At the breakfast table the following morning was the next time Sam saw Mattie. He wanted to ask her about the night before, but Will and Nicky were arguing too loudly about which was worse; Mattie's scrambled eggs or her pancakes.

"Excuse me, you're lucky you're not going hungry, you ungrateful snot-nosed brats," she snapped. "The pancakes are a little on the inedible side, but the eggs aren't that bad. They taste a bit like chewing gum. Everyone likes gum."

Mr. McRoyan sauntered lifelessly into the kitchen wrapped up in his bathrobe.

"Hey, Dad, there's still a bit left if you want, I mean, I wouldn't go near the pancakes, but there's still some eggs in the pan…" Mattie's cheerful voice tapered off as he looked at her, impatiently tired.

"I'm just looking for some Tylenol," he muttered. "I have a headache."

"Yeah, you look like you got run over by a train," Nicky informed him helpfully.

"Thanks, Nick," he said. His search for painkillers ended after he'd searched through all the cupboards. He settled on grabbing a beer, and left again.

"I'm sure that will help, Dad," Mattie called. "It seems to have done wonders so far."

"Shut your mouth, Mattie," her father shot back. The stairs creaked above them as he went upstairs to bed.

Will and Nicky peeked over their food curiously at their sister. Sam pretended to not have heard anything that had been said. Out of nowhere, Simon said, "Hey, you didn't screw up the toast at least, Mattie."

Her bright eyes crinkled happily by her wide smile, she said, "I thought the toast was a little soggy, but I'm glad you like it."

"Well it is soggy, I was trying to be nice."

Sam glanced between both Mattie and Simon and decided that Simon's pleasant comment was a blue-eyed miracle.

"Sammy, Mattie said you went to a movie!" Will exclaimed. "Can you take me today? I promise I won't ever say a word when we're watching and I won't have to go to the bathroom at all so you won't miss anything at all! And I'll give you all my pennies and everything!"

"You're not going to that movie," Mattie said.

"Why not? Are there--" He lowered his voice and whispered, "Boooobs?"

"No," Mattie laughed. "It's just a stupid movie."

"Sure, I'll take you to a matinee show, Willie," Sam said, ignoring Mattie. "It's a pretty cool movie. I'll have to explain everything after though. You might not get it."

Will gave a little yip of excitement and then jumped up out of his chair. "Thanks! I'll go get my pennies!"

"No, sit down and finish eating," he ordered. "And I don't want your pennies, it's okay."

Nicky nudged Mattie and waggled his eyebrows. "So, where you taking me today, sister of mine who I love so much?"

Mattie gasped. "Do you want to go to the town dump with me? I hear it's fascinating!"

"You suck," he grumbled.

"Hey, maybe if you're nice to Simon, he'll take you to the park and you can play baseball or something."

"Maybe if you pay me too," Simon said.

"What are you doing today that's so important that you can't take your adoring brother somewhere on a Saturday afternoon?" Sam asked her, smiling pleasantly.

"Nothing," she said, irritated with his I-know-something-you-don't-know tone. "Why are you talking like that? Should I be doing something?"

"Well, I don't know, I thought maybe you had plans made with someone, let's say for example, maybe Gordie." He shrugged and drank some of his orange juice.

"Is there a reason you used him for your example?" she asked.

Clasping his hands together and batting his eyelashes flirtatiously, Sam mocked, "'Oh, why don't I buy you some popcorn and stare at you a lot and laugh at everything you say and blush all the time and hold the door for you Mattie? I think you're just oh so pretty, will you be my girlfriend?'"

"Did you just ask Mattie to be your girlfriend?" Nicky asked.

"Do you know what boyfriends and girlfriends do?" Will whispered.

"No I did not, and I was talking to Mattie, not you," Sam said. "I'm just saying, the guy likes you, Mattie. I don't know why but he does. Chris even said he thought so, and Chris and Gordie have been best friends for years so he probably knows these things."

"I like Mattie too!" Will smiled proudly. "I used to think that I could marry her when I got old enough, but my teacher, Miss Hanover, she said that you can't do that or else your babies will have too many arms."

Sam raised an eyebrow at Will. "Oh dear God, child. I pity the one who has to give you the birds and the bees talk." He looked back to Mattie. "Anyhow, and I think you kinda liked him too. But I can never tell because you like every single boy you look at."

"I don't think I like Gordie," she muttered, looking confused. "I mean, I think he's sweet, but I don't know. And he doesn't like me; I know that for sure. He doesn't flirt with me like he flirts with this girl in our Creative Writing class."

"Flirting is for people you just think are hot but you have no interest in getting to know them," Sam sighed exasperatedly, as if explaining to a child that chocolate milk doesn't come from brown cows and the kid just wasn't getting it. "He listens and talks to you, you idiot. He wants to know more about you because he's interested."

"Ah, whatever, eat your damn eggs."

Will's eyes widened in shock. "Mattie said damn--"

"And now you've said it, so keep your mouth shut," Mattie snapped, poking her fork in his direction.

Later that afternoon Will came stampeding into the living room where Mattie was listening to the radio and reading her book. He flew into her lap, knocking the wind out of her. "Mattiemattiemattie you got to see this movie! It's about this guy named Sam Spade--"

"I've seen it, Willie," she gasped, trying to catch her breath. "I take it you enjoyed it?"

"He enjoyed it, alright," Sam said, poking his head around the corner. "Chris and me are gonna go shoot some pool okay? I ran into him downtown. Are Simon and Nicky home yet?"

"No, they stopped here for about two minutes to have me make them sandwiches, but then they left. I guess there's a big pick up baseball game going on."

"Alright. Just look after Will." He smiled at them and then left again.

"I want to go again!" Will grabbed her shirt collar pleadingly. Will you take me again tonight at five o'clock pleeaaase Mattie?"

"Ahh, I don't know, buddy, I think I've seen it enough times to last me for awhile."

"I'll be really good though."

"I know you will be," she said, messing up his hair playfully. "But we've both already seen it, right? We shouldn't waste our money."

"It's not wasting!" he cried.

"Will, you've already seen it," she insisted. "And I didn't like it when I saw it, so I don't want to sit through it again."

"But you're just sitting here reading!"

"Because I feel like reading and it's a good book!" She felt her decisiveness waver as she saw tears in his eyes, but tried to ignore it. "I'm sorry, okay, Will?"

"No you're not!" he said, his small cheeks flushing with anger. "You just don't want to spend time with me." His body was shaking with hiccuping sobs.

"That's not true," she promised heatedly, trying to hug him but he jumped off her lap.

She watched him, feeling like the biggest bad guy in the world, as he climbed up the stairs two at a time, throwing his whole body into each long step. Feeling too guilty to continue reading, she checked the grandfather clock in the corner of the room, saw that it was four, and decided to go make them some supper.

Sitting on the counter with her chin resting on her hands, she watched the soup on the stove. She grumbled, "Oh it's not going to kill me for God's sake." Hopping down off the counter, she turned the gas ring off, and dumped the soup into the sink. "Will! Let's go!"

Venturing out into the hallway, and gazing up the stairs, she didn't see him rushing to meet her. She thought he'd be really happy. "Will? I changed my mind, I want to take you to the movie!" Not hearing a sound upstairs, she started to go up the stairs to search him out, but then she saw that his shoes were gone. "Oh God," she muttered.