“Dad? Just remember. We had so so so much fun!”
Chapter 12
Jasper couldn’t go to soccer practice on Thursday because his rug burn still hurt. Also, he didn’t want his bandage to come off while he was being a bee. He didn’t really need the bandage anymore. He just liked the way it looked. Too bad it fell off the next day!
On Saturday morning, he was ready to play.
“Are you sure, Jasper?” Mom asked. “You’re getting your stitches out this afternoon. Maybe you should wait.”
“No, I’m ready now,” he said.
“That’s the stuff, Jasper!” Dad said. “Jump back in it.”
“I think your uniform’s in the wash,” Mom said.
They went down to the basement together. Jasper wanted to scrape the lint off the dryer screen.
“Underpants,” Mom said, pulling a plain pair from the dryer and handing them to him. “Oops. I forgot you like the Day-of-the Week ones. Here.”
“Day-of-the-Week underpants are for girls,” Jasper said. “Didn’t you know that?”
“No,” Mom said.
“I’m using my Day-of-the-Week underpants for something else now,” Jasper said. He showed Mom. He put the laundry detergent lid in the underpants and pulled the waistband back like a slingshot. The lid fired across the room and hit the wall.
Mom jumped. “Just don’t fire at anybody, okay? Shirt, shorts. Socks? Where are your socks?”
Jasper put on his shorts. He wrapped his shirt around his head because he wasn’t wearing the bandage anymore. He fired the underpants slingshot a few more times.
“I can’t find your socks anywhere, Jasper. Can you wear these for today?” She held up a pair of her own red knee socks. “You won’t look the same as everybody else.”
“That’s okay,” Jasper said. “I’m not the same as everybody else.”
Because they were looking for Jasper’s socks, they got the lates. The game had already started. Jasper ran straight onto the field in his red socks and scored a goal. Everybody was so surprised they stopped running and stared at Jasper.
And since everybody was just standing around, Jasper kicked the ball again and scored another goal.
Not once during the game did he go over to the side of the field where the dandelions grew. He really wanted to because a lot of them had turned into white puff balls. If he ran through them now, it would look like he was making smoke. But the red socks really wanted to play.
After the game all the kids crowded around Jasper, asking, “What happened to you, Jasper?”
“Why did I miss practice, you mean?”
He showed them the rug burn on his leg, which was still scabby. He showed them the stitches on the back of his head.
“Wow!” everybody said.
“I’m getting them out today. They pay you for it. They pay you in suckers.”
“You play a lot better with stitches,” one boy said.
“I want stitches!” another boy said.
“I’ll tell you how to get them,” Jasper said. “Do you see that drink machine over there? In front of the community center? Press C, then 3. But really? I wouldn’t if I were you.”
They went to the clinic instead of the Emergency Room to get the stitches out. The clinic didn’t pay as much, just one sucker for the visit. Jasper was a little disappointed, but then it didn’t hurt at all.
After they got home, Jasper and Ori rode bikes in the alley. They rode up and down, not too fast, only making a breeze. The black marks against Jasper were completely gone.
Jasper got an idea. Recycling day was coming up. Some blue boxes were already out in the alley. They could make an obstacle course to ride around. He got off his bike and pulled the blue box away from the fence.
“Look!” Jasper called to Ori. “This is the drink I was telling you about.”
He held up the half-crushed red and black can.
“Torpedo High Energy Drink,” Ori read off the label. “Don’t touch it, Jasper!”
The can was still buzzing with High Energy. Jasper could feel it vibrating in his hand. He could even hear it. He brought it close to his face so he could look inside and see if any of the Bad drink was left. A bee crawled out.
“AHHHHH!!!!”
Jasper dropped the can and ran. The bee chased him halfway down the alley, buzzing, buzzing and trying to sting him. It sounded so so so so mad!
Finally, it flew away.
“Wow!” Ori said, shaking his head. “You were drinking bees, Jasper! No wonder you felt Bad.”
Praise for the Jasper John Dooley series
Jasper John Dooley: Star of the Week
Best Children’s Books of the Year, Bank Street Children’s Book Committee
“Well-written, funny, and engaging … Share with kids looking for a boy version of Sara Pennypacker’s Clementine series or with fans of Lenore Look’s Alvin Ho books.” — Booklist
“Readers will identify with many of Jasper’s comical, age-appropriate issues.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Readers will clamor for more from this unlikely but likeable and free-spirited hero.” — Reading Today, International Reading Association
Jasper John Dooley: Left Behind
Named to Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books of 2013
“So aptly, charmingly and amusingly depicted that it’s impossible not to be both captivated and compelled.” — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Emerging readers will enjoy following along with the quirky, charismatic boy and his friends and family in this humorous adventure.” — School Library Journal
“A work of genius … it has a playful sparkle that makes it truly exceptional.” — Toronto Star
Jasper John Dooley: NOT in Love
“Adderson perfectly captures the trials of early childhood, and with brief text and a simple vocabulary, she breathes full life into her cast of characters.” — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“A triumph of its kind, suffused with refreshing, intelligent wackiness … This third volume confirms the series’ exceptional subtlety and high literary quality.” — Quill and Quire, starred review
“Caroline Adderson has nailed it. These kids walk, talk, scheme and worry just like their real-life counterparts — with lots of laughs along the way.” — Children’s Book Review, National Reading Campaign
Caroline Adderson lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, with her husband, her dog and the son who lied to them when he said he’d always be seven.
Illustrator Ben Clanton lives in Andover, Massachusetts, with his wife and puppy. Most days he doodles and he always likes a good book. Ben is also the author and illustrator of Vote for Me!
www.kidscanpress.com
Jasper John Dooley, You're in Trouble Page 5
