Books for Kids: My Fox Ate My Homework (A hilarious fantasy for children ages 8-12)

by David Blaze

  My night did get worse!

  The refrigerator door was wide open and the chicken pan was on the floor. It was empty — the ten thighs and legs were gone!

  “Please explain this to me,” my mom said in a low voice. “I could swear I asked you to save some chicken for me tonight.” She shook her head and stared at me with wide eyes. “What’s going on with you? First you disobeyed me with the candy. And now this?”

  I stared back at her as I tried to think of an explanation. Fox had decided to eat the chicken after all. Did he gobble it all down in record time before he ran out of the house?

  “You’ve written your paper and you’ve had plenty to eat,” she said, pointing to the empty pan. “Go to your room and think about what you’ve done. I don’t know what to do with you.”

  That’s when I came to the only decision that could save me. I told her the truth. “It was the fox.” I told her the entire story from when I met Fox up until that moment.

  She put a hand on her forehead. “Now you’re telling lies?” she asked with a broken voice. She couldn’t stop blinking. Was she crying? “Go, Jonah. Just go. Go to your room.”

  I tried to plead with her to believe me, but she waved me off. I marched out of the kitchen, through the living room, and straight to my bedroom. I slammed the door shut and jumped on my lumpy bed.

  It was a good thing we were leaving the next day. Fox was my friend and he was awesome, but I’d never been in as much trouble as I was since I met him.

  I grunted when I realized I had left Shane’s paper on the living room table. I did not want my mom to see it because she was already in a bad mood. I got out of bed, cracked my door open, and listened to make sure she wasn’t around.

  It was safe. I’d grab the paper and rush back.

  I could hear my mom talking on her phone in the kitchen, so I grabbed the paper off the table and tiptoed my way back. Before I got out of the living room, I overheard her.

  “I don’t know what to do with him,” she said to the other person. “I didn’t raise him to be a liar. Maybe I made a mistake moving him from the city to the country. I want him to be happy.”

  My heart broke because I wanted my mom to be happy too. I went back to my room and stared out the window. For all the trouble Fox had caused me, I still wanted to see him again. He made me happy. My mom didn’t make a mistake bringing me there. I never wanted to leave.

  MONDAY MORNING

  I clutched my backpack as I walked through the school halls. It still felt odd to me, as I’d only been there once before. I was surrounded by kids I didn’t know and none of them acknowledged me. I felt invisible.

  “Hey, Jonah!” someone shouted from behind me. I didn’t have to turn around to know it was Shane. I didn’t bother to correct him about my name that time.

  He stepped in front of me and put a hand on my chest to stop me. Sam was by his side. “Not so fast. Where’s my paper?”

  I had tossed and turned all night in my lumpy bed, trying to decide if I should give the paper to him. I didn’t want to get beat up, and I didn’t want him to take advantage of me for the rest of the year. I couldn’t get Melissa’s voice out of my head from the farmers market: Do yourself a favor and stay away from Shane. He doesn’t do any of his own work. Someone has to stand up to him.

  I pulled my backpack around and held it in front of me. I looked at the big kid and thought about it for a second. Fox had told me that I could change my mind if I wanted to. I decided to go with the decision I had made the night before.

  I unzipped my backpack, pulled the paper out, and handed it to Shane without saying anything. His face lit up when he grabbed it, and he pushed me back.

  “That’s what I thought, Jonah.” He laughed and looked over at his best friend, Sam. “Sam has something he’d like to ask you.”

  Sam looked like a soldier with his sailor’s haircut. “I’ve got a science project due in Mr. Wheeler’s class next week.” He cocked his head and smirked. “I’m gonna need you to do it.”

  I didn’t bother to answer him because I had no intention of doing it. Besides, I was never any good at science.

  The class bell rang and all the kids scattered into their classrooms. Shane pulled Sam back toward Miss Cox’s class. “What a loser,” he said.

