Dexter the Tough by Margaret Peterson Haddix

that boy you met in the park?”
    â€œNn-oo,” Dexter said slowly.
    â€œOkay, just us,” Grandma said. “I understand. Want to order pizza? Ribs? As far as I’m concerned, tonight you can have all the ice cream you want. . . . ”
    The phone rang just then.
    â€œYes, yes,” Grandma said into the receiver. “You heard right. We’re so happy . . . ”
    Dexter walked over to the kitchen windowwhile she was talking. The window looked out on Grandma’s garage, where she’d kept Uncle Ted’s bike before she let Dexter ride it. Maybe she’d never get it back now, because Dexter was too ashamed to go over to the Bryces’ to get it.
    Grandma hung up from her phone call.
    â€œThat was Marilyn Dowd, who lived next door when your mom was a little girl,” she said. “And that reminds me”—she began dialing—“I should let Peggy Fristian know, too. . . . ”
    This time while Grandma was on the phone, Dexter pulled his story out of his backpack. Ms. Abbott had told him that, because of the big news, she’d give him an extension on his story. He wouldn’t have to turn it in until next week.
    â€œYou probably don’t feel like concentrating on schoolwork right now,” she’d said.
    Ms. Abbott hadn’t known until today that Dexter’s dad needed a bone marrow transplant. She didn’t know that Dexter hadn’t feltlike concentrating on schoolwork since Dad got sick.
    On the phone, Grandma was telling Peggy Fristian—whoever that was—“I just had to share the good news! Of course we still have to pray for Thomas’s complete recovery, but this is such a miracle. . . . ”
    Dexter reread his story, all the way up to the last line: Robin was crying before Dexter hit him.
    The thing was, Dexter did kind of want Robin to come over and celebrate. He wanted Robin to know that Dexter’s dad was going to be okay. He wanted Robin to know that Dexter’s mom hadn’t just left him behind for no good reason. He wanted Robin to know that Dexter was going to get a dog. He even wanted to tell Robin the jokes about tranplanting marshmallow fluff.
    But Dexter had hit Robin. Dexter had beaten Robin up. And Robin had told his mom about it, and there was no way Robin’s mom would want Robin hanging around with Dexter now.
    Dexter remembered how he thought that when Dad and Mom came home, it would be like nothing bad had ever happened. Dexter didn’t really understand how a bone marrow transplant worked—he thought it was kind of like a do-over in basketball, where Daddy’s body would get a whole new chance to make good blood, instead of bad.
    There wasn’t any kind of a transplant that could undo Dexter beating up Robin.
    How could Mom and Dad have such good news, when everything was still so messed up for Dexter?

Chapter 15
    â€œP sst.”
    It was time for recess, the next day. Dexter was just walking out of the school—last, as usual. The “Psst,” came from behind the door, then there was a whisper, “Hey, Dexter. Over here.”
    Dexter let the door swing shut. Robin was crammed in behind the door, like some sort of secret agent.
    â€œI’ve got someone for you to talk to,” Robin whispered. “Follow me.”
    Robin yanked the door open again and slipped inside.
    â€œI don’t think we’re supposed to—,” Dexter started to say.
    Robin poked his head out the door.
    â€œWhat? I can’t hear you through the glass. Come on. Hurry up!”
    Dexter sighed and followed Robin. Who had ever heard of anyone sneaking back into a school building during recess?
    Robin led Dexter away from the fourth-grade hallway, into a part of the building that Dexter had never seen before. Judging from the crooked finger paintings hanging on the wall, it was probably the kindergarten wing.
    â€œThere he