The door opened slowly. Mom stood there, wearing the floor-length red velour robe they’d gotten her for Christmas last year. “May I come in?”

“Like I could stop you.”

“You could,” Mom said quietly. “May I come in?”

Kate shrugged, but scooted to the left to make room for her mom.

“You know, Katie, life is—”

Kate couldn’t help groaning. Not another life-is speech.

Mom surprised her by laughing. “Okay, no more speeches. Maybe you’re too old for that.” She paused at the altar on the dresser. “You haven’t made one of these since Georgia was in chemo. Who needs our prayers?”

“Tully’s mom has cancer and she was ra—” She snapped her mouth shut, horrified by what she’d nearly revealed. For most of her life she’d told her mother everything; now she had a best friend, though, so she’d need to be careful.

Mom sat down on the bed beside Kate, just as they did after every fight. “Cancer? That’s quite a load for a girl your age to carry.”

“Tully seems cool with it.”

“Does she?”

“She seems cool with everything,” Kate said, unable to keep the pride out of her voice.

“How so?”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“I’m too old, huh?”

“I didn’t say that.”

Mom smoothed the hair off Kate’s forehead in a touch that was as familiar as breathing. Kate always felt five years old when her mom did that. “I’m sorry you thought I was judging your friend.”

“You should be.”

“And you’re sorry for being so mean to me, right?”

Kate couldn’t help smiling. “Yeah.”

“I’ll tell you what: Why don’t you invite Tully over for dinner Friday night?”

“You’ll love her. I know you will.”

“I’m sure I will,” Mom said, kissing her forehead. “ ‘Night.”

“ ‘Night, Mom.”

Long after her mother had left and the house had gone quiet for the night, Kate lay there, too wound up to sleep. She couldn’t wait to invite Tully for dinner. Afterward, they could watch I Dream of Jeannie, or play Operation, or practice putting on makeup. Maybe Tully would even want to spend the night. They could—

Tap.

—talk about boys and kissing and—

Tap.

Kate sat up. That wasn’t a bird on the roof or a mouse in the walls.

Tap.

It was a small rock, hitting the glass!

She threw the covers back and hurried to the window, shoving it open.

Tully was in her backyard, holding a bike beside her. “Come on down,” she said, much too loudly, making a hurry gesture with her hand.

“You want me to sneak out?”

“Uh. Duh.”

Kate had never done anything like this, but she couldn’t act like a nerd now. Cool kids broke the rules and sneaked out of the house. Everyone knew that. Everyone knew, too, that trouble could follow. And this was exactly what her mom had been talking about.

You think for yourself around Tully Hart.

Kate didn’t care about that. What mattered was Tully.

“I’m on my way.” Closing the window, she looked around for clothes. Fortunately, her overalls were in the corner, folded neatly beneath a black sweatshirt. She slipped out of her old Scooby-Doo jammies and dressed quickly, then crept down the hall. As she passed her parents’ bedroom, her heart was pounding so fast she felt light-headed. The stairs creaked ominously with every footfall, but finally she made it.