Picture Dictionary & Books : Free for English Learner!

The big blonde kicks up water at me and yells, "Race you!"

So I chase, and just as I'm going to catch up, she stops short so I crash into her and we both fall down.

This seems to be what she had in mind, but I bet the other kids are watching and I feel silly.

I roll away and get up and go back to Cat.

While we drink cokes the blonde and the redhead say they want to go to the movies.

"What's on?" Nick asks.

"There's a Sinatra thing at the neighborhood," the blonde tells him, and he looks interested.

"I can't," I say.

"I've got Cat. Besides, it's too late. Mom'd think I'd fallen into the subway."

"I told you that cat was a mistake," says Nick.

"Put him in the basket and call your mother and tell her your watch stopped," says the redhead.

She comes over and trickles sand down my neck.

"Come on, it'd be fun. We don't have to sit in the kids' section. We all look sixteen."

"Nah, I can't." I get up and shake the sand out.

Nick looks disgusted, but he doesn't want to stay alone.

He says to the blonde, "Write me down your phone number, and we'll do it another day when this nut hasn't got his cat along."

She writes down the phone number, and the redhead pouts because I'm not asking for hers.

The girls get ready to leave, and Mary pats Cat good-bye and waves to me.

She says, "Bring him again. He's nice."

We get on the subway and Cat meows crossly at being shut in his basket.

Nick pokes the basket with his toes.

"Shut up, nuisance," he says.

I actually get a letter back from Tom Ransom.