Buster Caleb Huett (bearly read books .TXT) 📖

said it all with the simple energy of a puppy—this was the truth, and it was obvious. My tongue flopped out of my surprised mouth.

“She’s running away? And you’re helping her?” I know there were a lot of things I could have thought in that moment, but my first worry was about Tonio. He was just now finally making a friend, and because of me, it was someone who was already on their way out of town. He’d be devastated, it would give him even more reason to hide from school, and it would all be my fault. “Tonio and Mia just became friends, and now she’s leaving?”

“He’ll make other friends.”

“So will she! How could you—” I should have found this out sooner. I shouldn’t have told Jpeg about the tournament. They should have told me that—

No. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried not to fall down the same kind of spiral I’d watched Tonio go down. He didn’t need me to freak out, too; he needed me to focus. And right now, I still needed more information.

“Are you okay?” Leila asked. I nodded.

“So this is why she’s been saving money,” I said. “For the trip.” Now it was their turn to nod. I took another deep breath and tried to consider it from their perspective. They wanted to help Mia, right? I thought about what I always wished people would do for Tonio: ask questions. Dig deeper before they thought they knew the right thing to do. That’s what I should have done in the first place, before I messed with both of their lives. “Why does she want to leave? What’s wrong?”

“It’s not really about what’s wrong,” Leila started. Jpeg pulled the top of her laptop down to look over it and help explain.

“Bellville’s fine. The Lins are great. The problem is that Mia just doesn’t care about any of it. She cared about Sloan.”

“Mia’s so sad now.” Mozart flattened himself onto the ground and rested his chin on his paws. “She’s been sad the whole time I’ve been alive. Even though I’m cute and she loves me!!!”

I thought about how quickly Mia had lashed out about Sloan, and how many times her tough front had cracked through in front of Tonio. She was definitely carrying around some big emotions. “But why Sloan?” I pressed. “Why is she worth running across the country for?”

“Not many people are patient, with Mia.”

“That kid never stops moving.” Jpeg smirked. “She’s always got big ideas, big plans, and she drops them and starts new ones on a dime. It’s a lot to keep up with.”

“It’s fun!” Mozart yipped.

“But also, sometimes, exhausting. Sloan never acted like she was a problem, like she was ‘too much.’ Mia needs that in her life.” Leila tugged Jpeg into her stomach for a big hug. “It’s not fair that they can just separate kids like that. I’d never leave Jpeg for the world!”

“Back atcha, you big jock.” Jpeg grunted. “You’re squishing me, though.”

“She can’t just show up at Sloan’s house, though, right?”

Mozart’s ears flattened defensively. “Why not? People get adopted all the time!”

“Yeah, dogs do, and humans that need families. But Mia has a family—and you don’t know that Sloan’s parents are able to take care of another kid.”

Leila looked confused. “But when they lived in Bellville, Mia was over at their house every day. They were together all the time.”

“That’s different.” I realized that Jpeg and Leila had spent almost no time with humans. They’d been in this shelter or another their whole lives, and Mozart was barely four months old. I’d lived with, and learned from, humans since I was a puppy, so this situation seemed obvious to me. “If she goes, they won’t let her stay. At best, she’ll be there for a few days and then they’ll make her come back home, which will cost more money and make everybody feel bad, especially her parents.”

“You don’t know that!” Mozart growled. “Mia needs to be happy again!”

“Y’all have to trust me. This is a bad idea.”

“He’s lying!” Mozart turned to Jpeg and Leila. “This is just because he wants Mia to stay with his boy.”

I sighed and closed my eyes again. Think. “Okay, how about this? Jpeg, do you know Sloan’s email?”

“Of course.”

“Why don’t you contact her anonymously, and say what’s going on?” I paced back and forth in front of the group. “If she tells Mia it’s okay, and that she should come, then great, I’m wrong, but at least then Mia isn’t showing up by surprise. If she says not to come, you’ll see that I’m right.”

“No way!” Mozart yipped.

“Mia might have a good reason for not mentioning it,” Leila started, but I could tell her heart wasn’t in it. She was listening to me.

I tried to speak as kindly and gently as possible. “I think Mia hasn’t told Sloan her plan because she knows it won’t work. And either way, you have to stop helping her find money. The Officers are onto you, and Mozart will get sent somewhere far from Cold Dorito if you’re not careful.”

Three tails twitched in thought. Then, after a moment, Jpeg said, “I’ll do it.” She pushed her laptop open and went back to click-clacking.

“I don’t like this,” Mozart grumbled.

Leila sighed and patted the top of his head with her paw. “Buster’s right, little one.”

“I think …” I tried to find the right words. “Sometimes it’s easy to do what someone wants, but you have to help with what they need.”

“BUSTER?” Tonio had his hands cupped around his mouth and was calling from the edge of the forest. “BUSTER!”

“I have to go.” I nudged Mozart, who was glaring unhappily into the ground. “I’ll see you soon, okay? Everything will be all right.”

“Whatever.”

Jpeg nodded goodbye over her computer, and Leila sat back on her hind legs to wave like a bear.

I trotted up to Tonio. He clipped on my leash, and we walked home without a word. He looked so tense … I wished there was