Chapter 27: PickPocketer Nancy.
The class gathered on the front steps of the museum, where we could watch the traffic along Fifth Avenue.
Overhead, a huge storm was brewing, with clouds blacker than I ever seen over the city. We figured maybe it was global warming or something, because the weather all across New York state had been weird since Christmas. We'd had massive snow storms, flooding, wildfires from lightning strikes. We wouldn't have been surprised if this was a hurricane blowing in.
Nobody else seemed to notice. Some of the guys were pelting pigeons with Lunchables crackers. Nancy Bobofit was trying to pickpocket something from a lady's purse, and, of course, Mrs. Dodds wasn't seeing a thing. Grover, Percy and I sat on the edge of the fountain, away from the others. We thought that maybe if we did that, everybody wouldn't know we were from that school------the school for loser freaks who couldn't make it elsewhere.
"Detention?" Grover asked.
"Nah," we said. "Not from Brunner. We just wished that he'd lay off of us sometimes. We mean------we'll not geniuses."
Grover didn't say anything for a while. Then, when we thought he was going to give us some deep philosophical comment to make us feel better, he said, "Can I have your apples?"
We didn't have much of an appetite, so we let him take it.
Chapter 28: Weird Water Manipulation.
We watched the stream of cabs going down Fifth Avenue, and thought about our mom's apartment, only a little ways uptown from where we sat. We hadn't seen her since Christmas. We wanted so bad to jump in a taxi and head home. She'd hug us and be glad to see us, but she'd be disappointed, too. She'd send us back to Yancy, remind us that we had to try harder, even if this was our sixth school in six years and we were probably going to be kicked out again. We wouldn't be able to stand that sad look she'd give us.
Mr. Brunner parked his wheelchair at the base of the handicapped ramp. He ate celery while reading a paperback novel. A red umbrella stuck up from the back of his chair, making it look like a motorized cafe table.
We were about to unwrap our sandwiches when Nancy Bobofit appeared in front of us with her ugly friends------we guessed that she'd gotten tired of stealing from the tourists-----and dumped her half-eaten lunch in Grover's lap.
"Oops." She grinned at us with her crooked teeth. Her freckles were orange, as if somebody had spray-painted her face with liquid Cheetos.
We tried to stay cool. The school counselor had told us a million times, "Count to ten, get control of your tempers."
But we were so mad that our minds went blank. A wave roared in our ears.
We didn't remember touching her, but the next thing we knew, Nancy was sitting on her butt in the fountain, screaming, "Percy and James pushed me!"
Mrs. Dodds materialized next to us.
Some of the kids were whispering: "Did you see------"
"-----the water------"
"-----like it grabbed her----"
We didn't know what they were talking about. All we knew was that we were in trouble again.