Free The Cybil War by Betsy Byars Page A

occasions. He did not want anyone to think of this as a special occasion. He began to walk more slowly.
    â€œNow back me up,” Tony said. He approached the girls and stood by Cybil. “Look, Simon’s got a little problem. Me and him got to go in Penney’s for a minute and get something for his mom. You go on inside and we’ll be right with you.”
    â€œWe’ll wait for you out here,” Harriet said firmly. She looked so big in her skirt and blouse that she seemed to block the whole front of the theater.
    â€œInside, inside .” Tony pushed them toward the ticket seller. “You’ll have to save the seats.”
    â€œBut we’re the first people here,” Harriet said. She turned and faced them. Her hands were on her hips. “The whole theater is empty.”
    â€œYeah, but me and Simon like to sit in the front row, don’t we, pal?”
    This time Tony spun Harriet around with such force and skill that she found herself directly in front of the ticket booth. “How many?” the woman asked in a bored voice.
    â€œOne—child,” Harriet said through tight lips. She glanced back with fury at Tony and Simon as she bent her knees.
    â€œOne,” said Cybil.
    Tony pulled Simon toward Penney’s. “Don’t look back,” he said. “It might be a trick.” He shook his head. “If they don’t buy those tickets—well, we’ll just have to keep on going.”
    They went into Penney’s and hid in the shoe department. Tony peered around the display of high heels. “They’ve either gone in or they’ve gone home,” he reported.
    â€œThey’ve gone in,” Simon said pessimistically.
    â€œLet’s go then.”
    They walked back to the theater, and Tony said, “Did two girls buy tickets and go inside a minute ago? One’s redheaded and one’s fat.”
    â€œYeah, they’re inside.”
    â€œDid they buy popcorn and candy?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œBad news,” Tony said as he bent his knees. “One—child.”
    Simon bought popcorn and they made their way into the theater. They did not have any trouble spotting Harriet and Cybil because they were the only two people there. They were sitting in the front row, talking to each other over two empty seats.
    Harriet looked back and said, “Here they come, and look! They didn’t buy anything at Penney’s. I told you they just didn’t want to pay our way.”
    â€œPenney’s was all out of unmentionables in his mom’s size,” Tony explained quickly, slipping into the seat beside Cybil.
    Simon sat by Harriet. “Popcorn?” he asked.
    â€œThanks.”
    She took the box and began to eat. Simon watched as the top pieces, yellow with butter, disappeared into her mouth, then the dry middle pieces. When she got to the bottom where the crumbs were, she offered the box back to Simon.
    He shook his head.
    â€œYou’re sure you don’t want any?”
    He nodded.
    â€œWell, if you’re sure.” She turned up the container and drank the crumbs. Then she said, “I’m thirsty, aren’t you?”
    Simon got up dutifully. He made his way to the back of the theater and bought a small Coke with the rest of his money.
    â€œThanks,” Harriet said. “Did they have any jujubes? Now that I’ve got my braces off I can eat anything.”
    â€œThey didn’t have any.”
    â€œHow about Milk Duds.”
    â€œNo.”
    The lights went down at last and Simon sat staring up at the screen like a sick dog.
    â€œYou want some Coke?” Harriet asked.
    He shook his head.
    She polished it off and began to chew on the ice. Simon’s eyes misted over, either from the nearness of the screen or the fact that his whole adult life was stretching ahead of him as a series of dates, one Harriet Haywood after another.
    Tony nudged him. Simon looked over in time to