Riley Mack and the Other Known Troublemakers Read Online Free Page A

that boofnut?”
    â€œBecause we heard you needed rescuing.” They shook hands. To Riley, Jamal’s fist felt colder than a frozen corn dog. “Mr. Karpinski? How much for hot cocoa?”
    â€œOh, I don’t know, Riley. How about two hundred dollars?”
    Riley handed the shopkeeper back his stack of money. “Deal.”
    Jake pumped Jamal a steaming cup of hot chocolate from a canister dispenser and handed it to him. Still shivering, Jamal took it gratefully.
    â€œSorry about the collateral damage, Mr. K.,” said Riley, surveying the knocked-down candy bar display. “We won’t leave until we clean up our mess.” He began picking up the less damaged bars, stuffing them into his pockets so he could tote them back to their crunkled rack.
    â€œI really was good, wasn’t I?” Briana said to Mongo as they helped Riley tidy up. Like most actresses, Briana needed a ton of praise. Constantly. Standing ovations whenever possible.
    â€œYou were incredible,” said Mongo. “When I heard you on the radio, I thought you really were the police.”
    â€œThat’s because I, like, so totally believed it! Acting is believing, Mongo. Remember that.” She pulled a fluttering hand down in front of her face, closed her eyes, and bowed.
    â€œOkay,” said Mongo, who always looked a little spooked whenever Briana flew into cornflake mode.
    â€œHow we doing over there?” Riley asked Jake, who was pumping the semifrozen fifth grader a second cup of cocoa.
    â€œBetter,” said Jake. “I think he’s almost thawed.”
    â€œYou want I should call an ambulance?” asked Mr. Karpinski.
    â€œNo need,” said Jamal. “I feel fine. And my face is still symmetrical even though my nose was completely crushed against the freezer rack. You know what that word symmetrical means?”
    â€œNo,” said Mongo.
    â€œMeans both sides look the same. I memorized that word. I memorized a whole mess of S words out of the dictionary last night. Symmetrical. Symphonic. Symbiotic. That’s two dissimilar organisms living together.”
    Riley smiled. The new kid had spunk. He was also kind of chatty once his tongue wasn’t frozen.
    A bell dinged. Somebody had just pulled up to the self-serve gas pumps out in the parking lot.
    â€œThanks again for the use of your store, Mr. K.,” said Riley.
    â€œHey, you kids did a good thing.” Mr. Karpinksi gestured toward Jamal, who was so tiny that the waist of Jake’s hooded sweatshirt was hanging below his knees. “Somebody’s gotta look out for the little guys, you know what I’m saying?”
    â€œI am not little,” said Jamal. “I am diminutive. Do you know what diminutive means?”
    â€œYeah,” said Riley. “Little.”
    The front doors slid open.
    â€œWell, well, well. If it isn’t Riley Mack and his annoying little gnat pack.”
    It was Gavin Brown’s father.
    â€œAfternoon, chief,” said Mr. Karpinski.
    Yep. Gavin Brown’s father was the chief of police in Fairview Township. That’s why Gavin never worried when anybody threatened to call the cops on him. It just meant his dad would come pick him up and give him a ride home.
    Chief Brown tucked his cop hat under his arm and waded into the store. He was a big root beer barrel of a man, filled with nearly as much gas.
    â€œKarpy? Where’s my coffee?” the chief called to Mr. Karpinski, never taking his beady eyes off Riley. Coolly, Riley continued picking up candy bars and stuffing them into his pockets.
    â€œComing right up, chief.”
    â€œTwo creams and four sugars. And toss in a couple of those doughnuts I like.”
    The whole time he barked out his order, the chief kept his rat eyes glued on Riley.
    Riley stood up. Dusted off his jeans.
    â€œYou shoplifting again, Mr. Mack?”
    â€œNope.”
    â€œWhat’s with all those candy bars stuffed