The seventh book in the Mighty Quinns series, 2003

Sean Quinn sat on the front steps of his house on Kilgore Street, his chin cupped in his hand, his elbow resting on his knee. He didn't have to look down the street to know his twin brother, Brian, was approaching. But right now, he didn't want to talk to Brian. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He just wanted to be left alone.

"Sean!"

"Go to hell!" he shouted as Brian strode up the front sidewalk.

"Come on, don't be that way. Why didn't you stick around? She wanted to talk to you. You just stood there like a lump."

Sean's fists clenched and he fought the impulse to strike out, to put a nice purple bruise on that pretty face of Brian Quinn's. "She wanted to talk to you," Sean shouted. "She's only pretending to like me so she can get to you. I'm not stupid. I see the way she watches you."

Brian stopped cold, his jaw agape. A frown wrinkled his brow. Sean took a small amount of satisfaction that he'd had the rare opportunity to best his brother. When it came to the mysterious motivations of seventh-grade girls, Brian still couldn't tell when he was being hosed.

Sean unclenched his fists, knowing that he couldn't hit his brother for simple stupidity. Still, he wouldn't mind popping Brian good just for fun. Although they were twins, they didn't have much ink common beyond looks. Brian was part of the cool crowd at school, always knowing how to act and what to say. The teachers loved him, the girls adored him and he had a wide circle of buddies who seemed to hang on his every word.

Sean was known for nothing more than the fact that he was Brian Quinn's brother-the shy one, the dumb one, the silent one.