Free Look at Lucy! by Ilene Cooper Page A

stop at Pet-O-Rama and buy some food for Lucy.”
    School.
There was that word again. Then he had a thought. “Can Shawn come with us, Mom? He’s looking for a pet,” Bobby informed his mother. “He doesn’t know whatkind yet. A trip to Pet-O-Rama will give him some ideas.”
    “Okay. We’re leaving in a few minutes. I’ll call your mother, Shawn, and make sure it’s fine for you to come with us,” Bobby’s mother said.
    Shawn nodded. Like Bobby, he didn’t find it easy to speak up.
    Bobby looked at Shawn.
Is Shawn worried about school starting, too?
Bobby wondered.
    It was hard to be the new kid. But in a way, Bobby wished he could be the new kid. He would like a fresh start. He was sure plenty of his classmates remembered that in kindergarten he was so shy, he used to cry. His nickname was Cry Bobby.
    “Shawn …,” Bobby began.
    “What?”
    “School is starting soon.”
    “I know,” Shawn answered quietly. “How could I forget?”
    From the look on Shawn’s face, Bobby had his answer. Shawn wasn’t any happier about school than he was.

Pet-O-Rama
    P encils. Notebooks. Crayons. Bobby and his mother filled up a shopping cart with school supplies. Shawn’s mother had said he should buy some things, too. So Shawn added his items to the cart.
    “Mom, when will we find out if Shawn and I are in the same classroom?” Bobby asked.
    “We should hear in the next few days,”Mrs. Quinn said as she pushed the cart down the crowded aisles.
    “I sure hope we’re in the same room,” Bobby told Shawn.
    “Me too,” Shawn answered. “At least you know some kids at school. I don’t know anybody.”
    “You know Candy,” Mrs. Quinn reminded Shawn. “She’s in our school district now. She might be in your class.”
    Candy was a new friend Bobby had made in dog obedience class. Lucy wasn’t a very good student, but Candy’s dog, Butch, was terrible. He sat when he was told to stand. He sat when he was asked to fetch. Sometimes in the middle of class he just lay down and closed his eyes.
    “It would be great if Candy ends up in our classroom,” Bobby said. “She talks somuch, we wouldn’t have to talk at all.”
    The boys grinned at each other. They both liked Candy, but sometimes it was hard to get a word in edgewise.
    Shawn and Candy in his room.
Bobby wondered what it would be like to have two friends in class. Then his smile faded. What if they wanted Bobby to introduce them to the other kids? Bobby barely knew the boys and girls who had been with him in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade. Most of the kids ignored him.
    Bobby started to feel funny. Maybe it wouldn’t be so great to have Shawn and Candy as classmates. He didn’t want them to know how unpopular he was.
    “Bobby? You haven’t heard a word I’ve said,” his mother told him.
    Bobby shrugged. It was true. He hadn’t.
    “I want to do a little clothes shopping,” his mother repeated.
    Bobby groaned.
    “We’ll get to the pet store soon,” Mrs. Quinn said. She was already pushing her cart toward the kids’ clothing section.
    Bobby sighed. The best thing to do was to make clothes shopping go as fast as possible.
    Bobby picked out a blue shirt. And a sweatshirt with a football helmet on it.
    His mother put the clothes in the cart. “All right. Would you like to try on some jeans?”
    Bobby and Shawn looked at each other. That could take forever.
    Mrs. Quinn gave up. “I can see you’re not in the mood to try on jeans right now.”
    Right now?
Bobby thought.
I’ll never be in the mood for that
.
    “Let’s check out,” Mrs. Quinn said. “Then we’ll go to the pet store.”
    “Finally,” Bobby whispered to Shawn. Shawn just nodded.
    But they weren’t out of the store yet. There was a long checkout line, and it was moving slowly.
    “Mom …,” Bobby pleaded.
    “All right,” Mrs. Quinn said. “Pet-O-Rama is right next door. Go to the pet section and meet me there. Stick together!”
    “We will!” Bobby and