“Why do you like rock songs?”
“Because they’re cool.”
“Pop is cooler.”
“Rock is cooler.”
“No! Pop is—”
I turned to Mama Sophia and tugged at the edge of her sleeve. “Sophie’s Mama,” I whispered, “please, they’re starting again.”
Mama Sophia smiled at me, then looked at Sophie and Zeraiah. “Hey,” she called as she bent closer to them, which made them turn toward her. “That’s enough. Your brother will be performing soon.”
And magically, they really did stop. They sat straight, their legs swaying back and forth, looking at the stage.
I turned back to Mama Sophia. “Thank you, Sophie’s Mama.”
“You’re welcome, sweetheart.”
I called her Sophie’s Mama because she was amazing for giving birth to Princess Sophia and Golden, my very cool best friends. And Sophie’s Mama was so beautiful, just like Sophie. I’d even ask her if she was actually Sophie’s twin instead of Golden, because they looked exactly alike. But every time I asked, she would only laugh and stroke my hair.
I turned to the side and saw Sophie fiddling with Bibu’s Rubik’s Cube. Smiling at her, I whispered, “Do you know how to solve it?”
Sophie looked at me with her big eyes and shook her head. “No.”
“I can teach you,” I offered.
Her smile grew round and bright. “Really? You know how?”
I straightened my shoulders before giving her a firm nod—especially when she looked at me with sparkling admiration in her eyes. “Of course. I can teach you if you want.”
“I want to!”
We smiled at each other, but then she narrowed her eyes. “By the way, why do you call me Sophie?”
“When I called you Princess Sophia, you said you weren’t a princess.”
“Because I’m not. That’s just my name.”
“And then you said everyone calls you Tshabina or Biba.”
She nodded, still staring at me with her big, round eyes. “Uh-huh.”
“When I asked if anyone called you Sophia, you said no.”
“Yes, no one does.”
“So I call you Sophie.”
“Why?”
“So I can be the first.”
“But you scolded Zeraiah when he called me that.”
“Because that’s only for me.”
“Only for you?”
