9781422288221

C HAPTER 1

14

Krista’s face twisted. “I can’t believe you expect me to throw away all my dreams just because you two were stupid enough to go and get pregnant again!” Krista’s chair clattered on the floor as she stood and gripped the table with white-knuckled hands. “You’re ru- ining my life! I hate you!” She spun away from her parents and stomped from the room, leaving the kitchen door swinging behind her. Mr. Brown sighed while Mrs. Brown’s face puckered as though she were holding back tears. “Jonathan and I can share a room,” Phillip offered quietly, but his mother just buried her face in her hands. The months that passed were a mix of tension, excitement, and ap- prehension in the Brown household. As compensation for making them share a bedroom, Mr. and Mrs. Brown told Phillip and Jona- than they could decorate the room any way they wanted. To Mrs. Brown’s dismay, the boys decided to paint their bedroom black and hang a camouflage curtain down the middle, separating their two sides. They were also hoping for a television in their shared room. Their parents hadn’t given in yet, but Phillip and Jonathan were pretty sure that with so many other things going on they could wear down their parents. If the prospect of a new baby was bringing the brothers closer together, it was tearing Krista from the rest of the family. Krista barely spoke to her father and refused to acknowledge her mother. She stalked around the house with a permanent scowl and per- formed her household chores with violent, jerking motions, as if every movement was a protest against her unfair life. At times, Phillip considered informing his sister about how selfish she was be- ing, but her stomping and fuming intimidated him, so like everyone else, he met her displeasure with silence.