The Dog in the Freezer Read Online Free Page B

going on in the parking lot. Mom and Dad were waiting by our car. “You’re the star,” Dad said. I got hugged and kissed again.
    Tina was with her parents, but she ran over and hugged me. “I’m a friend of Gregory’s,” Tina said to Mom. “He’s my best friend!”
    â€œWell, then, come have ice cream with us to celebrate,” Mom said.
    â€œWhere’s that cute Einstein?” Tina said.
    â€œI gave him to your friends to walk,” Dad said to me. “They offered. They should be coming back right away.”
    â€œFriends?” I said. “Who?”
    â€œThere were two of them. One was tall and the other one—”
    â€œThat might be Ron and Ernie,” Tina said.
    â€œNice boys!” Dad said.
    Nice boys? He didn’t know Ron and Ernie the way I did. Tina didn’t either. Nobody did. I ran back to the school. The gym was empty. The custodians were sweeping with their big brooms. I went to the locker room. What if they’d stuffed Gregory into one of the lockers? “Gregory!” I yelled. “If you hear my voice, bark!”
    â€œWhat’d you lose?” a custodian said.
    â€œMy dog. Have you seen him?”
    â€œHe’s probably home looking for you.”
    I wanted it to be true, but I knew it wasn’t. Gregory never took good care of himself.
    Tina was waiting outside. “Did you find him, Gregory?”
    I shook my head.
    Tina went up on her toes trying to see out over the cars. “They could be anywhere, the woods or the pond. Don’t look so worried, Gregory. I’m sure Einstein’s fine.”
    â€œThe pond!” I said. I took off running.
    15 ■ There was a small island in the middle of the pond and a narrow wooden walkway that crossed to it. That’s where I found Ron and Ernie. They were holding a plastic bag.
    When they saw me they swung the bag between them like a pendulum, up and back, then they flung it into thepond. I heard Gregory’s panicked bark, and then a splash as the bag hit the water. Ron and Ernie high-fived.
    I dove into the pond, went down, and felt along the bottom. It was all slime and mud. I came up with a handful of black gunk and branches. Tina shouted at me to go out farther.
    I dove again and groped along the bottom. This time I found the bag and tore the plastic open with my teeth. Gregory was inside. He was limp. I grabbed him around the middle and brought him up to the surface. He coughed and struggled against me. We thrashed and went under again, down into the muck. We came up, still locked together. I clung to him. I held his hair in my teeth and pulled him to shore.
    Tina waded out to us. “Oh, Gregory, that was so brave! And Einstein, you were brave, too! Poor thing!”
    I ran up on the shore and shook myself dry. I was a dog again! Gregory sat on the bank, coughing and spitting up water and trying to pull on his clothes. “Gregory,” I said, “Gregory, look at us!” But all I could do was bark.
    16 ■ Ron and Ernie were still on the walkway. I growled and showed my teeth. I leaped toward them. Gregory was a step behind me. One impulse seemed to grip both of us. It was as if my dog energy was still in him, and his boy energy was still in me. Ron and Ernie stared. Maybe they couldn’t believe what they saw—a fighting mad Gregory and an avenging dog.
    We hit them like two slam-dunking ballplayers, like acouple of raging tacklers. Like a runaway steamroller. I hit them low and Gregory hit them high. We sent them spinning into the water like a couple of bowling pins.
    â€œHelp!” Ron yelled. He threw his arms around Ernie’s neck. “I can’t swim.”
    Ernie punched Ron and broke free. He swam to shore and ran off. Ron went under. He came up choking and crying. “I’m drowning. Help!” He went down again.
    I would have let him drown. But Gregory ran to the island and came back with a branch