21 - Go Eat Worms! (2 page)

Todd reached under the table. Then a smile crossed his face as he brought his
hand up—and dropped a fat purple worm into Beth’s soup.

The worm wriggled and squirmed as it hit the hot soup.

“Oooh, gross!” Beth screamed.

Danny let out a loud laugh and slapped Todd gleefully on the back, nearly
knocking Todd from the chair.

“Pay up, Beth,” Todd demanded. “You lost the bet.”

“You guys are sick,” Regina murmured, making a disgusted face, forcing
herself not to look into the soup bowl.

“Gross! Gross!” Beth was shrieking.

The worm slipped and swam through the noodles.

“You said you dropped your worms outside,” Regina accused angrily.

Todd shrugged, a big grin on his face. “I lied!”

Danny laughed even harder. He pounded the table gleefully with his fists,
making the soup bowl bounce up and down.

“Hey!” Suddenly Todd’s smile faded. He stared out of the lunchroom window at
the playground.

“Look!” He hit Danny’s shoulder, then pointed out toward second base, to the
bare spot behind the base. “What’s going on out there?” he cried.

Todd walked over to the window and peered out, pressing his nose against the
glass. “What is Patrick MacKay doing in my worm-digging spot?” he demanded
angrily.

Danny stepped beside Todd. He squinted out into the gray afternoon. “Are you
sure that’s Patrick MacKay?”

The sky darkened as the low clouds gathered. The boy on the playground was
half covered by shadow. But Todd recognized him anyway.

That snobby, stuck-up, rich kid. Patrick MacKay.

He was bent over the bare spot of mud behind second base, working feverishly.

“What is he
doing
out there?” Todd repeated. “That’s my best worm
spot!”

“He’s digging up worms, too!” Regina declared from the table.

“Huh?” Todd spun around to find his sister smirking at him.

“Patrick is digging up worms for the Science Expo,” she told him, unable to
hide her joy. “He’s doing a worm project, too.”

“But he
can’t!”
Todd sputtered in a high, shrill voice.

“Whoa! What a copycat!” Danny declared.

“He can’t do a worm project!
I’m
doing the worm project!” Todd
insisted, turning back to stare at Patrick through the glass.

“It’s a free country,” Regina replied smugly. She and Beth laughed and
slapped each other high fives. They were enjoying seeing Todd squirm for a
change.

“But he’s not into worms!” Todd continued, very upset. “He doesn’t collect
worms! He doesn’t study worms! He’s just copying me!”

“Look at him, digging in your spot,” Danny murmured, shaking his head
bitterly.

“Patrick is a nice guy,” Beth remarked. “He doesn’t act like a jerk and put
worms in people’s soup.”

“He’s a jerk,” Todd insisted angrily, staring hard out the window. “He’s a
total jerk.”

“He’s a copycat jerk,” Danny added.

“His worm project is going to be better than yours,” Regina teased him.

Todd’s dark eyes burned into his sister’s. “You know what it is? You know what Patrick’s project is?”

Regina had a smug smile on her lips. She tossed back her brown hair. Then she
made a zipper sign, moving her fingers across her lips. “I’ll never tell,” she
said.

“What is it?” Todd demanded. “Tell me.”

Regina shook her head.

“Tell me, Beth,” Todd insisted, narrowing his eyes menacingly at Beth.

“No way,” Beth replied, glancing merrily at Regina.

“Then I’ll ask him myself,” Todd declared. “Come on, Danny.”

The two boys started running through the lunchroom. They were nearly to the
door when Todd ran into their teacher.

Miss Grant was carrying her lunch tray high over her head, stepping around a
group of kids in the aisle. Todd just didn’t see her.

He bumped her from behind.

She uttered a cry of surprise—and her tray flew out of her hands. The tray
and the plates clattered loudly onto the floor. And her food—salad and a bowl
of spaghetti—dropped around her feet.

“What is your hurry, young man?” she snapped at Todd.

“Uh… sorry,” Todd murmured. It was the only reply he could think of.

Miss Grant bent to examine her brown shoes, which were now orange, covered
with wet clumps of spaghetti.

“It was an accident,” Todd said impatiently, fiddling with his Raiders cap.

“It sure was,” the teacher replied coldly. “Perhaps I should speak to you
after school about why we don’t run in the lunchroom?”

