"Pass! PASS!" Jane tore down the field, and perfectly trapped the ball lobbed across the field by Skye. 2 dribbles, then WHACK. Jane slammed the ball straight passed the goalie's head and into the goal. Skye, grinning, high fived her sister. 10 minutes and 1 goal later, the 2 middle Penderwick sisters trudged off the field, smiling. "The troops fell back from a hard day of fighting, tired but victorious. Parading into their home city, they could almost taste their fans' excitement, and were immediately showered by praises and gifts," said Jane.

"Good work, daughters! Another game won by none other than my two delightful girls," Mr. Penderwick called, stepping down the bleachers. Jane noticed that he was dressed in red, to go with the Cameron High School's spirit colors. "Hi Daddy! Do you think we could go to ice cream now?"

"I can't say no to ice cream. Let's collect Batty and be on our way. There's a surprise for us at home though, so we can't be too long."

"A surprise?" asked Skye cheerfully. Jane liked it when she was in a good mood. Lately Skye had been spending a lot of time locked up in the girls' bedroom, grumbling and doing homework or talking to Jeffrey on the phone. Sometimes Jane heard her talking to Jeffrey on the phone, but these conversations seemed to be some of the few times that Skye was very smiley anymore.

"Yes, daugher a surprise. Come on Battykins!" The youngest Penderwick sister dashed out from behind the bleachers, waving goodbye to her best friend Keiko.

"We're going for ice cream, Batty. And then we're headed home to a surprise." The gang of 4 marched off to ice cream. As Jane sniffed the summery air, she found herself remembering The Penderwicks' adventures 5 summers ago at Arundel. She missed Jeffrey. He hadn't come by in at least 2 months, and he and Jane didn't talk nearly as much as he did with Skye. Jeffrey and Skye… Jane wondered if there was something there. Her older sister talked so much with him now. Sometimes Jane would wake up in the middle of the night to Skye gabbing on the phone to her best friend from Arundel… Jane looked at Skye with her choppy blond hair and fierce blue eyes and tried to picture her in a romance novel, but kept coming up with Skye in an explorer outfit in a jungle, hanging out with an Indiana Jones-like archaeologist, and decided to give up. As the family walked through the ice cream shop's door into the air conditioning, Jane turned her thoughts to the ice cream flavors. Mr. Penderwick and Skye each got a chocolate cone, Batty vanilla, and Jane a raspberry almond gelato molded into the shape of a flower. Jane licked her spoon and imagined eating this kind of an ice cream in a little town in Italy. She was planning on visiting Europe once she graduated high school. "Daddy, is Rosalind at home?" piped up Batty.

"Hmm, I think so," replied Mr. Penderwick. "I know she was out with Tommy earlier, but I'd think she'd be home by now." Batty nodded. Jane's littlest sister and Rosalind hadn't been spending as much time together lately. Jane guessed that Rosalind was busy, but even so she felt bad for Batty.