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Authors: Lucy gets Her Life Back
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people. She said he and Jason could check out the main part of town—as long as they were back in an hour.
Matt didn’t see much wrong with living in Red Duck. He had a few friends back in Boise, but he never really had a best friend like he’d had in the first grade. Tommy Olsen moved away in the fourth grade, and Matt hadn’t played with anybody else who thought it was funny to squish the guts out of night crawlers under the tires of a Tonka truck.
Shading his eyes against the afternoon sun, Jason stopped to look at a group of boys across the street.
“Jason, come on.”
“Yeah, I’m coming.” His brother pushed ahead, his hair sticking up at his forehead. He’d put some jelly stuff in it today to make it spike.
Matt stepped inside a comic book store and Jason followed.
Jason didn’t read them anymore, he’d only come along to get away from the house. Matt glanced at the rack. “Look at all these.”
“Yeah, I see ’em.” But Jason was staring out the door.
“Jason, come here.” Matt didn’t like the feeling he got, and he worried his brother thought about doing something dumb right now.
“I’ll be right back.” Jason was walking outside.
“But—”
“I’m just going across the street for a second.”
“Only a second?”
“Don’t have a cow—I said I’ll be right back.”
Stepping off the curb, Jason stuffed his hands into his jeans pockets and slumped his shoulders. Matt stayed in the doorway and watched his older brother talk to the boys. Jason thought he was hot stuff, but he wasn’t. He wasn’t anybody important in Red Duck. In Boise, other kids thought he was cool.
One of the boys lit a cigarette and Matt watched his older brother take a puff. Stupid. Mom was going to find out.
“Can I help you find something?” a man’s voice asked.
Matt turned around and saw a bald guy smiling down at him.
“Uh, no, sir. I was just looking at the comics.” Matt took one, flipped the pages, then skimmed through a few others until he got lost in one. When he finally glanced back to the street, Jason and the boys were gone.
Matt racked the comic book and stepped outside. He passed a sandwich shop, then read a sign that said the Mule Shoe Bar. The tall and narrow windows on either side of the door were too dark to see through. Matt cupped his hands around his eyes and looked inside a few of the other shops. His brother wasn’t in any of them.
Wandering around the corner, Matt tried not to worry. If he stuck around here, Jason would have to show up.
He saw a funny-looking lady walking a dog. She had one pink curler in her hair right on the back of her head. Her hair was gray, and she was like the dough boy on TV—plump and looking like her clothes were too tight. She had a happy face, though. She reminded him of his music teacher.
The dog she was walking was really cool. He was big and black and he kept pulling her down the street toward a fire hydrant.
“Hey, boy,” Matt said, getting closer to the dog. Then, looking at the dough lady, he asked, “Can I pet him?”
“If you can make him stand still.”
The dog’s tail was wagging so hard his butt was shaking. Matt reached down to pet him, and his hand got slimed with dog tongue and spit as he licked.
Matt giggled when the dog piddled on the sidewalk.
“He’s just a big puppy,” the lady said. “I’ve got to get back to my shop, and Harley is being uncooperative.”
“His name’s Harley?”
“Actually, I call him the Devil Dog, because he doesn’t mind me.”
“He’s your dog?”
“No, I’m just grooming him.”
“I think it would be fun to wash dogs.”
“Not so much fun as it is wet.” She smiled at him. “What’s your name?”
“Matt Carpenter.”
“Do you live here?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“So polite!” Her face lit up as her arm jerked and Harley went to sniff the hydrant. He didn’t lift his leg. He just stood there.
“Would you like to see
Matt didn’t see much wrong with living in Red Duck. He had a few friends back in Boise, but he never really had a best friend like he’d had in the first grade. Tommy Olsen moved away in the fourth grade, and Matt hadn’t played with anybody else who thought it was funny to squish the guts out of night crawlers under the tires of a Tonka truck.
Shading his eyes against the afternoon sun, Jason stopped to look at a group of boys across the street.
“Jason, come on.”
“Yeah, I’m coming.” His brother pushed ahead, his hair sticking up at his forehead. He’d put some jelly stuff in it today to make it spike.
Matt stepped inside a comic book store and Jason followed.
Jason didn’t read them anymore, he’d only come along to get away from the house. Matt glanced at the rack. “Look at all these.”
“Yeah, I see ’em.” But Jason was staring out the door.
“Jason, come here.” Matt didn’t like the feeling he got, and he worried his brother thought about doing something dumb right now.
“I’ll be right back.” Jason was walking outside.
“But—”
“I’m just going across the street for a second.”
“Only a second?”
“Don’t have a cow—I said I’ll be right back.”
Stepping off the curb, Jason stuffed his hands into his jeans pockets and slumped his shoulders. Matt stayed in the doorway and watched his older brother talk to the boys. Jason thought he was hot stuff, but he wasn’t. He wasn’t anybody important in Red Duck. In Boise, other kids thought he was cool.
One of the boys lit a cigarette and Matt watched his older brother take a puff. Stupid. Mom was going to find out.
“Can I help you find something?” a man’s voice asked.
Matt turned around and saw a bald guy smiling down at him.
“Uh, no, sir. I was just looking at the comics.” Matt took one, flipped the pages, then skimmed through a few others until he got lost in one. When he finally glanced back to the street, Jason and the boys were gone.
Matt racked the comic book and stepped outside. He passed a sandwich shop, then read a sign that said the Mule Shoe Bar. The tall and narrow windows on either side of the door were too dark to see through. Matt cupped his hands around his eyes and looked inside a few of the other shops. His brother wasn’t in any of them.
Wandering around the corner, Matt tried not to worry. If he stuck around here, Jason would have to show up.
He saw a funny-looking lady walking a dog. She had one pink curler in her hair right on the back of her head. Her hair was gray, and she was like the dough boy on TV—plump and looking like her clothes were too tight. She had a happy face, though. She reminded him of his music teacher.
The dog she was walking was really cool. He was big and black and he kept pulling her down the street toward a fire hydrant.
“Hey, boy,” Matt said, getting closer to the dog. Then, looking at the dough lady, he asked, “Can I pet him?”
“If you can make him stand still.”
The dog’s tail was wagging so hard his butt was shaking. Matt reached down to pet him, and his hand got slimed with dog tongue and spit as he licked.
Matt giggled when the dog piddled on the sidewalk.
“He’s just a big puppy,” the lady said. “I’ve got to get back to my shop, and Harley is being uncooperative.”
“His name’s Harley?”
“Actually, I call him the Devil Dog, because he doesn’t mind me.”
“He’s your dog?”
“No, I’m just grooming him.”
“I think it would be fun to wash dogs.”
“Not so much fun as it is wet.” She smiled at him. “What’s your name?”
“Matt Carpenter.”
“Do you live here?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“So polite!” Her face lit up as her arm jerked and Harley went to sniff the hydrant. He didn’t lift his leg. He just stood there.
“Would you like to see
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