Hero

by Jennifer Li Shotz

  “What’s the matter, Scout?” Ben said, surprised. He dropped to his knees. “Whoa, buddy—” Ben reached out a hand to pet him, but the puppy scooted away from him. Hero zipped over to Scout’s side and hovered over him protectively. Hero surveyed the lot, looking for whatever threat had upset the puppy. There was nothing there. No other animals. No loud noises.

  “What’s wrong with him?” Noah asked, concerned. “Did he hurt himself?”

  “I have no idea,” Ben said, panic starting to rise in his chest. One minute Scout was happy and running around, and the next he was a mess. It didn’t make sense. He turned to ask the man if he had noticed anything. But the man was gone.

  Ben turned back to Scout. The puppy had stopped shaking, and his body began to relax. Ben held out his hand again. This time, Scout sniffed it and let Ben touch his head. Ben ran his hand softly over Scout’s back.

  “It’s okay, Scout. Shh . . .” Ben sat down on the ground. “He seems all right now,” Ben said to Noah. He scooped up Scout and held him on his lap. The dog melted into Ben’s chest. They sat like that, Hero leaning on Ben’s leg, until Ben could feel Scout’s heart rate slowing down.

  “Maybe he’s just tired.” Noah squatted down next to them and put his hand on Scout’s downy fur. Scout licked his fingers. “Right, Scout? You’re just getting used to us and all these new sights and sounds.”

  “Yeah.” Ben sighed. “You’re probably right.” The last few days had been a lot of excitement for such a little puppy. Especially for a puppy who had, at best, been left all alone with no food or anyone to take care of him—and at worst, treated like garbage. Either way it must have been pretty scary. Like his dad had said the day he’d brought Scout home, one bad experience could change a dog’s life.

  “Ben,” Noah said, his voice a little tentative. “Um, not to change the subject or anything, but . . . It’s great that you’re so into Hero and Scout, but tryouts are really soon, remember? Don’t you want to let the dogs rest for the day and go hit a few balls?”

  Ben shook his head. “I’d love to, but I can’t.” Ben put Scout down on the ground and stood up. “He’s so stressed out—I don’t want to leave him alone.”

  Noah shot him a skeptical look. “Okay. Well, our shift is up, and since I did all your work for you, I’m gonna head home.”

  Ben looked sheepish. “Thanks. I owe you one.”

  “I don’t think ‘one’ is the number you’re looking for there, pal,” Noah shot back with a grin. “But you’re welcome.”

  Noah hopped on his bike and pedaled off. As he headed out through the gate, Ben’s dad drove into the lot in his police car. Noah waved at him as he passed. Ben’s dad parked and hopped out. He strode over to Ben in his full uniform. His boots were shined to a high gloss, and his wide leather belt was loaded with a variety of tools and gadgets. Ben was always amazed at how serious and impressive his dad looked in uniform. Hero ran over to his dad’s side.

  “Hey, boy!” Ben’s dad gave the dog a good scratch under the collar. “Hey, Ben.”

  “Hi, Dad. What’re you doing here?” Ben asked, surprised. His dad rarely left his shift to come say hello.

  “I came to tell you some news. The first thing is, no one has reported a missing puppy. And I called around to the shelter and the vet, and no one seems to be looking for the little man.”

  Ben held his breath. Was his dad going to let him keep Scout?

  “The other thing is that I talked to the guys at the vet who’ve been taking care of the injured strays we’ve been finding. Looks like Scout’s wounds are definitely the same as on the dogs we believe came from the fighting racket. He’s had it rough.”

  “So what do we do?” Ben asked.

  “Well . . .” His dad exhaled slowly. “We can’t just put him in the shelter after all he’s been through. Your mom and I talked, and we’ve decided we can foster him until we decide whether or not he should stay or whether we need to find him a new home.”

  Ben wanted to let out a cheer but figured he’d better play it cool. He wanted his parents to think he was mature enough to handle two dogs after all. So he just nodded. “That’s great. Thanks, Dad.”

  His dad gave him a look that said there was more to the story. “But just because we can keep him doesn’t mean we should,” his dad went on. He put a hand on Ben’s shoulder. “You need to be honest with us if you feel like you’re overloaded.”

