Freddie Ramos Makes a Splash (5 page)

In two blinks, I ran around all the buildings with Mr. Vaslov’s pooper-scooper. Then I gave it back to him with three more blobs of purple junk inside.

“Who chews so much bubble gum?” he asked.

“Maria says her name is Erika,” I answered. “She’s the girl on the green bike.”

“I’ll watch out for her.” Mr. Vaslov looked at his watch. “You better go, or you’ll be late for camp.

“Don’t worry.” I waved. “With my shoes, I’m never late.”

Summer camp had two parts—before lunch and after lunch. In the morning, Adriana took us outside to play in a huge sandbox set up with a volleyball net. We pretended we were playing on the beach until we got sweaty. Then we went inside to make American flags for the Fourth of July. I painted popsicle sticks red, white, and blue with everybody else, but I kept my eye on the art room door. Was Erika waiting for me in the hallway, popping bubble gum? I reached down to touch my purple zapatos. It was a good thing I could run fast.

After lunch, we walked over to the pool. The girls went in through one door and the boys went through another. To go swimming, you have to change clothes in a locker room filled with wet towels.

I had a new bathing suit my mom got me for summer camp. She bought it on sale along with a white backpack and flip-flops. Sale means I have to like the colors, even if the bathing suit is bright orange with big, green palm trees all over it.

“Hurry up, Freddie!” my friend Geraldo called. “You’re going to be the last one in the pool.”

Geraldo didn’t mind putting his face in the water for Mrs. Barlow. But I was happier putting my orange bathing suit on slowly, one leg at a time. After that, I carefully put my super zapatos away in my white backpack beside my clothes, my wristband, and my silver goggles. Just as I was finished and had no other excuses to stay in the locker room, a man with a rolling laundry hamper came in.

“Why are you in here alone?” he asked. “Aren’t all the other kids swimming?”

“Sure,” I said. “But I’d be happy to stay and help you pick up the towels.”

The man shook his head. “That’s my job. Your job is to learn how to swim.”

He pointed to the door. I gulped and flip-flopped out to the pool.

“Come in the water, Freddie!” Mrs. Barlow called. “It’s your turn.”

The water looked too blue under the lights of the indoor pool. It also looked cold and wet.

“Freddie!” Maria said, jumping in. “Come on!”

I suddenly remembered that I had forgotten my silver goggles. They were still in my backpack.

“Just a minute.” I waved at Mrs. Barlow. “I’ll be right back.”

My flip-flops sure didn’t go as fast as my super zapatos. And the floor was squishy wet. Worst of all was what I saw when I opened the locker room door. My white backpack wasn’t on the bench anymore! It was missing!

I looked everywhere. Nada. Nothing. All I saw were other campers’ backpacks and a hamper filled with white towels.

There was only one explanation. Someone took my backpack with my super shoes! How could I be a superhero now?

I sat on the bench to think. Who could have done this? Only one person popped into my mind—Erika! She said she was going to make me pay. Did she know my backpack had my super zapatos, my goggles, and my wristband? Or did she just think she was stealing my clothes?

“Freddie!” Mrs. Barlow knocked on the door. “Swimming time is almost over. Did you find your goggles?”

When I went back out to the pool, I didn’t have my goggles, my super zapatos, or my courage. Mrs. Barlow said we should try again next time.

On the way home, my flip-flops hurt my ears. Every flip and every flop asked how I was going to get my super zapatos back. Where did Erika take them? Could I find out where she lived? Starwood Park had lots of buildings, and my only clue was purple bubble gum. I walked slowly, with my eyes on the ground, searching.

At first, all I found was Adriana. “Hey, Freddie!” she said. “What are you looking for?”

I wanted to tell her I was following a trail of bubble gum to find a thief, but then I realized I couldn’t accuse anyone, not even Erika, without evidence.

“My white backpack,” I said.

“Did you try the lost-and-found?” she asked. “Summer camp has a bin in the cafeteria.”

The bin in the cafeteria was for lost things, not stolen things. Could I trust Adriana if I told her more?

“I don’t think my backpack is lost. Somebody took it.”

“That’s what I thought about my wallet,” Adriana said. “Then I decided to check and be sure I didn’t just drop it. Accidents happen, Freddie.”

“Thanks for the advice,” I said, walking off. The trail could be getting cold. I didn’t have time to waste.

At the next corner, I found a blob of grape bubble gum. Then, I found two more outside 25D. Could it be Erika’s apartment?

I tiptoed into the bushes and peeked over the windowsill. Bingo! This had to be Erika’s bedroom. There was a green bike inside! What about my backpack? I raised my head higher to search the room. I didn’t find what I wanted.

“You little snoop!” Erika opened the window and hollered at me. “If you don’t get out of here, I’m calling the police!”

Superheroes are supposed to help the police, not be chased by them. I learned something: when I had to, I could still run fast, even without my zapatos.

The next day was the Fourth of July. We didn’t have summer camp. Instead, I went to a parade with Maria and Gio.

My feet made such a sad sound as we walked.

“Why aren’t you wearing your purple sneakers?” Gio asked.

It was the last question I wanted to answer but the only thing on my mind. Sometimes you have to talk over your problems with friends.

“I lost my backpack,” I said.

“The new one?” Maria asked.

I nodded my head.

“What does it look like?” Gio asked.

“It’s white,” I said. “All over.”

“Like a T-shirt?” Gio asked.

“Yes.” Maria giggled. “Or a towel at the summer camp pool.”

Everybody in the parade was happy to be celebrating America’s birthday. There were marching bands and lots of red, white, and blue. Sometimes it was hard to see because so many people were watching. I would have had more fun if I wasn’t wearing flip-flops. With Zapato Power, I could have bounced up high and seen over the crowd.