Between Two Girls

Chapter 5

Paige opens the back door to her house and enters the kitchen. She puts her backpack on the nearest chair and grabs a granola bar. Ignoring Juli’s complaints about not having fun and Emery telling her to shut up, Paige takes out her homework and works on it.

    After she completes it, Paige grabs her book and turns to a page. The note from earlier falls out. She absentmindedly picks it up and puts it on the table.

    Nearly five minutes later, Paige’s little sister Anika barges through the door. “Paigey, Paigey! Guess what I did today!” she says excitedly. At eight years old, Anika is the mini-version of Paige. They both share the red hair, faint freckles, emerald-green eyes, and the love for books. But aside from those traits, the sisters have different interests and personalities.

    “What did you do, Anika?” Paige asks, not looking up from her book.

    Anika, not liking the lack of attention, goes up to her older sister and climbs onto her lap. Paige sighs in annoyance and flips her book over. She then looks at Anika.

    “What happened, little brat?”

    Anika grins mischieviously. “I got a gold star. Two of them!” She holds up three fingers.

    Ignoring the miscount, Paige teases, “For what, being a pest?”

    “No! For setting a good exah, um, exah . . . “ Anika looks confused.

    “Example?”

    “Yeah, that. I was setting a good exa-emm-pull for other kids,” she says, looking proud. “I was quiet in line, and I raised my hand before I talked.”

    Paige’s trying to get back to her book by saying, “Okay, good for you.”

   Anika doesn’t notice Paige. “And then later, at recess, one of the older kids came up to me and asked me for a book at their reading level I can recaw, um, what is it?”

    “Recommended?”

    “Yeah, that, because I’m reading books at their level and higher, and, so, yeah,” Anika finishes. She then stays silent. For a minute. “I’m bored. Come play a game with me.” She jumps off of Paige’s lap and runs to the living room. Paige can hear her sister pull out a few board games, and accidently drop them on the floor with a CRASH!

    Paige quickly runs to the room, and finds Anika surrounded with fallen pieces of various games. She looks up at Paige with round eyes.

    “So, what game do you want to play?”

    Paige just stares at her, then slowly backs up from the mess and goes to her room for solitude.

“Paige, how long are you going to just read?” Juli asks a few days later, on a Friday. “It’s the weekend! You need to loosen up and dance, girl!”

    The redhead can hear Emery say, “You know that’s not going to happen if you keep this up.”

    Paige tunes out the voices as they bicker with each other. Instead of listening to them, she takes a look at pretty Lucy, who’s laughing at something one of her friends have said. At the exact moment, Lucy turns and notices Paige staring. Embarrassed, Paige looks away and pretends to be working on classwork.

    She hears a scrape of a chair, but doesn’t think much of it. Footsteps follow, and Paige feels a tap on her shoulder. Before she knows, Lucy grabs a chair and sits across from her.

    “Okay, first things first,” Lucy announces loud enough for her friends to hear. “I need your answers from homework last night. And the second thing--” Lucy lowers her voice so only Paige can hear. “--got any other books you can suggest?”

    Paige is speechless. “Yeah. Why?” she asks.

    “Keep your voice down!” Lucy hisses. “I don’t want anyone to hear.”

    “Ooh, this is getting interesting by the second!” Juli says gleefully.

    “Hmm. Can’t seem to argue with that,” Emery muses.

    Paige rolls her eyes at the blonde. “Sorry,” she says, quietly this time. “What about the book I said?”

    “I’ve already read it.”

    “Really?”

    Lucy scoffs. “Why else would I try to get your attention back at the library when you were leaving?” she asks. “I’ve read it back in sixth grade. Now, what other books should I read?” Lucy seems impatient as the discussion between the two grows longer.

    “What about the Bronte sisters?”

    “As in Jane Eyre?”

    Paige nods. “Read it?”

    Lucy stands up suddenly. “I will now.” She starts to walk away.

    “You’re welcome, by the way,” the redhead calls after her.

    “Oh. Thanks, Paige.”

    Surprised, Paige stares at Lucy as she goes back to her friends. “Why is your mouth open?” Juli asks.

    “What? Oh,” Paige replies. She hasn’t noticed her jaw was dropped. “It’s just, she knows my name,” she whispers.

    “Why do you act surprised about that, Paige?” Emery asks. “She’s been having quite a few conversations with you. Lucy would have known your name by now.”

    “Yeah, I know,” the redhead says. “She’s just a popular girl who acts like she’s better than anyone else.”

    “Hmm,” the sage voice says. “Perhaps she’s more different than you originally thought. After all, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.”

    Paige can hear a girl asking, “Didn’t that brainy bitch do the homework?” To which Lucy answers, “Her name’s Paige  And she, like, did do her homework; I’m just, like, not going to copy off her.”

    “But why not? She’s, like, our meal ticket to graduating,” the girl whines.

    “So’s studying,” Lucy snaps. “It’s less risk for expulsion and, like, far more helpful.”

    Paige grins to herself. “A different person than I thought,” she quotes Emery’s words. “Maybe.”