Free Freddie Ramos Springs into Action by Jacqueline Jules Page A

fun. But when Mr. Vaslov gave me my purple zapatos, it got a lot more interesting.

    I ran beside the overhead track. Smoke swirled around me as my legs spun faster and faster. The wind whooshed against my face so hard, I had to blink my eyes. Rápido! I zipped past the train, flying on the ground. ZAPATO POWER! Nothing could touch me! I was faster than a rocket!

    But still too young to leave the house without telling my mother.
    â€œFREDDIE! WHERE ARE YOU?” Mom shouted all over Starwood Park.

    I raced back up the hill to where Mom stood with her hands on her hips. “Where did you go? I was worried.”
    â€œTo tell Mr. Vaslov about Mrs. Tran’s window,” I said.
    â€œI’m glad you’re all right.”
    Mom hugged me. She’s been mushy ever since last year, when we lost my soldier dad and my grandmother, Abuela. Mom says we only have each other now, so she deserves extra hugs whenever she gets worried about me.
    â€œAnd I’m glad you know better than to throw balls through windows,” Mom added.
    â€œGio needs a softer ball,” I said.
    â€œYes, he does,” a deep voice behind us agreed. It was Mr. Vaslov. He held a blue and white beach ball.
    Mom laughed. “Gio won’t break any windows with that!”
    â€œI know.” Mr. Vaslov smiled. “That’s why I’m giving it to him.”
    â€œYou’re such a nice man!” Mom said. “We’re lucky to have you at Starwood Park.”

    Mom was right about Mr. Vaslov. He gave me my purple zapatos, and he gave Gio a new ball without yelling at him for breaking the window.
    â€œAccidents happen,” Mr. Vaslov said. “It’s part of life.”
    â€œThanks!” Gio shouted, as he took the beach ball. “Can I play with it now?”
    â€œThrow it as high as you want,” Mr. Vaslov said. “It shouldn’t hurt anything!”
    We all stood watching Gio toss the ball for a few minutes. Then Mom put her hand on my shoulder.
    â€œFreddie? Do you know you’re still wearing pajamas?”

3. An On-Off Switch

    The rest of my Sunday wasn’t too exciting. We didn’t have anything to do except clean the house. I really miss my abuela on Sundays. When she was alive, we went over to her house for dinner. Now, Mom and I usually clean Claude the Second’s cage. Cleaning guinea pig poop is just not as much fun as eating tamales. And Mom gets cranky when Claude the Second waddles off his newspaper and leaves tiny presents on the carpet.
    â€œGet the vacuum cleaner!” Mom ordered, scooping up my guinea pig.

    I rushed down the hall, forgetting all about the smoke that comes out of my purple zapatos every time I run.
    â€œThanks!” Mom said, handing me Claude the Second so she could take the vacuum. “You were so fast you were smoking!”
    Luckily, Mom cared more about cleaning up Claude the Second’s poop than why I could run so fast. She didn’t know about my Zapato Power. Mom already worried enough. Knowing I had super speed and was trying to be a superhero wouldn’t make her feel any better. I needed to be more careful. My purple zapatos were just fine when I walked. But the second I picked up some speed, I zoomed off like a rocket! It wasn’t just a problem in front of my mom, it was a problem on the playground.
    â€œHow come you turn into a puff of smoke when you run?” my friend Maria asked the next day at recess.
    Super speed is not an easy thing to hide during a basketball game.
    â€œCome on, Freddie!” Hamza said. “Don’t be a hog. Let somebody else get some points for a change.”
    â€œHow do you know it’s Freddie?” Maria asked. “All I can see is a magic wind stealing the ball.”
    I tried to slow down, but my super zapatos wouldn’t let me. And my hands were just as itchy as my feet. With super speed, I was always next to the ball. It was natural to grab it and go for