sitting in front of David, so there is no reason for Bruce to yell at me. But Bruce is Bruce.
âGlad you liked it,â I say in a regular voice. I always hope Bruce notices that he can hear us just fine, but he never takes the hint.
Then David tips forward so all four legs are on the floor. His brow is furrowed, and he actually stops eating. âDid we have some chicks die, too? I thought it was just the duckling.â
âBruce is talking about dyeing. With a
y
,â I say. âNot dying with an
i
. Wait a second. I guess thatâs dyeing with an
e
not dying with an
i
. You know, like the bunnies at the feed store?â
Zoe and Maggie have joined us. Maggie doesnât look at me, but just coming to the table is a great start.
Zoe sits and asks, âWhatâs this about dying?â
She shakes her head and opens her lunch sack. David looks even more confused.
I try again. âYou know how people tie-dye shirts and pillowcase? And some people dye their hair?â
Zoe nods.
âWell, there are people who actually dyeâas in colorâanimals. Specifically, baby chicks, ducklings, and bunnies. I talked about it in my science class report,â I tell them.
Zoe snaps the salad bowl closed. âYou have got to be kidding!â she says. âIs that legal?â
âSome places itâs not. But too many places it is. In fact, David and I saw two dyed bunnies at the Ambler feed store.â
âItâs true,â David says. âPink and purple.â
I take a spoonful of yogurt. I wonât tell the Vet Volunteers what I intend to do about those bunnies. They just wouldnât understand. But I need their help with the second part of the plan.
âThere is something we can do about it.â
âWhatâs that?â David asks. He swipes my banana. âMay I?â he asks, holding it up.
âGo ahead,â I say. âAnyway, I talked to Mr. Shuler about us bringing our reports to some of the high school science classes. Not all of them, maybe just the biology classes.â
David looks at Zoe.
Maggie says, âWould you stop trying to make us go to the high school?â She wipes her mouth with her napkin. âNone of us want to go with you.â
Maggie looks over at David, as if daring him to contradict her.
David looks at me and shrugs his shoulders. He tips back on his chair and asks Bruce if he has any food to spare.
Zoe says, âI wouldnât mind going over to the high school.â She grins. âIf it will help animals.â
Maggie stares at her cousin and says, âSunita isnât going to want to do this, either.â
Um, Sunita is sitting right there.
âSunita can decide for herself,â I retort.
This gets Sunita out of her book. She looks up and glances around at us without understanding.
I take a deep breath. It makes no sense to get worked up about any of this. If my friends knew some high school kids, they would not be fighting me on this. So I try to explain.
âListen, there is nothing to worry about. Nothing for any of us to be nervous about. Why is everyone so anxious about the high school? Theyâre just students. Like us.â
No one says anything. Maybe they donât understand.
So I explain, âThe high school kids can get more done. People listen to them more than they listen to us.â I turn to David, âRemember when we were at the feed store and the tractor-supply store?â
He nods.
âWell, they would have taken us more seriously if we were older. If we had some teenagers helping us with our Vet Volunteer projectsâlike this problem of abandoned animalsâwe could get so much more done. For instance, Nick, one of my friends in the Outdoor Club, I bet he would want to help us. And Iâm thinking of moving our Environmental Club meetings to the high school. They have bigger rooms, and I know weâd get more high school kids participating if we held
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