  I followed them into the class and took the same seat in the front I had on Friday. Melissa was next to me again and smiling with her big dimples.

  “Hi, Joe,” she said. “It’s good to see you again.” I believed her, so I smiled back. I didn’t want to tell her I had written Shane’s paper for him, but she’d figure it out.

  “Good morning, class,” Miss Cox said to all of us. She was sitting behind her desk and smiling. It was going to take some time to get used to her high-pitched country twang. “Did everyone finish their papers?”

  I was embarrassed to admit I didn’t have a paper, so I didn’t say anything. I was hoping it would take the entire class time for others to read their papers and Miss Cox wouldn’t get to me. It would give me time to write my paper that night and bring it in the next day. Was that too much to hope for?

  “Who wants to go first? Any volunteers?” Miss Cox asked, scanning the room. Everyone fell silent. “Anyone?”

  Melissa raised her hand. She was brave. “I’ll do it.”

  “Thank you, Melissa,” Miss Cox said. “The class is yours.”

  Melissa stood up and walked in front of the chalkboard then turned around to face the class. She cleared her throat and smiled at me. For the first time I realized how cute she was.

  “My best friend is my cousin, Millie,” she read aloud from her paper. “We grew up together and like the same things. She goes to a different school, but we see each other all the time.”

  I don’t have any cousins. My uncle Mike never got married. He always said girls were the devil. Except for my mom, who was his sister — she was an angel.

  “That’s why Millie will always be my best friend,” Melissa finished. The class clapped for her. Had I missed most of what she said? I hated getting lost in my thoughts and losing track of time. My mom had the same problem and said it was a sign of being a genius.

  “Thank you, Melissa,” Miss Cox said when Melissa handed the paper to her. “That was very well done.” She looked at the paper for a minute then set it down on her desk. “Who’s next?” she asked the class.

  The room was silent again.

  “No volunteers?” she asked like she was surprised. I was only eleven years old, but I knew no one volunteered to do something they didn’t want to do. What was so shocking about that?

  “Shane,” she said. “Come on up.”

  I didn’t turn around to face him because I didn’t want to see the stupid smirk on his face. It was too late to change my mind, and it made me feel sick. My heart was racing.

  “You’re the next lucky contestant,” I heard Sam laughing as Shane passed by.

  Shane stood in front of the chalkboard and winked at me. I wasn’t sure if that meant he was grateful or if he was trying to show he was better than me. It’s not fair if you think about it. He didn’t do any of the work and was about to get all of the credit for that paper.

  “You’re gonna love this,” Shane said to Miss Cox. “I put a lot of work into it.”

  “Go ahead, Shane,” Miss Cox said. “We don’t have a lot of time.” I was glad to hear that. He could take as much time as he wanted.

  He held the paper in front of him dramatically. “My best friend. By Shane Connors.” He looked around the paper and winked at me again.

  And then he read exactly what I wrote for him.

  “My best friend is my mommy. She dresses me every morning and changes my wet sheets.”

  The class burst out in laughter.

  As I was tossing and turning in my lumpy bed the night before, I realized I could never let someone else take advantage of me. I had to give him the paper.

  Shane stared at me like he was trying to burn a hole through my
head. The class was still laughing at him, and Miss Cox was trying to make them stop. “I didn’t write this,” Shane said while he was staring at me with hatred.

  Miss Cox looked back and forth from him to me like she was trying to figure out why Shane wouldn’t take his eyes off of me. She focused on me and shook her head like she knew exactly what was going on.

  “Shane,” she said to him, “are you saying someone else wrote your paper?”

  He smiled because he must have realized Miss Cox figured everything out. “That’s right.”

  Miss Cox cleared her throat and stood up. “Someone’s in big trouble.”

  I gulped. I was already in so much trouble with my mom. Once she found out about this — my life was over.

  “Shane,” Miss Cox continued, “you’re already behind in this class. If you’re telling me that you didn’t write that paper, then I’m gonna have to fail you.” I think she winked at me from the corner of her eye.

