The short ride home from school in the Mitchell's minivan was silent and very uncomfortable for everyone. Sam and Gwendolyn were too embarrassed by what they'd heard in the principal's office to speak in front of each other. They were buried in thought, worrying about what to say to their sons once they got them home and behind closed doors. Still in a state of shock, Matt and Gerallt were feeling too betrayed and depressed by what had happened to talk. To everyone, the short drive seemed to last forever.
Sam parked in front of their houses, and the two boys and their parents silently stepped out into the cold November wind. The bare branches of the old oak trees standing beneath the gray cloud-covered sky mirrored the mood of the people below. The first few flakes of snow began to fall.
