bigger than a quarter where I could see the pink skin poking through.
Amanda shrugged. “It’ll probably grow back before the Caplans get home,” she said. “Cat fur grows fast.”
I shook my head. I felt kind of shaky.
Bella lowered her tail and padded into the other room.
“You can’t even see the bald spot,” Amanda said. “No one will notice.”
“We’re going to be late for school,” I muttered.
Amanda laughed. “Look at you, Mickey. You’re white as a sheet and you’re sweating!”
“So?”
“So what would you do if we had a
real
emergency with the cat?” Amanda asked.
“Totally freak out?” I joked.
We both laughed.
After school, we went to my house to drop off our backpacks. In my room, my goldfish were staring out of the tank at me. I picked up a box of fish food and started to sprinkle some into the water.
“Not like that.” Amanda grabbed the food box from my hand. “Just give them a little at a time, Mickey. You don’t want fat goldfish — do you? “
“Huh? Fat goldfish?” I tugged her hair just to be annoying. “Are you the goldfish expert, too?”
She ignored me and moved to the cage where I keep Zorro, my white mouse. Zorro twitched his pink nose and poked it through the cage bars. He likes attention.
“Are you sure he’s getting enough exercise?” Amanda asked.
“Why don’t you go on
Animal Planet
?” I said. “You could be the expert on every animal.”
Amanda tickled Zorro’s head. “Maybe I will,” she said. “Are you giving him carrots and fresh fruit?”
“What’s up with all the advice?” I said.
“You’re
the one who stuck bubble gum to Bella’s tail.”
“Accidents happen,” Amanda said. Laughing, she shoved me out of the way so she could be the first one down the stairs.
We crossed the driveway, bumping each other, trying to knock each other over. And we were still arguing about who was an animal expert and who wasn’t.
When we were inside the Caplans’ house, it took a while to find Bella. She was in the laundry room, pressed between the washer and the dryer. It was a cozy spot. Maybe she stayed there a lot. Or maybe she was playing hide-and-seek with us.
She stared up at us with those yellow eyes. Stared hard. Of course, we knew what she wanted—her dinner.
Amanda and I turned and started for the kitchen. Bella stood up and followed us.
We were crossing the front hall when I saw something that made me gasp. “Oh, no! The front door!” I cried.
We had left it wide open.
I started toward it but bumped into Amanda. It took me a few seconds to catch my balance.
“Noooo!” I shouted as Bella took off, running toward the open door.
“Bella! No! Bella—stop!” Amanda and I screamed.
But the cat lowered her head and kept running.
“Bella—wait! Bella!”
The cat flew out the open door and darted down the front lawn.
We chased after her. My heart pounded so hard, my chest hurt. Amanda came right behind me, screaming Bella’s name.
I stopped short when I saw the big red truck rolling down the block.
Bella ran into the street.
My scream rose over the squeal of the brakes.
The truck skidded hard.
I heard a horrible high screech.
I saw the truck tire bump over Bella.
The truck jolted to a stop.
Then … silence.
4
The driver’s door swung open. The driver jumped down and came running toward us.
He was a big man with scraggly black hair and a short black beard. His belly bounced under the shirt of his wrinkled blue uniform.
“Bella! Bella?” Amanda had her hands cupped around her mouth and was still shouting the cat’s name.
But we both knew the truth.
“I’m real sorry!” the truck driver called as he raced to the sidewalk. “I—I couldn’t stop in time.”
“I don’t believe it,” Amanda said in a whisper. She covered her face with her hands. “This didn’t happen. No way.”
The driver stopped a few feet in front of us, breathing hard. “The cat—it ran right under my tires,” he said.
Amanda shrugged. “It’ll probably grow back before the Caplans get home,” she said. “Cat fur grows fast.”
I shook my head. I felt kind of shaky.
Bella lowered her tail and padded into the other room.
“You can’t even see the bald spot,” Amanda said. “No one will notice.”
“We’re going to be late for school,” I muttered.
Amanda laughed. “Look at you, Mickey. You’re white as a sheet and you’re sweating!”
“So?”
“So what would you do if we had a
real
emergency with the cat?” Amanda asked.
“Totally freak out?” I joked.
We both laughed.
After school, we went to my house to drop off our backpacks. In my room, my goldfish were staring out of the tank at me. I picked up a box of fish food and started to sprinkle some into the water.
“Not like that.” Amanda grabbed the food box from my hand. “Just give them a little at a time, Mickey. You don’t want fat goldfish — do you? “
“Huh? Fat goldfish?” I tugged her hair just to be annoying. “Are you the goldfish expert, too?”
She ignored me and moved to the cage where I keep Zorro, my white mouse. Zorro twitched his pink nose and poked it through the cage bars. He likes attention.
“Are you sure he’s getting enough exercise?” Amanda asked.
“Why don’t you go on
Animal Planet
?” I said. “You could be the expert on every animal.”
Amanda tickled Zorro’s head. “Maybe I will,” she said. “Are you giving him carrots and fresh fruit?”
“What’s up with all the advice?” I said.
“You’re
the one who stuck bubble gum to Bella’s tail.”
“Accidents happen,” Amanda said. Laughing, she shoved me out of the way so she could be the first one down the stairs.
We crossed the driveway, bumping each other, trying to knock each other over. And we were still arguing about who was an animal expert and who wasn’t.
When we were inside the Caplans’ house, it took a while to find Bella. She was in the laundry room, pressed between the washer and the dryer. It was a cozy spot. Maybe she stayed there a lot. Or maybe she was playing hide-and-seek with us.
She stared up at us with those yellow eyes. Stared hard. Of course, we knew what she wanted—her dinner.
Amanda and I turned and started for the kitchen. Bella stood up and followed us.
We were crossing the front hall when I saw something that made me gasp. “Oh, no! The front door!” I cried.
We had left it wide open.
I started toward it but bumped into Amanda. It took me a few seconds to catch my balance.
“Noooo!” I shouted as Bella took off, running toward the open door.
“Bella! No! Bella—stop!” Amanda and I screamed.
But the cat lowered her head and kept running.
“Bella—wait! Bella!”
The cat flew out the open door and darted down the front lawn.
We chased after her. My heart pounded so hard, my chest hurt. Amanda came right behind me, screaming Bella’s name.
I stopped short when I saw the big red truck rolling down the block.
Bella ran into the street.
My scream rose over the squeal of the brakes.
The truck skidded hard.
I heard a horrible high screech.
I saw the truck tire bump over Bella.
The truck jolted to a stop.
Then … silence.
4
The driver’s door swung open. The driver jumped down and came running toward us.
He was a big man with scraggly black hair and a short black beard. His belly bounced under the shirt of his wrinkled blue uniform.
“Bella! Bella?” Amanda had her hands cupped around her mouth and was still shouting the cat’s name.
But we both knew the truth.
“I’m real sorry!” the truck driver called as he raced to the sidewalk. “I—I couldn’t stop in time.”
“I don’t believe it,” Amanda said in a whisper. She covered her face with her hands. “This didn’t happen. No way.”
The driver stopped a few feet in front of us, breathing hard. “The cat—it ran right under my tires,” he said.
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