  “I promise.” Ben nodded earnestly, but he couldn’t stop himself from breaking into a huge grin. “I’ll let you know. It’ll be fine. I can handle it.”

  “Glad to hear it.” His dad looked around the lot. “How’s work going?”

  Oh man—work. Ben hadn’t picked up a single piece of trash. His dad read the look on his face and turned to Ben with an irritated expression. “Seriously, Ben? What’ve you been doing here all afternoon?”

  “I’m sorry, Dad. I got distracted,” Ben said quietly.

  “By what?” His dad’s voice was soft but stern.

  Ben didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to lie to his dad, but he didn’t want to let him know that Scout was a distraction either. Both options ended with Scout going away. Before he could figure out what to say, his dad shook his head. “The dogs, right? You got distracted by the dogs?”

  Ben nodded. “I was practicing some commands with Hero. And then Scout wanted to try, and . . .” Ben didn’t bother finishing his sentence.

  His dad pinched his lips together in a straight line. “You’re on someone else’s payroll here, Ben. You know that your mom and I are pretty lenient with the rules, but you have to prove to us that you deserve this.”

  “I know, Dad.”

  “Believe me, I understand better than anyone how amazing it is to work with a great dog”—his dad gestured to Hero—“but that is not your top priority right now, okay?” He studied his son’s face for a moment. “Have your mom and I made a mistake here?”

  “No!” Ben cried out, louder than he meant to. “I promise—I can handle it,” he said in an upbeat voice.

  “You really just seem to have too much on your plate, son. Maybe Scout is one thing too many.”

  Ben started to feel desperate. “I messed up today. But I can handle it, Dad. I swear. I’ll try even harder. Hero is family, and Scout—I just—I don’t know.” He pictured Scout cowering in the woods again. “He’s really special to me.”

  “I know, Ben.” His dad looked up at the sky for a moment. He seemed to be weighing what to do next. Then he looked around. “Speaking of Scout, where is he?”

  Ben scanned the lot. The puppy was nowhere to be seen.

  “He was just right here.” Ben felt his stomach clench. First Scout started barking uncontrollably, and next he’s disappeared? Today was not going well.

  Ben ran through the sea of cars, searching around and under each one. No Scout. Finally he looked behind the small building that served as the office. Scout was scrunched up against the back wall of the structure, doing his best to disappear completely. He was shaking again. Ben scooped him up and held him tight.

  “Shhhhhh. It’s okay, Scout.” He carried the puppy around to the front, where his dad stood with Hero. At the sight of Ben’s dad, Scout began barking and whining frantically, desperately. He scrambled to get out of Ben’s arms, but Ben held on to him. “Hey—Scout, chill, pup. Take it easy!”

  “Something’s really gotten into him, huh?” Ben’s dad said. “Was he fine before I showed up?” Ben’s dad took a step backward, and Scout calmed down a little. Ben loosened his grip for a split second, and in that instant, Scout launched himself from Ben’s arms. The pup landed on the ground and skittered away as fast as he could, weaving among the cars.

  Ben felt like he’d been punched in the gut. Something wasn’t right. It was like Scout had two parts to his personality—he was smart and sweet, but he was also incredibly skittish. If Ben couldn’t fix Scout’s anxiety problems, there was no way the pup could ever stay with his family. His p
arents would never allow it.

  “Ben, I’ve seen what happens to these fighting dogs, and trust me, I can’t unsee it,” his dad said gently. “It’s horrible. If Scout is going to get past what happened to him, he’ll need someone to spend a lot of time with him—more time than you have on your hands.”

  Frustration rose in Ben’s chest. There was no way his dad was taking away Scout. Ben couldn’t find the words to explain to his dad how he felt about both of the dogs. He couldn’t imagine life without Hero—it was almost like he was a part of Ben. And Scout was just so tiny and young . . . he needed Ben and Hero. Even in the few days since they’d found him, Ben felt like Scout had already come to rely on him. He couldn’t just abandon him.

  The only way to convince his dad, though, would be to prove him wrong. And that’s just what Ben planned to do.

  “I just—please, Dad?”

