Anyone But Me (7 page)

George blushed red. He looked angrily at Katie.

Katie gulped. This was not good.

Quickly, Katie tried to get George to tell another joke. A funnier one this time.

“Don’t you wish this was the last day of school, George?” she asked him.

The kids all stared at Katie. Why was she being so nice to George Brennan?

“You know, Katie, there is one school you have to drop out of before you can graduate,” George began.

“What school is that?” Katie asked.

“Parachute school,” George told her.

Again, nobody laughed. Now Katie was getting really worried.

And then, out of nowhere, Jeremy started laughing—really hard. He was totally cracking up. The other kids looked at him in amazement.

Jeremy stared back at them. “What?” he asked. “It was funny.”

“Thanks,” George said. He sounded a little happier now.

“Tell another one,” Katie urged.

“Okay,” George agreed. “What’s the most important subject a witch learns in school?”

“What?” Katie asked.

“Spelling!” George answered.

Jeremy started laughing again. So did Suzanne. Suddenly all the kids were giggling at George’s joke.

“That was a good one,” Kevin said. “Got any more jokes?”

George’s face broke into a smile. A real, happy smile, not the mean smile he usually had on his face. “Sure, I’ve got a million of ’em.” He looked around at the other kids. “Why didn’t the skeleton do well in school?”

“Why?” Suzanne asked.

“Because his heart wasn’t in it!” George said.

Everyone started laughing all over again.

“Wait, wait! Here’s another one!” George announced. “What’s the hardest part about taking a test?”

“What?” asked Mandy.

“The answers!” George told her.

George was on a roll. He couldn’t stop telling jokes. That was a good thing, since the kids didn’t want him to stop. “What table doesn’t have any legs?” he asked Jeremy.

Jeremy thought for a minute, but he couldn’t guess. “I don’t know,” he said finally.

“A multiplication table!” George shouted out.

Once again the kids all started giggling.

Just then, Mrs. Derkman blew her whistle. “Line up, class 3A!” she called out. The kids ran to line up. Katie found herself standing right in front of George. Just one day ago, that would have been an awful place to stand. But now, Katie didn’t mind standing near George at all.

“Hey, Katie Kazoo, what do you have for lunch?” George whispered into Katie’s ear.

“I’m going to buy something from the cafeteria,” she whispered back. “My mom gave me lunch money today.”

“I have peanut butter and Marshmallow Fluff,” George said. “My mom hardly ever gives me lunch money.”

“You’re lucky,” Katie said. “The food in the cafeteria stinks. I’d much rather have peanut butter and Marshmallow Fluff.”

“We could sit together in the cafeteria and share,” George suggested. “I’ll give you half of my sandwich if you’ll give me half of your dessert.”

Katie grinned. “It’s a deal!”

As class 3A walked toward the school building, Katie felt a cool breeze blow through her hair. She got a scared feeling in the pit of her stomach. Was this the same wind that had turned her into a hamster yesterday? What was going to happen to her now?

Then Katie noticed that everyone else’s hair was blowing around too. This wasn’t some sort of magic wind. It was just a normal, everyday breeze—the kind that cools you down without turning you into someone else.

Still, Katie had a feeling she hadn’t seen the last of the magic wind. It was bound to start blowing again sometime. So the only question was ... who was she going to turn into next?

If you’re like Katie and have a hamster in your classroom, here are’ some fun facts about your furry friend.

Hamsters need glasses?
Hamsters are very near-sighted. Depending on the breed, they can usually see only a few inches or a few feet in front of themselves.

Hamster teeth never stop growing?
They just keep getting longer and longer—unless you give your hamster something to gnaw on, like a wooden chew stick. When hamsters chew, they keep their teeth short and healthy.

Hamsters need lots of exercise?
In the wild, hamsters may travel several miles a night in search of food. Hamsters that are kept as pets need the same amount of exercise, which is why they run on their wheels.

Hamsters squeak to get your attention?
Hamsters usually make squeaking noises when they want more food or attention.

Hamsters sometimes eat their poop?
As gross as it may sound, hamsters sometimes do just that. Their digestive systems are different than ours. Some hamster poop contains certain nutrients that the hamster needs.

Hamsters don’t need shampoo?
All hamsters know how to clean themselves. They don’t need fancy sponges and shampoo to do it either. Hamsters groom themselves by licking their coat at the back and the front. They also lick their paws and then rub their paws over their face and behind their ears. They do that because they can’t actually lick their faces.

Hamsters love rolling around in sand. The sand takes some of the grease off of their skin. That makes them feel more comfortable. If you have a hamster, you might want to put a dish of sand in the cage for the hamster to roll around in.