you a new pair, honey,â Billyâs mom offered, leaving her taco shells to give Bennett a little hug.
âThose goggles and I have made a lot of salsa together,â he said.
âTrust me, Dad. If I hadnât thrown them out, the Health Department would have. Even Brittany thought they were gross.â
âBrittany Osborne?â Billy piped up, suddenly getting interested in the conversation. âThe girl with the pink streaks in her hair. She thinks everything is gross.â
âFor your information, youngster, they are lavender highlights, not pink streaks. And she is the drummer in my band and one of my best friends, so Iâd appreciate it if you wouldnât criticize her. Besides, the only things she ever said were gross were the onion goggles and you.â
âIâm not gross.â
âReally? Then what do you call that shriveled-up rotting tomato youâre keeping on our bathroom counter?â
âI call it science. Iâm watching that tomato decompose.â
âEeuuww.â
âWhen fungi attack a fruit, it causes mold, which is why the tomato has turned black and fuzzy.â
âDouble eeuuww. Triple eeuuww. Everything eeuuww. That is the most disgusting thing I have ever heard in my whole life. You are officially the king of grossdom.â
Bennett came to Billyâs rescue.
âI applaud you, Billy,â he said, taking the spoon from Breeze and stirring the meat so it didnât stick to the bottom of the pan. âScience is not always pretty, but a good scientist observes whatâs around him with an unwavering eye.â
âAnd a strong stomach,â Breeze chimed in.
Dr. Fielding certainly knew what he was talking about in the category of disgusting. He was a dentist, and he spent his whole day inside peopleâs mouths. He knew all there was to know about tooth decay, gum disease, sour saliva, and bad breath.
As the four of them sat down at the dinner table, the family became very jolly. There was nothing like tacos and refried beans and fresh salsa to put a family in a great frame of mind. Mrs. Broccoli-Fielding talked about how well the resurfacing of the new teacher parking lot was going. Dr. Fielding spoke enthusiastically about the new watermelon-flavored mouthwash he was experimenting with. Breeze reported that her girl band, the Dark Cloud, had been booked for the chess club dance party and although they werenât getting actual money, they got all the chocolate chess pieces they could eat.
Billy was quiet and didnât contribute much to the conversation. His mind had returned to the SOC contest. With less than twelve hours to go before first-period English, he still hadnât come up with a topic. He had already rejected at least five. His latest thought was to speak on how to stop yourself from hiccuping, but then he realized that standing in front of the room holding his breath would not make for a very upbeat presentation. Besides, if he passed out, heâd never live it down.
âWhy so quiet, young William?â Bennett asked, helping himself to a third taco.
âIâm just thinking, and itâs not working.â
âTry using your brain,â Breeze suggested.
âMost people find that useful.â
âWell, since your brain is working,â Billy answered, âwhat did you do for the SOC competition last year? I canât think of a topic, and Iâm starting to freak out about it.â
âOur theme was What It Means to Grow Up . I set my speech to music and performed a song called âMy Nail Polish Doesnât Define Me.ââ
âYeah, I almost picked thatâ â Billy nodded â âbut I rejected it. Hate to appear shallow, but my nail polish does define me.â
Breeze didnât usually laugh at Billyâs jokes, but this one seemed to tickle her fancy.
âNot bad,â she giggled. âThere may just be a funny human in
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