Claudia and Mean Janine by Ann M. Martin Page B

Janine this, Janine that.
    It was kind of the way Jamie probably felt about Lucy. Lucy was so pretty. Lucy did such adorable things. Be quiet, Lucy’s asleep. Lucy this, Lucy that.
    And yet—I knew that Lucy wasn’t more special to anyone than Jamie was. Did that mean that I was as special as Janine? And underneath, did I really love Janine the way Jamie said he loved Lucy?
And,
if
I
loved Janine, did
she
love the rest of us back—but just didn’t know how to show it?
    I wasn’t sure at all.

I struggled through our front door after the party that afternoon. My arms were loaded with things. Mrs. Newton had sent my friends and me home with leftover party stuff. I had a stack of Lucy napkins, a container of pastries, some cookies, some peanuts, and half a bag of M&M’s.
    â€œHello!” I called.
    â€œMy Claudia?” came a tentative voice from the back porch.
    â€œHi, Mimi!” I ran to her, and showed her the things from the party. “They had special napkins and matchbooks made,” I told her. “Here. Do you want to try a pastry? They’re really good.”
    Mimi took one and began eating it neatly, using her left hand. “Hey,” I said suddenly, “where is everyone?” Mimi wasn’t supposed to be left alone.
    â€œYour parents had to … to leave,” Mimi replied carefully. “Janine is here.”
    â€œWhere?” I asked.
    â€œRoom.”
    â€œShe’s in her room? Is she working?”
    â€œThink so.”
    â€œAre you all right down here for a while?”
    â€œYes. Surely.”
    I ran upstairs, pounded on Janine’s door, then let myself in without waiting for her to answer.
    â€œClaudia!” she said, frowning. “Is something the matter?” She was in front of her computer, as usual. I was surprised her face hadn’t turned green from the glow yet.
    â€œMimi is downstairs all by herself. She’s not supposed to be alone.”
    â€œI’ve been right here,” said Janine uncomfortably.
    â€œYou’re supposed to be
with
her,” I pointed out. “Can’t you do
any
thing for this family? Is it too much to ask that you spend an hour with our grandmother?”
    Janine dropped her hands into her lap. “I just couldn’t,” she mumbled. “Mimi asked me to sit with her, but I didn’t know what to
do.
You’re the one who’s been spending so much time with her.”
    â€œYou were great with her in the hospital,” I said. “You could talk to her even when she couldn’t talk back.”
    Janine shrugged. “Well, anyway, no one wants me as part of this family.”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œYou’re always pushing me into my world and out of yours.”
    As usual, I didn’t understand what she was talking about.
    Janine gave another exasperated shrug and turned back to her computer. “Go away,” she said, not bothering to look at me. “Mimi prefers you to me anyway.”
    â€œJanine, wait,” I said. “I want to talk to you. Can’t you turn that thing off for a minute? Whenever it’s on, you look at it, not me. Besides, I think your face is turning green.”
    Janine gave me a hint of a smile. “All right,” she said. “Just let me save this.” She pressed a few keys, waited a moment, then touched something or other that made the screen go blank.
    I sat down on Janine’s bed, and she swiveled around in her chair to face me. “What do you mean,” I asked, “about pushing you into your world?”
    â€œI mean,” replied Janine, “that all I ever hear is, ‘Janine, go study,’ or, ‘Janine, don’t neglect your schoolwork.’ Nobody ever asks me to accompany them somewhere or to help them—and then,more often than not, you accuse me of foisting extra work onto your shoulders.”
    â€œBut you do!” I exclaimed. “You sit around in