When Friendship Followed Me Home by Paul Griffin

Author:Paul Griffin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2016-05-17T13:48:43+00:00

29

READ TO RUFUS

Now I was glad to have my headphones back, even if Rayburn had worn them. I needed them to drown out Leo and Jeanie. They argued nonstop. That whole weekend they were going back and forth about Christmas vacation, Mexico again or Maine? I wondered if they were like this before Flip and I came into the picture. I didn’t know what to do except stay in my room and study and tell myself that for every test I aced Flip and I were one step closer to getting out of Leo and Jeanie’s. “Four years, Flip. Less than four. Three years, nine months and twenty days until I turn sixteen. We can hang in that long, right?”

He cocked his head and licked my lips. He was the best study partner. He really did love when you read to him. Monday morning I dropped him off at the Mold house. He looked a little sad as I left. “Come on now, Flip bud. You know I’ll be back soon. I promise.” As soon as he heard that, his tail started wagging again.

• • •

Monday after school Chucky and I hustled over to the Mold house to pick up Flip. “Ronda Glomski told me Rayburn isn’t holding up his end of that contract they made him sign,” Chucky said.

“He’s not going to the guidance counselor?” I said.

“Nobody knows where he is. My mouth hurts every time I think about him.”

“Then don’t think about him.” That’s what Mom would’ve said.

“I seriously hope he dropped out. Dude, for real, how lame is this Read to Rufus thing going to be? Worse than chess club?”

“Halley’s gonna be there.”

“Okay, I’ll come.”

• • •

We trotted into the library and right upstairs to where they were waiting: the Read to Rufus lady, Mrs. Lorentz, three kids, a bunch of parents, a teacher, and Halley.

“Cheez Whiz crust,” Chucky whispered to me. “Nice butt. Not bad in the chestal area either, Coffin. I mean, they could be bigger, but well done just the same.”

“Any thoughts about her face?”

“Huh? Yeah, that too.” Only then did he notice her wig, which she’d dyed in spiky stripes of color. “Okay, you were right: She’s seriously as cool as a rainbow.”

Flip jumped into her arms. “Ben, this is Brian,” she said.

“I’m seven,” the kid said, like he’d fight me if I said otherwise, except he didn’t look me in the eye. He was small for seven, and the book he had was The Dog Who Wanted to Become a Boy. “I picked it because I figured he’d like it better than The Velveteen Rabbit, which maybe he’d want to eat.” He nodded to Flip, who cocked his head. “It isn’t mine though, the book. It’s from the liberry. They made me carry it.” He held it away from himself as far as he could, like it was a bag of dog turds.

“I’ll hold it for you,” I said, “if you hold Flip for me for a sec.”

Halley put Flip into his arms, and Flip licked half a smile into the kid’s lips.

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