Free Bluefish by Pat Schmatz

my dad crazy. He said if I talked about a game that wasn't football, Monopoly, or charades one more time, he'd yank them all. I forgot, and did, and he did."
    "Wow, that must have been very traumatic for you.
    Why aren't you sitting with your buddies over there? I'm sure they'd be much more sympathetic to your sad story."
    Bradley and Velveeta punched words back and forth across the table so fast, they didn't even land. Like a tennis ball that never hit the court.
    "Those guys are no fun since I can't play," said Bradley.
    "I went over to Reed's last night, and he and Jake were all about how they'd own me if I was playing, but they're only saying that because I can't."
    "Whatever that means," said Velveeta. "If you were at Reed's house, why couldn't you play? Would Reed's parents rat you out?"
    "I wouldn't lie to my parents."
    "Really? Never? What about you, Travis?" The sound of his name jerked Travis out of the bleachers and into the game. "Do you lie?"
    "About what?" he asked.
    "Anything," said Velveeta. "Do you lie to your parents?"
    "I don't say anything to them."
    "Predictable," said Velveeta. "Bradley is Mr. Honesty America. Travis the stealth boy keeps his mouth shut, and Velveeta lies to anyone who will listen. We should start a superhero team."
    "Maybe," said Bradley. "But maybe you're lying about lying."
    "Maybe I'm not," said Velveeta. "Anyway, you don't have to worry about me and Travis here tempting you with any illegal electronics. We don't even know what you're talking about half the time, right, Travissimo?"
    "I don't," said Travis. Even if he wanted those games, he'd never have them, and even if he had them, he'd rather be on Velveeta's team than Bradley's in any game.
    "Okay, then tell me what you guys talk about so I can talk about it with my dad and prove I can talk about something besides games, and then he'll let me back online."
    "Oh, so that's why you're sitting with the white- trash club?" said Velveeta.
    "Trying to learn our language so you can normal up to Daddy?"
    "No, I - "
    "Sorry we couldn't give you more to work with, Bradley. Try us again tomorrow
    - we'll talk about shop-lifting. Your daddy will love that."
    She walked away, and Bradley turned to Travis in half a panic.
    "I didn't mean it like that," he said. "I like you guys."

    "You like Velveeta."
    "I do. Can you tell her I didn't mean it like that?"
    "Tell her yourself," said Travis.
    on WEDNESDAY
    I went home after working at the library and the madre wanted to play cribbage, but I hate playing with her when she's that drunk. She started in with, "What am I going to do when you leave me?"
    The thing is, what IS she going to do when I leave? I mean, I'm leaving someday, right? I don't have to live in this trailer court forever, do I? And what happens when she gets sick - not hung over, but really sick? Butt face Jimmy only comes over when he needs something, not when she needs something.
    Then I look at Bradley, with his nice new clothes and shiny white Nikes and green and gold braces on his teeth. He is so well taken care of - who cares if he's the biggest dork in America? I bet his parents already have him enrolled in some fancy college. I bet they check his homework every night. I bet they tuck him into bed. I bet his mommy sings him lullabies.
    I've been reading this book of McQueen's. It's about a girl named Liesel whose mother dumped her with strangers.
    She's super- smart, but she can't read. Not even a little. The way she learns how is by circling words in a book.
    I was in the middle of that part today and I looked over at Travis, and he was concentrating like crazy on that book with the fox on the cover.
    Writing in it with a pencil. He didn't look up one time the whole period.
    Plus he was at school early, sitting on the floor with that book and a pencil, and he tried to hide it when I walked up.
    Plus he has passed every single time we read in Gordon's class. Every time. I've never heard him read anything.
    Plus he was so