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If Luke Patterson had known that Mickey kept her window unlocked for Reggie, then he would've gone there first. But he didn't know, so he settled for lightly knocking on the front door of Bobby and Mickey's house. He hoped more than anything that it'd be one of them that opened the door. But it seemed luck wasn't on his side, as Mrs. Williams was the one to greet him.
The last thing she was expecting was to open the door to the crying sixteen-year-old in the middle of the night. His face was red and he had a bag and his guitar case slung over his shoulder. His bike was lying on the front lawn and his clothes were soaked from the rain that had started a little while ago.
"H - hi, Mrs. Williams," he stuttered out, wiping under his nose.
"Lucas, you poor thing. Get in here," she said, ushering him inside. While she did, she called loudly over her shoulder. "Robert! Michelle! Kids, get down here!"
The first to run down the stairs was Bobby. "Whatever it is, Mickey did it."
"No, I didn't!" she called, just a few steps behind him. "Actually, maybe. Depends on what we're in trouble for."
The twins stopped at the bottom of the stairs when they saw their friend standing in the entryway.
"Dude, what happened?" Bobby asked, immediately worrying about his friend. He took Luke's bags while Mickey hugged him — she didn't know what was wrong yet, but she knew he needed one. Luke hugged her back and shoved his head in her neck, still crying.
After a moment, he pulled back and took in a deep breath. "I uh, I got into it with my folks. I just... I bolted. I can't go back there. Not right now."
Bobby and Mickey shared a worried look. They knew that things had been rough for Luke ever since the band started, but they never thought he'd run away.
"Let's uh, let's get some dry clothes," Bobby said, glancing at his mom. He led Luke to his room, passing Mr. Williams on the way.
Mickey was left in the entryway, staring at her parents. "What's that Patterson boy doing here so late?" Mr. Williams asked, crossing his arms.
"He got into a fight with his parents," Mrs. Williams explained. "I'll, uh, I'll call Emily and let her know that he's safe."
"He can stay over, right?" Mickey asked, worried about him. "Like, on the couch or in Bobby's room. It's raining and he can't go home right now while his parents are mad at him."
Her parents both sighed and shared a look. Reluctantly, they nodded. It was more for Luke's parents than for the boy — they weren't his biggest fan. But if Bobby or Mickey had run away from home, they'd want to know that their child wasn't out on the street.
