Read Online Freestyle with Avery by Annie Bryant - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Annie Bryant
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buddy,” Jason said. “Avery, this is my foster brother, Frankie. Frankie, this is Avery.”
I recognized Frankie from the pictures on the walls. He was the one with crazy brown hair that stuck out in messy spikes all over the place and lots of freckles.
“Hi, Frankie. How old are you?” I asked, bending over.
Frankie held up two hands—five fingers on one hand and one on the other. “
Six
,” he announced proudly. I wanted to laugh at how puffed up Frankie was getting for just being six.
Jason looked at me. “Frankie just had a birthday. Tell Avery what you got,” Jason suggested.
Frankie shook his head. “No, I don’t wanna.” Frankie’s eyes never left the wiggling bundle of ferret in my jacket. “Jason, can I hold Radley now?” he pleaded.
Jason nodded. “Sure. Just be careful.”
I lifted Radley out of my coat and passed him to Jason. Radley’s bright eyes looked around and settled on the sight of two six-year-old hands coming closer. Frankie grasped Radley for only a second before the ferret slithered out of his hands and scampered under the couch.
“Ohh …” Frankie sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“That’s okay, buddy,” Jason assured him. “Radley’s right here.” He reached under the couch and scooped upthe ferret. “But guess who Avery and I are about to go visit?”
Frankie’s eyes lit up. “Ollie!”
Jason smiled. “Yup.”
Frankie jumped up and down and tugged on Jason’s coat. “Jason, can I come? Can I be your assistant? I know how to. Pleeease?”
At the sound of footsteps, Jason put a finger up to his lips and said, “Shhh!” But Frankie wasn’t paying attention.
He went running out of the room the moment Bonnie returned holding a tray with three mugs. “We run a zoo here, Avery, in case you hadn’t noticed.” She laughed as a little person in a winter coat whizzed back through the door and into the hallway. “Now just where does Frankie think he’s going?”
Without missing a beat, Jason explained, “I’m going to go show Avery my birdhouses.” Birdhouses, huh? Was that a lie or a clue or both?
Bonnie nodded. “Well, that’s fine. But would you grab Frankie on your way? It’s too late and too chilly for him to be out playing … I don’t want him to catch a cold.”
“Yo, Frankie!” Jason called. We heard the sound of little footsteps retreating. “Not tonight, buddy. You can be my assistant tomorrow,” he promised, handing Frankie a fireball from his pocket. A fireball candy obviously wasn’t a good enough substitute for Ollie. Frankie put his hands on his hips and frowned. “And remember,” Jason whispered, “this is top secret! Let’s spit on it.”
Frankie thoughtfully removed the fireball from hismouth and squeezed it in one fist while he neatly spit into the other. Then he turned and glowered at me. “Thanks a lot,” he muttered and took off running through the house.
Jason handed Radley off to Bonnie. I got my coat and followed Jason out, but first asked Bonnie, “Can you save my hot chocolate for me for when we get back? Please?”
She smiled. “Of course, honey.”
Then I had to run to keep up with Jason. He was like Radley … always slipping away. I couldn’t wait to see who (or what) Ollie was. Maybe a boa constrictor. I used to want my own boa, but Mom practically had a heart attack when I mentioned the idea. Only Walter-sized snakes were allowed.
“Frankie doesn’t have a lot of patience,” Jason explained as we walked across the yard. “Bonnie said it’s hard for him to trust new people.”
I wondered what Frankie’s story was, but again, I wasn’t sure if that was too nosy of a question. “How’d you get him to trust you?” I asked instead.
Jason paused and thought about this as we trampled through the trees. “I dunno. I’ve always been good with wounded animals and stuff. Frankie sort of reminds me of one. Does that sound weird?”
I shook my head. “It makes sense to me.” I did know what he
I recognized Frankie from the pictures on the walls. He was the one with crazy brown hair that stuck out in messy spikes all over the place and lots of freckles.
“Hi, Frankie. How old are you?” I asked, bending over.
Frankie held up two hands—five fingers on one hand and one on the other. “
Six
,” he announced proudly. I wanted to laugh at how puffed up Frankie was getting for just being six.
Jason looked at me. “Frankie just had a birthday. Tell Avery what you got,” Jason suggested.
Frankie shook his head. “No, I don’t wanna.” Frankie’s eyes never left the wiggling bundle of ferret in my jacket. “Jason, can I hold Radley now?” he pleaded.
Jason nodded. “Sure. Just be careful.”
I lifted Radley out of my coat and passed him to Jason. Radley’s bright eyes looked around and settled on the sight of two six-year-old hands coming closer. Frankie grasped Radley for only a second before the ferret slithered out of his hands and scampered under the couch.
“Ohh …” Frankie sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“That’s okay, buddy,” Jason assured him. “Radley’s right here.” He reached under the couch and scooped upthe ferret. “But guess who Avery and I are about to go visit?”
Frankie’s eyes lit up. “Ollie!”
Jason smiled. “Yup.”
Frankie jumped up and down and tugged on Jason’s coat. “Jason, can I come? Can I be your assistant? I know how to. Pleeease?”
At the sound of footsteps, Jason put a finger up to his lips and said, “Shhh!” But Frankie wasn’t paying attention.
He went running out of the room the moment Bonnie returned holding a tray with three mugs. “We run a zoo here, Avery, in case you hadn’t noticed.” She laughed as a little person in a winter coat whizzed back through the door and into the hallway. “Now just where does Frankie think he’s going?”
Without missing a beat, Jason explained, “I’m going to go show Avery my birdhouses.” Birdhouses, huh? Was that a lie or a clue or both?
Bonnie nodded. “Well, that’s fine. But would you grab Frankie on your way? It’s too late and too chilly for him to be out playing … I don’t want him to catch a cold.”
“Yo, Frankie!” Jason called. We heard the sound of little footsteps retreating. “Not tonight, buddy. You can be my assistant tomorrow,” he promised, handing Frankie a fireball from his pocket. A fireball candy obviously wasn’t a good enough substitute for Ollie. Frankie put his hands on his hips and frowned. “And remember,” Jason whispered, “this is top secret! Let’s spit on it.”
Frankie thoughtfully removed the fireball from hismouth and squeezed it in one fist while he neatly spit into the other. Then he turned and glowered at me. “Thanks a lot,” he muttered and took off running through the house.
Jason handed Radley off to Bonnie. I got my coat and followed Jason out, but first asked Bonnie, “Can you save my hot chocolate for me for when we get back? Please?”
She smiled. “Of course, honey.”
Then I had to run to keep up with Jason. He was like Radley … always slipping away. I couldn’t wait to see who (or what) Ollie was. Maybe a boa constrictor. I used to want my own boa, but Mom practically had a heart attack when I mentioned the idea. Only Walter-sized snakes were allowed.
“Frankie doesn’t have a lot of patience,” Jason explained as we walked across the yard. “Bonnie said it’s hard for him to trust new people.”
I wondered what Frankie’s story was, but again, I wasn’t sure if that was too nosy of a question. “How’d you get him to trust you?” I asked instead.
Jason paused and thought about this as we trampled through the trees. “I dunno. I’ve always been good with wounded animals and stuff. Frankie sort of reminds me of one. Does that sound weird?”
I shook my head. “It makes sense to me.” I did know what he
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