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Carter waited at the bus stop with his sister and stamped his feet to ward off the cold With only two school days - including today - left before winter break, everyone was talking about Christmas and what they expected to find under the tree Carter knew that his parents couldn&039;t afford gifts Still, there were several wrapped ones frorandparents that his mother had already set out Their Christ as there were presents He just hoped all of his weren&039;t socks or underwear

As the big yellow bus belched to a stop, Carter grabbed his sister&039;s hand His mother had instructed him to look out for Bailey, and Carter took his duties seriously

The bus doors slid open and Carter pushed Bailey ahead of him As he climbed the steps and felt the war them in his pockets Bailey raced down the aisle toward her friend, Maddy Ignoring her now, Carter took a seat next to his best friend, Timmy Anderson

"Want to trade lunches?" Timmy asked Carter tried to remember what his mother had packed in his Pirates of the Caribbean lunch pail She&039;d baked cookies the night before and there was the usual peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich, plus an apple He had an apple every day, no ot?" Carter asked

Timmy opened his Spider-Man lunch box "Potato chips, a Twinkie, a pudding cup and an apple"

"No sandwich?"

Timmy shook his head

Tiot if he traded He loved Twinkies, but his ood chocolate chip cookies

"Well?" Timmy pressed "Wanna trade or not?"

"Okay"

The two boys switched lunch pails Timmy seemed to like Carter&039;s lunches better than his own He wanted to trade almost every day

The bus ot on Ca into the seat in front of Timmy and Carter

Caetting an Xbox 360 for Christmas!"

"No way," Timmy said, eyes ith envy and awe "I put one on my list, but my parents said it was too expensive"

"Do you know for sure?" Carter asked He&039;d thought he was getting a dog like his parents had pro to happen He&039;d bet Ca the Xbox

"Yeah, because Moet anything else"

"And Caer brother, Isaiah, explained

"It could be underwear"

Caetting a PSP," Timmy said

Carter knew that was a PlayStation Portable, a handheld gareat"

The other boys looked at Carter "What are you getting for Christed, reluctant to tell his friends that his parents had told hiift he&039;d ever truly wanted

"Well, what did you ask for?" Isaiah leaned over the back of his seat

Carter would&039;ve liked a computer and an Xbox, too, but his fa his head and whispered, "I asked for a dog" Instantly a lu?"

Carter wasn&039;t picky "A red dog," he said If he was going to na should have reddish fur "Medium size so he can run and fetch and do stuff like that"

His Grand, a rand Carter had inthe day, after school and on weekends At night he could sleep in Carter&039;s roos did They slept by their masters Rusty would sleep in the very saotten down on his knees and prayed

If he closed his eyes, Carter could picture his dog with big, floppy ears and a tongue that hung out the side of hisOh, and Carter wanted a boy dog A girl dog would be all right, too, but he preferred a boy

"Are you going to get one?" Cameron asked

Carter hesitated "I won&039;t know until Christonna make you wait?"

He nodded rather than ad," Ti dejectedly back in his seat

"I&039;ll share Rusty with you," Carter offered, and then re to be a Rusty

"You will?"

"Sure," Carter assured his friend

Tirin, and when the bus arrived at school, the two boys hurried off together

Their teacher stood in the hallway outside their classroom As they approached, Timmy burst out, "Ms Jensen, Ms Jensen! Guess what? Carter&039;s getting a dog for Christmas"

Their teacher&039;s eyes lit up at the news "Why, Carter, that&039;s wonderful Do you have a naly "That&039;s a great na in the pit of his stooing to do once his friends discovered he didn&039;t get Rusty, after all He should never have said anything to Ti"

Ms Jensen beaood to share I&039;m proud of you, Carter" With that, she turned into the classroo in the hallway

All during their arithhts wandered to what his friends would say after Christ He never should&039;ve lied His stomach hurt the way it always did when he hadn&039;t told the truth

At recess, Carter walked up to his teacher&039;s desk, holding his stomach He rarely le day

"Aren&039;t you feeling well, Carter?" Ms Jensen asked in a soft caring voice that reminded him of his mother&039;s

"I have a stoainst his forehead, then took him down to the nurse&039;s office Mrs Weaver was about the sarandmother and had hair that was coly as she took his te at the therested he lie down on the couch for a little while

Carter tried to sleep but he couldn&039;t stop thinking After a fewidly out the office- and that hen he saw it

A dog

Outside in the schoolyard was a dog just like the one Carter had iht size, and he jumped and leaped at the students and then chased after a ball He was skinny and dirty, but Carter could tell that he was a good dog