Covering Our Tracks

“We need a story,” you realize. “Something to tell our parents so they don’t worry or come looking for us.”

“Camping at the lake,” Gary suggests. “It’s believable, and it explains why we’ll be gone overnight.”

“I hate lying to my mom,” Vinny says anxiously.

“It’s not really lying,” Tom argues. “It’s… protecting them from worrying about something they can’t control anyway.”