I hope you guys like this! I may/may not add more chapters. Happy reading. :D

Disclaimer: I do not own the Penderwicks series...XD

Jane was in a sort of writer's stupor. She was happily thinking about ideas for a new Sabrina Starr novel as she wandered along the halls of Cameron Middle School, humming blithely. So oblivious was she, that when her older sister Skye began yelling at her from down the hall, she didn't notice. Jane glanced down at her yellow high-tops and frowned, jerked from her daydreams. A smudge of ink marred the otherwise immaculate white toe of her left shoe. She knelt to rub it off, and saw a pair of black sneakers march to a stop before her.

"Good grief, Jane! I've been yelling at you for ages. Listen!"

Jane stopped rubbing at her shoe, and stood. "You look…bizarre," she said, groping for the right adjective. Skye did. Her lucky camouflage hat was askew, her blue eyes had a maniacal sort of gleam, and her blond hair stuck out at odd angles. And Jane, being a young writer and therefore very perceptive, guessed the problem at once. "Pearson."

"Yes," growled Skye. "He's been giving me silly looks all week. I think he's trying to be charming or something, but in my opinion he looks like he's suffering from lockjaw!"

Jane giggled. Pearson, a boy in Skye's grade, had had a crush on her all year. Skye narrowed her eyes even further. "I'm probably going to die. Go nuts and die."

Jane rolled her eyes. "Don't say that. I'll tell Daddy Pearson is bothering you and—"

"No! That is, Daddy will ask me what Pearson is like. And then I'll have to tell him that Pearson is funny and nice—but an atrocious soccer player—and Daddy will wonder why in the world I don't like him!"

Jane studied her sister. "Well, why don't you?"

Skye folded her arms menacingly. "Jane, I'm thirteen, for goodness sake! If I think Pearson is a stupid cow, it's only because I'm too young."

"Love has no age."

"Be quiet."

Jane ignored Skye's murderous expression, and swung her backpack onto one shoulder. "We have to go get Batty today, remember?"

Skye groaned and clapped a hand to her forehead. She had been privately looking forward to an afternoon of algebra, bananas and solitude. Babysitting Batty when Rosalind was unavailable did not please her in the slightest.

Smiling as she slipped back into her daze of Sabrina Starr thoughts, Jane linked arms with Skye who did not pull away, though she did frown and grumble something under her breath.

"Stop muttering," admonished Jane absently. "It's a beautiful afternoon."

"No," countered Skye. "There's a big stupid cloud."

Jane stopped and glared at Skye. "You're nuts." She was half joking, but part of her hated Skye's constant skepticism.

"Well, at least you found your soccer ball," Jane persevered. "We can do drills later."

Skye rolled her eyes. "Big incentive."

She and Jane strolled through the crowds of chattering students and out into a bright, sunny day. Contrary to Skye's mutterings, there were no stubborn clouds in sight, and Jane tilted her face toward the warm rays, squinting.

"Anyways," said Skye, ignoring Jane's humming, "Batty will need her snack, and Ben will need his, too, for that matter."

Jane was busily hopping the sidewalk cracks. "Do you think I'll ever get a second chance at love, Skye?"

Skye frowned. "If Dominique was any indication, you might not want a second chance."

Jane sighed. "I meant, with someone completely-unlike that insensitive moron!"

Skye grinned.

"Take Jeffrey, for example. He's generous and chivalrous and patient. He never once got mad at Batty! Even I can't do that!" Jane glanced at the sidewalk, stepped over a discarded candy wrapper, and glanced back at Skye. Skye looked like she was fighting the urge to strangle her sister.

Jane allowed herself a moment to consider the possibility of Jeffrey and Skye being together. She laughed. "You and Jeffrey would be a fantastic couple! He's sane and you're insane!"

She dodged Skye's well-aimed punch. "Missed me!"

Skye ground her teeth menacingly. She grabbed Jane's elbow and steered her toward Goldie's preschool. "Hurry up. No Sabrina Starr, love surveys, or personal insults, got it?"

Jane smiled. "Absolutely."

Thank you for reading! REVIEW!

Spark Writer