“A threat? A sweet kid like that? How?”

Liora blushed. “You’ll soon understand.” She retorted defensively. “Try not to jump to conclusions, okay?”

I nodded, while thinking Whoa, this girl is uptight!

Liora continued, “I was a popular eighth grader. My popularity meant everything to me. The image I’d perfected over the years was in danger! As far as I was concerned, Ahava could fend for herself. The problem was, no one saw the situation the way that I did…

***

“Liora!” It was Ahava, tugging urgently at my shoulder, crying hysterically as usual.

I didn’t put down my sandwich. Why should I? I wasn’t her mother. It was already the third time that week she was having a meltdown. I could sense my friends smirking. Maybe if I ignored her, she’d give up.

“She should have repeated kindergarten,” I mumbled through a mouthful of tuna sandwich, waiting for Ahava leave me alone. Recess was almost over. Her teacher would be coming soon. Let her deal with it. But she started to cry louder.

“Go to Morah Shaindy!” I hissed.

“She doesn’t do anything! “Ahava howled. I rolled my eyes in exasperation, stuffed the rest of my sandwich into my mouth, bentshed, and headed toward her classroom. ‘‘Poor Liora,” I heard my best friend Osnat comment to the rest of my friends, who were still enjoying their lunches. I agreed wholeheartedly. Poor me.

I strode angrily to the first-grade room, Ahava blubbering noisily behind me.

“Liora! Wait for me!” Reluctantly, I turned around, and looked at her. She looked absolutely disgusting. I hoped that no one would ever connect the two of us, but it was a lost cause. By now the entire school knew that we were sisters. Ahava had made sure of that.

She needed a tissue desperately, her face was dirty and tear streaked, and her brown hair was in a messy, straggly half-pony. When I looked at the perfect little girls surrounding her — huge blue, brown, or hazel eyes, thick brown, black or blond hair, adorable dresses — I felt my heart sink. Why did she have to be my sister, and why did I have to defend her? In my opinion… no, it was too wicked to even think, but I thought it anyhow. It was too difficult to like anyone who was such a slob. Even the little first graders knew that. If the kids in her class were picking on her… she deserved it.

Two weeks passed. Being related to her became even harder.

One day Osnat asked me, “How can two sisters be so different?” She giggled. “Are you sure you’re related?”

“We don’t choose our relatives.” I sighed. Osnat snickered. “Don’t worry. None of us blame you for the way she is.”

It was the third week of school when Ahava finally made a friend. Suddenly, all she’d talk about was Kayla. Kayla said this, or Kayla did that. To my secret shock, Kayla was one of those perfect little girls; shining black pigtails, and enormous blue eyes, wearing the most adorable outfits I’d ever seen. They were inseparable. Now that she was happy, Ahava stopped bothering me. Osnat stopped teasing me about my babyish younger sister. I breathed a sigh of relief. I was free to enjoy eighth grade!

One day, Morah Shaindy had to be at a meeting. The principal chose me and Osnat to substitute for her. She’d left some work for the kids to do, and gave them permission to work together in pairs or groups. When we came into the classroom, I heard my sister bragging to her friends. “See! See her! That’s my big sister, Liora! That’s her friend, Osnat!” She started toward the front of the room, but I nipped that in the bud. I wasn’t about to show any favoritism.

“Go back to your seat, Ahava.” She hesitated. “Now!” I commanded sternly. She scurried, crestfallen, back to her seat, as Osnat looked at me in surprise.

“She’s just a kid, Liora!”

I shrugged.

The hour passed relatively smoothly, until it happened. Kayla, Ahava’s best friend raised her hand, in tears. I acknowledged her, and gave her permission to come up to the teacher’s desk.

“What’s wrong, Kayla?” I asked softly. “Why are you crying?”

“Ahava keeps using my magic markers.” She sniffled. “Even though my Mommy says she shouldn’t.”

“Tell her to stop!” I commanded indignantly.

“She won’t listen,” Kayla told me sadly. Two big tears rolled down her smooth pink cheeks. “She always takes my stuff, even though I tell her to stop.”

Just because Ahava’s crayons and magic markers were always lost or broken didn’t give her a right to steal!

Kayla gazed at me trustingly. It felt good. I handed her a tissue. As she wiped her tearstained face, I marched over to my little sister, determined to teach her right from wrong. Ahava beamed as I approached, certain that she had a protector in me.

“Do I have to remind you that it’s wrong to take other people’s stuff without permission?” I asked, in what I thought was a quiet voice. The room went silent. Ahava’s smile faded. Her face crumpled. She buried her head in her arms. I heard Osnat suck in her breath.

“Your sister is mean,” I heard a little voice behind me. I whirled around. An angelic-looking first grader looked at me disdainfully, as she shoved her pencil case in Ahava’s direction. The door opened, and Morah Shaindy entered the room.

“Girls! How nicely you’re all working,” she began, smiling approvingly. “Let’s all thank Osnat and Liora. What happened to Ahava?” She looked at us inquiringly. “Why is she crying?”

While the first graders began to tell her what had occurred in her absence, I fled the room. Now it was my turn to run away.

I didn’t care that I might get into trouble, being out of class without permission. All I could think was, No fair, no fair, no fair! Ahava ruins everything! I crouched down in the shadow of the building.

The heavy outer door of the school opened. I looked up. Ahava!

“My morah said that I should help you, because you feel very sorry,” she said. “She asked me if I forgive you for hurting my feelings. I said no, but then she told me it’s a big mitzvah to forgive, so I decided that I want a big mitzvah. Liora! Everyone clapped for me when I said that I forgive you!” She gazed at me earnestly. “I asked Morah Shaindy if I could help you do teshuvah, so that everyone will clap for you, too.”

Ahava held out her sticky little hand. I rose slowly to my feet, and hand in hand, we went back to her classroom, where, as she’d promised, once I apologized, everyone clapped vigorously, my little sister loudest of all.

***

Liora finished her story, just as the first group of women and girls returned, opening up their machzorim to Minchah.

“Thanks for listening,” she said, heading back to her seat. “I feel a lot better. You were right. You are a good listener.” But Liora still looked troubled.

“Wait,” I said.

“What?”

“I don’t get it. Why did you look so unhappy before? You apologized, in front of a whole bunch of first graders. That was very brave of you! And besides, because of you, your sister’s entire class applauded for her, and everyone got to see how nice she is!”

“I told you before, Rivi. I’ve been working to help Ahava’s inner beauty shine through. Looks are easy to change, but—”

“But what?”

“How can I know that I’ve really changed inside? How can I be sure I won’t make the same mistakes, with her, or someone else all over again?”

I didn’t know how to answer a question like that. I’m only in seventh grade! Liora smiled at me, a bit sadly, but now I understood. I watched her for another moment as she turned around, opened her machzor, and began to daven Minchah. The cute little girl standing next to her asked her something. From the way Liora bent toward her, patiently showing her the place, I felt pretty sure of one thing. Liora was on her way.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha Jr. Issue 678)