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“I have to go beat up your useless eldest,” she said. “I promise I’m fine. I’ll call this weekend, okay?”

“Okay, okay,” her mom said. “I love you.”

“Love you, Mom.”

Emma hung up the phone and launched herself at her sister.

Emma had three inches on Avery, long legs and a runner’s body, but Avery was built like a weight lifter. She wrestled Emma from the couch to the ground and almost had her pinned—much to Cassius’s distress—when Emma resorted to tickling. She didn’t relent until Avery called uncle.

“I hate you,” Avery said afterward, still clutching her side.

“Sure you do,” Emma said. “That’s why you came over with comfort food and that superworried look on your face? Super hateful.”

Avery shoved Emma’s shoulder but then held up her hands in defeat when Emma made to start up their battle again.

“Fine,” Avery said as she got resituated on the couch. “I, like, love you and stuff.”

“I, like, love you and stuff, too.” Emma plopped on the cushion next to her. “And don’t tell Mom about anything, okay? I don’t want her worrying about me, too. I’m fine, I swear.”

“Okay,” Avery said quietly. “But you know you don’t have to feel ashamed or anything. You can tell her, if you want.”

“I know, Ave,” Emma said.

She wasn’t ashamed, but she didn’t want to deal with it.

“So I’m not going to tell Mom or tell you how to react to this whole situation or anything,” Avery said, “but if I ever meet Barry Davis, I’m gonna kick him in the nuts.”

Emma giggled.

“Also,” Avery said, scooching farther away on the couch. She patted the cushion between them. “Cash, want up?”

Cassius hesitated for only a second before joining them on the couch. Emma stared at her sister, mouth agape.

“You reallydolove me!” she said, snuggling into the dog.

“I do, but I’m picking what we watch,” Avery said.

“Deal.”

13

JO

Jo didn’t know what she was going to say to Emma when she handed over her coffee Thursday morning. She stopped beside her desk. Opened her mouth and—

“You’re coming to the game tonight, right?” It came tumbling out. She didn’t let Emma answer. “It’s the last game and the team is going for ice cream after. I can drive you, if you’d like. You can’t miss the last game.”

Emma blinked. “I was going to go home first,” she said. “I didn’t bring clothes for the game. I only have this.”

“This” being the navy-blue dress with white piping that she had on, that was altogether too fancy for a baseball game. Emma looked good in it. Jo noticed and then set the thought aside.

“You can go home at lunch and change, or get clothes to change into at least,” Jo said. She looked away. “If you’d prefer I can avoid the bleachers. You can sit there with your sister and—”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Emma said. “I’ll sit by you. We’re okay.”

“Of course,” Jo said.

She still felt like the other shoe was about to drop.