Evan hung back for only a second.
Then he jumped out the window after the hamster.
Luckily, the science classroom was on the ground floor. Evan landed face down in a low evergreen hedge. Struggling and squirming, it took him a while to climb to his feet.
He took several steps over the grass, then turned and stared back along the bottom of the long hedge. “Cuddles—are you under there?”
Evan squatted down to get a better view. The hedge stretched the entire length of the school building. Cuddles could hide under there forever.
And if I don’t find him, Evan told himself bitterly, I’d better hide under there forever, too!
To the right, Evan could hear voices from the playground. Happy, shouting voices. Carefree voices.
Still squatting, he turned toward the happy voices—and saw a fat brown ball wobbling over the grass toward the playground.
No. Not a ball. “Cuddles!”
That fat hamster isn’t getting away this time! Evan decided, jumping up and starting to chase after the creature. I’ll catch him if I have to sit on him!
A picture flashed into Evan’s mind of Cuddles, flat as a pancake after Evan had sat upon him. A little, round, furry hamster rug.
Despite his panic, the thought of Cuddles as a rug brought a smile to Evan’s perspiring face.
As he ran, he kept his eyes on Cuddles. The hamster was wobbling rapidly over the grass toward the playground.
“Oh, no!” Evan cried out in horror as Cuddles darted in front of two girls speeding across the grass on bikes.
Laughing together, they didn’t even see the hamster.
Cuddles is about to be road kill! Evan thought, shrinking back. He shut his eyes and waited for the squish.
But the bikes rolled smoothly on. And when they had passed, Evan spotted Cuddles continuing his journey to the playground unharmed.
“Cuddles—come back here!” he shouted furiously.
The hamster appeared to speed up. He tumbled onto the baseball diamond, all four paws scurrying over the dirt of the third-base line.
Several kids stopped their game to stare.
“Stop him! Grab the hamster!” Evan shouted desperately.
But the kids only laughed.
“Know how to catch him?” a joker named Robbie Greene called to Evan. “Make a sound like a sunflower seed!”
“That’s an old joke!” a girl called to Robbie.
“Thanks for your help!” Evan shouted sarcastically. He ran over the pitching mound and had crossed second base when he realized he had lost sight of Cuddles.
He stopped and spun around, his heart thudding wildly in his chest. He searched the grass of the infield. “Where—where is he?” he stammered. “Do you see him?”
But the kids had returned to their soft-ball game.
I can’t lose him now! Evan told himself, choked with panic. I can’t!
Sweat poured down Evan’s forehead. He mopped it with one hand, brushing back his curly, red hair. His T-shirt clung wetly to his back. His mouth felt dry as cotton.
Jogging into the outfield, he searched the grass.
“Cuddles?”
No sign of him.
A round, brownish lump in the grass turned out to be someone’s baseball glove.
“Cuddles?”
A kickball game was underway on the opposite diamond. Kids were shouting and cheering. Evan saw Bree Douglas, a girl from his class, slide hard into second base just before the ball.
“Has—has anyone seen Cuddles?” Evan gasped, trotting onto the diamond.
Kids turned to gawk at him.
“Out here?” Bree called, brushing off the knees of her jeans. “Evan, did you take the hamster out for a walk?”
Everyone laughed. Scornful laughter.
“He—he got away,” Evan replied, panting.