  Ben’s dad studied his son’s face. He shook his head and looked away. Ben bit his lip to stop himself from begging. Finally, his dad spoke. “You’re putting me in a tough spot here, Ben. I can see how much Scout means to you. But I can also tell that he’s maybe not the best thing for you.” He sighed. “One more chance. Please don’t make me regret it.”

  8

  “BEN, YOUR NEXT ASSIGNMENT IS TO interview our new student, uh . . .” Ms. Malik consulted an official-looking piece of paper on her desk. “Jack Murphy.”

  “What? No!” Ben called out before he could stop himself. “I mean, can’t someone else do that?” He looked around the school newspaper office. All the other kids stared at their computer screens or, conveniently, seemed to be looking for something very important at the bottoms of their backpacks.

  “You’re it,” Ms. Malik said firmly. “I’ll need five hundred words on where he came from, what he likes to do in his spare time, sports, family. You know the drill. Let’s get to know him.”

  “Yes, Ms. Malik.” Ugh.

  “He’ll be here any minute.”

  Double ugh. Not only did Ben have to spend the rest of the period talking to Jack, of all people, but he’d hoped to spend some of Newspaper Club getting a head start on his homework. He was heading over to the police station after school. He wanted to take Hero back to say hello to everyone, and Ben was hoping to meet one of the K-9 officers his dad had been telling him about—Officer Perillo. He was hoping she might be able to give him some advice on helping Scout get over his nerves.

  For a second, Ben entertained the possibility of faking a sudden-onset stomachache before Jack got there, but he knew he’d never get away with it.

  “Great,” Ben said to Ms. Malik, faking enthusiasm.

  A few minutes later, Ben sat face-to-face with the kid who had tried to crack his skull open with a fastball. Jack looked about as happy to be there as Ben.

  “So, you moved here from Jackson how long ago?” Ben asked.

  “Three months,” Jack said, fiddling with the Mississippi State University Bulldog key chain that hung off his backpack.

  “And did you play any sports back in Jackson?” Ben already knew the answer, but he had to ask the question.

  “Baseball,” Jack said quietly. He sure wasn’t making this interview any easier for either one of them.

  “Were you on the varsity team?” Ben asked, trying to sound like a real reporter and pull out the interesting details of Jack’s life.

  “Yep.”

  “What position did you play?” Ben tried again.

  “Shortstop.”

  Ben’s stomach tightened. It was true, then. Jack was going to be his competition for the spot. “And, uh, how did your team do?” Ben asked nervously.

  Jack’s face lit up. “You don’t know?”

  “Uh, nope. Sorry,” Ben said.

  “We swept the state, man.” Jack grinned. “Number one, three years in a row. Way better than your team did, that’s for sure.”

  “Three years, wow,” Ben said through gritted teeth, trying hard to ignore the rest of the comment.

  “When my mom said we were moving here, the first thing I did was look up your team,” Jack said. “To make sure you don’t suck. Turns out you don’t, which is nice.”

  Ben tightened his grip on his pen. “Glad you approve,” he said.

  “Your team isn’t up to the same level I’m used to,” Jack said. “But that could change. Tryouts are in two days.” As if Ben needed a reminder. “I heard you play shortstop too.” Jack looked Ben up and down as he spoke.

  Ben couldn’t tell if Jack was messing with him or not. Either way, it was getting to him. Ben could feel his blood starting to boil. Breathe, he heard his dad’s voice say. Act with purpose. Ben inhaled, exhaled. He just needed to get the assignment done.

  “That’s right. I do,” Ben replied as neutrally as he could. “So,” he said, changing the subject, “what was it that brought you and your family to Gulfport right in the middle of the semester?”

  Ben saw a flicker of something—was it sadness?—cross Jack’s face. When he spoke again, he sounded a little less confident.

  “It’s not my whole family,” Jack said. “It’s just me and my mom.” He looked around the room. “My parents are getting divorced. My mom got a new job here, so we moved.”

  “Oh, uh . . . sorry,” Ben said. “I didn’t mean to . . .”

  “It’s cool,” Jack said with a shrug. “I guess I’ll see my dad every few months or something like that.”

