CHAPTER 9

No Easy Task

Despite what Raining had said, their task was anything but easy. First they had to find Ruthie. That part wasn’t so hard. They eventually spotted her in the courtyard eating a Popsicle.

The good news was she had her bag with her. The bad news? She was using it as a pillow as she lay on her back, soaking up the sun.

“How am I supposed to get a look in there?” Clementine whispered.

The four friends hunched together behind one of the fat little palm trees that decorated the courtyard and kept an eye on their arch-nemesis.

“Maybe she’s asleep,” Amal suggested hopefully.

“With a Popsicle in her mouth?” said Raining. “I don’t think so. That’s impossible. Or at least I think it is.”

“You’ll have to trick her,” Amal said. “Get her to sit up.”

“Fine,” Clementine said as she stepped out from behind their tree. “I’ll get her to sit up, you grab the bag.”

“Ugh,” Amal said, making a face. “Fine.”

“What about us?” Raining asked. “What are we supposed to do?”

“You two wait here,” Amal said. “Keep an eye out for trouble.”

“Trouble?” said Wilson. “What kind of trouble?”

“Like Kenny Poole,” Amal said. “Or his dad.”

With that, Clementine and Amal were off. As the boys watched, they strolled over to where Ruthie was lounging. When she spotted them approaching, Ruthie sat up and took off her sunglasses. She said something to Clementine and then to Amal. Amal said something back.

Clementine took a seat on the bench next to Ruthie, and almost immediately, Ruthie slid all the way to the other end. Clementine was now between Ruthie and Ruthie’s bag.

As Raining watched, Clementine inched closer to the bag until — whoops! The bag fell off the end of the bench and plopped onto the red-brick walkway, spilling its contents all over the path.

“You idiot!” Ruthie shouted, jumping to her feet as Amal and Clementine hurried to scoop up the spilled items.

Ruthie knocked them out of the way. “I’ll get it,” she shouted. “Just get away from me.”

Clementine looked up from the mess of junk on the bricks and glanced over at the boys. She shook her head and shrugged.

“I guess she doesn’t have a black marker in there,” Raining said.

“That leaves Mr. Wu,” said Wilson.

Both boys stood up straight as the girls headed back toward them. Suddenly Amal and Clementine stopped, looking startled. At the same moment, a heavy hand grabbed Raining’s shoulder.

“Well, well, well,” a stern voice said from behind him. Raining turned around to see Mr. Poole, the security guard, glaring down at him. “Looks like the two little thugs are making trouble again.”