Vanessa pulled her hoodie sweater off and handed to Joan, which she quickly put on to conceal her shameful hair.
"Let's go to my house!" she exclaimed. "My parents are gone all week, so no one will have to see." She put her arm around Joan's shoulder as her countenance began to dissolve into a flood of tears.
Attempting to use her own body as a sheild to spare Joan the stares of others, she turned to Joan's brother. "Don't you feel any remorse over this?"
Todd nodded his head, scared, confused, and not knowing what to do. "Should I get Mom?" he asked.
"Take that thing with you and tell your mom what happened," Vanessa instructed, pointing at the ray gun. "Tell her that Joan will be with me, and don't use that thing again!"
Todd took off, and Vanessa escorted the wailing Joan away.