Zoe smiled. “That’s better. We both have a lot to learn about that token of yours, but we’ll figure it out together. And we’ll get Loopy back. Doug’s home is here in New York, so we’ll get him back too. And you’re going to find your backpack. Or we’ll fail together, knowing we gave everything we had, without ever giving up.”

“What about my library book?”

Zoe rolled her eyes. “Your library book? Seriously? Don’t you EVEN THINK of going back to the Gold Rush. I’ll pay your replacement fee.”

I nodded. “Deal.”

Zoe walked over to the door. “So, do you want to go for a walk with the family? Mom is printing out hundreds of ‘Lost Dog’ signs right now.”

I scooted off the bed. “Sure.”

“And after that, we’ll sneak over to Doug’s and feed Flames. I got a napkin load of shrimp for him.” Zoe wiggled her eyebrows up and down. “SQUAWK!”

Chapter 28
Waiting and Watching

The next few weeks were painful. Going to MS 230 without my best friend, and knowing my other best friend was running around lost in New York City because of my carelessness, caused me some attention problems at school. I kept my phone in hand constantly, waiting for Zoe to forward me any Picture Post updates from @LoopDogNYC. And Mr. Dooley piled on the tests!

“I HOPE THAT CHAPTER FIVE HAS STUCK IN YOUR BRAINS,” Mr. Dooley said as he handed out another computer scan sheet. “YOU HAVE FORTY-FIVE MINUTES. DO NOT SKIP BUBBLES, PEOPLE!” Mr. Dooley came by my desk and spied the phone sitting on the corner. “Put that away, Mr. Livingston. I don’t consider you the cheating type, but you don’t want to give me any reason to doubt you.”

I grabbed my phone, checking it one more time for news of Loopy. Nothing. I shoved it in my old, multicolored backpack.

Mr. Dooley walked back to his desk and fiddled with the broken top-drawer lock. I glanced over at Wiley Overton, who was filling in bubbles like crazy. He took a paper out of his notebook and slipped it under his test. I looked around at the rest of the class. Bailey was working diligently, while chewing her eraser down to nothing. Carlos smiled away and flipped his hair while he worked. Amber Lin, my friend who had been with me on an adventure through the doors to a veterinary clinic, was ultra-focused, just like she had been when we operated on Samson, the police K-9. Scratchy used his pencil to scratch the back of his neck. He looked over at me, crossed his eyes, and stuck out his tongue, making me chuckle under my breath. And the Tolleys—they had papers hiding under their tests too, and they slid them out and back several times while they worked.

“ARCADE, CAN YOU PLEASE COME UP HERE?”