6

When Rocky was mad, she cleaned. Scrubbing surfaces was her favorite thing, but Ty was on kitchen duty this week and had already done it all. Other than picking up a couple stray socks on the floor, her own room was tidy, so all she could really do was plop herself down in the beanbag chair by her window and cross her arms tightly over her chest.

She was so mad. How could CeCe have been so stupid? How could she have just ruined their sugar baby like that? Images of little Bo filled her mind as she wondered if she'd need to arrange a funeral.

At first she didn't notice the light nicks against her window pane until a loud thunk startled her out of her angry thoughts. For a moment she wondered if a bird had hit the window, but it was dark out so that couldn't have been it. Another clatter against the glass and Rocky was on her feet, hands pressed against the window. The glare from the neighbor's garage light obscured everything, so she unlocked the window and pushed it up. As soon as she hung her head out, she had to dodge a small rock hurtling towards her face.

"Hey!"

"Sorry! I didn't know you were there. I can't really see."

Rocky rolled her eyes, tempted to just slam the window back closed. CeCe was standing in the side yard like she'd suddenly been cast in Say Anything or something.

"What are you doing?" Rocky hissed. "Forget how doors work?"

"Are your parents gonna let me in at 11pm?"

Rocky pursed her lips, annoyed that CeCe was right, though she'd not been totally aware it was quite that late.

"Go away!" Rocky whispered loudly.

"I have something for you!"

"You can give it to me at school tomorrow. Good night!"

She made to close the window for real this time, but CeCe persisted.

"I can't give it to you at school, it has to be now. Will you come down?"

Sighing, Rocky sat back down on the beanbag chair, resting her chin on the window sill. She wondered if CeCe would just stand there all night if she didn't at least let her get out what she'd come to say. Probably. CeCe Jones seemed like that kind of girl.

"Fine," she relented, hooking her fingers on the window frame. "I'll be right there."

Luckily, the rest of the family had gone to bed, but that also meant she'd have to sneak down the stairs, unlock the front door, and ease it open ever so softly. CeCe had already made her way around to the front porch. In the dark she was nearly imperceptible given her dark clothes and boots. She'd also brought her backpack as if it were a regular day after school or something.

"Hey," CeCe greeted, obviously trying to sound friendly. "Nice pajamas."

"What do you want?" Rocky replied bitterly, tugging at the cuffs of her pink striped pajama shirt.

"I brought you something," CeCe said, gesturing to her backpack. "Um, can we go sit somewhere?"

"Whatever," Rocky said, waving a dismissive hand in the air. "Why not? I've already snuck out of the house, we might as well go break some laws or something while we're at it."

Even in the dark, she could perceive CeCe's hurt expression.

"Rocks, I'm sorry you're mad."

"Please stop calling me Rocks," Rocky snipped. "And I wouldn't be mad if you hadn't killed our baby."

"Rocky," CeCe said, sounding heartbroken. "I didn't… I didn't do it on purpose. You know I didn't. It was an accident."

"I don't even want to say it again," Rocky said, "but you're so careless, I can't believe it. Though I don't know why I'm surprised, actually."

Now CeCe's eyes matched her hurt tone of voice. "What… what's that supposed to mean?"

Rocky didn't want to answer, mostly because she felt the answer was so obvious. CeCe was a girl who never planned anything, who turned homework in late, whose student calendar was as crisp and unused as the day it'd been issued to her. So obviously - obviously - this was a girl who was gonna mess stuff up, who didn't take precautions. Rocky had trusted her, but it still happened.

"Nothing," Rocky murmured, wrapping her arms around her middle. "Are we done here? It's getting cold and I have to be up in five hours."

CeCe still looked sheepish, but she obliged by slipping her backpack off onto the porch swing and opening it up. Carefully, she pulled out something that looked so terribly familiar that Rocky gasped when she saw it: a five pound bag of sugar with green crinkle-cut hair and diamond-blue eyes.

"What…" Rocky muttered breathlessly. "What is that?"

"I stayed home today 'cause I was remaking Bo," CeCe replied quietly. "I tried to make him just like the original, but I might have forgotten a couple things. But I think he'll pass."

Rocky couldn't believe her eyes. She also couldn't believe the contradicting feelings she was experiencing. Making a new sugar baby was so obviously against the rules, yet the fact that CeCe had stayed home from school touched her as well. It was confusing to say the least.

"We can't… we can't take… that," Rocky pointed at Bo #2, "to school with us. Are you crazy? I've never cheated a day in my life."

CeCe swallowed hard, clutching poor little Bo #2 to her chest. "Please don't be mad, Rocky. I was just… I just wanted to fix everything."

"Please just take that back home and make a cake with it or something." Rocky's words were firm, but not as harsh as before.

"I'm sorry, Rocky," CeCe said again.

Rocky sighed. "It's okay," she relented. "We'll tell Mrs. Green what happened in the morning. Go home and get some sleep."

Perhaps the saddest thing Rocky Blue had ever seen in her young life was the sight of CeCe Jones descending the steps of the front porch, backpack over one shoulder, sugar sack clutched in one hand with the full moon shining through her red flyaway hair.