Anyone But Me Read Free Page B

the squeaking at all.
    “Suzanne, will you please put a carrot in Speedy’s cage?” Mrs. Derkman asked. “Maybe that will get him to stop running on that squeaky wheel.”
    “Yes, Mrs. Derkman,” Suzanne said.
    Katie watched as her best friend walked over, lifted the lid off the cage, and dropped in a carrot.
    Katie leaped from the wheel and grabbed the treat. As she chewed the carrot, Katie looked up gratefully at Suzanne. Her friend had given Katie more than just a snack. She’d given her a great idea, too!

Chapter 6
    Katie dropped the carrot and raced over to Speedy’s wheel. She started running as fast as her tiny hamster feet could carry her. The wheel moved round and round. The squeaking got louder and louder.
    “Excuse me, class,” Mrs. Derkman said finally. “I’m going to have to take Speedy’s wheel out of his cage. The noise is making it too hard to learn.”
    Katie heard Mrs. Derkman’s footsteps come near the glass cage. Her tiny hamster heart beat quickly. This was her only chance to get free!
    Mrs. Derkman took the lid from the cage. She reached in with her hand and tried to gently ease the hamster off the wheel.
    Before Mrs. Derkman could push her off, Katie leaped out and raced up her teacher’s arm. Mrs. Derkman jumped back with surprise as the furry little creature scurried over her bare skin.

    Katie looked from Mrs. Derkman’s elbow to the floor below. It seemed very far away. But Katie knew she had no choice. She placed her little hamster paws in front of her eyes and jumped!
    Thump! Katie landed hard on the cold tile floor. Her hind legs hurt a little. So did her ears. Everyone in the class seemed to be moving and shouting at once.
    “Speedy’s loose!” Kevin announced.
    “Somebody catch him!” Zoe shouted.
    “I’ll get him,” Jeremy volunteered. He got down on his hands and knees.
    “No, I’ll do it,” Ricky Dobbs said. He got down on his hands and knees, too.
    “I think I can get him,” Mandy yelled.
    Suddenly everyone seemed to be grabbing for Katie. Her little hamster body shook with fear. She was lost in a big pile of giant human hands. They were all grabbing for her. Katie couldn’t let the kids catch her. They’d put her back in the cage again!
    Katie ran toward the front of the room. It seemed more empty there. But as she reached Mrs. Derkman’s desk, she caught a whiff of human. Whoever was standing there was covered in kid smells—spilled orange juice, crumbs, and waxy crayons.
    Suddenly, the boy by the desk shrieked. “Get it away from me! Get this thing away from me!”
    Katie would know that voice anywhere. It was George. She couldn’t believe it! The big class bully was scared of a tiny little hamster.
    Katie couldn’t help herself. She ran over to George and brushed up against his leg. Then she climbed right over his shoe.
    “AAAAH!” George screamed as he leaped up onto Mrs. Derkman’s desk. He stood there, high off the ground, shaking. “Get it! Somebody catch that furball!” he screamed.
    Katie laughed to herself. The class bully had been bullied—by a tiny little hamster. Deep down, Katie knew she’d been pretty mean. Her parents had always told her that two wrongs don’t make a right, but Katie couldn’t help feeling just a little bit happy at hearing George screaming in fear.
    Just then, the classroom door opened. Mr. Kane, the principal, was standing at the door. “What’s going on in here?” he asked.

    “Our hamster is loose,” Suzanne explained quickly.
    “There he goes!” Miriam added, as Katie ran right between Mr. Kane’s legs and out the door.
    “Hang on, Speedy!” Kevin cried out. “We’ll save you!”

Chapter 7
    “Not so fast, Kevin,” Mr. Kane said. “I can’t have a whole third-grade class running around the school.”
    “But we have to find Speedy,” Kevin argued.
    “Right now you have to go to gym class,” Mrs. Derkman interrupted. “I’m sure Speedy will turn up.”
    “But Mrs. Derkman,” Jeremy