“Missy, pul-eeze. I wanna go home. It’s gonna rain.” “You want to go home because it’s going to rain,” Missy said without looking up from her book. Just because she was in fourth grade and had straight A’s and was on the honor roll, Missy always corrected her words. Livie hated it, but her sister was going to be a teacher, after all, and needed to practice. The wind came down in a gust before tapering off to a tickling breeze. “Missy, I’m cold.” Her sister rolled her eyes and breathed that loud sigh she had when Livie was annoying her. It meant Livie was being a pest. “Ten minutes, okay? I want to finish this chapter.” “Fine.” Livie pouted. She picked up her shovel again and absently played in the sand, digging and watching as the grains fell slowly to the ground. She loved the park, but not when they were the only kids there. The swings were her favorite. Livie always pumped her legs faster and harder to see if she could go all the way around the top, but she hadn’t made it yet.
