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In That Was Then, This Is Now, where did Bryon and Mark search for M&M?
Quick answer:
Bryon and Mark search for M&M at a hippie commune located in an old, once-classy part of town. Mark suspects M&M is at Red's house, where many hippies live and experiment with drugs. They initially do not find him, but later, Bryon and Cathy return and discover M&M upstairs, suffering from a severe acid trip. This incident reveals Mark's possible involvement in drug dealing, significantly impacting his relationship with Bryon.
At first, when Bryon and Mark search for M&M, they do not find him. Mark eventually reveals that he has a suspicion about M&M's whereabouts: Red's house, where Red and other hippies live communally. Mark's revelation ends up becoming a significant turning point in his relationship with Bryon when the two friends go to Red's to look for M&M.
Bryon and Mark follow Mark's hunch and find M&M, who is in the throes of a bad acid trip that causes long-term damage. After this discovery, Bryon puts together various details of Mark's recent past: the money Mark has been earning, Bryon's instinctive desire to avoid learning more about Mark's source of income, and Mark's insight into M&M's whereabouts. These details all add up to the worrying possibility that not only is Mark dealing drugs, but he is dealing drugs to vulnerable children like M&M.
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M&M was not happy living at home and one night while he was cruising The Ribbon with Bryon, Mark and Cathy, M&M got out of the car at a hot dog stand and announced that "Not ever. I'm not going home." They did not see him for several weeks.
The day after Mark got Angela Shepard drunk and cut off her hair, he told Bryon that he knew where M&M was: He was at the hippie house that Randy, the VW van owner who had given the boys a ride, had earlier told them about. But when Mark and Bryon stopped by, M&M was not there. It was later, after Bryon had been beaten by the Shepards, that he told Cathy about the house, and the two of them stopped by again and found M&M, reeling from the effects of a very bad acid trip.
Where did Bryon and Mark go to find M&M?
In Chapter 8, Mark tells Bryon that he knows where M&M is at, and they drive to an old part of town that used to be considered classy. When they arrive at a huge old home, Bryon notices that there is a sign that says "LOVE" in red and green letters hanging on the porch. Mark has taken Bryon to a hippie commune type home where numerous hippies hang out and experiment with drugs. When they enter the home, Mark recognizes a girl who seems to be tripping on acid, then Mark asks a guy with a beard if he's seen Baby Freak, which is M&M's hippie nickname. The guy tells them, "He ain’t been around today. The kid’s flying, man. He’s going to crash" (Hinton 62). Later on in the chapter, Bryon takes Cathy to the same hippie house and asks a random guy if Baby Freak is there. The guy says that Baby Freak is upstairs and has been "floating" for a couple of days. Bryon then speaks to a man with a fire-red beard who informs him that M&M is experiencing a bad acid trip. Bryon and Cathy then walk upstairs and find M&M in the middle of an acid trip. M&M rambles on about spiders eating him from the inside and Bryon picks him up and takes M&M to the hospital.