate? Slip another shrimp on the barbie." He said in a very good Australian accent. Ginny laughed a little before they both sat back on the shower floor.

"It like there's this voice in my head telling me everything I'm doing wrong, and I'm always feeling really critical of myself even though I know no one's paying attention. Does that make sense?" Ginny asked him. "Voices in your head? Yikes, you should probably get that looked at." He said before Ginny playfully kicked him. He laughed before saying, "I don't know. Yeah, I get it. Wellsbury sucks." He said to hey. "No it doesn't. I'm still figuring it out but I've lived in a lot of places, and Wellsbury does not suck. This is the first place I've lived where it's cool to be smart, and they want you to succeed." Ginny told him. "They want you to fit into a neat, little, predetermined box. If you don't take seven AP classes they label you a problem. Put you on Adderall and Klonopin until you join the ski team or something." Marcus told her, adding a bit of personal information at the end. "You have a mom and a dad, a nice house, and the ability to pursue literally any of your interest. Check your privlege. If your biggest problem is ski team-" Ginny began before getting cut off. "So I don't have any valid problems because I live in Wellsbury?" Marcus asked her, as his voice trembled as he thought about what he was going to tell her. "I didn't say that." Ginny said. "Yeah, you sorta did." He said. He took a few seconds to breath and collect himself before telling her, "My, uh.." he struggled before forcing himself to say, "My best friend died last year, he, uh... he got cancer." He told her while forcing himself not to cry. "I'm sorry." Ginny said sadly. "It's fine." He said. "It doesn't sound fine." She said. He sighed, "Everyone has shit." He said before flashing a fake smile. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asked. He shook his head before saying, "Definitely not." They say in silence before he spoke up, "Damn, this got heavy. Maybe we just need to chill out." He said while standing to turn on the shower head but he got stopped by Ginny. Eventually they were laughing and showing each other's hands before Marcus had bot of Ginny"s in his. They looked at each other before moving to kiss. However they were cut off by the door being swung open.

"Come on two seconds." Georgia said, "really I'm fine." Max said. What are they doing in here? Marcus thought. "Yeah when I'm fine I sob uncontrollably." Georgia said. "I just... I made such a fool of myself." Max said. "You put your heart on the line! That takes guts. Love is a lot of things Maxine, safe isn't one of em." Georgia told her. "Your accent makes everything you say sound so convincing." Max said. "Now get out there and have fun, ignore Riley. Indifferent is the best revenge." Georgia told her. "Thanks, Ginny's really lucky to have you." Max told her before leaving.

Georgia fixed her hair in the mirror before noticing one of the MANG shirts and asking, "Who's in here? I was just with M, now I'm dealing with some fraction of ANG." She said. "Peach? Is that you?" She asked while walking to the showers. Ginny quickly rushed out and said, "Hey mom.". "What are you doing hiding in here weirdo? And why's your hair wet?" She asked.

Ginny explained to Georgia why she came in the bathroom and Georgia helped her daughter with her hair problem. "How many times have I told you not to let anyone touch your hair?" Georgia asked Ginny. "Are you almost done? I wanna get outta here." Ginny replied. "This whole thing is some next-level rich people shit. I've never seen anything like it." Georgia told her daughter as she continued fixing her hair. "But you look like you were enjoying yourself with Hunter, Ow!" Georgia said enthusiastically, making Marcus's face drop the smile it held. "Mom!" Ginny said. "What I'm being supportive!" Georgia said in her defense. "Can we drop it?" Ginny asked. "Don't be ugly. Why are you being so mean to me today? Am I that awful? Have I embarrassed you that much? Volunteered to chaperone for you to make sure you have a good time." Georgia told Ginny. "Please you hate that I'm making friends instead hanging in the corner with you judging everyone. You're just jealous that I get to do this and you didn't. That's what this is about? Am I wrong?" Ginny asked her mom. "Excuse me?!" Georgia asked, offended. "Whatever mom." Ginny said while walking out of the bathroom.

Marcus had to wait until Georgia left the bathroom to light another joint. He was smoking it when his phone started buzzing. He looked at it to see that Melody was calling him. He answered it quickly. "Hey bambam, how's the wedding going?" He asked. "Ugh it was so boring and now I'm at the reception hiding from everyone. How's the sleepover?" Melody asked. "It's ok... I talked about him today." Marcus said, referring to Drew. "Really? That's great! How'd it go?" Melody asked. "I didn't have a full breakdown so I guess you could say it went pretty well." Marcus told her. "I'm hiding out in the bathroom until it's time for lights out." He told her. She laughed. "Don't get caught bubs." She told him. "I won't bams I promise." He told her. "Alright, night night! I'll see you tomorrow night, love you." Melody said. "Bye bye love you!" Marcus said and then hung up.

Marcus basically jumped for joy when it was time to leave the next day. He was about to talk to Ginny but then saw and heard Hunter asking her to be his girlfriend. He internally died but refused to let it show. He went to sit down until his mom said it was time for them to leave. He went home and slept for most of the day. Melody finally got back from the wedding around 7 that evening and told Marcus to come over. When he got there he was being dragged to the kitchen by Melody. "Marcus! Come eat some of these leftovers we got from the wedding." Lenora told him. "No thank you I'm not very hungry." Marcus told her. "Ah ah, sit your scrawny ass down and eat mister." Lenora told him while pointing to the kitchen table. He smiled lightly and sat down. Melody joined him. Lenora put a bowl of pasta fagioli in front of them and let them eat and talk.

"Hunter asked Ginny to be a couple." Marcus told Melody. She frowned, "There's more people in school bubba. Don't commit yourself to someone whose in a relationship." She told him comfortingly. He nodded. "Yeah... ok." He responded. Melody got up from her seat and went to the kitchen island where her Nona was preparing a bunch of pizzelles. She took a handful of them and dashed back to the table. "Get your grubby hands off my pizzelles! That was an asshole move doll!" Her Nona lectured, making Melody and Marcus erupt in a fit of laughter.

The next day at school, Marcus did everything he could to avoid Ginny but at one point of the day their eyes locked and he couldn't help the pained feelings he felt when he remembered that they couldn't be together.