I, Cosmo by Carlie Sorosiak

Author:Carlie Sorosiak [Carlie Sorosiak]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781788005715
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Published: 2019-09-04T16:00:00+00:00

18

Late in January, the most wonderful thing happens. White fluff begins to fall from the sky. Snow is rare in North Carolina. Our winters are usually marked with crisp, bright days and only a touch of rain. Snow always feels like a big event.

“Do you think it’ll stick?” Max asks me on Monday evening. The two of us are perched by the dance club’s windows, watching flakes float slowly on to the frozen ground. His voice is airy with hope. In response to his question, I snort a trail of snot across the glass, but otherwise I don’t answer him. I’ve learned not to offer opinions about things I will never understand.

Oliver pops his head next to us. “Please, no school.”

Max crosses his fingers in the air.

“I have a quiz tomorrow,” Oliver says. “On a book I haven’t read. And I’d rather build an ice cave with Elvis.”

“I don’t think he’d be very helpful,” Max says – and I’m surprised how quickly his response comes, how the words flow so smoothly from his mouth. “Ice-cave building… You kind of need hands.”

Elvis is oblivious to the snow. We are supposed to be learning how to weave between our humans’ legs, but he’s preoccupied with sniffing my injured paw. Ignore it, I say, as concern folds across his forehead. He licks the webbing between my toes, and this worries me even more – because if he can smell it, sense it, how bad is my injury? How bad is it, really?

Overall, Elvis and I are progressing step for step, like we’re walking the same path. Oliver and Max compare choreography, chat quietly about the day of the competition – it seems so far away, doesn’t it? But it’ll sneak up on us, if we’re not careful. It’s certainly sneaking up on Noodles, who’s barely learned a thing.

All the while, as we practise and talk, the sheepdog dances darkly in the corner, perfectly nailing “walk backwards”. I vow once more: I will be better. Just wait.

Afterwards, we pack into our cars as the snow falls, and I wish I could stick my head out of the window, chomping at the floating clumps. I don’t sleep much that night. I pick at the tufts of fur on my bad paw, hoping to extract the pain, hoping that this won’t harm us – me and Max, both. In this condition, can I physically perform the big move? How much will it harm our movie chances?

“Can’t sleep?” Max says, deep in the night.

I wonder if he’s been awake all this time, thinking what I’m thinking, too.

The following morning, school is cancelled. Cancelled! Putting my weight on my good side, I follow Max as he skips around the kitchen, whooping and hollering with his arms in the air. “Yes, yes, yes!” Emmaline is excited, too. She and Max grip hands, spinning on the spot. I try to join them, but halfway through my first spin, I wince and jolt – and almost knock Emmaline to the ground.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.