  Shane lowered the paper. His mouth was wide open.

  “I’m going to ask you one more time,” she said. “Did you write that paper?”

  Shane rubbed his forehead like he couldn’t think of the right answer. After a minute, he stopped and stared at the floor. “Yes. I wrote it.”

  “Keep reading!” his friend Sam shouted. “We want to hear the whole thing!”

  The class cheered and broke out into laughter again. Shane stood there, hanging his head.

  Miss Cox held up a hand for the room to be silent. She looked like she wanted to laugh, but did everything she could to keep from doing it. “Shane doesn’t look like he feels very good. I’ll go ahead and take that paper.”

  He looked grateful when he handed it to her then headed back toward the class. He made sure to stop by my desk. “You’re dead meat,” he whispered.

  I ignored him and stared at the chalkboard like I didn’t know what he was talking about. I was scared out of my mind because I had no doubt he had every intention of beating me up after school. Now I just wanted to go home.

  “Joe,” Miss Cox said. “Let’s hear your paper. I’m sure it’s very entertaining.”

  I couldn’t move. She didn’t know I didn’t have a paper and I didn’t want to admit it. She knew I was a writer and had faith I could do it over the weekend. I swallowed hard. “I don’t have it.” I whispered my only excuse. “My fox ate my homework.”

  A couple of kids snickered. “I hate it when that happens,” one kid complained.

  “I see,” Miss Cox said. “Do you remember what you wrote?”

  The truth was I did. It was about my friendship with Tommy in the second grade. I wrote it in minutes because it flowed out my mind with ease. “Every word.”

  She motioned toward the chalkboard. “Come up here and tell us about it. I can at least give you some of the credit.”

  I was leery to do it, but if it kept me out of trouble then I didn’t have any other choice. All I had to do was get out of my seat, walk up to the chalkboard, and tell everyone about my old best friend Tommy.

  There was just one problem. I was scared out of my mind to speak in front of a bunch of people I didn’t know yet. I had once heard it was easier to speak in front of a crowd if you imagined everyone naked. I doubted it was true because I didn’t want to imagine anyone naked!

  “What’s it going to be?” Miss Cox asked.

  Melissa leaned across her desk and touched my arm. “You can do it, Joe. I believe in you.” The way she said it made me believe in myself.

  I stood up, took a deep breath, and walked to the chalkboard. When I turned around, all I could see were hundreds of eyes looking back at me. There were less than thirty kids there, but it felt like a lot more! The room seemed so small at that moment.

  “Go ahead, Joe,” Miss Cox said. “We’re almost out of time.” That was just great. I was going to be the last one making a speech that day. If only one other person could have gone before me!

  “My best friend’s name is…” I froze when I remembered what Fox said to me the night before. If you ever need a friend — just look for me.

  I started over again with words I never wrote. “My best friend’s name is Fox. I’ve only known him for a few days, but I feel like I’ve known him my entire life. He’s taught me a lot of things about myself, and there are many more things I want to show him.”

  I looked through the class with more confidence. “Fox has taught me to laugh at myself and not take life too seriously. He’s taught me to go after the things I want in life and achieve what I never thought was possible.” I smiled when I thought of one other thing. “He’s taught me to stay away from rotten eggs because they smell like wet farts.”

  Everyone in class laughed! Even Miss Cox couldn’t keep a straight face. I did my best to keep talking without laughing with them.

  “I don’t know if I’ll ever see Fox again, but he’ll always be my best friend.” I remembered how Mrs. Hunter got her husband to buy the chocolate from me. My great-grandma had been her best friend, and even though my great-grandma wasn’t around anymore, Mrs. Hunter would always do what she could to help her family. That was true friendship.

  “He feels like family to me now,” I said to the class. “Maybe that’s what a best friend really is.”

  Miss Cox stood up and smiled. “That was very nice, Joe. Thank you.” Some of the kids clapped for me.

