Free Ghost Dog Secrets by Peg Kehret Page B

EIGHT
    I knew it!” Wendy cried. “I knew you were up to something.”
    My stomach felt as if I’d swallowed a stone.
    Andrew glared at his sister. “You are not going to tell anyone about this,” he said. “Not anyone!” His voice trembled with fury.
    â€œThat’s what you think,” Wendy replied.
    â€œYou little creep,” I said. “Get out of here!”
    â€œWhat do you want?” Andrew said.
    â€œI want to come in. I want to be in your club.”
    â€œNo way,” I said.
    â€œThen I’m telling Mom and Dad that you have a dog here.”
    Usually, I’m a nonviolent person. I don’t like to watch fights in movies. I don’t even like to watch wrestling on TV. But right then I would cheerfully have pounded Andrew’s little sister with both fists except that I knew it would not solve the problem. It would only make things worse.
    â€œBaneful, barbaric brat,” I said.
    Wendy’s lower lip jutted out. “That’s not allowed,” she said. “Mom says threesomes have to be nice. They can’t call other people names.”
    â€œThere are exceptions to every rule,” I said.
    â€œYou can’t be in our club,” Andrew said, “because we don’t have a club. We’re only taking care of a dog who needs a home. If you tell on us, he’ll have to go to the animal shelter.”
    â€œThat’s right,” I said, “and if he goes to the shelter he might not get adopted. There’s not a lot of demand for big dogs. He might get put down.”
    â€œIf that happens,” Andrew said, “it would be all your fault.”
    I could tell Wendy was wavering.
    â€œI want to help take care of him,” she said.
    Andrew looked at me.
    â€œNo,” I said. I couldn’t do it. It would take all of the fun out of having Ra if we had to share him with Wendy.
    â€œThen I’m telling.”
    â€œFine,” Andrew said. “Go ahead. Be a baby tattletale, like you always are. But don’t expect us to ever let you come anywhere with us again.”
    â€œThat includes bowling on Saturday afternoons,” I said.
    Wendy burst into tears, turned around, and ran for home.
    â€œWill she really blab on us?” I asked.
    â€œI don’t know. She might.”
    We took Ra for a quick walk, then sat in the fort to discuss what we should do.
    â€œIf she tells your parents,” I said, “they’ll call my mom. She wouldn’t take Ra to the shelter. She’d make me take Ra back where we got him.”
    â€œMaybe not,” Andrew said. “When our parents hear how Mean Man neglected him and hurt him, they might decide to let us keep him.”
    â€œDream on. My mom has a thing about honesty, and that includes not taking something that doesn’t belong to you.”
    I ran the brush through Ra’s fur as we talked. Andrew shook out Ra’s blanket and put fresh water in his bowl.
    â€œI’m sorry about Wendy,” he said.
    â€œIt isn’t your fault. You tried to keep her from following you.”
    â€œThat kid will be a private detective when she grows up.”
    â€œOr an investigative reporter.”
    â€œGrandma’s at my house today,” Andrew said. “If Wendy tells Grandma about Ra, there’s a chance I can convince Grandma not to tell my parents.”
    â€œUnless Wendy tells your grandma and then tells your parents, too, when they get home.”
    â€œThere is that possibility.”
    We looked glumly at each other. Finally Andrew stood up. Ra stood, too, wagging his tail eagerly.
    â€œWe might as well play with him,” Andrew said. “It may be the last chance we get.”
    We threw the ball and Ra retrieved it. After about ten minutes, we gave him his dinner. Then we threw the ball some more. No matter how long we played, Ra was always ready for more. When it started to rain, we went back in the fort.