"Not until you promise to stop making fun of me."
"Fine," Wendell grunted. Prudence rolled off him and offered to help him up, but he swatted her hand away. "I don't need your help."
"Suit yourself." She waddled off to a closet, leaving Wendell to touch his aching chest. No wonder Samantha had fallen in love with someone else. He couldn't even beat a stupid fat girl like Prudence.
Prudence found a broom in the closet along with a dustpan made of a strange, lightweight material. She wished Samantha were around to ask about the dustpan. We're on our own now, Prudence thought. Samantha's too busy with her new friend to have time for us.
As she swept the floor, Prudence thought of their mission. How could she and Wendell do it alone? They didn't know anything about this strange place. How could they buy the necessary supplies on their own? And even if they somehow managed, how could they get them back to Eternity?
Prudence dropped onto a chair, the broom slipping from her fingers. Everyone back on Eternity was counting on them. She thought of brave Rebecca, dear Annie, and little Molly. How could Samantha abandon them for some boy? This wasn't like her best friend. "What happened to her?" Prudence said.
"She found someone else. Someone better," Wendell said. "Good riddance. I didn't like her anyway. She's as stupid as the rest of you girls."
"We need her help. We can't do this by ourselves."
"I can do it. All by myself. I don't need any stupid girls getting in the way."
"We can't even get into town right now," Prudence said. "They took the one automobile and Mr. Pryde has the other."
"Then we'll walk. It's not that far."
"How are we going to get any supplies then? Carry them on our backs? Drag them through the snow?"
"If we must. Are you scared?"
"No. I'm trying to be reasonable," Prudence said. "We should wait here for Mr. Pryde to come back."
"Fine, you do that. I'm leaving."
"Wendell, get back here! I'm warning you." Wendell grabbed his jacket from by the front door and then stomped out into the snow. He plodded along the driveway and out onto the road. Prudence followed him, her face turning red as she struggled to keep pace. "Wendell, slow down. Please."
He waited in the snow along the shoulder to wait for her. When she reached him, she doubled over to catch her breath. "At least you're getting some exercise," he said.
She looked up and he saw not sweat but tears in her eyes. "Why do you have to be so mean to me?" she asked. "I miss her a lot more than you do. She was my best friend."