Chapter Text
Joe looked at the clock, which said 8.11 AM, and he was getting really nervous at this point because Nicky still hadn't shown up at school. Usually, Nicky would be the one who was never late because he always made sure to be at school at 8 AM. When Joe finally spotted Nicky, he was covered in mud.
"You made me nervous," Joe said. "Where have you been, and why are you covered in mud?"
Nicky took a firm grip on his backpack in his arms, which seemed to be moving.
"Not here," Nicky replied. "Can we speak somewhere else? Somewhere, no one can hear us."
"Sure," Joe replied. "I know the place."
Nicky followed Joe just as the bell made its usual noise, telling the children that school had begun. Joe led Nicky into the art room, which no one was using this early.
"Ok, now that we're alone, spill the beans, Nicky," Joe said when he had closed the door after them. "Why are you late today?"
"Because of Soffy," Nicky replied as he opened his backpack. "I found her sitting under a dumpster. She was shaking and wet."
Joe couldn't believe his eyes when Nicky lifted a white puppy from his backpack. The puppy wagged its tail when it saw Joe before licking Nicky's face. It made Nicky giggle, something Joe knew wasn't an easy thing to do because Nicky was a quiet boy.
"I couldn't leave her there, Joe," Nicky said as he sat down with the puppy in his lap. "I was hoping you had an idea what to do with her?"
Joe sat down opposite Nicky and scratched the puppy behind its ear.
"You did the right thing, Nicky," Joe said. "Did you say her name was Soffy?"
"Yes, I named her because of her soft fur," Nicky replied. "Or is it a stupid name?"
"Not at all, because you're right. Her fur is soft," Joe replied. It made Nicky smile. "While I think, can I hold Soffy? So you can wash your face because it's covered in mud."
"Yes, you can," Nicky replied. "Oh, you should know that Soffy might still be hungry. She already ate my packed lunch."
Nicky handed Joe the puppy before getting up. When the puppy sat in Joe's lap, it started to chew on his fingers, so he found his packed lunch and offered the puppy a date, which she took.
"We can't skip school because we will get in trouble," Joe said. "Hmmm...I might got an idea, Nicky. It's a risky one, but if we do things right, it might work."
Nicky dried his face in the paper towel before looking at Joe.
"Let me hear it," Nicky replied. "All your ideas are good, Joe."
Nicky loved all the ideas Joe got because to Nicky, Joe was the most brilliant person in the world. Even though they sometimes ended up in trouble.
"Since my backpack is bigger than yours, Nicky, we place Soffy in mine and put all my stuff in your backpack," Joe said. "When we get into the classroom, all we have to do is sit in the back with my backpack between us. That way, we can keep an eye on Soffy."
"Let's do it," Nicky replied. "It's good that it's a short day today."
"Yes, and we get home to you, we come up with another plan for Soffy," Joe replied. "Here, hold her."
Joe handed the wriggly puppy back to Nicky before he emptied the contents of his backpack into Nicky's backpack. Five minutes later, they left the art room.