Chapter 1 After soccer practice Jasper John Dooley’s dad gave him change to buy a drink You must be really thirsty after all that running away from the ball he said It’s because of my striped socks Jasper told him I’m just going to ask Coach Ben a quick question You go ahead Jasper took the change and skipped away Dad waited in the parking lot beside Coach Ben’s car Dad’s question was going to be quick for sure It only had three letters W-H-Y During practice Dad had stood on the sidelines shaking his head and asking the other parents the same thing Why Why does Jasper always run away from the ball he meant Why do bees have stripes Jasper wondered but as soon as he reached the vending machines he stopped thinking about bees Two machines stood in front of the community center one for candy and chips the other for drinks Jasper spent a few minutes looking in the candy and chip machine He liked how the things were arranged inside with the chips in the top three rows and the
chocolate bars in the middle two rows In the bottom row were the not-chip and not-chocolate bar things the things that didn’t fit like cookies and gummies Jasper leaned right into the machine so that his breath clouded over the glass If only he had more money He looked at the change Dad had given him but didn’t count it because that would be math Anyway he could tell there wasn’t enough for a drink and chips or a drink and a chocolate bar or a drink and gummies He checked the coin returns He got down on his hands and his knees and looked under the machines Nobody had accidentally left change behind or dropped it so he could buy a drink and something else Then he remembered Dad was only asking a quick question and moved over to the drink machine There were two kinds of drinks good and bad The good drinks had happy face stickers on their labels The bad ones didn’t They were full of things that were bad for you like sugar Jasper was only allowed bad things full of sugar as a special treat and only after he had eaten good things Like celery He might be allowed a bad drink if he ate some celery first But he hadn’t eaten celery for a long long time He hated it So he had to choose a good drink apple juice or water Water Who would buy water The water in the drinking fountain was free Jasper got an idea He’d go into the community center and drink
some water from the fountain That way he would have enough money for a drink and chips or a drink and a chocolate bar or a drink and gummies In the parking lot Dad was talking to Coach Ben Coach Ben was patting him on the shoulder like he was almost finished answering his question If they finished talking while Jasper was inside getting a free drink when Dad came to meet him at the vending machines Jasper wouldn’t be there Then the thing that had happened in the grocery store a long time ago would happen again Dad would run around yelling and waving his arms The loudspeaker would boom out Code Red Code Red Jasper would drop whatever was in his hand change today or a whole carton of blueberries in the grocery store because he was so frightened Apple juice Jasper decided His money clattered down Words started scrolling by on the little screen above the coin slot YOUR SELECTION NOW PLEASE PRESS YOUR SELECTION NOW PLEASE Beep Each of the cans and bottles had a letter and a number The letter and number for apple juice was C3 PRESS YOUR SELECTION NOW PLEASE PRESS YOUR SELECTION Beep NOW PLEASE PRESS YOUR Beep Beep BEEP Hurry Hurry Jasper pressed C on the keypad then 3 Scary noises whirrs and rumbles and clanks started up The
whole machine shook with these sounds A can shot forward held by the machine’s claws The machine seemed to be showing Jasper the can it was red and black with a picture of a torpedo on it When the claws let go the can crashed to the bottom of the machine and rolled out of view Jasper squatted He was almost afraid to push against the door and see the drink waiting there Because apple juice came in bottles not cans Also he was pretty sure that apple juice would have a happy face not a torpedo He reached inside and took out the can the can of Torpedo High Energy Drink He pressed it to his cheek Cold
