Katani was surprised to find herself in an empty house when she arrived home. Her Grandma Ruby, the principal at Abigail Adams Junior High, had stayed late at school with her sister Kelley. Her parents were both still at work, and her sister Patrice was probably at basketball practice. “Wow, it’s all mine.” She hugged herself and twirled around. Katani was the youngest in a family of four girls. Her family sometimes teased her about being the baby, which was funny because Katani was the tallest of them all. Even though she was the youngest, Katani sometimes felt that she had the most responsibility. After all, she was the one who spent more time looking after her sister Kelley than anyone. Not only did they both go to the same school, but they also shared a room. When Avery first heard about Kelley being autistic, she’d rolled her eyes and said, “Yeah, I hate being around those artsy types.” “Not ARTISTIC,” Katani stressed. “AUTISTIC.” Then Katani had patiently tried to explain to her friends about a disability that even the experts still don’t completely understand.
