eighteen

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Breathe. Focus. Austin doesn’t normally get up until 10—at the earliest. Fingers crossed. Mom won’t worry about him until lunchtime. We should have this fixed by then. Hopefully.

Eve stood at the door next to her mother. She had on a pretty, white shirt with a pink design on it and jeans.

“Good morning!” Eve said, smiling. She pushed a container into Grace’s hands. “My mom made them. These are beignets.” Eve smiled and looked at her mom. Her mother was looking into the house.

Ben-yays?” April said, lifting the container’s lid. The donut-like pastries made her mouth water.

Yum . . . powdered sugar AND fried dough. Wow, this is better than the stuff at the carnival.

Just as April was about to reach in for one, her mother appeared behind her.

“Oh! Beignets!” April’s mom said, lifting the container out of April’s hands. “I love beignets. Come in, come in.” She motioned Eve and her mother inside.

Eve’s mother extended her arm to April’s mother. “My name is Edna. Edna LaRue.”

“I’m Abbey—Abigail Appleton.” April’s mother shook Eve’s mother’s hand, then looked at Eve. “And, you must be Eve.”

“Yes, ma’am. Pleased to meet you.” Eve smiled.

“Come on, Eve. Let’s go upstairs to work on the essay,” April said, winking at her.

“Essay? What essay?” Mrs. LaRue asked Eve. “I thought you were just coming over to play?”

Eve’s eyes grew wide. She stood there not blinking, looking at her mother.

“Oh, we asked Eve if she wanted to join our project group,” Grace said to Mrs. LaRue. “In school, we picked groups to write an essay and give a presentation. And, um . . .”

“Yes!” Eve said excited. “Oh, yes, I would . . . um . . . love to join your group.”

ACHOO!! ACHOO!! ACHOO!!

“God bless you, Abbey,” said Mrs. LaRue.

ACHOO!!! ACHOO!!! ACHOO!!!

“Bless you, Mom.” April felt her lip quiver. Blood rushed to her cheeks.

Oh no! Oh no! I have to get Austin upstairs. I don’t want her to get sick. Oh gosh, I am the suckiest daughter. She darted over to the tissue box and brought it to her mother.

“Gee, I only sneeze like this around animals.”

“OK, we’d better go get started.” April firmly grabbed Eve’s hand and they ran up the stairs.

“We . . . made it,” Grace panted as they entered April’s room.

“I . . . thought . . . for sure, we were going to get caught,” April said, hunched with her hands on her knees as she gasped for air.

Oh! Austin. Gosh, he probably is burning up in there.

She placed the book bag on the floor. Then she looked up at the open bedroom door.

Oh crud! I forgot to close the door. Ugh, I wish it would just close again.

And, before their eyes, as April slowly took Austin out of the book bag, the door did just that.