I walked back to my house to get my car. But first I had to go into my house to fetch my keys and wallet before going to my parking spot under the tree that used to bear my tire swing.

The poor car had gotten almost no use in the past month since I stopped going to school every day, and it had the accumulated grime to prove it. The only part that still looked new was the pair of fuzzy purple dice hanging from the rear view mirror.

I drove around to the shack and tapped my horn lightly. Peter peeked out, like it would be anybody but me, and then crossed the overgrown lawn to the passenger side door.

I leaned over to unlock it, but when he pulled it open he hesitated.

"Is there a problem?" I asked, just waiting for him to tell me that cars were a sin.

"Why is it so low to the ground?"

I shrugged, "That's how it was built."

"All the cars I've seen are big, and have big wheels." He was gesturing with his hands but since my car is indeed low to the ground, all I could see was the hem of the shirt dancing along his midsection.

"That's all very nice and good but I promise they all work the same."

He ducked in, looking uncomfortable, and shut the door behind him.

"Sorry it's not like you're used to." I said halfheartedly.

"Well I've never actually been inside of a car."

Of course he hasn't, "well then this is going to be an interesting day for you."

As soon as I hit the gas he latched himself to the door handle like he was going to fly away.

I laughed, "Are you alright?"

"This makes my stomach feel weird."

"Yeah, I guess it would." I glanced over, "Do you know how to put on your seat belt?"

"Yeah, I think, isn't it this button?" He said, and out of the corner of my eye I saw him push the window button before I could stop him.

The car filled with a strong gust of wind and he shrieked in surprise, throwing himself across my lap and causing the car to swerve.

And once he realized he was touching me, a female, he shrieked again and threw himself into the floor board.

I stomped on the break and we came to a jerking stop in the middle of the road. Luckily cars rarely come through here.

"Are you alright?" I asked tentatively.

"I don't think I like cars." He murmured from under the glove compartment.

"I know, but it's kind of unavoidable these days," I said, reaching for him to pull him up but stopping myself, "Come on, get up."

He pulled himself back into the seat and I showed him how to actually put on his seatbelt.

"Okay are you ready to give it another go?"

He nodded, "Yeah."

"And you're not going to press any more mysterious buttons?"

"Don't patronize me." He said giving me a sideways look.

I started the car again, "Fair enough."

We drove on and he asked questions.

"Where are we going?"

"A mall." I told him, but was seriously reconsidering taking him to such a populous area. Unfortunately, the mall was the sole place within a two-hour radius that sold anything except animal feed.

"I feel like I've heard of that in stories about the puritans."

"Yep it's a pretty big thing for us."

"It sounds weird."

"Yeah, weird is a big thing for us too."

We drove on in silence. I turned up the volume of whichever CD I had in and he tapped his foot to it.

"You like it?" I asked.

"Yeah it reminds me of the elders' music."

"It's called folk."

"I like it, I used to be able to play the guitar."

"Cool." I said, a little shocked. There seemed to be very little consistency in what was considered okay with him.

We let the music fill the car until we pulled into the mall parking lot.

"Are you ready?" I was asking myself as much as I was asking him.

He pulled his knife out of his waistband and said, "Ready."

"No," I said, which looked like it confused him, so I elaborated, "You can't bring a knife into a public place."

He snorted and opened his door, "Yeah right."

"Give me the knife!" I grabbed the hem of his shirt.

"No I need it."

"Give the knife to me." I hated how much it sounded like I was talking to a toddler.

He sat back down, "But what if I sin?"

"You have to save it for later, okay?"

"I'll forget."

I sighed and began pawing through the middle console until I found a sharpie, "Here, use this."

"A marker?"

"People will still think you're weird, but not the murderous kind."

He looked at me, unsure, but put the knife down in a cup holder.

"Ata boy." I said, wondering if I was going to seriously regret this.

I walked across the parking lot, a wide eyed weirdo in poorly fitting clothes in tow.

He flinched at the pop music overhead when we walked through the glass doors. I laughed a bit to myself but hid it so I wouldn't bruise his confidence.

The mall wasn't too big so it wasn't long until there were swarms of teenagers walking past, staring down the poor fool.

He was noticeably uncomfortable, and I couldn't help but feel guilty. But as I was about to try and distract him he stopped in front of one store.

He was staring down a mannequin in a modern mauve pink dress and a leather jacket.

"Why don't you ever dress like that?" He asked me.

I stood next to him, keeping a safe distance so he wouldn't freak out, "I don't know."

"You don't like it?"

I shrugged, "No, it's really pretty. I just don't think I can really pull off stuff like that."

"I think it would look good on you."

I smiled, but before I could thank him he walked into the store and appeared in the display window. He grabbed the mannequin and began pulling it until it collapsed into his arms.

Behind him I saw an employee rushing through the racks towards him. I ran into the store, but by the time I got to the window the employee was already behind him.

"No wait." I said but it was too late.

She reached out and grabbed his arm, "Sir, what do you think you're doing?"

He yelled out and dropped the mannequin. They both jumped back, equally surprised by each other.

He pulled out his sharpie and waved it at her defensively. When I finally got over to them he looked at me and said, "She touched me!"

I turned to the girl, someone I vaguely recognized from school, "Sorry about that."

"Boa?" She asked confused, "You know him?"

"Um, yes."

Her eyes flicked back and forth between us, "Where on earth did you find him?"

"He's obviously not from around here." I said, almost offended by her tone.

"Obviously." She raised her eyebrows.

"Okay," I held up my hands, "we're leaving."

"Please."

I turned to him and motioned for him to stand up, "Come on Peter," but as he did he reached for the dismantled mannequin, "No, leave it," I waved his hands away from it, "we need to leave."

He got up, marking himself with the sharpie, and giving the girl a look that was the equivalent of him sticking his tongue out at her. The girl glared at both of us before I turned around and followed him out of the store.

"She wasn't very nice." He said as he capped the marker and put it back in his pocket.

"Yeah, she was a bitch in high school too, don't worry about it."

"Maybe this wasn't a good idea." He sat down on a wooden bench and rubbed his face.

I leaned against the wall next to him, "No its fine, it happens. You're just a little bit too much of a go getter for the modern world."

His face was still covered but I swear I could see him smiling a bit.

I took it as a good sign and rolled with it, "So now we're going to go look at some cheap unassembled furniture, and you're not going to touch anything unless instructed to."

"Fine."

After many hours of shopping and postponing breakdowns I drove back and parked in the woods near the shack so no one would be able to see the car.

We carried the bags and boxes into the house but were both too tired to bother putting everything together.

"I'll come back tomorrow and get you set up." I said, shuffling out the door, having not put that much effort into anything in a long time.

"Wait." He said, putting the last box down, "I wanted to thank you."

I smiled and said, "Don't mention it."

"Well I know you didn't have to," I was about to question him, since he'd assumed I was an appointed guardian, "I figured it out a while ago."

"Sorry." I said for lack of a better word.

He grinned, "I think you've earned any forgiveness you could need."

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Cover by NicoleRobbie