looking on—with some of them, she was sure, convinced she was a thief—that it took her two tries before she got the combination right.
Sister Mary Grace took the extra sweater Amy had hanging from the hook and pulled the pockets inside out. Nothing more than tissues, mostly unused; a pencil stub with no point; and an empty gum wrapper. At least she didn't lecture Amy about the gum wrapper in school. Next she picked up Amy's gym clothes that were in a heap at the bottom of the locker, and tipped the sneakers to show that there were no eggs hidden in the toes. She took down the wobbly pile of notebooks and papers from the shelf, and even looked through the used lunch bags that had accumulated from those days Amy brought a sandwich because she hadn't liked whatever the cafeteria was serving. Most of the bags just held a used napkin and the wax paper the sandwich had been wrapped in, but one held an orange, turned fuzzy and green.
"Nothing," Sister Mary Grace said, keeping the lunch bags to throw away herself.
"How odd," Dr. Schieber said, not sounding as though she really found it odd at all. What was she up to? She asked, "Where else could that pesky egg be?"
"Maybe she didn't want to keep it," Kaitlyn said. "Maybe she just didn't want me to have it."
"She could have thrown it away," Dr. Schieber said. She gave a long look at the armload of lunch bags Sister Mary Grace was holding. "Well, you know, she doesn't really strike me as one who likes to throw away much, but I suppose it's worth a look." She headed back to the cafeteria. "Come, F-32," she called, because Sherlock was hanging back.
He'd probably just realized that now would be a good time to make a break for it, Amy thought. She leaned down to give him a hug. "I'll be fine," she whispered. But now Dr. Schieber was watching. Amy told him, "Next time she turns her back, run."
Sherlock barked, though it'd take a lot more than not talking to convince Dr. Schieber that he wasn't who she knew he was.
Amy and Sherlock and the crowd followed Dr. Schieber back into the cafeteria. There were several big garbage cans, and Dr. Schieber peered into the one closest to the door.
"See!" Kaitlyn said. "All sorts of broken eggs in here."
"That's because everybody was throwing their mistakes away," Minneh's father said, interrupting the blowing of his nose to say it. "There's one of mine in there that I dropped when I sneezed, and one of Minneh's she didn't like."
Mom's grateful look said, Amy was sure, that she forgave him all his sneezing and snuffling and scratching, since he'd defended her daughter.
"This could be it." Kaitlyn pointed. "See how it's all smushed—not just cracked, but even the inside part is all broken up like she tried to pulverize it so nobody would recognize it."
Amy looked. "That's Raymond's egg," she said.
"Where
is
Raymond?" Sister Mary Grace asked.
"He went home," said Adam, who got along with everyone and was one of Raymond's few friends. "He didn't stay for lunch."
"That's convenient," Kaitlyn said. "Amy probably saw him leave. She likes him, you know," she added in a belittling singsong, "so she would have been watching. So she knew she could say this one was his and he wouldn't be here to say yes or no."
Amy, who felt sorry for Raymond but had never counted him as a friend, much less a boyfriend, said nothing.
"Anyway," Kaitlyn said, "even if that one turns out to be Raymond's, Amy might just have buried mine in deeper under all the garbage. Or she may have put it in another garbage can. Or she might have thrown it outside. Or she might have fed it to her dog." Kaitlyn suddenly caught up to things. "Excuse me, I mean the dog she lied and said was hers that really belongs to this lady."
Sherlock barked at her.
"If he bites," Kaitlyn's mother warned, "believe me, we'll sue."
"He doesn't bite," Dr. Schieber said.
Sherlock stood on his hind legs and leaned against the garbage can, sniffing at the contents.
"Does he knock over garbage
Sister Mary Grace took the extra sweater Amy had hanging from the hook and pulled the pockets inside out. Nothing more than tissues, mostly unused; a pencil stub with no point; and an empty gum wrapper. At least she didn't lecture Amy about the gum wrapper in school. Next she picked up Amy's gym clothes that were in a heap at the bottom of the locker, and tipped the sneakers to show that there were no eggs hidden in the toes. She took down the wobbly pile of notebooks and papers from the shelf, and even looked through the used lunch bags that had accumulated from those days Amy brought a sandwich because she hadn't liked whatever the cafeteria was serving. Most of the bags just held a used napkin and the wax paper the sandwich had been wrapped in, but one held an orange, turned fuzzy and green.
"Nothing," Sister Mary Grace said, keeping the lunch bags to throw away herself.
"How odd," Dr. Schieber said, not sounding as though she really found it odd at all. What was she up to? She asked, "Where else could that pesky egg be?"
"Maybe she didn't want to keep it," Kaitlyn said. "Maybe she just didn't want me to have it."
"She could have thrown it away," Dr. Schieber said. She gave a long look at the armload of lunch bags Sister Mary Grace was holding. "Well, you know, she doesn't really strike me as one who likes to throw away much, but I suppose it's worth a look." She headed back to the cafeteria. "Come, F-32," she called, because Sherlock was hanging back.
He'd probably just realized that now would be a good time to make a break for it, Amy thought. She leaned down to give him a hug. "I'll be fine," she whispered. But now Dr. Schieber was watching. Amy told him, "Next time she turns her back, run."
Sherlock barked, though it'd take a lot more than not talking to convince Dr. Schieber that he wasn't who she knew he was.
Amy and Sherlock and the crowd followed Dr. Schieber back into the cafeteria. There were several big garbage cans, and Dr. Schieber peered into the one closest to the door.
"See!" Kaitlyn said. "All sorts of broken eggs in here."
"That's because everybody was throwing their mistakes away," Minneh's father said, interrupting the blowing of his nose to say it. "There's one of mine in there that I dropped when I sneezed, and one of Minneh's she didn't like."
Mom's grateful look said, Amy was sure, that she forgave him all his sneezing and snuffling and scratching, since he'd defended her daughter.
"This could be it." Kaitlyn pointed. "See how it's all smushed—not just cracked, but even the inside part is all broken up like she tried to pulverize it so nobody would recognize it."
Amy looked. "That's Raymond's egg," she said.
"Where
is
Raymond?" Sister Mary Grace asked.
"He went home," said Adam, who got along with everyone and was one of Raymond's few friends. "He didn't stay for lunch."
"That's convenient," Kaitlyn said. "Amy probably saw him leave. She likes him, you know," she added in a belittling singsong, "so she would have been watching. So she knew she could say this one was his and he wouldn't be here to say yes or no."
Amy, who felt sorry for Raymond but had never counted him as a friend, much less a boyfriend, said nothing.
"Anyway," Kaitlyn said, "even if that one turns out to be Raymond's, Amy might just have buried mine in deeper under all the garbage. Or she may have put it in another garbage can. Or she might have thrown it outside. Or she might have fed it to her dog." Kaitlyn suddenly caught up to things. "Excuse me, I mean the dog she lied and said was hers that really belongs to this lady."
Sherlock barked at her.
"If he bites," Kaitlyn's mother warned, "believe me, we'll sue."
"He doesn't bite," Dr. Schieber said.
Sherlock stood on his hind legs and leaned against the garbage can, sniffing at the contents.
"Does he knock over garbage
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