The Old Willis Place

say or do.
    When Lissa managed to stop laughing, she said, "You looked like a wild girl, a savage."
    We laughed again, even harder. "Wait till you see my brother," I said through my giggles. "He won't take a bath, he won't let me wash or comb his hair, he won't even change his clothes."
    "Your parents let him get away with that?" Lissa sounded surprised. "Don't they—"
    "Oh, no. They—" I cut myself off. I couldn't tell Lissa everything. Maybe I shouldn't even have mentioned Georgie. "They don't care," I finished, but Lissa seemed to have lost interest in my parents.
    She reached out to touch my braid. "Your hair is beautiful, so long and thick and blond—almost white."
    "It took forever to comb out the tangles." I winced at the memory. "My scalp's still sore."
    We sat down on the lion bench together. MacDuff lay down with his chin on Lissa's clean white tennis shoes.
    "I don't have any shoes," I told Lissa, suddenly conscious of my bare feet.
    She looked surprised. "What do you do in the winter?"
    "My feet are really tough." I held up one foot so she could see the sole, as black and hard as if it were made of leather. "I don't need shoes."
    Lissa stretched out her feet. "These are new. Maybe I could give you my old ones." She put one foot next to mine. "We're about the same size."
    We smiled at each other. That's what friends did—shared with each other. My heart beat a little faster. Maybe Lissa liked me; maybe I could show her my favorite things—the spring that gushed out of a pile of mossy rocks and ferns, the heron's nest in a dead tree in the marsh, the foxes' den, the albino deer.
    Just as I was about to suggest a walk, she leaned toward me, the smile gone from her face.
    "Did you and your brother steal my bike and the other things?" she asked. "I won't be mad. I just want them back."
    Shame heated my face. Maybe Lissa didn't want to be my friend after all. Maybe she just wanted her bike and her book and her teddy bear.
    "We didn't steal your bike," I told her. "We borrowed it one night to take a ride, that's all, but Georgie crashed into a tree and wrecked it. We were scared to bring it back, so we hid it down in the woods."
    "It was brand-new," Lissa said. "Dad gave it to me for my birthday. He can't afford to buy another one."
    "I'm sorry." I twisted my braid, tugging till my sore scalp hurt.
    Lissa looked at me without smiling. "What about my book?" she asked. "And my bear?"
    "I'm reading Lassie to Georgie," I said. "He loves it. Can we keep it a little longer? We're halfway through already."
    Lissa considered this. "I've read it five times, so I guess I can wait." She looked at me, squinting in the sunlight. "It's my favorite book."
    "It's my favorite book, too. I've read it at least five myself." I smiled at her, happy we had something in common. "It wasn't stealing, you know. We borrowed it, like a library book. We were going to bring it back."
    Lissa gave me a half smile and said, "What about my bear?"
    I pictured Georgie, sleeping happily with Alfie. How could I take the bear away from him? He'd be heartbroken.
    "I know the bear's special to you," I said slowly, "but it's special to Georgie, too. He used to have one just like it, but Miss—" I stopped myself just in time. "You have so many toys. Couldn't Georgie keep it for a while?"
    "You don't understand. My mother gave it to me." Lissa's eyes filled with tears. "She died when I was only five. I can hardly remember her, but when I holdTedward, it's almost like she's with me again."
    I touched her arm, full of sympathy for her and for Georgie as well. "Please, Lissa. Georgie will take good care of your bear."
    Lissa folded her arms across her chest and frowned at the woods. I looked at her, wishing I knew what to say or do. Making friends was harder than I remembered. Or maybe I was just out of practice.
    "Where's Georgie now?" Lissa asked suddenly.
    I shrugged. "He's probably fishing at the pond or holed up in a tree somewhere. Maybe he's catching frogs in the marsh. He often disappears all day."
    Lissa looked at me curiously. "You seem to know a lot about the farm. Do you live near here?"
    "Yes." I folded my hands in my lap and watched a red leaf spin past my feet. It made a tiny scuttling sound on the terrace. I wished Lissa would stop asking questions. It was tiring.
    "In those houses across the highway?"
    "Yes." The red leaf settled down in the corner with the other leaves. Two more followed it. Scuttle, scuttle across the terrace, like