School Days According to Humphrey Read Online Free Page B

in a big bucket of soapy water. Luckily, my mirror is firmly attached to my cage and it stayed (as well as my notebook hiding behind it).
    Next, she took a brush and BRUSHED-BRUSHED-BRUSHED everything clean.
    After that, she took all the soft, papery bedding out of my cage.
    â€œWhat’s that?” Holly asked, pointing to a corner.
    â€œThat’s Humphrey’s bathroom area,” Mrs. Brisbane replied. “Those are his droppings.”
    â€œHis poo?” Thomas’s eyes opened wide with surprise.
    Mrs. Brisbane nodded.
    â€œEwww—poo!” Thomas said.
    Somebody giggled. Then all of the kids started chanting, “Ewww-poo! Ewww-poo!” in a very rude way.
    Mrs. Brisbane shushed them. “Come on. It’s perfectly natural.”
    â€œPerfectly natural!” I repeated. “Besides, where else am I supposed to go?”
    â€œMay I hold Humphrey?” Rosie asked. “I already know how to hold a guinea pig.”
    Mrs. Brisbane carefully moved me from Kelsey’s palm to Rosie’s. Her hand didn’t shake one bit.
    Next, the teacher scrubbed the bottom and sides of my cage until they were unsqueakably clean.
    She let Helpful-Holly and Just-Joey put new bedding in my cage, while Phoebe filled my water bottle and Paul F. put fresh Nutri-Nibbles in my feeder. Yum.
    Paul G. put my wheel back in and made sure it was spinning properly while Harry and Thomas put everything else back in place.
    â€œIt looks and smells a lot better now, Humphrey,” Mrs. Brisbane said as she gently carried me from Rosie’s hand back to the cage. “Check it out.”
    I hopped on that shiny clean wheel and gave it all I had.
    â€œLook at Humphrey go!” Thomas T. True cried out. “He must be going a million miles an hour!”
    â€œHe couldn’t be going a million miles an hour. He’d break the sound barrier at 768 miles, and I don’t hear a sonic boom,” Small-Paul said.
    I was impressed. But I have to admit, I felt as if I was going a million miles an hour.
    â€œI guess Thomas was just exaggerating a little,” Mrs. Brisbane said.
    â€œThomas exaggerates a lot,” Small-Paul said.
    â€œNow, students, no bickering,” Mrs. Brisbane told them. “Let’s go back to our places.”
    I hopped off my wheel and settled down in that lovely fresh bedding.
    Phoebe raised her hand and Mrs. Brisbane called on her. “Did you say we all get to take Humphrey home?”
    â€œAt one time or another, yes,” was the answer. Phoebe’s face lit up.
    â€œIf you don’t get a turn right away, don’t worry,” the teacher continued. “You’ll get him eventually, as long as your parents sign a permission form. After all, families don’t always have time for a hamster on the weekend.”
    Phoebe’s smile faded away, but I think I was the only one who noticed.
    I was the one smiling when Mrs. Brisbane asked the students who’d like to take me home and every single hand went up.
    Maybe these new humans weren’t quite as strange as I thought.

    Later, Mrs. Brisbane rearranged the seating in the classroom. First, she had everyone take their belongings to the sides of the room. Then she told each student where to sit. There were a few groans, but mostly, the kids settled down without complaint, until Mrs. Brisbane went back to teaching and made some notes on the board.
    Suddenly, a hand began waving. “Teacher?”
    Mrs. Brisbane looked up. “Please call me Mrs. Brisbane,” she said. “What is it, Kelsey?”
    â€œI can’t see with him there.” She pointed to Tall-Paul, who was seated directly in front of her.
    I could imagine it would be hard to see with Paul G. blocking her view.
    â€œMy mistake,” Mrs. Brisbane said. “I must have gotten the Pauls mixed up. Paul Green, could you switch places with Paul Fletcher?”
    â€œOkay.” Tall-Paul gathered his