  From what Ben could tell, there was nothing about the situation that could be defined as “cool.” It had to be hard living in a new town and not seeing your dad for months at a time. Ben couldn’t believe it, but he actually felt bad for Jack. He was fumbling for what to say next when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Noah had come into the room.

  “What’s going on, gentlemen?” he asked, looking from Ben to Jack and back again. His eyebrows were raised in surprise.

  “Hey, Noah,” Ben said. He shot his friend a look that said Don’t ask.

  “Uhhh . . . I just came to figure out the plan for Friday night,” Noah said.

  “Friday night?” It sounded vaguely familiar, but Ben couldn’t put his finger on what he was talking about. He was aware of Jack listening to their conversation.

  “My mom’s surprise birthday party! Am I going to need to remind you again, or can you hang on to this info for three more days?”

  “I’ll remember,” Ben said. Noah looked unconvinced.

  “You have to let everyone into my house while we take her out for dinner.”

  “Right.”

  “Dude, if you’re not there on time, the whole surprise will be ruined. My dad and I are counting on you.”

  “Gotcha.” He gestured with his head toward Jack. “Uh, I’m almost done here, if you want to wait for me.”

  Noah checked the time on his phone.

  “Can’t. Gotta run to study group. Bye, Jack.”

  Jack nodded at him. Noah pinned his gaze on Ben again.

  “Friday,” he said.

  “Friday,” Ben repeated. “I’ll be there.”

  “You’d better be. Or a jittery dog will be the least of your problems.”

  9

  BEN HAD HIS STORY PREPARED. IF he ran into his dad at the police station, he’d just tell him that he’d brought Hero to see his old friends. Ben would leave out the part about finding Officer Perillo.

  Thankfully, his dad was out on a call that afternoon, but the officer at the front desk had known Ben since he was little—and he definitely knew Hero. The older man waved them through to the squad room. Ben, Hero, and Scout wandered through the station looking for Officer Perillo. Every few feet, someone stopped them, shouting, “Hero!” Uniformed officers, administrative staff—even the police chief—all dropped to their knees to say hi to the dog. Hero’s tail was going a mile a minute. Meanwhile, Scout cowered in Ben’s arms, shaking with fear at all the commotion. Ben soothed him as best he could, but Scout’s eyes flitted around the room nervously.

  “So that�
��s the pup your dad was talking about,” said a young woman as she walked toward them. Ben nodded at the officer, who wore a uniform shirt with K-9 stitched on the front, just like his dad’s. She held out her hand to shake. “I’m Janine Perillo. You must be Ben.”

  “Hi, nice to meet you,” Ben said, trying to grip her hand as firmly as possible. “This is Scout. And you know Hero.”

  “Heeeeero!” Perillo wrapped her arms around Hero’s neck. He licked her face and let out a happy whine.

  “He likes you.” Ben laughed.

  “Hero and I had some fun together. He trained me,” she said.

  “Don’t you mean you trained him?”

  Perillo laughed as Hero nipped at her dark hair. “Nope. Compared to him, I’m the rookie around here. Hero taught me the ropes. Did your dad ever tell you about the bank robber?”

  Ben shook his head. He held Scout tighter.

  Perillo smiled as she called up the memory and gave Hero a good scratch behind the ears. “It was my very first assignment. You can imagine how nervous I was. We were out searching for this guy who’d robbed a bunch of banks along the Mississippi coast. The guy had an invisibility cloak or something. After every robbery, he’d just disappear. No one could find him. Anyway, this guy had just hit Gulfport, but by the time we got to the bank, he was long gone. All we had was the note he’d handed the teller. There were no fingerprints on it, of course, because he’d worn gloves. But his scent was on it, and Hero here”—she paused to rub her nose on Hero’s nose—“was like ‘I got this.’

  “Hero sniffed the paper, followed the robber’s trail out of the bank. He led your dad and me into an office building, then down to the basement. I was a nervous wreck, because I had no idea what we were going to find. Sure enough, in the boiler room was the bank robber, just hanging out and counting his money. His whole trick was to hide nearby, because cops always assume a thief takes off and tries to get as far away as possible. Then when the coast was clear, he’d sneak out of town. That guy was not too happy about meeting Hero.”