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THE NEXT MORNING, TOMMY, Alan, and n of hio in

"I bet he’s hiding," Toet the tickets and now he doesn’t want to face us"

"Steve’s not like that," I said

"I hope he brings the flyer back," Alan said "Even if we can’t go, I’d like to have the flyer I’d stick it up over my bed and"

"You couldn’t stick it up, stupid!" Tohed

"Why not? "Alan asked

"Because Tony would see it," I told hiluraphy first, and every tieography’s my best subject, because I know so much about it from when I used to collect stamps

"Had a late night, Darren?" she asked when I got

"No, Mrs Quinn," I lied

"I think you did" She ss under your eyes than in the local superhed at that Mrs Quinn didn’t crack jokes very often and I did, too, even though I was the butt of the joke

The ed, the way it does when you feel let down or disappointed I spent the ti the freak show I made-believe I was one of the freaks, and the owner of the circus was a nasty guy hipped everybody, even when they got stuff right All the freaks hated hi Until one day he whipped me once too often, and I turned into a wolf and bit his head off! Everybody cheered and I was ood daydreauess alked in? Steve! Histo Mrs Quinn, who nodded and smiled Then Mrs Leonard left and Steve strolled over to his seat and sat down

"Where were you?" I asked in a furious whisper

"At the dentist’s," he said "I forgot to tell you I was going"

"What about"

"That’s enough, Darren," Mrs Quinn said I shut up instantly

At recess, To and pulling at hiet the tickets?" I asked

"Were you really at the dentist’s?" Tommy wanted to know

"Where’s my flyer?" Alan asked

"Patience, boys, patience," Steve said, pushing us away and laughing "Good things come to those ait"