Piggy Party (Cul-de-sac Kids Book #19): Book 19 by Beverly Lewis Read Free Book Online Page B

parents didn’t mind.
    Dunkum’s real name was Edward, but everyone called him Dunkum. He could slam-dunk most any basketball. He was that tall!
    The Cul-de-sac Kids always took offtheir shoes before a meeting. They lined them up in a row.
    Carly stared at the neat row of snow boots. She could hardly wait to wear tennis shoes again. And sandals and shorts. And go swimming with the warm sun shining down. . . .
    “The meeting will come to order,” Abby said. She was sitting in the giant beanbag. It was the president’s chair.
    “Where’s Piggy?” Dee Dee whispered to Carly.
    Carly said, “I left him at home. He’s hiding.”
    Dee Dee had a crooked smile. “Did you hide him in the you-know-what place?”
    Carly said, “Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t.”
    Dee Dee twisted her short, wavy hair. “Don’t be so snooty.”
    “Listen to the president,” Carly replied.“Abby’s talking.”
    “You better tell me,” Dee Dee whispered.
    “I don’t have to,” Carly said back.
    Abby was shaking her head. “Excuse me, girls. We’re trying to have a meeting here.”
    Dunkum Mifflin wagged his finger at Carly and Dee Dee. “Nobody talks when the president is talking.”
    Eric Hagel turned around and stared. His eyes weren’t blinking at all.
    “It’s not nice to stare, Eric,” Dee Dee hissed.
    Carly poked Dee Dee in the ribs. “Be quiet!”
    “I don’t feel like it!” Dee Dee hollered.
    Jason Birchall made a face at Carly and Dee Dee. “You two better watch it,” he said.
    Stacy Henry put her hands over her ears.
    Shawn and Jimmy frowned at Carly and Dee Dee. Then they chattered to each other in Korean.
    Dee Dee stood up. She looked down at Carly. Then she twirled a curl with her finger.
    Carly wondered what Dee Dee was up to. She felt jittery.
    Dee Dee raised her hand to speak.
    “Yes, Dee Dee?” Abby said from the front of the room.
    “Carly’s hiding a guinea pig in her closet,” Dee Dee blurted. “She doesn’t want anyone to know.”
    How could she do this to me? Carly wondered.
    “It’s true, just ask her,” Dee Dee was saying.
    “It’s NOT true!” Carly yelled back. She wasn’t lying. She was hiding Piggy behind the closet wall.

    Abby jumped out of her beanbag. “I think we’d better call this meeting quits,” she said.
    Dee Dee sat right down. “We’ll be quiet. We promise.”
    Abby nodded her head. “It’s been a long and cold winter. Everyone’s cranky. Maybe we should wait till spring for the next meeting.”
    Carly got up and headed for her snow boots. “Abby’s right. We’re fussy, and we can’t help it.”
    Dee Dee crossed her arms and pouted. “Blame it on the weather,” she muttered.
    “Pout if you want,” Carly said. “I’m leaving.”
    All the kids were staring at her now.
    But Carly didn’t care. Her stomach did a flitter-flop.
    Dee Dee was such a blabbermouth!

FIVE
    Carly slid open the skinny door in the closet wall. She flicked on her flashlight.
    The guinea pig darted away.
    “Sorry about that,” Carly said. She shined the light away from his cage. She wanted to keep Piggy company. She wanted to talk to someone. Even a guinea pig was better than Dee Dee Winters!
    “The club meeting was horrible tonight. Capital H!” she told Piggy.
    The guinea pig rattled his cage.
    “Goody, you understand.” She reached inside to lift him out. “You’re lonely, aren’t you?”
    Piggy made cute little clicking sounds.
    “I’m sorry I had to leave you here.” She stroked his soft fur coat.
    Piggy seemed to enjoy being petted.
    “My best friend blabbed to everyone about your hiding place,” she said. “I’ll have to keep a close watch on you all weekend. I must take good care of you. Miss Hartman said so.”
    Piggy seemed to listen. He put his tiny face near her neck.
    “Do you have a secret?” Carly leaned her ear down. “Do you know when spring is coming?” she asked. “Like that old groundhog in Pennsylvania?”
    She thought of all the icky weather