**Babysitting Day**

I put on some jeans, converse, and a hoodie. I look through my books and find some simple ones to read to Reese. Then I go to my car and drive to her house.

When I arrive, Reese isn't waiting for me like I expected. Brittany slides out the door as soon as I arrive. I quickly make my way to Reese's room, where I am astonished to find her crying her eyes out.

"Reese!" I cry, dropping my bag and kneeling beside her small, shaking body. "What's wrong, sweetie?" In response, she thrusts a handwritten note at me. I open it up and see that it's a letter, from a girl named Caroline.

Dear Reese,

I'm really sorry, but I can't be your friend anymore. The other girls think you're weird, and I want to be friends with them. It all comes down to who I'd rather be friends with, and I chose them. You'll have to find someone else to be friends with. Goodbye, Cancer Girl.

Love,

Caroline

"Oh, Reese!" I envelop her in a warm, comforting hug. "If she's that mean, she's not worth your time," I tell her, but I know it'll do little to raise her spirits. Her small, vulnerable body is wracked with sobs, and all I can do is hold her close and try to comfort her. After several minutes of me trying to make her happy, I have a sudden inspiration. I grab my phone from my bag and I turn on my second favorite song, Invisible by Disciple. I think the song can really relate to her, as it did to me. I begin to sing it softly to her as it plays, stroking her hair comfortingly.

You've got my attention,

There's no need,

To hurt yourself this way

You think no one will notice,

How you're feeling,

When you cry yourself to sleep

You feel stuck on the outside,

Looking inside,

Wishing this life wasn't your life

And you think you're damaged way beyond repair

Well, you're not so far that I can't get to where you are

You wish you were someone else,

Every night you fall to pieces

Knowing you can't  save yourself

I can see you

I can hear you

There's a place where the broken go,

There's a room full of second chances

You're not stranded on your own

You're not

Invisible

By the time the song has finished playing and I've finished cooing the lyrics to her, Reese's tears have dried and she's smiling. She jumps up to give me a hug. "Thank you," she says. "Anytime," I answer. "So what do you want to do?" "Let's play Hide and Seek!" she exclaims. I smile and nod. She darts out of the room. "I'll hide, you seek!" Obediently I cover my eyes with one hand and begin to count to twenty.

When I'm finished counting, I shout loudly, "Ready or not, here I come!" I wander to the kitchen. Hmmm, was the pantry door shut before? I quickly cross to it and jerk the door open. A muffled squeal comes from inside. My eyes search over the pantry's contents. Hiding between lots of flour and sugar bags is Reese. I reach my arm inside and drag her out. "Found you!" I exclaim as soon as she's outside. She gives me an adorable grin and runs off to seek.

I run out to find a hiding place. I find myself automatically wandering to Tristan's room. I long to push open the door and use this game as a chance to explore his room in depth. Instead, I force myself away from the door and run to the living room. I take a quick survey of the room, and decide to hide under the armchair.

"Ready or not, here I come!" Reese shouts from the othe room. Quickly, I wiggle my way underneath the chair, trying to tuck in my legs so they don't stick out and give me away. I hear her pattering footsteps as she enters the room. "Where are you?" she asks, calling me like I'm a dog. I can't help it. A small giggle escapes my lips. I clamp a hand over my mouth, afraid Reese heard the muffled laugh. My suspicions are well-founded. Reese pivots towards the chair, eyes searching for the source of the sound. Two seconds later, she exclaims, "I found you! I win! I win!"

"Oh, did you now?" I cry, crawling out from underneath the chair. I take a flying leap and crash down on top of her, using my elbows to pin her down. I begin to dance my fingers along her ribs. She lets out a little squeal and twists and squirms, trying to get away. "Ticklish, are we?" I grin devilishly. She trys to protest, but I keep tickling her, and a stream of giggles pour from her mouth. By now, we're both rolling around on the floor and laughing so hard tears squirt from our eyes. Suddenly, I hear a door bang shut. "What are you doing to my sister?" Tristan's angry voice booms. We both look up to meet his eyes, and I see that he's not alone. Standing by his side is Amanda.

She's dressed in black leggings, a band T-shirt, and converse. Her cold, calculating eyes survey me up and down as I scramble off of Reese, who hurriedly explains the situation. As she does so, Tristan's angry look vanishes. However, Amanda's doesn't. "What are you doing?" she asks, no friendliness in her tone. "Babysitting Reese," I explain, offering her a smile. Something flickers in her eyes and her cold look softens. She gives me a genuine smile and says, "That's nice."

I'm dumbfounded. Is Tristan's cool city-girl girlfriend actually being nice to me? I look at her in astonishment for a few seconds. Silence reigns the room, so much it's deafening. Finally Tristan decides to break it by saying, "Why don't you go wait for me in my room, babe? I have to pay Alex." Amanda nods and heads to his room.

Tristan slaps a twenty into my hand and says thanks. The contact sends shivers down my spine, and his intoxicating touch lingers. Quickly I back to the door and dash out. I hear him sprinting to his room as I walk away from the house. As I'm walking towards the street, I catch their voices coming from an open window. "Who was that?" Amanda asks curiously. I listen closely for Tristan's response. He says, "She's just a girl I know. She's not important."

The sentences stab at my heart, and I jog the rest of the way home.