The Waffler by Gail Donovan Read Free Book Online Page B

away from the bad stuff, like grumpy lumping. So maybe he should say yes. But flip-flopping also meant losing the good stuff. So maybe he should say no.
    â€œDo I have to decide right now?”
    His mom frowned, but before she could start a lecture on how he should just say his gut feeling and not worry about his answer being set in stone, the telephone rang. She glanced at the caller ID. “Schwarz,” she said, not picking up.
    Schwarz? Schwarz! Leonard Schwarz the third! Leo!
    â€œThat’s my new Buddy!” said Monty.
    â€œA friend?” His mom snatched up the phone. “Hello?”
    For a little while she listened, nodding, then said, “Just a second. I’ll check with Monty.” She held the phone down. “Honey, Mrs. Schwarz says Leo wants to come over, if that’s okay with you. She says Saturday is good for him.” She was giving him a big say-yes smile. “That’s good for you, right?”
    â€œUh,” said Monty, blanking. “I don’t know.”
    â€œI thought you said he was a new friend?”
    Monty felt his heart pick up speed, like an electric fan that somebody had turned on. “Kind of,” he answered. Buddy was a word for friend. Kindergartners were new in a way, at school.
    â€œMonty,” said his mom in a whisper, so Mrs. Schwarz wouldn’t hear, “it’s not a big deal. Just say yes or no.” Her smile was starting to look tired, like the faces of people who worked in stores who
had
to smile at you. “Leo’s mom is waiting, honey.”
    His mom’s words didn’t help. They just made Monty feel like somebody had turned up the fan even higher. It was bad enough kids calling him Waffles. What would they say if they knew Monty was hanging out with a kindergartner on the weekend?
    But what about his rat? This was too good a chance to pass up.
    â€œHe wants to see the rat,” said Monty.
    â€œThe rat?”
    â€œThe whole reason Leo wants to come over is to see my rat,” explained Monty. “So can the rat come over while I’m here?”
    Monty’s mom stared at him, thinking. Trying to make up her mind.
    Monty knew that now was the moment. His big chance. He added his best impression of Leo’s pleading puppy-dog eyes. “Please?”

“ D id you get your five facts?” asked Jasmine the next day at the nut-free table. Today the hundred barrettes holding her hair in place were white kitty cats.
    â€œNot exactly,” said Monty, unzipping his lunch box.
    That morning, Mrs. Tuttle said she hoped they had all done some good “digging for treasure.” She hoped they had each gotten at least five facts about their Kindergarten Buddy, because soon they would begin writing their first draft—their sloppy copy—all about their Buddy.
    â€œHow many did you get?”
    Monty had been so busy telling Leo all about his rat that he hadn’t found out if Leo had a pet. He’d been so busy telling Leo about his own sisters that all he knew about Leo’s sister was she had lice last year. The only solid fact he knew about Leo was that his whole name was Leonard Schwarz the third.
    Monty opened up his milk carton and stuck in a straw. “One, basically,” he admitted.
    â€œHow are you going to write your sloppy copy?”
    Monty figured he could get his facts on Saturday, when Leo came over. Because his mom had said yes to the rat! Bob said he knew a guy who would probably have an extra cage, so last night he and Monty went and picked up the cage and then the rat. The one bad thing was the lid didn’t have any clips to keep it on tight. Bob helped him weigh it down with a couple of dictionaries at the corners.
    Monty didn’t want to explain all this to Jasmine. He wouldn’t lie about hanging out with Leo, but he wasn’t going to brag about it either. And telling Jasmine, the Town Crier, meant the whole school would know. He just