and pastels. Every other minute someone called us over, asking how to spell monkey or girl or cloud or once upon a time.
Pippa came up behind me. “How are you feeling today, Sadie? Better?”
“Yeah.” Pips must have been miserable yesterday, probably thinking I’d left because of the Margo-plan, and because she’d given in to the girls. And I wasn’t happy about that, not at all, but I hadn’t exactly stood up to them either, in the end. I wanted to explain about Tyler’s interview, that I wasalso worried about Charlotte, and Cici … I was seriously a disaster magnet.
Jess, who was cutting out bulletin board shapes at the back of the room, held up her buzzing phone and mouthed, “I need to get this.”
She went out into the hall to talk for a few minutes and then came back in, much more pale than she’d been when she left.
“Girls?” She motioned Pips and me over.
We gathered close.
“It’s Cici,” Jess said. “Her fever spiked this morning and the doctors think she may have caught some kind of infection. With little to no white blood cells, this is highly dangerous. Tyler and Rebecca need to stay with her in the hospital overnight, but they don’t want Charlotte to worry. They asked if I could help them find somewhere fun for Charlotte to spend the night.”
“She can come to my house,” I said, knowing my parents would be all right with this. “I’ve shown her a picture of Higgins and she said she wanted to meet him.”
“Would you really do that, Sadie?” Jess asked. “Charlotte loves you and I know she’d love to spend the evening with you.”
“I’d come, but I have a soccer pick up game tonight,” Pips said. “Every Wednesday to keep us in shape over the summer.”
Of course, Charlotte and I could draw or paint, but she’d done a bunch of that already today. We could play withHiggins as long as we stayed inside. What had I liked to do when I was six? And then I had the perfect idea.
“Let me call Grant and ask him to check with my parents,” I said.
I borrowed Jess’ phone to call, and then she called Tyler and Rebecca to ask them about the plan. Everyone agreed that we should wait to tell Charlotte until after camp.
“She’ll be excited, but also afraid for Cici,” Jess said after she got off the phone. “I’d rather she finish the day without having to worry.”
Grant picked us up after class and brought Pips home. Afterward, we went to the toy store so I could pick up a surprise for Charlotte, and then we dropped by her house to pack her a bag and grab a booster seat for the Hummer. At the end of the camp day, Grant pulled into the church parking lot, and we went in to find Charlotte
After I told her about the sleepover, she looked up at me with those intense eyes. “It’s because Cici is really sick, isn’t it?”
I couldn’t lie to her. “Yes, she’s having trouble today.”
Charlotte bit her lip and nodded. “I asked her a couple questions this morning, and she didn’t answer. I was pretty sure something was wrong.”
“Your parents will stay overnight at the hospital and do everything they can for Cici, and we’re going to try to have some fun, you and I,” I said. “You get to meet Higgins, and we can paint, if you want, and I have a surprise for you too.”
Grant let Charlotte play with all the buttons in the Hummer before we took off. We stopped for ice cream, andthen again at one of the horse farms, and one of the horse trainers let Charlotte feed carrots to the horses. When we finally got home, I stopped before opening the front door.
“Now, Higgins will charge at you and put his paws up on your shoulders and lick your face, because he wants to show you how much he loves you. Do you want me to catch him first?”
Charlotte shook her head. “No. I don’t mind getting licked.”
Sure enough, Higgins barreled down the stairs the minute we opened the door. I stood behind Charlotte so she wouldn’t topple over when Higgins jumped up on
Pippa came up behind me. “How are you feeling today, Sadie? Better?”
“Yeah.” Pips must have been miserable yesterday, probably thinking I’d left because of the Margo-plan, and because she’d given in to the girls. And I wasn’t happy about that, not at all, but I hadn’t exactly stood up to them either, in the end. I wanted to explain about Tyler’s interview, that I wasalso worried about Charlotte, and Cici … I was seriously a disaster magnet.
Jess, who was cutting out bulletin board shapes at the back of the room, held up her buzzing phone and mouthed, “I need to get this.”
She went out into the hall to talk for a few minutes and then came back in, much more pale than she’d been when she left.
“Girls?” She motioned Pips and me over.
We gathered close.
“It’s Cici,” Jess said. “Her fever spiked this morning and the doctors think she may have caught some kind of infection. With little to no white blood cells, this is highly dangerous. Tyler and Rebecca need to stay with her in the hospital overnight, but they don’t want Charlotte to worry. They asked if I could help them find somewhere fun for Charlotte to spend the night.”
“She can come to my house,” I said, knowing my parents would be all right with this. “I’ve shown her a picture of Higgins and she said she wanted to meet him.”
“Would you really do that, Sadie?” Jess asked. “Charlotte loves you and I know she’d love to spend the evening with you.”
“I’d come, but I have a soccer pick up game tonight,” Pips said. “Every Wednesday to keep us in shape over the summer.”
Of course, Charlotte and I could draw or paint, but she’d done a bunch of that already today. We could play withHiggins as long as we stayed inside. What had I liked to do when I was six? And then I had the perfect idea.
“Let me call Grant and ask him to check with my parents,” I said.
I borrowed Jess’ phone to call, and then she called Tyler and Rebecca to ask them about the plan. Everyone agreed that we should wait to tell Charlotte until after camp.
“She’ll be excited, but also afraid for Cici,” Jess said after she got off the phone. “I’d rather she finish the day without having to worry.”
Grant picked us up after class and brought Pips home. Afterward, we went to the toy store so I could pick up a surprise for Charlotte, and then we dropped by her house to pack her a bag and grab a booster seat for the Hummer. At the end of the camp day, Grant pulled into the church parking lot, and we went in to find Charlotte
After I told her about the sleepover, she looked up at me with those intense eyes. “It’s because Cici is really sick, isn’t it?”
I couldn’t lie to her. “Yes, she’s having trouble today.”
Charlotte bit her lip and nodded. “I asked her a couple questions this morning, and she didn’t answer. I was pretty sure something was wrong.”
“Your parents will stay overnight at the hospital and do everything they can for Cici, and we’re going to try to have some fun, you and I,” I said. “You get to meet Higgins, and we can paint, if you want, and I have a surprise for you too.”
Grant let Charlotte play with all the buttons in the Hummer before we took off. We stopped for ice cream, andthen again at one of the horse farms, and one of the horse trainers let Charlotte feed carrots to the horses. When we finally got home, I stopped before opening the front door.
“Now, Higgins will charge at you and put his paws up on your shoulders and lick your face, because he wants to show you how much he loves you. Do you want me to catch him first?”
Charlotte shook her head. “No. I don’t mind getting licked.”
Sure enough, Higgins barreled down the stairs the minute we opened the door. I stood behind Charlotte so she wouldn’t topple over when Higgins jumped up on
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