"Are you guys sure?" He didn't expect his friends to be so accepting
Pete nods and Savannah answers, "worse thing that could happen is he's not there, and if he is you'll see that he's fine and that'll make you feel better. So put your shoes on, grab your crutches and let's go."
And they did just that, with permission from his mom Jasper left with his friends, who conveniently happen to know where the Atkinson mansion was. The paparazzi pictures didn't do this place justice, a really big house at the top of the hill in their town. Jasper doesn't see Daniel's car as they pull into the front yard, stopping next to the door Savannah turns to Jasper in the back seat, "should we wait?"
Shaking his head, "I'll just get a Lyft home, thanks for taking me guys."
"Let us know how it goes," Jasper climbs out the car. Using his crutches he heads towards the door. Scanning around for a doorbell Jasper presses and waits, hearing footsteps approaching someone
reaches for the knob pulling the door open. Seeing the older woman Jasper isn't familiar but greets anyway, "Hi I'm Jasper—"
"Danny's friend," she quickly says, "yes he talks about you all the time. It's nice to finally meet you, I'm Marsha,"
"Nice to meet you too Marsha, do you know if Daniel's around?"
"No, unfortunately he's not, I'm sorry. But he's been gone all day so he should be back sometime soon, do you want to come in and wait?"
"Could I?"
"Sure," she steps aside letting the boy walk in on his crutches. "His mom's not around either, I was just preparing dinner for when they came home,"
"Oh did they go out together?"
"I doubt it but I'm not sure," Marsha starts to walk away, "do you want to stay for dinner?"
"Uh yeah sure." Jasper follows her to the kitchen, sitting at the table he watches as Marsha cooks. With so many questions and no one else but Marsha here to answer them, Jasper decides to ask, "Daniel grew up here all alone?"
Marsha looks over at him and nods, as she chops on the counter she starts, "he had friends but he was alone for the most part. It wasn't easy on him how much they shipped him back and forth between here and Belgium."
"That's where Mrs. Atkinson is from right?" Marsha nods again
As she chops carrots the woman hears Jasper ask, "do you know if he was happy there?" Causing her to stop
Marsha has known Daniel all his life, they basically hired her to raise him because his mom was too young to do it and his dad was too busy. This was an easy question to answer, "I don't think Danny's ever been happy anywhere... I don't think he knows how to be happy."
Jasper looks at her frightened and Marsha smiles, "don't listen to me, I'm sure that's not true." She continues cooking, and Jasper ponders for a while.
After an awkward dinner with just Marsha, the woman takes Jasper to Daniel's room leaving him there. Maybe this is why Daniel can't be happy, Jasper thinks being in the boy's room. There's nothing in there but his bed, n