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you feel left out. They fight with you over clothes, and when you get older, maybe even boys. And they take much longer to forgive and forget than brothers do. Do you ever remember having a fight with one of your brothers that lasted for more than an hour or so? Do you ever remember any of them refusing to speak to you? Or arguing with you over borrowing your stuff?”
    Woodenly, I shake my head. “I guess I’m the one who stays mad,” I admit. “I’m the one who gives them the silent treatment. And we don’t even like the same kinds of things. We leave each other’s stuff alone.”
    â€œThat’s just what I’m talking about,” says Stephanie. “Because you’re a girl and they’re guys. Now, I’m not saying that sisters aren’t wonderful and special, because they are, and I love mine very much. But brothers are special, too. And whether you have sisters or brothers or both, there are always going to be difficulties, just because you’re siblings. So the trick is, you’ve got to pay more attention, to look closely for those little things about your siblings that, deep down inside yourself, you love. The things that make you proud of them. And then you’ll see just how much they mean to you.”
    Like Mr. London said. “But--but what if I can’t find anything I love about them?” I ask. I am really and truly afraid of this.
    â€œWell,” says Stephanie, and I can tell she’s trying not to smile, “sometimes you need to help these things along.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    She pulls all her hair over one shoulder and combs her fingers through it. “Well...maybe if you start being nicer to your brothers, they’ll start being nicer to you. And then you’ll see what there is to love.”
    â€œI guess I’m not that nice to them,” I confess. “I could try to work on that....But it isn’t going to be easy.”
    Stephanie laughs again, louder this time. “Maybe it’ll be easier than you think.” Then she pulls me into a hug--a sister hug.

Chapter Five
    Over the next week, I devote most of my free time to two things: getting my Halloween costume ready and thinking carefully about the talk I had with Stephanie.
    The costume part is easier by far. Mom has our gypsy skirts hemmed in no time, and between her and Auntie Luz, Gina and I come up with plenty of scarves. Auntie Luz’s scarves are the best, really. She’s got all these long, silky, bright, colorful ones with fringe and tassels. We choose scarves for our heads and scarves for our necks that will help disguise the bulky awkwardness of the jackets we have to wear trick-or-treating.
    We spend a long time sorting through our dress-up jewelry, too, and picking out the best gaudy necklaces and big rings and bangle bracelets to complement our costumes. And Auntie Luz lets us each borrow a pair of gigantic gold hoop earrings, which is a very good thing because neither of us has hoops of our own that are anywhere near as big.
    As the days pass, we grow more and more excited for Halloween. Gina’s excitement is total, untouched by anything else. But mine is clouded with worry over my “family brag paper.” By Wednesday, I haven’t even written one word of it.
    Again and again, I replay my conversation with Stephanie in my head. She suggested that maybe if I started being nicer to my brothers, they would start being nicer to me. And then I would find what there is to love about them. It seems pretty doubtful, but I’m desperate now. And I guess it’s worth a try....
    The only thing is, how am I supposed to start being nice to them? I am not going to act like some total fool by kissing up to them, that’s for sure. Besides, my brothers would just think I’d gone crazy and make more fun of me than ever before. So, how am I going to manage this?
    According to Stephanie, there are little things