Violet turned pale. “A thief? Sonia, what are you talking about?”
Sonia pointed to Hoppity. “That. You stole my Make-a-Pet!”
“That’s your bunny?” Nancy asked Sonia, surprised.
“Yes! I mean, no! I mean, s-sort of!” Sonia stammered.
Nancy frowned. This was getting confusing. “How can Hoppity ‘sort of’ be your bunny?”
“Well, I don’t have a Make-a-Pet . . . yet,” Sonia explained. “I still need four more dollars, which I’m getting tonight, since it’s allowance night. My mom’s taking me to the mall after dinner to get my bunny.” She narrowed her eyes at Violet. “Violet knew that. And she knew that I was going to name my bunny Hoppity.”
“Who cares? Sonia, just pick a different name.” Deirdre fluffed Squeak Squeak’s dress.
“But it’s my name!” Sonia insisted.
“No, it’s mine!” Violet cried out. She clutched the bunny to her chest.
“I thought of it first!”
“No, I did!”
The two girls continued arguing. Nancy glanced at Sonia and then at Violet, wondering who was telling the truth . . . and who was not.
Monday was show-and-tell day at school. Michael Dorf was standing up front, making his presentation.
“My super-duper bubble machine can make bubbles in all different sizes—and colors, too,” he said. “I can also make bubbles with different fragrances. That means ‘smells.’ So far I’ve made bubbles that smell like peppermint, chocolate, and broccoli. And that concludes my show-and-tell presentation.”
“Broccoli?” George turned around and whispered to Nancy. Nancy shrugged.
Mrs. Ramirez smiled. “Thanks, Michael D. I think that’s one of your most interesting inventions yet. Who wants to go next?”
Luna Valeri raised her hand. “I do! Can I show everyone my new Make-a-Pet ladybug?”
“But what about my amazing new Make-a-Pet camel?” Michael Lawrence piped up. Everyone called him “Michael L.,” to tell him apart from Michael D.
“I think I should go next,” Nadine Nardo said. “My Make-a-Pet poodle can do tricks!”
A dozen other kids raised their hands. Nancy noticed that they all had Make-a-Pets.
Antonio Elefano, who sat across from Nancy, rolled his eyes. “What’s up with these Make-a-Pets? They’re laaaaame.”
Bess, who sat in front of Antonio, whirled around. “You’re just jealous because you don’t have one!” she said in a low, angry voice.
“Yeah? I have something better. I have Killerosaurus!” Antonio pulled a large green plastic dinosaur out of his backpack. “And Killerosaurus is gonna eat your Fake-a-Pet for lunch! Grrrrrr!”
“Oh, no, he isn’t!” Bess hid Itty Bitty in her lap.
“Antonio, please put your dinosaur away,” Mrs. Ramirez told him sternly. “And let’s see . . . Sonia! Why don’t you go next?”
“Uh, okay. I guess,” Sonia said reluctantly. “This is my squirrel.” She stood up and held out a stuffed squirrel. It was wearing a T-shirt that read I’M NUTS FOR NUTS. “His name is Squirrel.” She started to sit back down.
“Hang on, Sonia. Tell us a little something about Squirrel,” Mrs. Ramirez urged. “Where did you get him? Are squirrels your favorite kind of animal?”
“I got him at the mall last night at the Make-a-Pet store. And no, squirrels aren’t my favorite. Bunnies are.” Sonia stared pointedly at Violet.
Violet glared back at Sonia. She hugged Hoppity to her chest.
“Oh! But squirrels are wonderful animals too,” Mrs. Ramirez said, looking confused. “They’re very cute. They have very good vision, and they can grasp things really well with their claws.”
“If you say so.” Sonia tugged at her short blonde hair.
“Okay, well . . . thank you, Sonia. Who wants to go next? Catherine?” Mrs. Ramirez suggested.
Catherine went up to the front of the class with a tiny blue bear that was too small to be a Make-a-Pet. As she began her presentation, Nancy glanced over at Sonia. Sonia had carelessly tossed Squirrel into her backpack and was doodling in her notebook with a glum expression.
Nancy wondered, What is it going to take to make Sonia feel better about not having a Make-a-Pet bunny named Hoppity?
“I’m ready for ice cream!” Bess announced. She waltzed up to Nancy’s cubby.
“Me too!” George said, following behind. The two cousins were wearing their coats, hats, and mittens and carrying their backpacks.
“Me three!” Nancy said, slipping on her parka. The last bell had just rung, and the hallway was jammed with kids. Hannah was meeting Nancy, Bess, and George in a few minutes to take them to Double Dip, their favorite ice-cream parlor.
“That’s dumb. Who wants to eat ice cream in January?” Michael L. called out from his cubby.
Bess giggled. “Any month is good for ice cream!”
“Have you guys started playing Petopia yet?” George asked Nancy and Bess. “It’s so much fun!”
Nancy nodded. “I know! I can’t wait to play again when I get home.”
“I’m going to try to win the contest,” Bess said. “Itty Bitty needs a new backpack to carry all her kitty treats!”
Just then, Violet came rushing up to Nancy and the girls. She looked upset.
“Violet, what’s wrong?” Nancy asked her.