I roll my eyes. It’s the first time I can remember wishing that Penina lived too far away from my house to just walk over

My front doorbell is ringing and I’m not getting up to answer it.

I know who it is. Penina is standing at my front door, and I’m sure she’s holding at least one chocolate bar. She knows me long enough to know that chocolate is the way to my heart. Usually.

This time, it’s not going to work.

I sit on my bed with my back against the wall, listening to the doorbell ring again.

I already ignored three phone calls in the past hour.

“Adina!” my sister Racheli’s voice booms up the stairs.

“Adina!!!”

I throw my head onto my pillow. I hadn’t realized anyone was home.

“Adina!”

Racheli taps my bedroom door and throws it open before I can say a word. It hits the opposite wall with a thwack.

“Adina,” Racheli says, announcing my name in the loudest voice possible for the fourth time in 30 seconds.

She must not see my face, my eyes begging her to just be quiet, because she continues speaking.

“What are you doing just sitting on your bed?” she asks. “Don’t you hear the doorbell ringing?” She shakes her head. “Penina’s here for you and she’s holding chocolate.”

I roll my eyes. It’s the first time I can remember wishing that Penina lived too far away from my house to just walk over.

“What’s wrong with you?” Racheli says. “Why are you just sitting there?”

I yank myself off my bed and jam my feet into my shoes. Being upset at Penina is miserable enough. I don’t need my whole family to know about it.

“I’m coming,” I mutter as I follow Racheli out the door.

My bedroom is right at the top of the stairs, leaving me about ten seconds between stepping into the hallway and seeing Penina at the bottom of the stairs.

“Hi,” she says as I walk down. Her voice is quieter than usual, which makes me feel weird and relieved at the same time.

“Hi,” I mutter.

I reach the bottom of the stairs.

Penina takes a step back.

I look at her. She looks at me.

“I brought chocolate,” she says. She pushes two bars of chocolate toward me, but I leave my hands hanging at my side.

I don’t want chocolate right now. Not from Penina, that is.