Stink: Solar System Superhero (6 page)

Stink fed Toady. Stink talked to Astro. Stink drove and drove and drove. His car bed, that is. All the way to outer space.

Stink’s race-car bed was covered with tons of bumper stickers.

Stink stared at the bumper stickers. Suddenly he saw them in a brand-new way.

Faster than you can say “Ratbert” (the Mars rock, not rat), Stink had an idea. A plan.

Stink took out the Make Your Own Magnetic Bumper Sticker kit that he had gotten from Judy for his birthday. He made a brand-new bumper sticker.

A perfect Pluto bumper sticker.

All he needed now was a bumper. Stink knew just the bumper and just the car for Operation Bumper Sticker.

Now all he needed were the Underdogs. His team. A few good friends to be his lookouts.

The next morning before the bell rang, Captain Pluto and the Underdogs met under the big maple tree by the teachers’ parking lot.

“Listen up,” said Stink. “It’s not just a plan. It’s more like a mission. You know, to help Pluto.”

“Yeah, Mission Impossible,” said Webster. “Impossible that you won’t get caught and get in big trouble.”

“I won’t get caught,” said Stink. “That’s why I have you guys.”

“Okay, we’re in,” said Skunk, starting the secret Pluto handshake.

“I just need you guys to be on the lookout while I sneak up to the car,” said Stink. “Make sure no teachers are coming.”

“We’ll be like spies,” said Webster.

“Outer-space spies,” said Sophie.

“If a teacher comes, yell out the secret code,” said Stink.

“What’s the secret code?” asked Skunk.

“Urp!”
said Stink. “Just say
‘Urp’
!” He grinned. “Okay, places everybody.” Skunk hid behind the tree. Webster ducked behind a trash can. And Sophie crouched behind a bench.

Stink looked left. Stink looked right. The coast was clear. He scooted across the parking lot. He ducked behind a green car, darted beside a black van, and scooched over to a blue Mini.

He pulled the bumper sticker from his back pocket and, in a split second, stuck it to the blue Mini’s bumper:
HONK IF YOU LOVE PLUTO.

“Urp!”
Sophie called in a loud whisper, but Stink didn’t hear.

“Urp! Urp! Urp!”
yelled the others.

Stink stood up.

Right smack in front of Stink was a teacher. A tall teacher.

Judy’s teacher, Mr. Todd.

“Hello there, Stink,” said Mr. Todd.

“Hi, Mr. Toad — I mean Todd,” Stink croaked.

“Checking out the Mini, huh? Great little car. Roomier than it looks. I’ve been thinking about getting one of these guys myself. Saves on gas.”

“Yeah, gas,” said Stink, backing up to stand in front of the top-secret super-sneaky bumper sticker.

“Well, we’d both better be getting to class, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, class,” said Stink.

Stink and Mr. Todd headed for the front door, followed by three super-sneaky, second-grade outer-space spies.

Mission Impossible had just become Mission Accomplished.

On Thursday, Mrs. D. announced, “Everybody take out your science books. Turn to page sixty-seven.”

Stink lugged the heavy book out of his desk. He opened to page sixty-seven. Stink could not believe his eyes. “Hey,” he said, looking around. “Mrs. D.! Something’s not right.”

“Somebody wrote all over my science book!” called somebody else.

“Me too!”

“Me three!”

“Somebody crossed out all the Plutos!” shouted Stink, looking around at all the other books.

“Boys and girls,” said Mrs. D., “let’s just keep calm.” She walked around the room, up and down the aisles, looking at everybody’s books.

“The Evil Science-Book Fairy strikes again,” said Sophie of the Elves.

“Anti-Pluto goblins are on the loose,” said Webster.

“Now, class, you know we don’t go around writing in textbooks. Would anyone like to tell me who did this?”

“Yeah, whoever did this sure is
rotten,
” said Stink, glaring at Riley.

“Okay, okay,” said Riley. “I did it.”

“Riley, you know better than this. What were you thinking?”

“Well, Pluto’s not a planet anymore. So I crossed it out — when everyone was at recess.”

“I thought we agreed we’d hold a debate on Friday.”

“We did, but I had to do something. Even you’ve already taken sides.”

“No one’s taken any sides,” said Mrs. D. “I’m leaving it up to all of you. Class 2D will debate and decide for themselves, fair and square.”

“Then why are you driving all over town getting everybody in the whole world to honk for Pluto?”

Mrs. D. looked confused. Heather Strong pointed out the window at a little blue Mini parked outside. Mrs. Dempster’s little blue Mini.

Mrs. D. leaned and peered out the window at a mysterious bumper sticker on her car.
HONK IF YOU LOVE PLUTO
.

She couldn’t help smiling. “So that’s why everybody’s been honking at me since yesterday!”

“See?” said Riley. “I rest my case.”

“Riley, I didn’t know anything about it until just now. I think we may have a Bumper Sticker Bandit in Class 2D.”

“And I bet his name is Stink Moody!” said Riley, pointing.

“Stink,” asked Mrs. D., “do you know anything about this?”

“I might,” said Stink. “Okay, I did it!”

“Boys and girls, I know we’re all enthusiastic about the subject of Pluto. But you know better than to go around writing in schoolbooks and sticking bumper stickers on cars without asking permission. Riley, Stink, I’m disappointed in you both.”

“Sorry,” said Stink.

“Sorry,” said Riley.

“Stink, first of all, I’m going to need you to go peel off that bumper sticker at recess.”

“It’s just a magnet,” said Stink. “It’s not even stuck!”

Mrs. D. nodded. “And you and Riley are going to spend recess erasing all the marks in the books.”

This was going to be a no-good, rotten recess. The rottenest.

Stink zoomed around the room, desk by desk. He erased book after book after book. He made a pile of eraser crumbs. A blizzard of eraser crumbs. A mountain of eraser crumbs.

Glancing across the room at Riley, Stink asked, “Did you know that before they had rubber for erasers, they actually used bread crumbs?”

Riley didn’t say a word.

“Did you know that the eraser was invented more than two hundred years ago?”

Riley didn’t say a word.

Stink erased some more. “How many erasers do you think it would take to circle Planet Earth?”

“Stink Moody, you are so e-noying!”

“E-noying? Is that like annoying with an e-raser?” Stink laughed at his own joke.

“FYI, Mr. Eraser Head, e-noying is extremely annoying.”

“Did you learn that at Space Camp?”

“For your info, it’s none of your beeswax.” Riley rubbed her eraser superhard. “I was never in trouble before, and now I’m in trouble and I have to stay in at recess, and it’s all because of you, Stink Moody!”