“Perhaps,” Todd agreed. Then he bolted past her, running out the door faster
than he had ever run.

“Cool move, ace!” Danny exclaimed, running beside him.

“It wasn’t my fault,” Todd told him. “She stepped in front of me.”

“The bell is going to ring,” Danny warned as they made their way out the back
door.

“I don’t care,” Todd replied breathlessly. “I’ve got to find out what that
copycat is doing with worms!”

Patrick was still bent over the mud behind second base. He was scooping up
worms with a silvery trowel that looked brand-new, then dropping them into a
metal bait can.

He was a slim, good-looking boy with wavy blond hair and blue eyes. He had
started school in September. His family had moved to Ohio from Pasadena. He was
always telling everyone how California was so much better.

He didn’t brag about how rich he was. But he wore designer jeans, and his
mother brought him to school every morning in a long, white Lincoln. So Todd and
the others at William Tecumseh Sherman Middle School figured it out.

Patrick was in Regina’s class. A few weeks after school started, he’d had a
big birthday party and invited everyone in his class. Including Regina.

She reported that Patrick had a whole carnival, with rides and everything, in
his back yard. Todd pretended he didn’t care that he wasn’t invited.

The sky grew even darker as Danny and Todd stood over Patrick on the
playground. “What are you doing, Patrick?” Todd demanded.

“Digging,” Patrick replied, glancing up from his work.

“Digging up worms?” Todd asked, his hands pressed against the waist of his
jeans.

Patrick nodded. He started digging again. He pulled up a long, dark brown one
that Todd would have loved to own.

“
I’m
doing a worm project,” Todd told him.

“I know,” Patrick replied, concentrating on his work. “Me, too.”

“What is it?” Danny chimed in. “What’s your project, Patrick?”

Patrick didn’t reply. He dug up a tiny, pale worm, examined it, and tossed it
back.

“What’s your project? Tell us,” Todd demanded.

“You really want to know?” Patrick asked, raising his blue eyes to them. The
wind ruffled his blond hair, but the hair immediately fell back into place.

Todd felt a raindrop on his shoulder. Then one on the top of his head.

“What’s your project?” Todd repeated.

“Okay, okay,” Patrick said, wiping dirt off his hands. “I’ll tell you. My
project is…”

The class bell rang. The sharp clang cut through the rising wind. The rain
started to patter loudly against the ground.

“We’ve got to go in,” Danny urged, tugging at Todd’s sleeve.

“Wait,” Todd said, his eyes on Patrick. “Tell me now!” he insisted.

“But we’ll be late!” Danny insisted, tugging at Todd again. “And we’re
getting soaked.”

Patrick climbed to his feet. “I think I’ve got all the worms I need.” He
shook wet dirt off the silvery trowel.

“So what is your worm project?” Todd repeated, ignoring the pattering rain
and Danny’s urgent requests to get back inside the school.

Patrick grinned at him, revealing about three hundred perfect, white teeth.
“I’m teaching them to fly,” he said.

“Huh?”

“I’m putting cardboard wings on them and teaching them to fly. Wait till you
see it! It’s a riot!” He burst out laughing.

Danny leaned close to Todd. “Is he for real?” he whispered.

“Of course not!” Todd shot back. “Don’t be a jerk, Danny. He’s goofing on
us.”

“Hey—you’re not funny,” Danny told Patrick angrily.

“We’re late, guys. Let’s get going,” Patrick said, his grin fading. He
started toward the school building.

But Todd moved quickly to block his path. “Tell me the truth, Patrick. What
are you planning to do?”

Patrick started to reply.

But a low rumbling sound made him stop.

They all heard it. A muffled roar that made the ground shake.

The worm can fell out of Patrick’s hand. His blue eyes opened wide in
surprise—and fear.

The rumbling gave way to a loud, cracking noise. It sounded as if the whole
playground were splitting apart.

“Wh-what’s
happening
?” Patrick stammered.

“Run!” Todd screamed as the ground trembled and shook. “Run for your life!”

“Why are you so late? Where’ve you been? In another earthquake?” Regina
teased.

“Ha-ha,” Todd said bitterly. “Danny and I weren’t making it up. It happened
again! And Patrick was there, too.”

“How come no one else felt it?” Regina demanded. “I had the radio on after
school. And there was nothing about an earthquake on the news.”

