Thea at Sixteen by Susan Beth Pfeffer Page A

felt real good since Friday.”
    â€œAre you sick?” Sybil asked. “I mean, do you have a cold or something?”
    â€œI don’t think so,” Gina replied. “Kip says I’ll feel better soon. And I feel better today than I did yesterday. Do you catch colds, Sybil?”
    â€œSybil is never sick,” Claire replied. “It drives me crazy. When I was younger, I used to get all kinds of things, mumps, stuff like that, and I’d be moaning and groaning, and Sybil never caught a single germ. I’d try. I’d tell her to finish what I was eating, and I’d swap toothbrushes on her, and pillows, and she never got anything I had.”
    â€œI didn’t know you did that,” Sybil said. “Boy, you’re mean, Claire.”
    â€œI wasn’t mean, I was lonely,” Claire said. “Stuck in the house alone all day with Megs. She’d try to play with me, but it was never as much fun as when you and I played. It’s really neat having a younger sister, Gina. They’re much better than older ones.”
    â€œI guess,” Gina said. “Older brothers are nice. I love Kip.”
    â€œI always wanted an older brother,” Claire said. “I would have swapped Thea if I could.”
    â€œBut not Evvie,” Thea said.
    â€œI liked Evvie,” Claire said.
    â€œYou don’t like Thea?” Gina asked. “Why not?”
    Claire laughed. “I like Thea,” she said. “I just figured she’d be easier to swap. But I never wanted a kid brother. Do you have any friends with kid brothers, Gina?”
    â€œI used to,” Gina replied.
    â€œThey are the worst,” Claire said. “Always being pests. Sybil was never a pest. She wouldn’t always do what I wanted her to, but at least she stayed out of my way most of the time.”
    â€œI had to,” Sybil said. “You would have run right over me, otherwise.”
    Claire laughed, and so did Gina. Thea shook her head in disbelief. Playing a part or no, Claire looked like she was born to be a Friendly Visitor.
    â€œWhat’s going on here?” Kip asked, walking over to the bed. “Is this a convention of NOW or something?”
    â€œI like that,” Claire said. “You couldn’t mistake us for Miss America contestants?”
    â€œSorry,” Kip said. “I was so dazzled by all the beauty, I missed the obvious. Hi, Thea. Hello, pumpkin.” He bent down and gave Gina a kiss. “You’re looking better today.”
    â€œI feel better,” Gina said. “Thea brought her sisters. Sybil and Claire. The one on my bed is Claire, and the other one is Sybil.”
    Poor Sybil, Thea thought. Reduced from goddess to the-other-one status. Not that Sybil seemed to mind. She looked instead pathetically relieved that Kip had arrived, and was clearly counting the seconds until she and Claire could make their getaway.
    â€œClaire,” Kip said. “Sybil.” He gazed at both of them. “It was nice of you to come visit.”
    â€œWe wanted to meet Gina,” Claire said. “Thea keeps talking about her, almost like she was another sister.”
    Kip stared at Claire, who stared right back. Thea didn’t care for that at all. “I guaranteed you a visit,” she said. “But instead of one visitor, I brought two.”
    â€œVery nice of you,” Kip said. “What’s that in your hand, Sybil?”
    â€œOh, I brought something,” Sybil said. “I almost forgot. Gina, I don’t know if you can keep stuff like this, but I brought you some lipstick.”
    â€œLipstick?” Thea asked. To the best of her knowledge, Sybil didn’t even know what lipstick was.
    â€œWell, some girls my age wear makeup,” Sybil said. “My parents won’t let me. But I thought your mother might, and you probably couldn’t get out to buy any, so I got you some. It’s red.” She handed