The Invisible Enemy Read Online Free

my throat, but I swallowed hard at the look on Alyssa’s face.
    “You are a stinking, tattletale brat,” she ranted at me. “Running off to tell Mommy when Baby Bertie gets in trouble!” She turned on Hubert, who was lurking behind Military History. “Well, you’re in a lot more trouble now. I’m not taking the rap for a butterfinger loser like you. Stone-Face wants to see you next!” She crossed her arms across her chest and narrowed her eyes, brimming with satisfied vengeance.
    Hubert pinched his lips together and headed to his doom. I grabbed his arm as he went past and whispered, “It’s only my mother,” but he pulled away.
    “I’ll come with you,” said J. P. “It’s only fair.”
    Hubert’s grateful smile made my heart crack just a little. A stranger had thought of the right thing to say, and I hadn’t. I felt horrible. I was his best friend, and I’d let him down. My whole rescue mission had failed because Alyssa had outratted me and probably told my mother every tiny detail.
    When the boys came out, Hubert pushed right past me.
    “Hubert,” I pleaded. “Hubert, I’m sorry, I really am. Tell me what happened, please?” I tugged on his shirt all the way up the stairs, but he wouldn’t say a word.
    It wasn’t until we got to homeroom, when Mr. Donaldson was going over the rules for the field trip, that I realized I must have left my backpack in the library.

6 • Field Trip
    I tore down to the library, but my backpack wasn’t on the floor where I’d left it.
    “Mom!” I rushed to the counter. Had she stuck it in her office?
    “Mom!” She was chatting with mothers from the Literary Committee.
    “Library voice, please, Billie.” She gave me her school smile.
    “My backpack!” I screamed in a whisper. “Where’s my backpack?”
    “Oh, Billie!” I could tell from the way she rolled her eyes that she didn’t have it. And I wasn’t sticking around for a lecture on caring for my personal belongings.
    Someone must have taken my backpack. I pretended for four seconds to think about who, but I already knew. Icy fingers of dread squeezedmy neck as I climbed the stairs back to homeroom. If Alyssa had my backpack, she would waste no time looking inside. She’d find my makeup kit. And inside that kit was a film canister of what looked like shimmering face powder—
    “There you are, Billie.” Mr. Donaldson was waiting at the classroom door. “No luck? Don’t worry, it’ll turn up. We won’t let you starve on the trip. You can share my lunch.”
    Oh, great, eat lunch with the teacher?
    “Line up, people. Stay with your regular bus buddy, please. Look alive.”
    I pushed past everyone to get to Alyssa.
    “Where is it?” I said.
    “Do you see your precious backpack anywhere on my body?” She sneered.
    “That’s not exactly a denial, Alyssa.” I didn’t bother to keep my voice down. My hands were itching to shake her.
    “Let’s go, people. The bus is waiting. Billie, your buddy is up here.”
    No fair, no fair! I haven’t had a chance to pummel Alyssa yet!
    I dragged my feet to the front of the line.
    My bus buddy is Michele. She’s okay, kind of quiet. At least she wouldn’t expect me to talk. We sat about halfway back. I let her have the window so I could try to spy on Alyssa from the aisle seat. I noticed Hubert had somehow traded in his bus buddy, David, for Jean-Pierre. And I noticed Alyssa and Megan were the last kids to get on the bus.
    “Eeew, when do you think was the last time they cleaned this old rust machine?” Alyssa complained loudly.
    Mr. Donaldson climbed aboard. He was holding my backpack.
    “Billie Stoner? Is this what you were looking for?”
    I couldn’t believe it! I stumbled down the aisle and nearly snatched it from him.
    “Next time, try looking under your own desk, Billie.”
    Wait a minute! It had not been under my desk, I know it hadn’t. At least not while I was in the room. She must have gone back and stuck it there after I left. She is