and colored in the white fur with an orange marker. All this Spirit Week stuff is working out perfectly for me.”
B shook her head. The risks were so huge! How could George be so relaxed about it?
He patted her shoulder. “I know you’re worried,” he said. “I’ll be careful. But it hasn’t been all bad, you know. I have so much energy! On the soccer field, I’m totally relaxed. I know I’m the fastest so I don’t worry that the other guy’s gonna get to the ball before me. I know I’ve got the strongest kick so their goalies don’t worry me. I’m a brand-new player!”
“Brand-new
species,
you mean,” B muttered.
The bell rang, and she left George and headed off to homeroom, thinking hard. She had to unravel that rhyme, and fast.
When she got to English class, she sat next to George as usual and sniffed the air.
“You need a shower,” she told her friend.
“Sorry.” He grinned. “I did shower this morning. It’s all the running getting me sweaty. You should smell my socks….”
“Ugh!” She laughed in spite of herself. “Sometimes you are so gross, George!”
“Got my soccer socks on today,” he said, hitching up his pant leg to show her. “The whole team’s been wearing their game socks all week for good luck.”
“Pee-yew,” she said, shaking her head. Then the sight of the sock made her stop still.
One from the original the brew.
The original brew that started all this trouble in the first place!
“George,” she whispered urgently, “I need one of those socks.”
“Huh?” He made a face at her. “At this point, they’re practically hazardous waste. Even my mom won’t touch ’em.”
B reached into her backpack and pulled a zippered baggie from her lunch bag. Her mom had filled it with grapes for a snack. B gobbled up thegrapes, then handed George the bag. “Sock, in bag, quick, before Mr. Bishop gets here.”
George pried off one sneaker, grimacing at B. “I’ve got a feeling I’m not going to like this. Can’t it wait until after tomorrow’s game?”
“Not a chance,” B said.
Just then Mr. Bishop came in. “Morning, class,” he said. “Let’s all settle down for this week’s pop quiz.”
After a few groans, the room went silent as Mr. Bishop passed out the papers. George slipped B the sock-in-a-bag, then tackled his quiz. It was on poetry terms — easy stuff for B.
She was halfway done when an earsplitting noise shattered the silence.
“Nee-hee-hee-hee!”
It was George, whinnying like a stallion!
After an astonished second of silence, the class burst out laughing. Mr. Bishop appeared by George’s desk, twirling the point of his beard. B felt her face grow hot.
“I’m at a loss, George, to explain the soundyou just made,” Mr. Bishop said. “Can you enlighten me?”
George bit his lip and grinned. “Well, the test question was on onomatopoeia. I was just … thinking about what that means, and I … thought about horses and I … forgot I was in public for a minute.”
Mr. Bishop shook his head and chuckled. “Well, try to remember next time. And maybe, if you need to think of something, think of fish or mice, okay?”
“Okay.”
B rolled her eyes. Nice save, George. A little close for comfort, but no goalie could do better. Still, this was a definite sign of “intensification.”
Half of B’s mind worked on the quiz, while the other half thought about the spell some more. One from the original brew,
check.
Hair of the beast that’s troubling you?
That could only mean a zebra hair, right? But where was she get going to get zebra hair from?
They passed in their quizzes, then B handed George a note. “After school, we’re going to the zoo.”
Chapter 14
The zoo was across town, miles away, and B knew her mom wouldn’t want her to ride the public transportation buses there all by herself. She’d need someone older to take her and George.
It was time to cash in some sister favors.
B knew that during lunch period, Dawn
B shook her head. The risks were so huge! How could George be so relaxed about it?
He patted her shoulder. “I know you’re worried,” he said. “I’ll be careful. But it hasn’t been all bad, you know. I have so much energy! On the soccer field, I’m totally relaxed. I know I’m the fastest so I don’t worry that the other guy’s gonna get to the ball before me. I know I’ve got the strongest kick so their goalies don’t worry me. I’m a brand-new player!”
“Brand-new
species,
you mean,” B muttered.
The bell rang, and she left George and headed off to homeroom, thinking hard. She had to unravel that rhyme, and fast.
When she got to English class, she sat next to George as usual and sniffed the air.
“You need a shower,” she told her friend.
“Sorry.” He grinned. “I did shower this morning. It’s all the running getting me sweaty. You should smell my socks….”
“Ugh!” She laughed in spite of herself. “Sometimes you are so gross, George!”
“Got my soccer socks on today,” he said, hitching up his pant leg to show her. “The whole team’s been wearing their game socks all week for good luck.”
“Pee-yew,” she said, shaking her head. Then the sight of the sock made her stop still.
One from the original the brew.
The original brew that started all this trouble in the first place!
“George,” she whispered urgently, “I need one of those socks.”
“Huh?” He made a face at her. “At this point, they’re practically hazardous waste. Even my mom won’t touch ’em.”
B reached into her backpack and pulled a zippered baggie from her lunch bag. Her mom had filled it with grapes for a snack. B gobbled up thegrapes, then handed George the bag. “Sock, in bag, quick, before Mr. Bishop gets here.”
George pried off one sneaker, grimacing at B. “I’ve got a feeling I’m not going to like this. Can’t it wait until after tomorrow’s game?”
“Not a chance,” B said.
Just then Mr. Bishop came in. “Morning, class,” he said. “Let’s all settle down for this week’s pop quiz.”
After a few groans, the room went silent as Mr. Bishop passed out the papers. George slipped B the sock-in-a-bag, then tackled his quiz. It was on poetry terms — easy stuff for B.
She was halfway done when an earsplitting noise shattered the silence.
“Nee-hee-hee-hee!”
It was George, whinnying like a stallion!
After an astonished second of silence, the class burst out laughing. Mr. Bishop appeared by George’s desk, twirling the point of his beard. B felt her face grow hot.
“I’m at a loss, George, to explain the soundyou just made,” Mr. Bishop said. “Can you enlighten me?”
George bit his lip and grinned. “Well, the test question was on onomatopoeia. I was just … thinking about what that means, and I … thought about horses and I … forgot I was in public for a minute.”
Mr. Bishop shook his head and chuckled. “Well, try to remember next time. And maybe, if you need to think of something, think of fish or mice, okay?”
“Okay.”
B rolled her eyes. Nice save, George. A little close for comfort, but no goalie could do better. Still, this was a definite sign of “intensification.”
Half of B’s mind worked on the quiz, while the other half thought about the spell some more. One from the original brew,
check.
Hair of the beast that’s troubling you?
That could only mean a zebra hair, right? But where was she get going to get zebra hair from?
They passed in their quizzes, then B handed George a note. “After school, we’re going to the zoo.”
Chapter 14
The zoo was across town, miles away, and B knew her mom wouldn’t want her to ride the public transportation buses there all by herself. She’d need someone older to take her and George.
It was time to cash in some sister favors.
B knew that during lunch period, Dawn
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