don't have a basement.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Travis had all twenty- one words ready to rip for McQueen on Monday. He ran through the whole list, and McQueen just about did a dance in his chair.
"You've earned yourself a mid- quarter A in reading," he said. "And wait till you see the new list I've got for you.
You're going to love this one!"
It was all trees. Maple, birch, aspen, oak, hem-lock, pine.
"Do you know these trees?" asked McQueen. "Can you pick them out in the woods?"
No problem. Travis could close his eyes and picture each one - trunks, leaves, fall colors, spring buds and candles.
"Would you be able to draw any of them?" asked McQueen. "Nothing fancy, just a sketch?"
Travis nodded.
"Great. By Wednesday, draw me a sketch of each one.
Put a sign up in front with the name of the tree. All those words are on page one."
When Travis got to first period, of course Velveeta wanted to see his new list of words. He told her what McQueen wanted.
"And you can do that? You actually know what those trees are?"
"Sure."
"I knew it all along," she muttered. "Hiding behind that 'I can't read' business, and there you are with your oversize brain. You're not an undercover cop -
you're an undercover forest ranger."
All through first period, she passed him stick drawings with the word printed beneath. A tiger, an octopus, a giraffe, and something he finally figured out was a camel.
He kept the scraps in a neat stack and put them in his pocket when the bell rang.
Between classes, Travis stopped and looked at the dance posters. He didn't want to go to any dance, but maybe Velveeta did. What if he, Travis, was the one who shouldn't sit with them at lunch? Bradley fired plenty of words at her, more than Travis could come up within a month.
When he got through the lunch line, he was surprised to see Bradley sitting with Reed and Jake. Velveeta waited for him, with the book from McQueen out on the table.
"I banished Bradley today so we could lunch in peace."
She tapped the cover of the book. "The reason this book is called The Book Thief is because the girl who can't read keeps stealing books."
"Why?"
"She can't help herself. And then all kinds of things happen to her because of stealing them. And because she can read now."
"Just like that, she can read now?"
"No, not just like that. She had to work at it for a long time."
"Oh."
"But she did, and then she ends up reading out loud to everyone in the bomb shelter. She saves the day by being able to read. I wonder what day you're going to save, Traverelli. Maybe you'll save us from terrorists."
"I doubt it."
"Then maybe you'll give me your Rice Krispies bar and save me from malnutrition."
"Maybe not." He grinned at her.
"I love it when you're mysterious. I guess this time maybe means no, since you're already - oh, it's in the mouth. That's a definite no."
They picked up their trays and headed to the garbage can, Travis still swallowing the last of the Rice Krispies bar. Velveeta's Orange and yellow scarf splashed color over her shoulder, brightness laid across the smoothdark of her hair. A ray of sun through the window lit her head, so he could see the color of each hair separately - some brown, some dark red. He wanted to touch, to see if her hair would be as silky soft as he imagined.
She turned around and bumped him, almost knocking the tray loose from his hands.
"You're crowding me, Travicus."
He fumbled and dropped his tray as she stepped around him. His plate clattered on the floor, and the fork flew behind the garbage can, and everyone nearby applauded.
"Clumsy much?" Cassidy pushed past him to dump her tray.
Travis's face was so hot, he was glad to have a reason to kneel on the floor. He slowly picked up his plate and silverware. By the time he got everything sorted and thrown away, Velveeta was gone.
He drifted through the afternoon on that splash of color. The way the sun came in at just the angle to catch the red in her hair. Usually things indoors
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Travis had all twenty- one words ready to rip for McQueen on Monday. He ran through the whole list, and McQueen just about did a dance in his chair.
"You've earned yourself a mid- quarter A in reading," he said. "And wait till you see the new list I've got for you.
You're going to love this one!"
It was all trees. Maple, birch, aspen, oak, hem-lock, pine.
"Do you know these trees?" asked McQueen. "Can you pick them out in the woods?"
No problem. Travis could close his eyes and picture each one - trunks, leaves, fall colors, spring buds and candles.
"Would you be able to draw any of them?" asked McQueen. "Nothing fancy, just a sketch?"
Travis nodded.
"Great. By Wednesday, draw me a sketch of each one.
Put a sign up in front with the name of the tree. All those words are on page one."
When Travis got to first period, of course Velveeta wanted to see his new list of words. He told her what McQueen wanted.
"And you can do that? You actually know what those trees are?"
"Sure."
"I knew it all along," she muttered. "Hiding behind that 'I can't read' business, and there you are with your oversize brain. You're not an undercover cop -
you're an undercover forest ranger."
All through first period, she passed him stick drawings with the word printed beneath. A tiger, an octopus, a giraffe, and something he finally figured out was a camel.
He kept the scraps in a neat stack and put them in his pocket when the bell rang.
Between classes, Travis stopped and looked at the dance posters. He didn't want to go to any dance, but maybe Velveeta did. What if he, Travis, was the one who shouldn't sit with them at lunch? Bradley fired plenty of words at her, more than Travis could come up within a month.
When he got through the lunch line, he was surprised to see Bradley sitting with Reed and Jake. Velveeta waited for him, with the book from McQueen out on the table.
"I banished Bradley today so we could lunch in peace."
She tapped the cover of the book. "The reason this book is called The Book Thief is because the girl who can't read keeps stealing books."
"Why?"
"She can't help herself. And then all kinds of things happen to her because of stealing them. And because she can read now."
"Just like that, she can read now?"
"No, not just like that. She had to work at it for a long time."
"Oh."
"But she did, and then she ends up reading out loud to everyone in the bomb shelter. She saves the day by being able to read. I wonder what day you're going to save, Traverelli. Maybe you'll save us from terrorists."
"I doubt it."
"Then maybe you'll give me your Rice Krispies bar and save me from malnutrition."
"Maybe not." He grinned at her.
"I love it when you're mysterious. I guess this time maybe means no, since you're already - oh, it's in the mouth. That's a definite no."
They picked up their trays and headed to the garbage can, Travis still swallowing the last of the Rice Krispies bar. Velveeta's Orange and yellow scarf splashed color over her shoulder, brightness laid across the smoothdark of her hair. A ray of sun through the window lit her head, so he could see the color of each hair separately - some brown, some dark red. He wanted to touch, to see if her hair would be as silky soft as he imagined.
She turned around and bumped him, almost knocking the tray loose from his hands.
"You're crowding me, Travicus."
He fumbled and dropped his tray as she stepped around him. His plate clattered on the floor, and the fork flew behind the garbage can, and everyone nearby applauded.
"Clumsy much?" Cassidy pushed past him to dump her tray.
Travis's face was so hot, he was glad to have a reason to kneel on the floor. He slowly picked up his plate and silverware. By the time he got everything sorted and thrown away, Velveeta was gone.
He drifted through the afternoon on that splash of color. The way the sun came in at just the angle to catch the red in her hair. Usually things indoors
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