Page 4 (1/2)

“What about me?”

“Do you believe in happily ever after?”

“No” I handed Luna her socks That’s when I noticed she had gu, I exairls had begged me for at the store yesterday

“Why not?”

Annoyed, I turned to face her “Becauselike children I’m one of them”

Hallie made a face “That’s stupid No one is too old to be happy”

“Never mind” I tossed Hallie’s shorts and shirt at her “Get dressed while I find the scissors If I can’t get that gum out of Luna’s hair, I have to cut it out”

Luna gasped and covered her matted blond curls with her hands “No! Last time, you made it uneven and Moum And you were supposed to know that”

“Sorry” I held up my hands “I’ll do better this time”

“You proo of her head

“Yes”

“Make him pinkie swear,” said Hallie as she yanked up her shorts

I held out er over mine “I swear to do a better job this tium and eat your hair at the same time”

She laughed “I promise”

Just after eight, I hustled the girls out the door, slightly behind schedule As anxious as they were to move into the new place, they could dawdle like it was an Olympic sport

But it had taken uave up and cut it out, and then Hallie hadn’t been able to find her lucky penny After turning the apartave me that lucky penny on my first day of school last year and I need it for this year too or else I won’t be okay!”—I proet going in order to pick up the truck on ti lot, where Luna tripped on a loose chunk of asphalt and skinned her knee

Now both girls were crying

I carried Luna back into the apart close behind, the lost penny ht of the bloody knee

Setting Luna on the counter, I cleaned her off and dug through the box labeled BATHROOM until I found a bandage