Free Any Way You Slice It by Nancy Krulik Page A

The boys were sitting at a big table with Kevin’s older brother, Ian.
    “Where have you been?” George asked as Katie, Suzanne, and Jeremy sat down. “You were supposed to be here ten minutes ago.”
    “Shhh. Louie’s just about to do a double twist,” Ian interrupted excitedly.
    Katie turned to look at Louie. The pizza chef tossed the big circle of dough in the air. Then he spun around twice, reached his hands out, and caught the pizza just before it hit the counter.
    “All right!” Jeremy cheered.
    “Louie, you rock!” Ian shouted.
    “That pie’s going to be pepperoni,” George told the others. “And I’m getting a slice!”
    Katie was a vegetarian. She’d been hoping that Louie’s next pie would be a spinach pizza. Oh well. She could wait. Katie couldn’t go home from the mall until her mother got off work.

    Louie ladled the sauce onto the pizza. His arm moved swiftly, leaving red sauce all over the dough. Next, he tossed some cheese into the air. The white mozzarella bits fell like snow from the sky. Then Louie took a few steps back and started flinging pepperoni slices at the pizza.
    The pepperoni looked like little Frisbees as they flew through the air and landed on top of the cheese. Then, as he sang loudly, he added a pinch of his secret herbs. Finally, he slid the finished pizza into the oven.
    The crowd cheered.
    Louie took a bow and picked up another ball of dough. “Now for a Louie’s veggie special!” he announced, smiling at Katie.
    Just then, Becky Stern came running into Louie’s Pizza Shop.
    “Where have you been?” Suzanne asked her. “Louie already made a pepperoni pie.”
    “I’m sorry I’m late,” Becky apologized in her soft Southern accent. “My mother wanted to stop and get a slice of pizza.” She grabbed a chair and sat down next to Jeremy.
    “Why didn’t she get the pizza here?” Katie asked her.
    “Yeah,” Jeremy agreed. “Louie makes the greatest pizza in the whole world.”
    Becky smiled at him. “I believe you, Jeremy. After all, you do have the best taste!”
    Jeremy blushed.
    “But my mother had a coupon for a free slice at Olives and Oregano,” Becky continued.
    “Olives and Oregano is on the other side of town,” Katie said, raising her eyebrows. “Why did you go all the way over there?”
    Becky shook her head. “There’s a new Olives and Oregano right here in the Cherrydale Mall. It’s next to the Flower Power flower shop. Today is the Grand Opening. They’re giving out all sorts of free food.”
    “Did you say free food?” a woman at the next booth asked Becky.
    Becky nodded. “Free pizza and soda. I just had some.”
    The woman stood up. She grabbed her little girl by the hand. “Come on, Alexandra,” she said. “Let’s try the new restaurant.”
    Then a terrible thing happened.
    Something that had never happened before.
    Louie dropped the pizza dough.
    “Sorry, folks,” Louie said, as he scooped up the dirty dough from the floor, changed his rubber cooking gloves, and picked up a new ball of dough. “Let’s try that again.”
    Louie tossed the new ball of pizza dough in the air. He spun around in a circle as it flew through the air, and sang an Italian song. But he wasn’t smiling the way he usually did when he was making pizza.
    Louie was obviously upset. And Katie was pretty sure it didn’t have anything to do with the fallen pizza dough.

Chapter 3
    “Boy, does Becky have a crush on you!” Suzanne teased as she, Jeremy, and Katie climbed into the backseat of Mrs. Carew’s car later that afternoon.
    “She does not!” Jeremy protested.
    “Does too,” Suzanne answered back. She batted her eyes and imitated Becky’s accent. “Oooh, Jeremy. You have the best taste!”
    Jeremy blushed. He pushed his glasses up on his nose. “I wish Becky had never moved here!” he exclaimed suddenly.
    Katie gulped. “Jeremy, don’t make wishes like that,” she warned.
    Katie knew all about making wishes.

    Sometimes they came