It was nearly five o’clock. Todd had found his sister in the garage, up on an
aluminum ladder, working hard on her giant robin. Somehow she had managed to get
clumps of papier-mâché in her hair and down the front of her T-shirt.

“I don’t want to talk about the earthquake,” Todd muttered, stepping into the
garage. “I know I’m right.”

The rain had ended just before school let out. But the driveway was still
puddled with water.

His wet sneakers squeaked as he made his way to Regina’s ladder.

“Where’s Beth?” he asked.

“She had to go get her braces tightened,” Regina told him, concentrating on
smoothing out the papier-mâché beak. She let out a loud groan. “I can’t get this
beak smooth.”

Todd kicked dejectedly at an old tire that leaned against the garage wall.

“Look out!” Regina called.

A wet clump of papier-mâché landed at Todd’s feet with a plop. “You missed
me!” he cried, ducking away.

“So? Where’ve you been?” Regina asked.

“Miss Grant kept me after school. She gave me a long lecture.”

“About what?” Regina stopped to examine her work.

“I don’t know. Something about running in school,” Todd replied. “How are you
going to get this dumb bird to the science fair?”

“Carry it,” Regina answered without hesitating. “It’s big, but it’s really
light. I don’t suppose you would help Beth and me?”

“I don’t suppose,” Todd told her, wrapping his hand around the broomstick
that formed one bird leg.

“Hey—get your paws off!” Regina cried. “Leave it alone!”

Todd obediently backed away.

“You’re just jealous because Christopher Robin is going to win the computer,”
Regina said.

“Listen, Reggie—you’ve
got
to tell me what Patrick MacKay is doing
for his worm project,” Todd pleaded. “You’ve
got
to.”

She climbed down off the ladder. She saw the big worm in Todd’s hand. “What’s
that for?” she demanded.

“Nothing.” Todd’s cheeks turned pink.

“You planned to drop that down my back, didn’t you?” Regina accused him.

“No. I was just taking it for a walk,” Todd told her. He laughed.

“You’re a creep,” Regina said, shaking her head. “Don’t you ever get tired of
those dumb worms?”

“No,” Todd replied. “So tell me. What’s Patrick’s project?”

“You want to hear the truth?” Regina asked.

“Yeah.”

“The truth is, I don’t know,” his sister confessed. “I really don’t know
what
he’s doing.”

Todd stared hard at her for a long moment. “You really don’t?”

She crossed her heart. “I really don’t know.”

Todd suddenly had an idea. “Where does he live?” he asked eagerly.

The question caught Regina by surprise. “Why?”

“Danny and I can go over there tonight,” Todd said. “And I’ll ask him what
he’s doing.”

“You’re going to go to his house?” Regina asked.

“I’ve
got
to find out!” Todd exclaimed. “I’ve worked so hard on my
worm house, Reggie. I don’t want Patrick the Copycat to do something better.”

Regina eyed her brother thoughtfully. “And what will you do for
me
if
I tell you where he lives?”

A grin spread over Todd’s face. He held up the worm. “If you tell me, I won’t
put this down your back.”

“Ha-ha,” Regina replied, rolling her eyes. “You’re a real pal, Todd.”

“Tell me!” he insisted eagerly, grabbing her by the shoulders.

“Okay, okay. Don’t have a cow. Patrick lives on Glen Cove,” Regina replied.
“I think the number is 100. It’s a huge, old mansion. Behind a tall fence.”

“Thanks!” Todd said. “Thanks a lot!”

Then, as Regina bent down to pick up the globs of papier-mâché from the
garage floor, he dropped the worm down the back of her T-shirt.

“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Danny complained. “My parents said I
couldn’t come over. As soon as they went grocery shopping, I ducked out. But if
they catch me…” His voice trailed off.

“We’ll be back home in fifteen minutes,” Todd said. He shifted gears and
pedaled the bike harder. Danny’s old bike splashed through a deep puddle at the
curb.

The rain clouds had rolled away. But the wind still gusted, cool and damp.
The sun had set about an hour before. Now a thin sliver of moon hung low in the
evening sky.

“Where is the house? On Glen Cove?” Danny asked, out of breath.

Todd nodded. He shifted gears again. He liked shifting back and forth. It was
a new bike, and he still hadn’t gotten used to so many gears.