The Cybil War by Betsy Byars

Author:Betsy Byars
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Penguin Group US

The Love Quiz

Simon walked to Tony’s house with his face set. He was furious. He felt somehow like a character in that fairy tale where the little pigs tell the wolf to meet them at six o’clock and then they go at five and get all the apples. He had no idea what he would do when he actually saw Tony, but he knew he had to confront him.

He rang the bell, waited. “Come on in. I want to show you something,” Tony said. He pulled Simon in by the shirt.

“I understand you were over at Cybil’s this morning, that you lost something and were looking for it,” Simon said in a voice carefully drained of emotion.

“I didn’t lose anything. I was doing an errand for my mom, and Cybil comes running out on them Popsicle legs of hers. ‘Wait a minute, Tonnnnnnnny.’ Guess what she wanted? She wanted me to come to a pet show. I said, ‘I ain’t got no pet.’ She said, ‘Borrow one.’ I thought she was going to get down on her knees, so I finally said, ‘All right, I’ll borrow my aunt’s poodle.’ Come on.”

He looked both ways and then slipped into his sister’s room. “I got to show you this,” he said.

“What is it?”

“It’s a quiz—a love quiz—you take it to find out if you’re in love.”

“Why would you be taking a quiz like that?” Simon asked in the same flat voice.

“I’m not taking it. It’s my sister. Annette’s taking it to find out if she’s in love with—guess who?”

“I don’t know.”

“Bubsie Frasure!” He laughed. “Bubsie Frasure —you know he led our school patrol last year. If we got out of line, he’d stamp his foot? Well, look at this. You’ll love it, Simon. Question One: Do you think about this person (a) occasionally (b) often (c) most of the time (d) all the time?” He looked at Simon. “And, Simon, my sister—I’m ashamed to tell you this—my sister has checked (d). My sister thinks about Bubsie Frasure all the time.”

Simon sighed.

“Simon, all the time! That don’t leave room for arithmetic, nuclear energy, world affairs—nothing!”

He shook his head in disbelief. “Question Two: When you are not with this person you are (a) happy (b) content (c) unhappy (d) miserable. My sister once again has gone for the big D. Simon, she is miserable when she’s—” Suddenly he lowered the notebook. “Hey, want to spy on them?”

“No.”

“They’re on the back porch. We just have to crawl into the family room and hide under the picture window. Come on.”

Tony gave Simon a tug on his T-shirt, and they left the room. Simon, eyes cold and unsmiling, followed. They crouched beneath the window in time to hear this conversation:Annette: What are you thinking about, Bubsie?

Bubsie: Nothing.

Annette: Really, what are you thinking about?

Bubsie: Nothing!

Annette: (getting kind of desperate)

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