Buster by Caleb Huett (ebook reader library txt) 📕

Worse, he kept my water bowl in the kitchen very full, all the time. I could lap up just a little water and he was there, immediately, pouring more back in to keep it filled to the brim with that fresh, crisp life juice. Tonio was a good owner, and so I didn’t have a good excuse to drink out of the toilet unless I drank all that water first. I was trying to prove I was a dog, not get into real trouble—I couldn’t just spill it all over the floor for no reason!

While Tonio was distracted, I headed downstairs to work on drinking the water. I figured I’d come up with a plan to get Tonio’s attention after at least that step was done. Mrs. Pulaski was downstairs on the phone, and Tonio mostly had been avoiding her since their conversation in the truck, so I knew he wouldn’t come down and refill my water bowl anytime soon.

“Yes, thank you. It says here you’ve got a counselor who specializes in helping with school-related anxiety.” Mrs. Pulaski clicked around on her laptop. “I was wondering if you could tell me a little more about what that looks like.”

She’s really serious about Tonio switching schools, I thought.

The first few seconds of lapping up water were easy. I love water. I could drink water all day, I thought, until a few seconds later, when I really felt like I had had enough water for right now, and should come back later to drink the rest of the water.

No! I resolved. Why would a dumb dog drink toilet water when perfectly good bowl water was available? I have to appear desperate.

“So you have places he can go if he gets upset? And you’ll try to get him over his fear completely?”

Halfway through the bowl and I felt like I was drowning. Lap lap lap lap lap lap lap. The sound annoyed me, and I was the one making it! Three-quarters through and I had to take a break, dry off my tongue. Crying a little wouldn’t help get the water out, right? Probably not.

“No, I know that—I’m not saying I need a guarantee. But he’s been dealing with this for a while, and I want to find someone who can help him move past this.”

I powered through the last quarter of the bowl and sniffed at it while my stomach gurgled. Ugh. But it was empty, and now I just needed to take a few more gulps from the toilet bowl. No problem. My trip back upstairs was slow and sloshy, which gave me time to think of a plan.

In puppy school, they made it sound so easy, like humans were always standing around toilets waiting to catch us grabbing a sip, but I was beginning to realize the Big Three were easier barked than done. The more I considered, the more I thought the best option was to wait in the bathroom until Tonio had to go, and drink when I heard him coming down the hallway. He and Mia were debating over exactly what cards to put in their decks and were very much in the zone, which meant it might be a while. But I could handle it.

The tile of the bathroom was cold under my paws. I sniffed at the toilet—such a complicated series of scents, so much information about Tonio’s family. Mr. Pulaski was getting over a cold, Mrs. Pulaski had eaten a lot of Cheese Bobs, and Tonio was having stomach trouble. Tonio had a lot of stomach trouble, which is apparently common when you have anxiety.

No sign of Tonio after ten minutes, and I was starting to feel all that water I’d drunk. I’d have to go to the bathroom soon, but it could wait. If Tonio took me out, we’d go downstairs, and he’d see my water bowl and refill it. I wasn’t leaving until I drank from the toilet!

Fifteen minutes and nothing. I focused and in the other room could hear the quiet flipping of cards. Come on, Tonio!

Twenty minutes and I was getting desperate. I really needed to use the restroom, but this plan was important. The Big Three were foolproof, right? This would work, if Tonio would just come out of his room.

Flip, flip. “What about this one?”

Shuffle shuffle. “If you take out one of your other spells, yeah.”

I had overestimated my ability to hold it and now I was desperate to pee, in the house, and there was no way I was going to have an accident on the floor. How embarrassing!! There was only one choice: I had to use the toilet. Tonio wasn’t coming, anyway, and this way I’d be able to keep waiting until he did.

One quick jump onto the toilet. I balanced all four paws on the seat and did my business.

“What’s that noise? Buster?” Tonio had heard! Oh no. I tried to finish up fast and then, panicking, hit the flush lever on the toilet. He can’t see what I’ve done!

Tonio pushed the door open wide as the toilet was finishing its flush cycle, and I was hopping off and trying to look innocent.

“Did you just flush the toilet?”

I couldn’t meet his gaze—I was too embarrassed. After a second with no answer, he patted his leg for me to follow, and we went back to his room.

Two failures. One more chance to prove I was just a boring dog.

“So cards are based on the five Beamblade Elements: Fire, Water, Air, Earth, and Gravity. They each have a different color that’s on all the cards.” Tonio continued to insist that they should go over all the rules before they started to play, and Mia was protesting this method by getting bored and asking unrelated questions.

“Why don’t you ever show these in art class?” She held up a handful of Tonio’s card drawings. “I had no idea you were so good.”

“Those are just copies.” Tonio flipped over a few