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it, anyway?”
    Alex had been moving her head back and forth between us. “Wait. You mean she knows?”
    I nodded.
    “About Beth?”
    I nodded again.
    Joey stood up. Her eight-and-three-quarter-inch ponytail whipped around from side to side, and she was madly waving her hands at us. “I know, OK? Beth dies. You lied to me, Stevie. You said you’d read me Chapter 40, and it wasn’t even the real true story.”
    “It’s just a book, Joey,” Alex said. “A story. It’s not real.”
    “It is to me.”
    “I’m sorry, Duck. I was wrong,” I told my little sister. “I just knew how sad it would make you if Beth died, and I didn’t want you to be sad.”
    “Blast and wretch. Now I’m sad, but I’m kinda mad, too.”
    “Joey, think of it as Shakespeare,” said Alex. “Like Romeo and Juliet. It’s a tragedy.”
    “Yeah, Duck, at least Beth didn’t fling herself on top of a dagger or get her head chopped off.”
    “She just closed her eyes and went to sleep, right?” said Alex.
    “Yep. See, aren’t you glad? Because getting her head chopped off would be bad. Then you’d have to feel sad and mad and bad.”
    “I do anyway.”
    “Want to go downstairs and put the book back in the cereal box?” I asked Joey, thinking it might make her feel better. “Wait. You can’t. We still have seven chapters left to read. Seven happy chapters.”
    “Yeah, Duck, only one more person dies.”
    “What? Who? Not Laurie. Please don’t say Laurie. Or Jo. Wait, don’t tell me!”
    “Al-ex!” I said. Sometimes my big sister could be so dense.
    “Sorry,” said Alex. “But Stevie’s right. Lots of good stuff happens. People get married and have babies and pick apples and all kinds of stuff.”
    “Hey, stop telling me. Twinkle, twinkle, little star, ” Joey sang, covering her ears until Alex stopped.
    “And there are still three sisters left. Like us. You, me, and Alex.”
    “I still think you should prick your fingers and exchange blood and promise you’ll never fight again.”
    “We can’t promise, Duck. Even the sisters in Little Women fight.”
    “Yeah, Jo and Amy are always fighting and mad at each other. Remember when Amy burns Jo’s book she’s writing? But they always make up again.”
    Joey made a sour face. “Sisters, Kisters, and Listerine,” she said in her blast-and-wretch voice.

     
    BYE BYE ALEX
    Starring Alex
     
     
    Me : (Knock, knock.) Hey, guys, are you doing anything?
    Stevie : Yes. Yes, we are. But it’s none of your beeswax.
    Me : Whatever. I just need to borrow Joey.
    Joey : What for?
    Stevie : You can’t. She’s too sad. About Beth — you know. (Fakes tears streaming down face, but Joey is smiling.)
    Me : That was two days ago! (Digging toe into carpet.) Joey said she’d help me pick a song for my audition.
    Joey : I’m right here!
    Stevie : Well, for your information, she’s helping me right now.
    Joey : I am. I’m helping her. But I could help you . . . to-mor-row. (Grins, looking over at Stevie, and points to notebook.)
    Me : What? I don’t get it. What’s going on?
    Stevie : Hey, don’t look at me. I’m just minding my own business over here in my own little corner. (Stevie and Joey spray spit, laughing.)
    Me : Look, can I talk to Joey — alone — for just a sec?
    Stevie : It’s OK. You can say stuff in front of me. It’s not like I’m going to steal your song or anything.
    Me : Well, see, I know both Maria Martinez and Jayden Pffeffer will be going out for the same part, and they both take Voice and they’re in chorus and Maria will sing “Over the Rainbow” just because she always does, but Jayden —”
    Stevie : How do you solve a problem like Maria ? And Jayden, too. She’s really Popular.
    Joey : (Leans back on bed and howls.)
    Me : (Impatient.) Thanks a lot, you guys. This is so not helping.
    Joey : But we are helping you. Honest.
    Me : Yeah, right. And how is acting like preschoolers helping me?
    Stevie : (Walks over to Joey and grabs list, ripping