Mags Grace ran into the bedroom with an armful of clothes I need your help Which one She held up two T-shirts that looked exactly alike to Maggie Huh Maggie sighed with exasperation Who cares It’s just school not a fashion show Boring awful friendless school Come on Grace said You’re not friendless She tilted her head as she looked in the full-length mirror arranging her perfect brown curls Maggie’s curls were red and wild and impossible to tame Right Name one friend Maggie demanded Um Grace thought hard Me Maggie rolled her eyes Little sisters don’t count I am so glad that Nana said she’d take us shopping this week Grace said ignoring Maggie’s comment I need new shoes and some of that yummy-ummy citrus mint lotion And pants I definitely need new pants You already have a closet full of pants
And you have enough lotion Maggie thought that her sister cared way too much for clothing and signature scents for a nine year old No I don’t Grace pouted Yes you do Maggie insisted Quit bossing me around said Grace frowning Why I’m older and wiser Older maybe but you’re definitely not wiser Grace snapped You’re such a spoiled little Takes one to know one Grace yelled before Maggie could finish her insult Then Grace threw a pillow at Maggie’s head Unfortunately it nearly decapitated Moon the sisters black cat named for the white circle between her dainty shoulder blades She looked like a night sky with one bright spot Mom and Dad had adopted Moon when Maggie was only five and Grace was still in diapers This cat had been through so much with the girls Maggie wondered what Moon would
say if cats could talk Did she miss Mom and Dad too Mwwwwwwoooow Moon howled Sorry Moon Grace cried But then she threw another pillow at her sister this time with better aim Take that Grace wailed caught up in the moment laughing a little Maggie was so mad How could Grace be laughing Moon darted under the bed to safety Smart cat Grace you could have hurt Moon Maggie roared She grabbed the pillow and threw it back at Grace’s head hard OWWW Grace wasn’t going to let her sister get away with that She started an all-out pillow-fight The girls went back and forth until one wayward toss from Grace sent Maggie’s lamp flying off the bedside table with a smash Look what you did Maggie yelled Me Grace gasped and burst into tears You made me Astrid Astrid Grace disappeared down the hall to tattle to the nanny
as if Maggie needed one In Nana’s house there were people to do every kind of possible task cooking laundry cleaning gardening and even tutoring Astrid was in charge of Maggie and Grace whenever Nana was at board meetings or charity auctions or gardening clubs Which was often Really Maggie sighed Here we go again Somehow she’d be blamed for this That was how it usually played out Of course Maggie should have been nicer to Grace than she was especially since they were basically all alone in the world now except for Nana and Moon But she wasn’t Grace laughed at the dumbest things and not much was funny to Maggie anymore It was like Maggie had this black cloud to keep her company No matter what she did or said that cloud stayed overhead Meanwhile Grace stood in the bright sun and kept right on loving her life It wasn’t fair How could Grace possibly be happy now that Mom and Dad were gone Right on cue Astrid showed up waving her fist in the air Girls Girls STOP THIS
