Marla smiled smugly at the compliment. I could feel it coming, the day Marla would be breathing down my back to become Daddy's best girl. She was different from the way I was at her age. She was more sophisticated, sharper, more intent, and, despite her sloppy ways at times, more anxious to please Mrs. Fennel. It wouldn't be long before sibling rivalry would be spelled in all capital letters when it came to what went on between her and me.
"Don't worry. I'm not going to do anything wrong," I said.
"Oh, I'm not worried," Ava said, "but that doesn't mean you won't."
We drove on in silence. I felt all the conflicts raging inside me. I would never say it now, but I was more than just tempted to say yes to Mark. I wanted to go with him, to be part of something people our age were doing. Why wouldn't it be good for me to have these experiences now? Wouldn't it make me smarter, and wiser for the future?
