Summary: Chapter 7
“When life hands you a lemon, say, ‘Oh
yeah. I like lemons. What else ya got?’”
—Henry Rollins
Lena has breakfast with her grandfather, but they can’t
talk to each other. She thinks she looks like him, with his small
nose. She puts on the Pants and sets off with her paints. She runs
into Kostos but walks in the opposite direction.
Bridget writes to Tibby, claiming she’d hate the soccer
camp since it’s very peppy. She also says she’s in love with a coach,
even though it’s forbidden.
At Wallman’s, Tibby realizes that she forgot to return
the girl’s wallet. The girl’s name is Bailey Graffman, and Tibby
finds a Graffman in the phone book and goes to the house, where
Mrs. Graffman sends her up to Bailey’s room. Bailey accuses her
of stealing her money. Tibby sarcastically stands up for herself,
and Bailey responds equally sharply. Tibby finds out that Bailey
is actually twelve. Mrs. Graffman calls up and tells Bailey she
should take her medicine. Tibby goes to get it, and Mrs. Graffman
reveals that Bailey has leukemia. Tibby tries to be nicer to Bailey,
who gets upset because she knows that Tibby now knows she’s sick.
Lena writes to Carmen about Greece. She mentions Kostos
but dismisses the idea of dating him.
Carmen sits by herself at a party, miserable. She went
to the party with Krista and Paul to make Albert happy, but she
knew she would have an awful time. Paul introduces her to his girlfriend,
Kelly, and Carmen says she lives with Paul just to make Kelly suspicious.
Summary: Chapter 8
“I have seen the future and it’s like
the present, only longer.”
—Dan Quisenberry
Tibby helps her mother feed her baby brother, Nicky, while
her mother feeds the other baby, Katherine. Tibby remembers when
her mother was a sculptor and her dad was a public defender. Their house
was less fancy then. When her mother became a real estate agent
and her dad became a private lawyer, everything changed. Tibby wants
to tell her mom about Bailey, but feeding the kids is too chaotic.