10:49 a.m.
“What are you doing here?”
“What are YOU doing here? You never come outdoors.”
“Mom said I had to,” said Doug, who hated leaving his computer for anything but school or dinner.
Alex ran into Doug and Kwan in the park when Rex bolted into the trees to chase a squirrel. (Alex had decided to go with the name Rex and see if the dog would eventually answer to it. If that didn’t work, he’d try a different name tomorrow.) This was perfect: he couldn’t wait to show off his new dog.
If only he could find him.
Alex glanced around: some boys were hitting grounders with a tennis ball over on a nearby baseball diamond, but the rest of the park was empty; he couldn’t spot Rex anywhere.
“My mom told me I couldn’t sit in front of the TV all day,” Doug grumbled.
Kwan nodded. “My mom said the same thing.”
“Yeah. But this time, she actually unplugged it.”
“My mom was acting all weird, too,” Alex chimed in. He shook his head. “Parents.”
Kwan and Doug nodded.
Alex heard a bark and spotted Rex rolling on his back in the outfield grass, wiggling and kicking his paws in the air. Nunu saw him, too, and giggled.
“Look at that dog,” said Kwan. “What a doof.”
“That’s Rex. He’s mine,” Alex said proudly.
Kwan’s eyebrows shot up. Doug’s jaw fell open. Alex ate it up as his two friends stared at him in total disbelief.
“No way. Your parents actually got you a dog?” said Kwan.
Nunu started to correct them. “We found him on the road—”
“He’s my birthday dog,” Alex interrupted.
Shouting erupted from the baseball field. Alex turned to see Rex racing across the grass, chasing down a line drive tennis ball.
“NO BOY! STAY!”
Alex was off and running in an instant. Those kids on the ball field looked big, like they wouldn’t appreciate having their ball stolen. The outfielder, a tall, squinty-eyed red-headed kid, chased after the ball. Alex turned on the afterburners. The dog, on the other hand, didn’t even look like he was trying. He loped across the grass, easily outraced them all, and gobbled the ball up, sweeping it into his jaws with that huge tongue. He turned without missing a beat, sprinted straight back, and dropped his prize catch at Alex’s feet, where it landed with a soggy plop.
Alex picked up the ball just as the redheaded outfielder came running up. He was even bigger up close—at least a seventh grader.
Alex held out the wet ball. “Sorry,” he murmured.
The redheaded boy squinted at the ball, then took it back. The dog stared at the ball with laser-like focus, hoping for another round of fetch. The redheaded boy watched him watch the ball, then broke into a smile. “No sweat. He made a good catch.”
Alex grinned with relief and scratched Rex behind the ears.
“Hey, you guys wanna play?”
“Really?” Alex glanced at Doug and Kwan.
“Three more, and we’d have five a side.”
“I’m in!” Dougie shouted. Alex threw him a funny look as he ran past. “This is the first time I’ve ever been picked for baseball. Let’s go before he changes his mind.”
It wasn’t the greatest game ever. But no one ever had more fun with a skinny bat and a tennis ball covered in dog goober.
Kwan got three hits, scored one run, and made two put-outs.
Doug dropped two fly balls, struck out twice, got hit in the chest by a line drive, and let five grounders go between his legs. But he never once stopped smiling.
Nunu watched from the dugout, sitting on Alex’s backpack so she could see the field. Rex stretched out next to her, his big head in her lap.
Alex never had a single strike; every swing of the bat connected. He hit a triple, a ground-out, and two doubles. In the bottom of the ninth, he connected on a long line drive that was still rising as it flew over the center fielder’s head.
“Yes!” Alex pumped his fist and started jogging around the bases. No way the outfielder could get to it in time. It was a sure home run. He was playing skins and had his shirt tied around his head; as he ran, the sleeves swung like elephant trunks.
Then he saw Rex go tearing after the ball.
“No!” cried Alex.
“Yes!” cried the other team.
Rex got to the ball, hoovered it up, and started back towards Alex. Alex saw him coming and broke into a sprint. The dog seemed to think this was part of the game and turned on the juice. As Alex rounded second base, Rex passed the center fielder and was closing fast.
“C’MON! BRING IT HOME!” cheered the other team as they frantically waved the dog in.
“HE’S AT SECOND! MOVE IT!!” Alex’s teammates shouted.
Alex hit third base and rounded the corner without breaking stride. Rex headed straight across the infield; to him, it was just a game of fetch, but to the players it looked exactly like he was trying to beat the runner and make the tag at home plate.
Alex lowered his head and pumped his arms.
Rex leaped the pitcher’s mound in one stride.
It was going to be close.
Out of the corner of his eye, Alex saw a yellow-brown blur racing in. Alex tucked his knee and slid for home, throwing up a huge cloud of dirt.
Then they both vanished inside the swirling dust.