hallway, and clean all the debris from the den." 'And what will you be doing?" I asked, yawning.
"I'm going to fix a special dinner for Mom and Dad." She turned and began to leave my room.
The dinner sounded like a good idea, but I wasn't going to tell her that. I looked at the clock. It was early. I wondered if Josh was up yet. I felt awful about yelling at him. I reached for the phone.
"Claudia," Janine said sharply.
I froze.
"No speaking on the telephone. Stick to the task at hand." "Yes, ma'am," I said. She left before I could salute.
As soon as I dressed, I went downstairs. Janine was in the kitchen hunched over a cookbook.
The dining room was the most visibly wrecked. Every step I took crunched. Crumbs followed me into the kitchen as I grabbed the broom and dustpan out of the closet - neither looking at nor speaking to my sister.
After I swept, I returned to the kitchen to empty the dustpan. Janine passed by me as if I weren't there.
In the den, I found the garbage bag I'd left there the night before and started gathering the remaining trash. The living room needed vacuuming. I turned on the stereo in the den loudly enough so that I could hear it in the next room. I was dancing around, picking up trash to the sounds of Blade, when I ran into Janine standing in the middle of the room, her hands on her hips.
She turned and walked out of the room. The music ended abruptly.
I rushed to the den. "Why did you do that?" I asked.
"You're to concentrate on work," Janine informed me.
I wanted to say "You're not the boss of me," but Janine didn't give me a chance. She was gone before I could open my mouth.
I threw trash into the bag until it wouldn't hold any more, then twisted it tightly closed, thinking of Janine's neck as I did.
The doorbell rang. I wondered if answering the door was off-limits for me too? When Janine didn't answer it, I did. I looked out the peephole and saw Stacey on the porch holding a bag. She waved at me.
"Hi! I didn't expect to see you today," I greeted her, standing back so she could come inside.
"We have something for you." Stacey held out the bag.
"What is it?" I slowly opened it. Inside was a vase identical to the one that had been broken the night before. I pulled it out. "This is wonderful! Where did you find it?" "I thought I remembered seeing the vase in a store downtown. After the party, we felt bad that you were in trouble with your aunt and uncle, and we knew that the broken vase was only going to make things worse. I called everybody and we all agreed to chip in to pay for a new vase and I volunteered to bring it to you." I hugged Stacey. "The BSC is the best!" I said.
"Not only the BSC," Stacey said. "Joanna, Jeannie, Shira, and Josh want to contribute too. So do Greer, Rick, Austin, Pete, Emily, and Erica." I stared at the vase. It would be a permanent reminder of how wonderful my friends were, and how they could work together.
"We talked about coming over to help you clean up, but we weren't sure that Janine would let us," Stacey said in a low voice.
"You're right about that. I can't talk on the phone or watch television or anything." I looked toward the kitchen. I was waiting for Janine to come and chase Stacey away.
"If you have a chance to call, I'll be home later," Stacey said.
"Thanks again," I replied, keeping a tight hold on the vase.
Stacey ran out to her car. Mrs. McGill waved as I shut the door.
"Who was that?" Janine asked.
"Stacey. Look." I held the vase out for my sister to see.
"Hmmph!" Again, she turned around and walked away.
"Janine! They went to a lot of trouble to find the vase and bring it to us. They were worried about what Mom and Dad would say - " "They were worried
"I'm going to fix a special dinner for Mom and Dad." She turned and began to leave my room.
The dinner sounded like a good idea, but I wasn't going to tell her that. I looked at the clock. It was early. I wondered if Josh was up yet. I felt awful about yelling at him. I reached for the phone.
"Claudia," Janine said sharply.
I froze.
"No speaking on the telephone. Stick to the task at hand." "Yes, ma'am," I said. She left before I could salute.
As soon as I dressed, I went downstairs. Janine was in the kitchen hunched over a cookbook.
The dining room was the most visibly wrecked. Every step I took crunched. Crumbs followed me into the kitchen as I grabbed the broom and dustpan out of the closet - neither looking at nor speaking to my sister.
After I swept, I returned to the kitchen to empty the dustpan. Janine passed by me as if I weren't there.
In the den, I found the garbage bag I'd left there the night before and started gathering the remaining trash. The living room needed vacuuming. I turned on the stereo in the den loudly enough so that I could hear it in the next room. I was dancing around, picking up trash to the sounds of Blade, when I ran into Janine standing in the middle of the room, her hands on her hips.
She turned and walked out of the room. The music ended abruptly.
I rushed to the den. "Why did you do that?" I asked.
"You're to concentrate on work," Janine informed me.
I wanted to say "You're not the boss of me," but Janine didn't give me a chance. She was gone before I could open my mouth.
I threw trash into the bag until it wouldn't hold any more, then twisted it tightly closed, thinking of Janine's neck as I did.
The doorbell rang. I wondered if answering the door was off-limits for me too? When Janine didn't answer it, I did. I looked out the peephole and saw Stacey on the porch holding a bag. She waved at me.
"Hi! I didn't expect to see you today," I greeted her, standing back so she could come inside.
"We have something for you." Stacey held out the bag.
"What is it?" I slowly opened it. Inside was a vase identical to the one that had been broken the night before. I pulled it out. "This is wonderful! Where did you find it?" "I thought I remembered seeing the vase in a store downtown. After the party, we felt bad that you were in trouble with your aunt and uncle, and we knew that the broken vase was only going to make things worse. I called everybody and we all agreed to chip in to pay for a new vase and I volunteered to bring it to you." I hugged Stacey. "The BSC is the best!" I said.
"Not only the BSC," Stacey said. "Joanna, Jeannie, Shira, and Josh want to contribute too. So do Greer, Rick, Austin, Pete, Emily, and Erica." I stared at the vase. It would be a permanent reminder of how wonderful my friends were, and how they could work together.
"We talked about coming over to help you clean up, but we weren't sure that Janine would let us," Stacey said in a low voice.
"You're right about that. I can't talk on the phone or watch television or anything." I looked toward the kitchen. I was waiting for Janine to come and chase Stacey away.
"If you have a chance to call, I'll be home later," Stacey said.
"Thanks again," I replied, keeping a tight hold on the vase.
Stacey ran out to her car. Mrs. McGill waved as I shut the door.
"Who was that?" Janine asked.
"Stacey. Look." I held the vase out for my sister to see.
"Hmmph!" Again, she turned around and walked away.
"Janine! They went to a lot of trouble to find the vase and bring it to us. They were worried about what Mom and Dad would say - " "They were worried
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