Clara Humble and the Kitten Caboodle

Clara Humble and the Kitten Caboodle — page 5 — stamina I didn’t envy the pig-shaped piñata she was attacking On her third hit the swine exploded showering candy onto the grass All the party guests rushed to pick some up all the guests that is except for Bradley’s new friend Nelson Nelson Bradley called My best friend was kneeling on the lawn with two huge handfuls of packaged gumballs Jolly Ranchers and Fizz poppers Come get some Nelson just smiled and shrugged Thanks but candy gets stuck in my braces He went back to flipping through his magazine or actually Bradley’s magazine Nelson had given it to Bradley for his birthday along with a METAL DETECTORIST MONTHLY FOUND 12

Clara Humble and the Kitten Caboodle — page 6 — monthly subscription It looked pretty boring at least compared with my gift a genuine sno-cone machine that could do six different flavors but Bradley had made a huge deal about how much he loved it and I guess it was a thoughtful present Plus it went well with what Bradley’s mom got him his very own X-2000 metal detector which according to Nelson was professional grade and super-lightweight and even had an ultrasensitive DD coil whatever that was Who was this Nelson kid anyway you might be wondering Bradley had met him just the week before at JTT Camp JTT’s short for Junior Treasure Trackers And they got along so well that he’d scored a last-minute invite to the party In summers past Bradley and I had always gone to the same camps but that year as school ended and it came time to choose we just couldn’t agree JTT will be a different treasure-hunting adventure every day Bradley had said butt-bouncing on his couch with excitement And it did sound fun until you looked more closely Local history lessons Three-hour treasure treks Geocaching excursions and a rust-removal 13

Clara Humble and the Kitten Caboodle — page 7 — workshop I’d read off Bradley’s mom’s laptop I couldn’t help wrinkling my nose It wasn’t that I didn’t like treasure Bradley and I had been digging holes in his yard for years searching for buried artifacts But there were just so many other cool camps to choose from In the end I picked something else but Bradley had his heart set on four weeks of JTT the same four weeks coincidentally as his new friend Nelson It was good that they got along because they were going to be removing a lot of rust together And I was glad Bradley had a camp friend I just didn’t understand why he’d picked Nelson The guy was so serious What about some SweeTarts then Bradley suggested They’re not sticky No thanks Nelson pushed his glasses up on his nose and flipped another page in the magazine Just leave him alone someone said Even though I was busy picking Jolly Ranchers out of the grass and had my back turned and regardless of the fact that he was mumbling through a mouthful of gumballs I didn’t have to guess who it was More candy for me that way added Shane 14

Clara Humble and the Kitten Caboodle — page 8 — When you’re #1 at being the worst MOST LEAST FAVORITE PERSON OF THE YEAR Biggs my new neighbor and most least favorite person Just before Christmas he and his mom bought my old neighbor Momo’s house Since moving in not only had they ruined her prizewinning garden by never watering it and painted the whole place a sad color called storm gray they’d also cut down a big oak tree that used to be a home for squirrels and birds just to make way for a basketball net Shane never used And those weren’t even the only reasons he was the worst Just two months before summer holidays Shane had done his best to sabotage me and every other girl contestant who’d competed on the game show Smarty Pants Then once school let out my mother had insisted that I go be neighborly I’d knocked on Shane’s door after dinner and invited him to do not one not two but three outstandingly fun things with me and Bradley one of which 15

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