Out of Bounds by Annie Bryant Page B

something about mortgages, too. She wasn’t at all sure it was something positive, but she wasn’t going to tell Maeve anything that would make her worry. Maeve had enough to worry about lately.
    â€œSo I shouldn’t worry?” Maeve asked.
    â€œOf course not,” Charlotte said.
    â€œNo way,” said Avery.
    CHAPTER 4
Checkers
    K atani had promised Kelley that they would play checkers tonight. But after one game, Katani called it quits. She was worried about Maeve, and she wanted to figure out a way to help her. Maeve was having a really tough time lately, and Katani didn’t want her to have anything more to worry about.
    â€œYou promised we’d play,” Kelley complained.
    â€œWe did play, Kelley,” Katani replied.
    â€œOnly one game,” Kelley said.
    Katani felt bad about it. She actually liked playing checkers with her sister.
    Even though she was autistic, Kelley was pretty good at the game, and every time she jumped a line of checkers, she howled with laughter. Katani used to let Kelley win, but her sister was really improving, especially lately. She had a way of seeing potential moves on the checker board before Katani saw them, and she was winning more and more games every time they played. Katani had stopped letting her win a long time ago.
    â€œI have some research to do, and you should probably go to bed,” Katani said.
    â€œIt’s not my bedtime yet, Miss Bossy!” Kelley said, looking at the clock.
    â€œThen go downstairs or something,” Katani suggested.
    â€œI don’t have to go downstairs. This is my room too, you know.”
    Katani knew that only too well. Aside from being a fashion designer, her other big dream was to have a room of her own. Still, she didn’t want to hurt Kelley’s feelings. “I’m sorry. I just meant I have to do something, so you should do something else now, okay? So I can concentrate.”
    â€œOkay, Miss Bossy.” Kelley said. She liked this title for Katani, especially since she could tell that Katani didn’t.
    Katani searched the Web for movie theaters. What had other old theaters done when they saw their profits dying? One theater she found had become a revival house. It showed nothing but old movies. A theater on the Massachusetts North Shore now hosted a children’s show. And still another gave away prizes every night. Isn’t that what Maeve had said? That the old theaters used to give away prizes?
    They were all things that could help the theater long term, but Mr. Taylor needed help with the taxes right now. And as Katani surfed the Web, she was starting to get an idea that might work right now. It was based on something Maeve had said earlier when she was doing her Katharine Hepburn imitation. What was it Maeve had said? Oh yeah. Everything I know, I’ve learned from the movies . Even if that was stretching it, Katani could make a case for it, and she might be able to help the Movie House.
    â€œHey Kelley,” Katani said, feeling bad about how she had treated her before. “I need your help.”
    Kelley was sitting on her bed, sulking. But she wasn’t really mad. Her mood improved instantly at the thought of doing anything with Katani. “Okay,” Kelley said, trying not to sound too eager.
    â€œTell me one thing that you have learned from going to the movies,” Katani said.
    â€œLike what?”
    â€œI don’t know. Anything at all. Something that you didn’t know before, but that you know now.”
    Kelley thought about it for a long time before she answered the question. “I learned not to put my feet on the chairs in front of me.”
    Katani laughed.
    â€œThat’s not funny,” Kelley said, offended. “I also learned not to put popcorn on people’s heads.” Kelley thought about it for a minute. “That last one might be a little funny.”
    Katani was trying to hide her smile. “Etiquette,”