One

Barefoot Pirate.

Joe stretched out his hand to grab the little book off the library shelf and his fingers bumped against another hand.

He stared at the freckled fingers under his own brown ones as though they’d somehow sprouted from the books. A thin wrist attached to the hand. His gaze traveled up the wrist past a shabby blue sleeve to meet the unfriendly blue eyes of a girl.

He snatched his hand away. “Yuk!”

“I saw it first,” the girl whispered fiercely. Her gaze shifted to the shelf and she reached again, but this time Joe was faster.

He grabbed the little brown book and slapped it up against his jacket. Then he scanned the category sign at the top of the bookshelf. It still said ADVENTURE STORIES. He glanced over his shoulder at the regular fiction area, where all the books with the pink covers were shelved, wondering if this girl had somehow gotten lost.

Her freckled cheeks flushed with anger. “Give it back,” she said in a low voice. “Go play video games or something.”

Joe snorted. “Finders keepers.”

“I found it first,” she muttered even more fiercely, one of her shoulders hunching as she darted a quick look around. “Give it to me.”

Why was she acting like that? No one paid them any attention. Most of the boys were having a shoving fight at the drinking fountain near the Sports section, and a gaggle of girls stood by the vampire stories, yakking away.

Joe looked at the redhead again, trying to remember her name. She always sat at the back of English class. She was glaring at him so nastily he was tempted to shove her out of the way and say, “Make me.” He couldn’t stand girls, from his older sisters to the giggling squads who hogged up the hallways. But there was something about the corners of her mouth that reminded him of his little brother when he was about to lose it and start bawling. So he just shrugged and said, “We can share it.”

She blinked as though he’d hit her. The anger faded out of her cheeks, making the freckles stand out like they’d been painted on.

“I’ll read it tonight, and hand it off to you tomorrow,” he said.

Her lips parted, but before she could speak a screechy laugh ripped at them from behind. “Oooh, lookie there. The Goat’s got a boyfriend.”

McKynzi Kerne and the rest of her gang had left the vampire books. McKynzi’s pals giggled like crazy, but McKynzi just cracked her gum, smiling like a shark. “Gettin’ desperate, huh, Joey?” McKynzi sneered.

“Whatever.” Geez, Joe hated girls. They were so freaking weird.

He was about to jet when he happened to glance at the redhead—Nan something, he remembered. She looked sick, her shoulders hunched, and her fingers clutching her books tight. That stance reminded him even more of Benny when their sister Mar Tee picked on him.

Joe spoke again. “Aw, can it, McKynzi.” Raising his voice slightly, he added, “You’re gonna bring Ms. Murata on us.”

Sure enough, the teacher looked over in their direction.

At once the girls moved off, McKynzi faking a studious expression as she ran her fingers over the books next to her. Her clones whispered and giggled after her.

“Tomorrow,” he muttered to Nan Something, and got outa there.

He didn’t look back—and she didn’t say anything or try to catch up. Later, when the class walked back to their room, he did a quick take down the line. Nan was at the end, walking with her head lowered, and a couple of library books in her arms.

He glanced curiously at the little book he’d checked out. Just a skinny book, with a worn brown cover, and the words Barefoot Pirate printed in gold along the spine and on the cover. The author’s name had worn off—the lettering couldn’t be made out.

He hadn’t even looked inside. The title had been enough to draw his interest when he’d gone browsing along the shelves; he’d been over the small collection in the Adventure section enough times he thought it impossible that he could have overlooked this one. It certainly wasn’t new. Maybe some kid in the older grades had had it over the fall semester, and just turned it in late?

Whatever, he thought, as the bell rang and he swept his books under his arm. He was just glad he got it. He needed a good adventure story. With luck it might even have magic in it. Too bad it was such a short one.