I explained how the hat bounced and the microchip number changed and how if Baxter wasn’t King of the Bounce, we never would have been able to help Professor Reese with her scientific discovery.
“Our scientific discovery,” Professor Reese said. “You and TJ have made a real contribution to science.”
“And Baxter,” I added.
“And Spike!” TJ said. Then he explained all the parts about the latitude numbers and helping Baxter follow the hum to the science museum—
“Hold on, TJ,” Mom interrupted. “When did you go to the science museum with Baxter?”
“Um,” TJ said. He stuffed a big bite of pizza into his mouth and looked at me, like, You tell them that part.
I took a deep breath. “Yeah, well, I had a whole bunch of great opportunities to be dependable because Professor Reese was counting on me.” Only the more I told the opportunities, one by one, the less great they sounded. Mom’s eyebrows got higher and higher, and pretty soon no one was eating anymore, not even TJ, just waiting for me to finish them all. Lydia and Dad were shaking their heads.
And when I finished, for about five minutes everyone was talking all at once, and boy, did me and TJ get an earful—though Mom and Dad finally did admit that if we had tried to tell them about teleportation without Professor Reese there to back us up, they wouldn’t have believed it, because, seriously, who would?
But even though Lydia and Mom and Dad were really mad, they weren’t completely and totally mad because mixed in with all the stuff we got in trouble for were a lot of great things, too—like Professor Reese inventing teleportation but me and TJ being the ones who figured out how it worked. Plus, us being able to find her when no one else could, and also us maybe even keeping her from starving to death a little bit.
So all that was really impressive and made Mom and Dad and Lydia at least a little bit less mad.
I winced. “So how long are me and TJ grounded for?”
Dad shook his head. “This is way bigger than being grounded,” he said. “This is the biggest thing ever, Jordie: we’re a family, and families look out for each other.”
“Like a wolf pack,” I said.
“Well, yes, exactly: like a wolf pack,” Mom said. “And your dad and I can’t look out for you and TJ when you don’t tell us what’s going on.”
Mom looked long and hard at TJ and even longer and harder at me. She even looked long and hard at Professor Reese. “Agreed?”
We all nodded. And when I looked over at Baxter, he was nodding, too.
“So we’re not grounded?” TJ added and flashed Mom and Dad a big grin, like, Pleeeeease?
Everyone laughed.
So the day turned out great (even though it had started out really exhausting). Plus, inside the pink box was cake.
Professor Reese told us that after her nap, she’d called around to find a bakery that delivered. And it was the greatest cake I’d ever seen because it was huge and chocolate and had My Heroes written on it (in purple frosting to match Baxter’s collar), and the heroes were me and TJ and Baxter.
“I think you only invented a teleporter so you can see your grandkids more often,” Lydia said and laughed as she cut the cake.
“It did occur to me.” Professor Reese smiled and started passing the cake plates.
“You have grandkids?” I said.
“Yes, a boy and a girl, only the boy is the one who’s a year older.”
“Ha!” TJ said.
Once we all had our cake in front of us, Professor Reese put a slice of pizza on another plate and placed it on the floor for Baxter, since dogs can’t have chocolate.
“There’s only one thing I’m wondering about,” I said, watching him wolf it down (which was still not as messy as TJ wolfing down his pizza, even though TJ is the one who can actually pick it up since he has thumbs). “If Baxter just follows the hum of his microchip, does that mean he’s not magical?”
Baxter turned toward us, and his crazy silver eyebrows went up and down as he looked back and forth among us all.
Professor Reese thought about it a minute. Then she smiled. “Well, who would have ever guessed that the key to unlocking one of the greatest scientific advances in the history of mankind would be a shaggy gray dog named Baxter—King of the Bounce.”
She dug her fork into her cake. “That seems a little bit magical to me.”
29Pretty Outstanding at the End
In the morning, I ran over to Professor Reese’s as soon as I finished my Crispy Rice. TJ was still eating his so slowly that it would be a bowl of slimy mush at the end (seriously), and I wanted to get there early.
I rang the doorbell, and Baxter started woofing. His ears were getting better.
Lydia answered the door. “Hi, Jordie!”
Baxter nosed his way past her and licked my hands, his tail wagging so hard he practically fell off his own back feet. I kissed the spot between his eyebrows, and Baxter kissed me back, between mine.
I went into the living room. Professor Reese was wearing a silvery-gray leotard and gray tights, looking a little bit like Baxter. “Good morning, dear,” she said, writing octagonal in 23-down (for “having eight sides”).
“How are you feeling?” I asked.
She patted her stomach. “Much better. I’m stuffed! Lydia has been spoiling me silly.”
“I like taking care of you,” Lydia said. She kissed the top of Professor Reese’s head, which was nice, because even when you are all grown up you are still somebody’s mom and somebody’s daughter. Then she went into the kitchen.
“So, Jordie,” Professor Reese said, “what did you decide—are you still going to hide in the bathroom today?”
I scritched Baxter’s shaggy gray chin. “No. I decided that I really was a pretty outstanding Study Buddy.”
Professor Reese nodded. “Good.”
Then
