Heads or Tails by Jack Gantos

Author:Jack Gantos [Gantos, Jack]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-374-32909-9
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Published: 1994-10-05T04:00:00+00:00

I woke late and had to ride like a maniac so I could be on time to roll the tin policeman into the middle of the road. I was out of breath but excited. I had enough money in cans and bottles to buy the canary. Still, it bothered me what Donna had said about the chicken bone, so I checked on my grave. A dog had dug it up and there were feathers and a piece of dried-up bird leg next to the ripped-open bag. I felt good knowing that Donna was wrong and I was right. But I felt bad about Victor and reburied him.

At lunchtime, Mrs. Marshall asked me to stay behind. “I’m sorry to tell you this,” she said sternly, “but I’m taking back your Safety Patrol badge.”

“Why?”

“Donna said you weren’t doing a good job. Said you were spending your time talking to someone in a house trailer. She wants to rejoin and I’m giving the badge back to her. She’s never caused me a bit of trouble and I can see that you aren’t cut out for the job.”

I turned and walked out of the room. I knew I was being disrespectful, but I didn’t care. I rode my bike home as hard as I could. If I see Donna in the street, I thought, I’ll flatten her. I’ll call her a liar and then I’ll run her over.

I didn’t have time to eat lunch. I grabbed my bag of cans and bottles and took them to the Piggly Wiggly supermarket and redeemed them for two dollars. Then I went next door to Woolworth’s and bought the canary. It seemed very happy in its cardboard cage and chirped all the way home. I put it in my room and raced to school. I made it back just in time. Still, Mrs. Marshall gave me a dirty look as I took my seat.

After school, I went home and got the bird. Suddenly, I was nervous. I didn’t know if the old lady wanted another bird. If she didn’t, I’d have to talk Mom into keeping it or tell Woolworth’s the bird had a disease, like beak rot, and they’d have to give me my money back. I put the cage in my bike basket and headed for Donna’s corner.

She was dragging the policeman across the road.

“Thanks a lot for telling Mrs. Marshall I was doing a lousy job,” I said.

“You should be mad at yourself for hanging around that old nut,” she said right back.

“I can do anything I feel like doing. Any time I feel like doing it.”

“You aren’t going to give that old witch a bird, are you?” she asked, rolling her eyes.

“Mind your own business.”

“She’ll probably cook it.”

“I wish she’d cook you.”

“You’re weird,” Donna said, matter-of-factly. “You know I could arrest you.”

“That badge doesn’t mean a thing. It’s fake. A real policeman would laugh at you.” I reached out and tried to snatch it off her belt. I wanted to jump up and down on it, but she stepped back.

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