Buster by Caleb Huett (ebook reader library txt) 📕

fur in the wrong direction. I could already tell Tonio was a lot of things—smart, for one. Observant, like I said. His art was good, and he cared a lot about how other people felt. But his dad was telling him he liked that he was quiet? That he didn’t cause trouble?

I wondered if Tonio felt the way that I felt, when I was in Dog Court the first time. When I thought, You just want me to sit and stay. To lie down.

“Thanks, Dad.”

“And once we get past this tough spot you’ve been in lately, everything will be fine. And we’re almost past it. I can feel that, for sure.” Just say anxiety, I thought, feeling protective of Tonio all over again. “And if you have time later, you should come by the store! I could show you how to use the sticker maker! I got it custom-made to look like the biometric scanner in Aliens Everywhere, Part 2: ‘2’ Many Aliens.” And just like that, he was on a roll: “It’s famous because they didn’t introduce it until part two, but if biometric analysis already existed in the universe, then half of the problems in part one wouldn’t have even—”

The doorbell rang, saving everyone.

“I’ll go see who it is!” Mr. Pulaski announced in a big action-hero voice. He patted my head as he passed.

A voice chimed through when he opened the door, saying, “Sorry to bother you, Mr. Pulaski!” It was Mia! My ears perked up. I trotted over to get a better view right away.

“Mia! Good to see ya!”

Mia was wearing a green ribbon in her hair this time, matching a T-shirt featuring a centipede in a Bug Scouts hat (and one hundred boots). “Ring, ring! I was wondering if I could interest you in some Bug Bites.” She lifted up a tray of snacks for emphasis, and her voice shifted into a serious, practiced pattern. “As you may know, the Bellville Bug Scouts work hard every year to bring you high-quality snacks and raise money for various activities. As you also know, all of these activities are out in nature. But like we Bug Scouts always say, ‘Nature is Expensive!’ so I am hoping you will buy some of these Bug Bites. How many would you like?”

Mr. Pulaski blinked. “Is that a real Bug Scout motto? I don’t know that one.”

But Mrs. Pulaski was looming behind him, hunger in her tired eyes. “Peanut Butter Beetles?”

Mia smiled and held up her cardboard tray of snacks. “Twenty dollars.”

Mr. Pulaski’s eyes widened. “For one box?”

“Prices are up over the summer. Of course,” she said with a big smile, “you can always wait four months for the regular season.”

“Well, all right. Always happy to help out the Scouts. Laura, do you want any—” Mrs. Pulaski shoved Mr. Pulaski out of the way and slammed twenty dollars down on Mia’s tray. She took a box of Peanut Butter Beetles and zombie-walked her way back to her office.

Never get in the way of her snack, I noted.

“Is Antonio home, by the way? He left something at the shelter.”

“Antonio!” Mr. Pulaski called out. “Mia’s got something for you!”

“Don’t worry about it, Dad.” Tonio was blushing as he got to us. He stepped around Mr. Pulaski and slipped out the door with me at his heels. It was only when the door was shut and Mr. Pulaski was gone that Tonio looked at Mia directly. “Why aren’t you wearing the Bug Scout uniform?” he asked.

“I’m not really a Bug Scout. They’re all at camp.” She set the tray of snacks down on the landing in front of Tonio’s door and leaned against the rail. “But people pay good money for this junk when you can’t find it anywhere else. I bought a bunch of boxes in the fall and saved them up for summer.”

“You lied to my parents?!” I don’t think he even thought that was possible.

“So what? Your mom wanted them, and there aren’t any real Scouts around.” I’m sure Tonio wanted to argue, but his confidence wilted when he saw how sure she seemed. Maybe I made the wrong call, I thought, getting her attention.

Mia saw something in his face change, and she sighed. “I came over because I wanted to say sorry for yelling at you.”

I noticed that this was not, technically, an apology.

Tonio said, “Oh.”

She held out his journal. “Plus, you left this at the dog park.”

Tonio took it from her, surprised.

Mia went on. “My best friend used to draw. You’re not as good as her, but you’re pretty good.” She hefted up the tray of Bug Bites. “I’m at the shelter pretty much all the time. Usually over by the stable. There’s always stuff to do.”

Tonio’s eyebrows pushed together. “I don’t understand.”

She sighed in frustration. “We’re, like, the only kids in town, okay? And I saw how much you draw in that thing, so I know you don’t have anything better to do.”

My tail wagged. A friend! She wants to be friends! I did it!

“Better to do than what?” Tonio seemed genuinely confused.

Mia laughed again, harsher. “Okay, never mind. I get it. Sorry I lied to your dad.” She turned around and started heading down the stairs. Tonio looked down at me, alarmed, and then realized I was a dog and could not help with this one.

“Wait!” he called out. “Get what? What do you mean?”

She didn’t turn around. “I’ll see you later, Tonio. Bye, Buster.”

We stood there, together, and watched her walk away. Tonio shook his head and pushed the door back open for me. Fifteen minutes of staring blankly at his computer screen later, he finally spoke again.

“Does she want to be my friend?”

Now that Tonio knew Devon wasn’t at camp and could appear anytime, he was extra careful about going outside. Before we left for our next appointment with Dr. Jake, he looked out his bedroom window to make sure the other kid wasn’t walking around the square, and the whole ride there