The girls sat in a circle on the floor in Rikki’s room, notebooks open on their laps.

“Hello, Earth to Rikki… Rikki… Rivka Dubah Levy!”

Rikki snapped out of her reverie. “Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about something.”

“Well, yeah,” Ruchie said. “I called your name, like four times.”

Matti laughed. “You can afford to think about something other than Chumash, Rikki. Not me. I’m totally going to fail tomorrow’s test.”

“No, you’re not,” Ahuva said, “I am! Everything is jumbled in my brain.”

While the girls contended for class dummy, Rikki reached for a handful of popcorn from a bowl in the center. “What did you want to ask me, Ruchie?”

“If we should go over the Rashi again. Everyone else is ready to continue.”

Rikki skimmed her notes quickly then looked up. “I’m good, go on.”

Ruchie gave Rikki a look as if to say is everything all right? She didn’t seem convinced by Rikki’s curt nod.

“Let’s take a break,” Matti said. “My brain hurts.”

“Okay, ten minutes.” Ruchie closed her notebook.

“Um.” Rikki stood up. “I’ll be right back.”

“What’s with her?” Matti said the minute she was gone.

Ahuva folded her arms. “It’s probably this massive test!”

“Rikki’s acting kind of strange. Do you think we should leave?” Matti said. “I mean, maybe something happened. Ruchie, why don’t you go speak to Rikki Dee? If she wants, we can go to my house to study.”

Ruchie inclined her head. “Okay, I’ll ask her.”

****

Rikki inched toward her parents’ room, her head whirling. Her father had been unusually quiet at supper, toying with his food. Her mother tried to appear upbeat, but Rikki saw right through the façade.

She stood outside the closed door, her senses on high alert. Their voices were muffled, but their serious tones were audible.

She heard her mother mention her name, and stiffened. Why were her parents talking about her? Rikki leaned closer to the door and stopped breathing, trying to hear through the dense wood.

A sudden loud creak in the floor made her turn around.

“Uh, Rikki, are you okay? Do you want us to go to Matti’s house to study?”

Rikki exhaled, but said nothing. Comprehension immediately dawned in Ruchie’s eyes. “Ooh, bad timing?”

Rikki pouted. “Kind of.”

“I’m sooo sorry. I, um, I…” Ruchie poked her thumb over her shoulder towards the door at the other end of the hall. “I’ll just go back to your room and hide under the bed.”

Rikki laughed. “It’s okay. I shouldn’t be eavesdropping anyway. Let’s get back and continue studying.”

Rikki followed Ruchie back to her room, but the Chumash test was the last thing on her mind.

(Excerpted from Mishpacha Jr., Issue 780)