you'd be in trouble," Janine interrupted.
I set the vase on the table in the hallway. I'd take it into the living room in a minute, after I carried the trash bag outside. I opened the front door.
"Where do you think you're going now?" Janine demanded.
I whirled around - and heard a sickening sound as the vase hit the ground.
Janine and I jumped back at the same time. The vase twirled, rocked, then lay there, still in one piece. I dropped the trash bag and picked up the vase, searching for cracks and chips.
"Is it okay?" Janine asked in a whisper.
I nodded, then let out the breath I'd been holding. When I finally faced my sister, she was massaging her forehead, her eyes closed.
"Janine, what is going on with you?" I asked. "You haven't been the same since you and Jerry broke up, which was a good thing, remember? He wasn't right for you. Why are you still acting so weird?" Janine sat down on the hall floor, running her fingers through her hair. "You're right about Jerry. But he was my boyfriend for quite awhile and we spent most of our free time together. I lost touch with my other friends and I don't know how to reconnect with those people." She clasped her hands in her lap and looked at me.
I couldn't help smiling a little. "Why don't you throw a party?" I asked.
We laughed together, then Janine reached out and gave me - and the vase - a quick hug. I realized I could have been more sensitive to what Janine was experiencing, if I hadn't been so wrapped up in my own problems. Maybe now we could come up with some ideas - together.
My first suggestion was a special sister activity.
"I'd like that, Claudia," Janine replied. Her eyes glowed. "We'll discuss the details later. But, I'd like to know more about art." "And I'd like to know more about computers," I admitted.
We were still in the hall, brainstorming ways that Janine might reestablish some of her old friendships, when Mom and Dad opened the door.
Mom looked at the big bag of trash, then at Janine, then at me. "Hello, girls," she said.
I pulled the trash bag behind me. "Mom, Dad, you're back!" We exchanged hugs all around.
"Did you have fun?" Janine asked.
"It was a wonderful conference," Mom said.
"And so good to see the Simpsons," Dad added. "I can't remember when I've eaten as much as we did the last few days." He patted his stomach.
'And what about you two?" Mom asked, looking at the bag again, then at the vase I still held.
"There's something we need to tell you," I said quickly, and Janine moved a little closer, nodding.
Mom's eyes darted nervously between us.
"Everything is all right," Janine assured her. "But, well, last night I agreed that Claudia could have a few friends over." "I wanted my BSC friends and my seventh-grade friends to have a chance to get better acquainted," I said. "But I wasn't very clear about who was invited, and a few more people showed up than we expected." "Things never went truly out of control," Janine continued, "but it was loud and messy . . . and a vase was broken." I held up the new one.
"Claudia's friends replaced it," Janine said.
Mom's and Dad's expressions grew serious as they looked from me to Janine and back to me.
"Russ and Peaches stopped by and they, um, weren't happy," I said.
"They thought we were being irresponsible," said Janine.
"And we were." Janine and I nodded.
"I'm surprised at you, Janine," Mom said.
"And a little disappointed," Dad added.
"There was no ... drinking involved, was there?" Mom looked at the trash bag again.
"Nothing like that at all. They ate a lot. Pizza, soda, cookies, that sort of thing. No drinking," Janine stressed.
"I'm glad you told us about it. I don't think I
I set the vase on the table in the hallway. I'd take it into the living room in a minute, after I carried the trash bag outside. I opened the front door.
"Where do you think you're going now?" Janine demanded.
I whirled around - and heard a sickening sound as the vase hit the ground.
Janine and I jumped back at the same time. The vase twirled, rocked, then lay there, still in one piece. I dropped the trash bag and picked up the vase, searching for cracks and chips.
"Is it okay?" Janine asked in a whisper.
I nodded, then let out the breath I'd been holding. When I finally faced my sister, she was massaging her forehead, her eyes closed.
"Janine, what is going on with you?" I asked. "You haven't been the same since you and Jerry broke up, which was a good thing, remember? He wasn't right for you. Why are you still acting so weird?" Janine sat down on the hall floor, running her fingers through her hair. "You're right about Jerry. But he was my boyfriend for quite awhile and we spent most of our free time together. I lost touch with my other friends and I don't know how to reconnect with those people." She clasped her hands in her lap and looked at me.
I couldn't help smiling a little. "Why don't you throw a party?" I asked.
We laughed together, then Janine reached out and gave me - and the vase - a quick hug. I realized I could have been more sensitive to what Janine was experiencing, if I hadn't been so wrapped up in my own problems. Maybe now we could come up with some ideas - together.
My first suggestion was a special sister activity.
"I'd like that, Claudia," Janine replied. Her eyes glowed. "We'll discuss the details later. But, I'd like to know more about art." "And I'd like to know more about computers," I admitted.
We were still in the hall, brainstorming ways that Janine might reestablish some of her old friendships, when Mom and Dad opened the door.
Mom looked at the big bag of trash, then at Janine, then at me. "Hello, girls," she said.
I pulled the trash bag behind me. "Mom, Dad, you're back!" We exchanged hugs all around.
"Did you have fun?" Janine asked.
"It was a wonderful conference," Mom said.
"And so good to see the Simpsons," Dad added. "I can't remember when I've eaten as much as we did the last few days." He patted his stomach.
'And what about you two?" Mom asked, looking at the bag again, then at the vase I still held.
"There's something we need to tell you," I said quickly, and Janine moved a little closer, nodding.
Mom's eyes darted nervously between us.
"Everything is all right," Janine assured her. "But, well, last night I agreed that Claudia could have a few friends over." "I wanted my BSC friends and my seventh-grade friends to have a chance to get better acquainted," I said. "But I wasn't very clear about who was invited, and a few more people showed up than we expected." "Things never went truly out of control," Janine continued, "but it was loud and messy . . . and a vase was broken." I held up the new one.
"Claudia's friends replaced it," Janine said.
Mom's and Dad's expressions grew serious as they looked from me to Janine and back to me.
"Russ and Peaches stopped by and they, um, weren't happy," I said.
"They thought we were being irresponsible," said Janine.
"And we were." Janine and I nodded.
"I'm surprised at you, Janine," Mom said.
"And a little disappointed," Dad added.
"There was no ... drinking involved, was there?" Mom looked at the trash bag again.
"Nothing like that at all. They ate a lot. Pizza, soda, cookies, that sort of thing. No drinking," Janine stressed.
"I'm glad you told us about it. I don't think I
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