Just off the Key of Reason

School was over. Done. First day finished without a hitch. I'd also made friends - a relief. They weren't what mom would expect, but they were friends, and as a girl who'd been bullied her whole school career, making any kind of friends was awesome.

"So where's your house?" Pete asked from the driver's seat, as I was perched on Andy's lap. He had no problem, it seemed, and his fuzzy hair was kind of comfy. Kenzie and Patrick were sitting next to each other next to me, and Joe was up front next to Pete, trying to decide on a CD to play.

"Um, the pale blue one - oh, it's there." I pointed to the light-grey house with the pale-blue, almost grey walls and a rather over-grown lawn. There was only one car there, a relief - if my dad saw my 'friends', he'd kick them out within minutes and make me do homework. I checked the clock - four o'clock, which was when I told my mom I'd be home, and when she'd have to go to work. I suddenly wondered if my brother was gonna be there, but then remembered that he was getting tutored.

As Pete pulled into the driveway and we all piled out, I walked to the front door and pulled out the spare key, unlocking the door and letting myself and everyone else in. Loud laughter must have alerted mother, as she peeked her head out from the kitchen. "Oh, Pam!"

I felt 5 pairs of eyes staring at the back of my head, and decided to ignore me. "Hi, mom. I have some... Um, friends over. We're working on a project together." I lied through my teeth, and the 5 pairs of eyes got even steelier as I tried to smile and ended up grimacing.

My mom surveyed the five. Four boys - Patrick seemed to pass the inspection, but my mom frowned at the other four - Kenzie, with her pink-purple hair, was obviously too goth, Pete... well, the eyeliner didn't work, Andy and his fuzzy hair, and Joe and his equally fuzzy afro didn't pass inspection. They probably never would.

She tried forcing a smile. "Well, I have to go to work now, so you guys can help yourselves. There's a stew on the stove, and some other stuff in the fridge." My mom gave a frosty glare to everyone but Patrick, grabbed her coat and bag, and left the house, slamming the door.

There was a silence.

"Why did she call you P-"

"Don't. Ask."

Another silence.

"Your mom's... Nice." Kenzie tried, as I turned around with a miserable expression on my face.

"She's a shining anal perfection queen." I replied, tossing my bag on the couch and checking the stove. She had prepared another stew - beef broth and something white that I didn't want to know - and I grimaced, before turning off the heat and closing the lid on the stew. Pete laughed.

"I think she liked Patrick." Pete commented, copying me and threw his backpack on the couch as Patrick blushed slightly. "I can't help if I look normal compared to you guys!" He joked, adding his backpack to the pile. Soon, everyone did the same, and they clamored around the small dining room table.

"Got anything to eat?" They all asked, and I shrugged. "Help yourself. I gotta put some stuff away in my room."

"CAN I JUMP ON YOUR BED?!" Kenzie squealed excitedly, tailing me, and soon, Pete and Patrick were tailing Kenzie who was following me down the hallway to my room.

It was small, and fit some basic things - a desk, with an old desktop computer with a phone jack attached for internet connection, a bookshelf stocked with many books that fit a small stereo, waiting for an iPod to be plugged in, a built-in closet, a small bed in a nice, sturdy bedframe, straightening iron, and clothes thrown all over the floor, evidently from this morning.

I shoved my iPod in the dock first, and 'I'm Not Okay' by My Chemical Romance started to play, as Kenzie leaped onto my bed and started bouncing.

"Quick! Hand me a stack of Post-Its." Kenzie shrieked, bouncing up and down.

"Where the hell am I supposed to get Post-Its?!" I asked, wide-eyed.

Patrick grinned, and grabbed a little stack of Post-It notes out of his pocket, along with a pen.

"Thank you!" She squealed, reaching down to grab them and sitting cross-legged on the mattress, writing something. Soon, she peeled it off and added it to the ceiling of my bedroom as I gaped.

Pete laughed. "My turn!" He yelled, bumping off Kenzie as she shrieked, lost her balance and fell onto Patrick, who fell on the ground near a pile of my sketches, laughing. I was giggling now, and Pete was hunting around for the Post-Its and the pen, finding it behind my pillow, and started scribbling something, got up, and tacked it up, before bouncing a bit and sticking his tongue out at Kenzie. Everyone burst out laughing, and I went to go check on Joe and Andy.

The moment I stepped foot in my kitchen, I saw two things.

One, Joe was eating my (not-so) secret stash of almond-covered pocky.

Two, Andy was eating a big chunk of...

"Tofu?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He's been eating that thing the moment he opened the fridge and saw it." Joe replied, frowning at the mushy white pile of goop.

"It's good!" Andy managed, swallowing the lump, and I grimaced. "Whatever. Just... Bleurgh."

I turned around to face Kenzie, who was now wielding a...

"A Ukulele?"

"Yup! I got it in the mail a few weeks ago. Hurry, set up camp!" Kenzie directed Patrick and Pete, and they crashed on the couch, Pete setting up his feet on the glass coffee table.

I stared as Patrick looked around for something - and found it. A microwave. He looked at me. "We need graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows."

"They should be in the pantry." I replied, staring as he started digging around and found the box of graham crackers and the bag of marshmallow bars. Sacrificing my own chocolate stash, I gave him a few bars, and he got to work, squishing marshmallows and putting them in sandwiches.

"You're making s'mores?" I asked, puzzled.

"This is camp-fire time. Obviously there has to be s'mores." Patrick replied, as if it was obvious. I rolled my eyes, and got to helping him, before sticking them in the microwave.

Kenzie was already playing a tune - one I didn't recognize. Pete was nodding his head to the beat with Joe, and Andy was clapping his hands to the beat.

Patrick sat down carefully next to Pete, and started singing. "Dance, dance!" He sang, and I was surprised at how good he was. It was a clear voice, like he was used to singing more jazz than this catchy beat.

"We're falling apart to half-time!" Pete shouted out, grinning.

"Dance dance!"

"And these are the lives you love to lead!" This time it was Kenzie, grinning.

"Dance, this is the way we love if you knew how misery loved me!"

Kenzie did a little more playing, then stopped, while Andy and Joe clapped.

I raised an eyebrow. "That was... Impressive."

"Oh, just say it, Maya. We're amazing." Kenzie bragged, skipping past me to the microwave just as the microwave started to beep.

"Yummy! S'mores!" She squealed, and everyone crowded around, trying to grab one before it got cold. I got mine handed to me by Kenzie, hers already in her mouth, and she grinned.

"This is going to be a long, long friendship."