Mimi’s parents explain why Kayla switched schools. Mimi comes to accept the situation — and her sister

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tudying parties shouldn’t have become a thing of the past. Why had she neglected her social life for so long? Okay, so she’s been studying with Kayla, busy with gym, hopping off to Philly… but seriously, finals are no fun at all without late night studying parties with her friends.

Mimi hugs her knees, keeping her head still while Ella makes some sort of complicated braid in her hair. Tzippy’s reading her notes out loud, stopping and starting as she tries to decipher her own scrawl.

Mimi closes her eyes, willing her mind to focus on the material. It’s Navi notes from the entire year, she’s reviewed this with Kayla, but it’s still so hard to remember it all. The seminary test, coming after two weeks of finals, is going to be tough.

“I don’t get it.” Tzippy looks up. “How does that answer Mrs. Schwartz’s question? It doesn’t sound like it has anything to do with it.”

“I think…” Mimi says slowly. She knows this; she and Kayla studied it together just yesterday. “I think, maybe, it’s from a Rashi somewhere? That Shimshon decided to do this because… because…” She’s lost the thought. So frustrating to still be struggling, no matter how hard she works to remember it all. “I’m not sure,” she finishes lamely.

Shoshana’s eyebrows crease together. “I think I actually have that question written down, but Mrs. Schwartz said something else. One sec…” She flips forward a page, reads out Tzippy’s question and the answer.

Oh, right. Mimi feels deflated. “I thought I knew it.”