Read Online The Waffler by Gail Donovan - Free Book Online Page A

knock on the door.
    Monty’s mom said, “You get it, Monty. That must be your friend!” She said
friend
as if it was something wonderful. Like
sunshine
. Or
ice cream
.
    Monty opened the door and Leo bounded in wearing light-up sneakers that flashed on and off with every step. From his flashing sneakers up to the top of his buzz-cut head, he was bouncing up and down. “Can I hold the rat? Can I hold the rat? Can I hold the rat?”
    Monty’s mom made about three different faces in three seconds. First she looked surprised. Then confused. Then, shaking her head, she gave Monty a smile and an
Oh, well
shrug. “Hello, Leo,” she said. “Would you like some pancakes?”
    â€œSure!” said Leo, bouncing.
    Monty grinned. His mom wasn’t mad! Problem solved!
    Except he still had an even bigger problem. He had to tell Leo about the extra Buddies.
    â€œBuh!” crowed Aisha as she slid the orange cup into the yellow one.
    â€œGood job!” said Sierra. Sierra, who had blabbed to their mom about the rat and the decision-aids. What if she told Leo? Monty couldn’t let that happen. He had to be the one. But how? He was trying to figure out what to say and when to say it, when the rat decided to travel from one shoulder to the other. Monty loved how he could feel the rat’s feet gripping him. The rat’s feet sort of tickled, and sort of scratched, and somehow sort of made Monty feel better. Like he could say what he had to say.
    â€œLet’s go outside,” he said. “We can feed the rat some sunflower seeds.”
    â€œPancakes ready in five minutes,” said Bob.
    â€œAnd no rat at the table,” said Monty’s mom.
    â€œWe’ll be right back,” promised Monty.
    Outside, the sun was shining on the sunflowers. Gently, Monty pried the rat from his shoulder and placed it in Leo’s hands. Then he dug a few seeds from the big face of a sunflower and handed one to the rat. As Leo held the rat in his cupped hands, the rat took the seed in his paws and started to nibble it.
    â€œHe likes it!” said Leo, a note of awe in his voice.
    â€œHey, Leo,” said Monty. “I gotta tell you something. Did you know not everybody in your class got a Reading Buddy?”
    â€œThey didn’t?”
    Monty shook his head. “No.”
    â€œWho?”
    â€œWinnie Luka. Her big brother is in my class. And Kieran. She sits at the nut-free table. And some kid named Finn.”
    â€œGive him another seed!” commanded Leo.
    Monty gave the rat a second seed. “And you know how you were absent yesterday?”
    Leo nodded. “I threw up,” he explained.
    â€œWell, I kind of read them a book during recess.”
    â€œHe wants another one,” said Leo.
    Monty gave the rat a third sunflower seed. He wasn’t sure if Leo understood what he was saying. This was like the slow pull or the fast pull on the Band-Aid. Maybe it was better to get it over with. “And I kind of told them that I could be, like, their unofficial Buddy,” he blurted.
    â€œI’m your Buddy!” insisted Leo.
    â€œYou are totally my real, official Buddy,” said Monty, hoping Leo wasn’t going to freak.
    For a second, Leo studied Monty with his big brown eyes. Finally, he echoed, “Your
official
Buddy,” as if he liked the sound of it.
    â€œTotally,” said Monty.
    Leo thought for a while. “I’m the only one who can come to your house,” he bargained.
    No problem. Monty could agree to that, if it would keep Leo from freaking. “Only you can come to my house,” vowed Monty. “You’re the only one.”
    Leo added a final rule. “Only I can hold the rat.”
    â€œRight,” agreed Monty. “Because the rat’s at my house.”
    Leo nodded. They had a deal. And by the end of the morning, Monty had his five facts.
    One (which he already knew): Leo’s whole name was