Back at the McPhee house, Andie is going over her usual study techniques: how many times she reads a chapter, what to highlight, yada yada. Pacey asks how he'll know what's important, and starts getting pissy about "whose job -- whose right is it to decide which passages in U.S. History are important enough to deserve the attention of a fluorescent yellow felt-tip marker?" Andie glares at him and tells him he's giving her a headache. The phone rings, and she answers it, then quickly says, "What? Uh, oh my God. Okay, um, please don't call the police. Uh, I can be there in five minutes, okay? Just give me five minutes. Okay, thanks, bye." Pacey gets up from Andie's desk and asks what's wrong. Andie says, "Um, it's my mother. She's at Molly's Market again." "Again?" says Pacey, and follows Andie out the door.

Then Andie and Pacey are hurrying toward the door of the market, which is opened by a woman who clearly recognizes Andie and says, "I didn't call the cops 'cause I think you and your brother are really nice and I really do feel sorry for you, but this is the third time." "I know," says Andie. The woman says, "This is it. If you can't keep her out of here --" "I know, I know, thank you" says Andie, going toward her mother. The woman adds, more nervously than angrily, "I think I don't have to tell you, this is not good for business." In another aisle of the store, near some jars of something, and some bags of what look like potato chips, Mrs. M. is standing with a basket addressing a crowd of people who are looking on. She looks confused, and is wearing a nightgown with a sweater over it, and is saying: "My husband usually takes care of things. You should call my husband. He takes care of things, you know?" Andie gently pushes through the crowd, looking concerned and ashamed, and quietly says, "Let's go, Mom." Mrs. M. answers, "No, I can't, I'm sorry, honey, I can't go home, I'm sorry honey." Andie says a bit more urgently, "Please, let's just go home now, okay?" Mrs. M. insists, "No, I can't." Andie says, "Mom, stop it, please?" The crowd of boorish onlookers is smiling and in some cases laughing. Okay, I know people are jerks, but I doubt that, in real life, people would be standing around staring and laughing at this little scene.