wasnât the most exciting comeback, Sallyâs sudden celebrity, mingled with the mood of the moment, allowed it to land like a Scud missile. The girls cheered as Tommy threw his hands in the air and stormed off.
Sally sneaked a peek at Viola out of the corner of her eye and saw that she was pouting again. Though she warned herself not to make a habit of this kind of talk, Sally had to admit that victory felt good.
As the excitement of the exchange died down, Sally became more and more embarrassed by her temper. Though her lunch mates seemed eager to discuss the interaction ad nauseum, Sally found herself wanting to talk about anything else at all. Unfortunately, Susannah changed the subject for her.
âSo what was Tommy talking about?â she asked. âWhat did Officer Stu want with you?â
Sally flushed. âOh, it was nothing,â she replied. âJust something about some stolen dog stuff.â
âWait, I know about this,â Chati chimed in. Sally wondered if there was anything Chati wasnât aware of. âSo, my cousin, Vani, heard from our granny, Nanny, who heard from her neighbor, Tom, who heard from his mother, Mrs. Foolery, who heard from her gardener, Greenly Thum, who heard from his best friend, Officer Stu, that someone has been stealing all the neighborhood dogsâ bones!â
âSo?â Viola finally spoke. âWho cares?â
âA lot of people, from the sound of it,â Chati continued. âBetween the pound and the sheriffâs office, the phone has been ringing off the hook with complaints. My puggle, Peaches, was entirely unimpressed by the vintage disco outfit I dressed her in this morning. It was tragic!â She turned to Sally. âWhat did Officer Stu talk to you about?â
Sallyâs mind raced. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to know that Bones was a suspect, especially now that she and Bones were just starting to fit in. âOh, uh, he wanted to know if Bones had had anything stolen,â she lied.
âHas he?â Chati asked, concerned.
âNope. Last I checked, heâs got all his bones right here,â Sally joked.
âGGGgggrrrr-uff!â Bones barked as he leapt from his carrier and onto Sallyâs lap. The girls giggled and clapped. âAnyway, Chati,â Sally began, quickly switching topics. âThe concert your parents are taking you to for your birthdayâwhoâs the band, anyway?â
âWell, thatâs the other problem,â Chati sighed. âThe band isnât one Iâve really head of. You know, itâs so much less fun to dance onstage when you donât know what youâre grooving to.â The girls mumbled their agreement.
âHey, wait a second,â Chati suddenly remembered. âI think you know them, Sally. In fact Iâm sure youâve mentioned them before. The bandâs called something likeâ¦Stone Deaf?â
âTone Death?!â Sally slammed her fists on the table and lurched toward Chati. Bones began to bark excitedly, and the girls shrunk back.
âY-yeah, thatâs it,â Chati stammered.
Recklessly abandoning her cool Q, Sally could hardly cover her disgust. Worse than making a fool of herself yelling at Tommy was knowing that tickets to see her favorite band would be wasted on Chati Chattercathy and her lamebrained friends. It was almost too much to bear.
âWow.â Sallyâs speech became robotic. âYou are very lucky, Chati. Tone Death is my favorite band. Please let me know how the concert is.â Closing her hands in tight fists, Sally dug her nails into her palms. To her surprise, Chati lit up like a firefly.
âOmigosh Sally!â Chati squeaked. âI just had the bestest idea. Why donât you and Bones come with us?â
âWhat?â Sally and Viola said in unison.
âSure! I mean, I canât stand my cousin Vani anyway, so Iâll just disinvite her and
Margie Orford
Ann Featherstone
Kurtis Scaletta, Eric Wight
Cassie Page
Laura Miller
J.A. Huss
Graham Hurley
Michael Knaggs
Leah Fleming
Jennifer Crusie