  I went back to my desk and sat down. Melissa told me that I did an amazing job. I didn’t know if it was amazing or not, but I meant everything I had said. I didn’t want that day to end. Because when it did, I knew I’d never see my best friend again.

  MONDAY AFTERNOON

  My uncle Mike picked me up from school that afternoon. I was glad I didn’t have to take a long trip home with my mom while she was mad at me. I should have never told her about Fox. I don’t know why I expected her to believe such a crazy story.

  My stomach churned as we got closer to the house. We were going to pack up our belongings and leave forever.

  “How was school?” my uncle asked.

  It turned out to be a pretty good day. I didn’t get into trouble for not having my paper. I became better friends with Melissa. Shane went home early because he told the school nurse he had never felt so sick in his life. I knew the real reason he left was because he was too embarrassed to stay at school. “It was okay.”

  When we got home, I walked as slow as I could inside. I felt drained.

  “There you are,” my mom said when we walked in. Mr. and Mrs. Hunter were sitting on the couch with her. They both said ‘hi’ to me.

  My uncle Mike put a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll load some of these boxes in the truck.” He pointed to the boxes along the wall that he and my mom must have packed. There weren’t many because this house had already been furnished the way my great-grandma had left it. We mostly had clothes and kitchen utensils packed up.

  “Use the restroom if you need to,” my mom said to me. “We’re leaving in about an hour.”

  I put my backpack down. I hadn’t eaten anything all day with the butterflies in my stomach. I didn’t have an appetite. “I’m good.”

  “We hate to see you leave, dear,” Mrs. Hunter said to my mom. “I wish you had more time.”

  So did I.

  Mr. Hunter’s knees cracked when he stood up and came over to me. “Maybe it’s for the best,” he said to everyone. “This house is older than I am.” He grinned and chuckled. “It even survived the Great Depression of the thirties.”

  I remembered learning about the Great Depression at my last school in the city. The stock market had crashed, and a lot of people lost their money. It affected everyone and made life really hard.

  Mr. Hunter stood in front of me. “We came by because we were going to ask you if you could watch our place for us while we’re gone. Mow the lawn. Water the plants.” He shook his head. “We’re going up to our home in Wyoming for the spring and summer. Oh well.”

  Now I knew for sure life wasn’t fair.
They would have paid me to do it!

  “Let’s go,” he said to his wife. She said her goodbyes and joined him by the door. He knocked twice on the wooden doorframe. “Yep. Older than dirt.”

  “Thank you for the money,” I told him as they walked out. I was referring to the thirty-five dollars he gave me for the chocolate.

  He winked at me and looked over the house from the outside. “She really is old. Back when she was built, people didn’t have a lot of money and didn’t trust the banks.” He shook his head and pulled his wife along. “A lot of them kept their money under their mattresses.”

  I froze.

  My lumpy mattress.

  I rushed inside and told my mom to meet me in my bedroom. I was breathing hard, and she asked me if I was okay. I didn’t know yet.

  Was it possible? My great-grandma had died without a penny to her name. She didn’t have any bank accounts, but she survived for decades selling rotten eggs. Did she have money hidden all along?

  I stared at my lumpy mattress when my mom walked into my room. “Is everything okay?” she asked. “We need to finish packing and get on the road.”

  My heart wouldn’t stop racing. I felt like I was going to faint. “I need your help. We need to push this mattress up against the wall.”

  She made a tsking sound with her tongue. “We’re not taking that with us. Uncle Mike has a bed for you.”

  I looked up at her and pleaded with my eyes. “I know you don’t believe everything I’ve told you lately. But I need you to trust me right now. I have to see what’s beneath this mattress.”

  She looked at me and nodded her head. “Okay, Jonah.”

  We stood side by side and pushed with all of our strength to heave the mattress up against the wall. I almost lost my balance and collapsed beneath the monstrous weight.

  We stood back and stared at what was left beneath the mattress. I looked up at my mom and smiled. Her eyes looked they were about to explode out of her head.