The Amazing Wolf Boy

Part 11 - Taken to School

The alarm on my watch woke me before dawn on Monday. I rushed to the kitchen for a quick breakfast and was surprised to find my uncle at the table with a cup of coffee and a newspaper.

“You’re up early,” I said.

He sipped and smacked his lips. “Good morning to you, too. What time do you need to be at school?”

I pulled a jug of chocolate milk out of the refrigerator. “My first class is at seven thirty, but I have to get there early to pick up my schedule.”

“I’m headed in that direction. I’d be happy to give you a ride. That is, if you can stand to be seen with a parental figure.”

“That would be great.” Relief washed through me. I didn’t relish arriving at school sweaty and exhausted from riding my bike fourteen miles. “Can you pick me up again at three?”

“Not a problem.”

“Thanks.” I opened the cupboard. A bright green face and black eyes peered out. I jumped back. “There’s a lizard in my bowl.”

“Wave your hand at him. He’ll move.”

I snatched a dishtowel and flicked it at the creature. It settled deeper beneath the rim. I danced back and forth as I snapped the towel, careful not to get too close. I didn’t want it to jump on me.

My uncle set down his cup. “What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to get it out of there. The thing must be a foot long. It’s not like those little black ones.”

Uncle Bob folded his newspaper and got to his feet. “Aw, it’s a baby.” He placed the newspaper on top of the bowl and carried the lizard to the open window. “They’re great to have around. A natural pesticide.”

I wondered which I would rather have in the house—lizards or bugs. I grabbed a clean bowl and sat down with a box of cereal.

“We have all kinds of lizards around here. You’ll get used to them.” Uncle Bob returned to the table with his newspaper. “The ones I don’t like to tangle with are those spiny tail iguanas. They’re tan, about five feet long. Look like a dinosaur.”

“I feel like I’m on the set of Animal Planet.”

He laughed. “Any rural area has wildlife. That’s why I moved here.”

“Do you ever close that window?”

“Never. I want a way to get inside in case I can’t open the door.”

I couldn’t imagine when that would be. He never locked the house.

I finished breakfast, and he drove me to school. We got there before the buses, so I had time to scout the campus before it got crowded. I found a place to leave my bike if I rode in by myself. I saw the student parking lot, and stared at it a moment in longing and disappointment. My father hinted he might buy me a car this year. The only way I’d get one now was if I got a job and bought it myself.

As I passed the lot, I smelled cigarettes. Three guys with physiques like gorillas stood together, smoking. I knew better than to make eye contact. Their kind meant trouble for regular guys like me. I’d been pushed around plenty of times. Being the president of the Science Club made me somewhat of a geek. So I knew not to antagonize gorillas. But before I could look away, I noticed the car next to them. It was a green Beetle. Brittany’s car.

I froze in place, my heart racing. Brittany went to school here. Maybe I would bump into her in the hall. Would she remember me?

“Hey, jerk. Who do you think you’re staring at?”