Field Trip Read Free

once the boss gets on the road; he could forget about the puppy. He does forget things.
    Conor: A PUPPY! I’ve always wanted a puppy! Puppies are easy, not like Atticus, who is crabby and just likes to sleep in the sun. I’M GOING TO GET A PUPPY!

The Ultimate Flip and the Stowaway
    As I’m grabbing some clothes for the trip, I do some deep breathing exercises I use when game pressure is on. I regroup: how to swing things back in my favor? It’s third period, Duffy; the score’s tied one-all. You’ve got one last chance to take control of the game.
    Less hockey? We’ll see about that. I’ll figure out how to show Dad how badly I want this and convince him what a great deal the academy is.
    Wait!
That’s
what this is all about. Dad’s just testing me—he’s making me
earn
the academy. He wants to make sure I’ve thought this through. If I prove myself on the road and I don’t moan and I’m a team player about the field trip, he’ll be so impressed he’ll let me try out. Yeah! Dad’s not the only one who thinks everything will work out in the end.
    My brain is starting to whir. Always have a Plan B—Dad taught me that. I’m feeling better already. Gordie Howe would never let a setback like this get the best of him; neither will I.
    I shove my dog-eared Wayne Gretzky autobiography and my team playbook into my bag. Out of habit, I grab my hockey bag, too. Feels weird to go anywhere without it.
    I head back to the kitchen with a bounce in my step. I’ll get some studying done in the truck, a visual aid to impress Dad.
    “Oh, uh, Ben,” Dad says in a voice I’ve only heard once before: when he told me he’d bought us a crack house in a really dicey area to fix up. I try to catch his eye. He’s not looking at me. “I have some, uh, news.”
    “More?” I brace myself for the second time this morning.
    “It’s good—don’t look so worried. It’s great, actually. It may well be the best thing that ever happened to this family!”
    Wow. This is bad. Really bad.
    “I sold another house. One I wasn’t even trying to sell: I’m
that
good! Ha ha ha.”
    At Dad’s fake laugh, I close my eyes. This will be genuinely hideous.
    “I sold
our
house!”
    “You
what
?” If I weren’t gripping the countertop, I’d keel over.
    “I was as surprised as you are.”
    “Oh. You accidentally sold our house. Sure, happens all the time. You read about it in the newspaper, see stories on the news.” I roll my eyes.
    Atticus and Conor slink to the kitchen door and stand with their backs to us, probably hoping one or the other will suddenly sprout hands so they can work the doorknob and escape.
    “I know. Crazy, right?” Dad’s sticking with cheerful. “I sank a ton of money into that old place on Calhoun and Harriet. More than I expected. I needed money fast to keep the project on track.”
    “So you sold our family home. Right out from underneath us. Without consulting us.” I just want to be clear.
    “Yeah!” Dad nods, glad that I get it. “The good news is that I turned such a profit it would have been criminal to let the offer go. The buyer came to me, like the universe was helping me take the business to the next level. Plus, now I can get the Calhoun place up to code and make it a masterpiece. The profit we’re going to see on that place, Ben…”
    “What about us? Where are we going to live? When do we move? What did Mom say? Does she even know?”
    “Of course she knows.”
    “And…?”
    “She’s going to hammer out some details while we’re gone.” Dad nods happily.
    “Details. You mean like packing everything we own and, oh, finding us a new place to live?”
    “Yup! I’m not good with the particulars. I’m a big-picture guy.” Dad’s foot is tapping under his chair and he’s drumming his fingers on the tabletop, antsy to get going now that he’s dumped the news. “She was up half the night looking for the new Casa Duffy online.”
    Traitor. I glare at the ceiling and Mom