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too stunned to do anything, but Roxy was not about to leave Tim defenseless. She ran up behind the stooped-over boy and planted a vicious kick to his private area. The boy flew over Tim’s head, landing on the ground with a thud . He was screaming in pain.

    â€œHey! What’s going on down there?” Aunt Linda yelled from a second-story window. Seeing Tim and the tall boy lying on the ground, she yelled, “Don’t move! We’re coming right down!”
    Not wanting to get into a confrontation with the adult, the tall boy’s two friends quickly helped their buddy up and hauled him away. Tim did as he was told, which was okay with him. He was still confused as to what had just happened and was trying to figure things out.
    When Mrs. Slinger made it outside, she saw Tim was still on the ground. She helped her son to his feet then stuffed a hanky into his nose. They headed back to the apartment, with Aunt Linda and Roxy trailing behind.
    Tim sat down in the kitchen. Aunt Linda pulled out the bloody hanky and dabbed his blood-covered nose with a clean cloth. “Why did you mess with him?” she asked Tim. “He’s on the boxing team.”
    Tim turned and stared at Roxy.
    â€œSorry, I thought you could beat him,” Roxy said. “I know you’re stronger.”
    â€œAre you going to be okay, Tim?” Mom asked.
    â€œYeah. At least I won,” Tim said.
    â€œHow do you figure that?” Aunt Linda asked.
    â€œI got beat up by a professional boxer. He got beat up by a little girl,” he said, pointing at Roxy. “So I win.”
    Roxy and Mrs. Slinger laughed, but Aunt Linda didn’t. She continued wiping the blood from Tim’s face. “You’ve got a lot to learn about city life,” Aunt Linda said to him.
    Tim watched as his aunt gave his mother a questioning look. “But we’re only staying a few days,” he told his aunt.
    â€œThat’s right. And not every place is like Chicago,” Tim’s mom said.
    Dana and Roxy’s brother—Tommy—walked into the kitchen. They pushed their way in front of Aunt Linda and stared at Tim’s swollen nose. “Whoa, I like Chicago!” Dana exclaimed.
    Tim slumped in his chair then let out a sigh. “I wanna go home.”
    â€œCan I come?” Roxy asked.
    Aunt Linda stared at Roxy. “Why?” she asked.
    â€œYou said we have to go back and get the rest of our things before school starts. I’ll go with Tim now and come back with you later.”
    â€œYou mean stay with Grandma?” Mrs. Slinger asked.
    â€œNo, stay on the farm with you.”
    â€œReally?” Tim asked.
    Aunt Linda gave Tim’s mom another questioning look.
    â€œShe can stay in the spare room,” Mrs. Slinger said. “We can take her to Grandma’s if she changes her mind.”
    Tim and Roxy gave each other a high-five. “Yes!” they said together.

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    Chapter 12

    The long ride home was much more enjoyable with Roxy in the car. She chattered endlessly, and the three kids played travel games and exchanged stories about summer adventures. But Tim was a little concerned about her spending an entire week on the farm.
    Roxy wasn’t used to farm life. Usually, his cousin visited for a few hours during the day, but she had never spent the night. And Tim knew Roxy had an especially difficult time with certain animals.
    â€œAre you going to go out into the fields with us?” Tim asked Roxy.
    Roxy gave him an arrogant little smirk. “Why wouldn’t I?”
    â€œAh, no reason. But if you do, we need to talk about animal safety first,” Tim said.
    â€œGood idea,” Mom said from the front seat.
    â€œGive me a break. I’m not going to hurt any of your animals,” Roxy said.
    â€œThat’s not what I’m worried about,” Tim said.
    Roxy stared at Tim, who now wore a serious look on his face. “You