sidewalk?
“Tell me how you got the wallet!” The girl leaned forward into my face. I smelled grapes. That answered one question. She was the one spitting bubble gum at Starwood Park.
I watched the girl’s jaws move up and down, trying to remember where I’d seen her before. The gum made a popping sound under her teeth. Something inside me felt like it was being chewed up, too.
A purple bubble poked out of her lips, growing bigger and bigger, heading right for my nose.
If I didn’t do something, I was going to have a sticky purple face! Could I jump? I pressed the button on my wristband. There was no tingling or humming in my feet. Zapato Power wasn’t going to save me this time. I had to use brain power. “Watch out!” I shouted, ducking down low.
The grape bubble exploded all over her face, not mine. Whew!
“YOU’RE GONNA PAY!” she snarled, pulling purple stuff off her cheeks. “No one takes stuff from me!”
That’s when my face got licked.
Gio’s dog, Puppy, came rushing up to say hello. Gio was behind him, pulling the green wagon. He looked at the girl on the green bike.
“Who are you?” he asked. “And why do you have a purple face?”
Gio is five, so he’s still full of questions older kids are afraid to ask.
“None of your business,” the girl on the green bike said.
She stared at Gio as if she was daring him to ask another question.
Puppy jumped in and out of the wagon, barking.
“You should keep your dog quiet,” the girl said.
“How come?” Gio asked.
“Because I said so.” She shoved Gio’s shoulder and rode off.
Gio started crying. “I don’t like her!”
Puppy barked.
Noise always opens doors at Starwood Park. Gio’s big sister, Maria, came out.
“What happened?” she asked.
Maria was in my class during the school year. She was also in the Tadpoles with me at summer camp.
Gio told her about the girl on the green bike.
“I saw her through the window,” Maria said. “Her name is Erika. The girls at summer camp say she’s mean.”
Summer camp? Suddenly, I remembered where I’d seen Erika before. She was a Frog! Her group went into the pool right after the Tadpoles!
5. Worried!
I felt as stiff as a telephone pole. Erika said she was going to make me pay. And I was going to see her the next day at summer camp!
“Freddie!” Maria called. “What’s wrong with you? You’re not moving.”
“You look frozen, Freddie,” Gio agreed.
Superheroes can’t be scared, especially not in front of their friends. What should I say? I looked down at my feet and found an answer.
“My shoe has bubble gum on it.” I pulled it up to show the sticky purple strings.
“I’ll get a stick,” Maria said.
A few minutes later, Maria had helped me clean the gum off my shoe but not the gunky feeling in my chest. What was Erika going to do to me tomorrow at summer camp? Was she going to throw me in the pool? I couldn’t swim yet!
“See you tomorrow at camp, Freddie!” Maria said. She and Gio went into 28G.
I went home to 29G. The phone was ringing when I opened the door. It was my mom, calling to check up on me from her office.
“How was camp?” she asked. “Did you put your face in the water?”
“Not exactly,” I said. “But I kicked good.”
“I’ll be home in one hour,” Mom said. “Te amo. I love you.”
An hour is a long time if you’re worried about a bully. I tried drinking milk. I tried watching TV. I tried petting my guinea pig, Claude the Second. I even asked him what I should do about Erika at summer camp.
“Are superheroes allowed to hide?”
Claude the Second didn’t have any answers. He just twitched his whiskers and looked cute.
Maybe Mr. Vaslov could help me. He had lots of good ideas. After all, he invented my super zapatos. I gave Claude the Second a carrot and left 29G.
Mr. Vaslov was not at his toolshed, where he invented things. He was probably still fixing the leaky bathtub in 15C. I turned to go there when I
“Tell me how you got the wallet!” The girl leaned forward into my face. I smelled grapes. That answered one question. She was the one spitting bubble gum at Starwood Park.
I watched the girl’s jaws move up and down, trying to remember where I’d seen her before. The gum made a popping sound under her teeth. Something inside me felt like it was being chewed up, too.
A purple bubble poked out of her lips, growing bigger and bigger, heading right for my nose.
If I didn’t do something, I was going to have a sticky purple face! Could I jump? I pressed the button on my wristband. There was no tingling or humming in my feet. Zapato Power wasn’t going to save me this time. I had to use brain power. “Watch out!” I shouted, ducking down low.
The grape bubble exploded all over her face, not mine. Whew!
“YOU’RE GONNA PAY!” she snarled, pulling purple stuff off her cheeks. “No one takes stuff from me!”
That’s when my face got licked.
Gio’s dog, Puppy, came rushing up to say hello. Gio was behind him, pulling the green wagon. He looked at the girl on the green bike.
“Who are you?” he asked. “And why do you have a purple face?”
Gio is five, so he’s still full of questions older kids are afraid to ask.
“None of your business,” the girl on the green bike said.
She stared at Gio as if she was daring him to ask another question.
Puppy jumped in and out of the wagon, barking.
“You should keep your dog quiet,” the girl said.
“How come?” Gio asked.
“Because I said so.” She shoved Gio’s shoulder and rode off.
Gio started crying. “I don’t like her!”
Puppy barked.
Noise always opens doors at Starwood Park. Gio’s big sister, Maria, came out.
“What happened?” she asked.
Maria was in my class during the school year. She was also in the Tadpoles with me at summer camp.
Gio told her about the girl on the green bike.
“I saw her through the window,” Maria said. “Her name is Erika. The girls at summer camp say she’s mean.”
Summer camp? Suddenly, I remembered where I’d seen Erika before. She was a Frog! Her group went into the pool right after the Tadpoles!
5. Worried!
I felt as stiff as a telephone pole. Erika said she was going to make me pay. And I was going to see her the next day at summer camp!
“Freddie!” Maria called. “What’s wrong with you? You’re not moving.”
“You look frozen, Freddie,” Gio agreed.
Superheroes can’t be scared, especially not in front of their friends. What should I say? I looked down at my feet and found an answer.
“My shoe has bubble gum on it.” I pulled it up to show the sticky purple strings.
“I’ll get a stick,” Maria said.
A few minutes later, Maria had helped me clean the gum off my shoe but not the gunky feeling in my chest. What was Erika going to do to me tomorrow at summer camp? Was she going to throw me in the pool? I couldn’t swim yet!
“See you tomorrow at camp, Freddie!” Maria said. She and Gio went into 28G.
I went home to 29G. The phone was ringing when I opened the door. It was my mom, calling to check up on me from her office.
“How was camp?” she asked. “Did you put your face in the water?”
“Not exactly,” I said. “But I kicked good.”
“I’ll be home in one hour,” Mom said. “Te amo. I love you.”
An hour is a long time if you’re worried about a bully. I tried drinking milk. I tried watching TV. I tried petting my guinea pig, Claude the Second. I even asked him what I should do about Erika at summer camp.
“Are superheroes allowed to hide?”
Claude the Second didn’t have any answers. He just twitched his whiskers and looked cute.
Maybe Mr. Vaslov could help me. He had lots of good ideas. After all, he invented my super zapatos. I gave Claude the Second a carrot and left 29G.
Mr. Vaslov was not at his toolshed, where he invented things. He was probably still fixing the leaky bathtub in 15C. I turned to go there when I
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