Bluefish by Pat Schmatz Read Free Book Online

tic-tac-toe grid, and they played until the bell rang.
    Travis tried to give Velveeta his chocolate pudding at lunch. He handed her the entire bowl, but she pushed it back.
    "You have to keep your strength up," she said. "It'll slide down easy."
    "Keep my strength up for what?"
    "You know."
    Her dishes were already scraped clean. She leaned forward on her elbows and stared at him. Her eyes knocked on his brain, trying to see things he'd rather keep hidden.
    "So if you and Bradley aren't friends," he said, looking for a distraction, "why do you care that I gave his shoe back?"
    Velveeta grinned like he'd just crowned her queen.
    "A question! A complete direct question, just for me.
    You must really like me after all."
    "So why do you?"
    "How do you know we're not friends?"
    "He told me."
    "What did he do, just walk up to you in the hall and say, 'Hey, I am not friends with the Great and Powerful Velveeta'?"
    "No." Travis finished off the pudding. "We hung out in the park the other day."
    "Hung out? You and Bradley Whistler? Very fascinating."
    "So why do you care about his shoe?"
    "I don't. It was the way you did it. There it is, first day of school, like always, somebody stealing Whistler's stuff , him doing the hoppy no- shoe dance."
    She stood up and imitated Bradley's shuffle- step.
    "But then! Mr. Stealth comes rockin' onto the scene" -she took a few steps back and then slid up in a smooth saunter -"and delivers the shoe without one word, all incognito." She passed a pretend shoe behind her back and flipped it to a pretend Bradley. "Then melts into the crowd like Bradley's own personal secret superhero. That was a class act."
    Travis shrugged and looked down at the table. His face burned. Was it red?
    Could she tell?
    The bell rang, and he picked up his tray and followed Velveeta to the garbage can. What would she say if she knew what Bradley had asked, about them doing the wild thing? If she liked complete direct questions so much, she'd love that one.

    As Travis turned toward the hallway, he glanced at the teachers' table.
    McQueen was staring right at him and Velveeta. When he caught Travis's eye, he smiled. Like he knew something.
    on THURSDAY
    After the last bell, Ms. Gordon snagged me and asked why we hadn't turned in a project outline. She made sad eyes and said things about our futures. Not that I have a future, but Travis probably does, so I went by his locker and tried to guilt him on board by saying I'd flunk if he wouldn't be my partner. He said I should ask Bradley Whistler if I needed a partner so bad.
    I think that was a tiny bit mean. Bradley Whistler would never be my partner, even if I begged him, which I won't, but that's not even the point. The point is, Travis sounded all mad when he said it and started walking really fast, like he was trying to ditch me. So I grabbed him by the arm, which was a mistake, because he yanked away like I had cootie slime all over my fingers.
    He said (I still can't believe this), "Quit bugging me. I'm not doing it."
    "Bugging you?" I said, and I sidestepped in front of him because, I don't know, I'm stupid. He looked at me like I was the evil enemy, shoulder banged by, and boom- ka bang, off he went - didn't even look back.
    This does not fit with anything about Travis. What's going on? This whole time I've been thinking he likes me a little bit, maybe more than just ha- ha funny Velveeta to entertain him through his leukemia. But have I actually been bugging him?

CHAPTER NINE
    Travis steamed through town. His face didn't cool off until he was almost to the bridge. Everyone should just leave him alone, and that included Velveeta.
    The guys sat on the picnic table. Their eyes crawled on him from way off .
    "Hey, kid, what's your name?" one of them called as he came up close.
    He stalked across the bridge. Why didn't they just do whatever they were going to do? Enough with sitting around yelling stuff.
    "Hey, skinny boy, did you hear my man Chilson? He asked your name.