Arcade and the Fiery Metal Tester

by Rashad Jennings

  “Zoe! That’s the Bow Bridge!”

  Chapter 26

  Central Park Scramble

  “That’s over by the Ramble,” Zoe said. “Let’s go!” We both tore out of there.

  I pulled my phone out of my pocket. “I’ll tell Scratchy and Carlos. Maybe they’re over there now.” My fingers shook as I pulled up the number and called Scratchy.

  “Hey, Arcade!” I could hear the buzz of Scratchy’s scooter in the background. “Did you find him?”

  “Nah, but we saw a pos—I mean, he’s been spotted heading toward the Bow Bridge.”

  “That’s RADICAL! We’re in the Ramble right now. We’ll head over there.” I could hear Scratchy turn off his scooter and yell, “CJ! Turn your wheels around. He’s this way!”

  “We’re on our way back from PS 23,” I said. “We’ll be there as soon as we can.”

  “And we’ll let you know when we have him!” Scratchy hung up and I clicked off the phone. I took a second to catch my breath.

  Thank goodness for friends with wheels.

  The Bow Bridge is one of the most famous landmarks in Central Park. They call it Bow because it’s bent like an archer’s or violinist’s bow. I knew that from reading New York City: A Coffee Table Tour.

  “I gotta get some water,” Zoe said as we ran by a corner store across from the park. I followed her through some revolving doors that led inside. It took her only seconds to grab a bottle of water from the cooler, but then we had to wait in a long line.

  “Maybe I should run ahead and have you catch up,” I said.

  “NO. You stay right here, little bro.”

  “But Loopy’s fast, Zoe.”

  “Yeah, I know. And you have friends out looking for him. Plus, we don’t know if he’s at the Bow Bridge now, or if he’s at the Bow Bridge in the past.”

  I scratched my head. “Huh?”

  Zoe cracked open the water and took a sip. Then she offered me some. “Yeah, I know. Confusing, isn’t it?”

  After a few minutes, we finally made it up to the cashier. By then, I had added another water bottle to our order.

  “Time’s getting short, Arcade. Mom’s gonna want us home for dinner in a couple of hours.”

  “No worries. I’m sure we’ll find him by then. Come on!”

  We ran across the street, into the park, and Zoe’s phone buzzed again. Her eyes bugged out of her head when she looked at the text. “OH, NO! It’s Michael!”

  “Michael who?”

  Zoe smacked me on the back of the head. “Michael Tolley! We left him at the school!”

  I stopped running, grabbed my stomach, and laughed. “Oh, dude! I totally forgot! And you ditched him! He’ll never date you now.”

  Zoe stood there, glaring, with her hand on her hip and her chin in the air. “That’s NOT funny, Arcade.”

  “I’m sorry. He’ll forgive you.” I stopped laughing. I really did feel bad. Michael’s a nice guy. He didn’t deserve to be ditched. Not by his current Broadway “girlfriend,” Trista, not by me, and definitely not by his hope-to-be-in-the-near-future girlfriend, Zoe.

  * * *

  “Mom, hey, Arcade and I are at the park. We’re going to hang out in the Ramble for a bit.” Zoe talked on her phone as she race-walked with me on the main road that runs along the edge of the park. “Yes . . . I know . . . we’re watching out for each other. Yes, I’m working on my goal. Okay . . . yes. Five-thirty for dinner. Gotcha.” She clicked her phone off. “We have an hour and a half. That’s it for today.”

  We took off down some winding paths, heading through the Ramble toward the Bow Bridge.

  “Maybe Loopy came in here and he’s resting on a bench or something. Any new notifications from Picture Post?”

  Zoe looked at her phone. “Nothing from @LoopDogNYC.”

  We ran by another bench, and there sat our pedicab driver friend, Elijah. “Hello, friends! It is wonderful to see you again. Are you searching for the hidden cave, Arcade?” Elijah did not have his pedicab with him.

  I sat down next to him to catch my breath and drink a little more water. “Is this your thinking day, Elijah?”

  He nodded. “Oh, yes. It has been so peaceful. Have you found your backpack?”

  “Maybe. I thought I saw it a couple of days ago, inside the guy’s backpack who stole it from me. I have to think of a way to get it back without getting a black eye.”

  Elijah nodded. “I see. Well, you are a creative young lad. I am sure you will come up with the perfect solution that will be safe for everyone.”

  “I sure hope so. Hey, Elijah, did you by any chance see a little chocolate-colored shih-poo with a head cam run by here?”

  He shook his head. “A head cam? I sure would not have missed that. Is he your dog?”

  I sighed. “Yep. He ran off. And he was spotted over by the Bow Bridge. We’re headed there now.”

  “Oh, I am so sorry he’s lost. My, you seem to be going through a few fiery trials of late.”

  My token surged. “Fiery trials?”

  “Yes. You had your backpack stolen. And now your dog is missing?”

  “And his best friend,” Zoe added.

  “Your friend is missing?”

  “No. He moved.” I said. “To Florida.”

  “Oh.” Elijah nodded again. “I am so sorry, Arcade. Sometimes trials come all at once.”

  “You’re telling me.”

  “It feels horrible, but I was just reading that when that happens, we can rejoice, because trials help us build endurance and strength of character.”

  “Yeah,” Zoe said. “I’ve been telling Arcade that his mettle is being tested.”

  “Mettle? That is a complicated word.”

  “I’m finding that out.” I slumped down on the bench.

  Elijah leaned forward. “Well, I will be sure to keep an eye out for a flamingo backpack and a little dog with a head cam.” He pulled out a paper from his book and scribbled on it. “Here is my phone number. Call me if you would like the use of my pedicab for your search. No charge.”

  I took the paper. “Thanks, Elijah. You’re the best.”

  I shook his hand, and he rested back on his bench while Zoe and I took off toward the Bow Bridge. And for some reason, I didn’t feel as panicked as before.

  “I like Elijah,” I said. “He’s peaceful.”

  “Yeah. I think it’s the Ramble.” Zoe gazed up in the trees and watched a few birds flitting around.

  “No, I think it’s him. He’s always like that.”

  * * *

  My phone rang. It was Scratchy.

  “Hey, Arcade, Carlos and I have been all over the area around Bow Bridge. No sign of Loopy. I’m sorry, man. Is there anywhere else you’d like us to look?”

  “Where are you now?”

  “We’re at that little café a few blocks south of the lake. Picking up a snack.”

  “Okay. Hang tight. We’ll see you in a few minutes.”

  When we got to the café, Carlos and Scratchy were eating muffins and feeding crumbs to tiny birds at their table.

  “We’ve been all over,” Scratchy said. “You should see how fast Carlos gets around here.”

  I patted Carlos on the shoulder. “Thanks, man.”

  “You’re welcome! It’s fun to help. I just wish we had found him. We asked a bunch of people too. No one saw a little dog with a head cam.”

  Zoe checked her phone.

  “Any new notifications?” I asked.

  “No. And it’s going to take us a little while to get home. I say we head back and try this again another time.”

  “But tomorrow’s school,” I said. “I don’t think I can stand it knowing he’ll be out here all night somewhere, lost.”

  “We’ll come help you search tomorrow after school,” Scratchy said. “You never know, maybe he’ll even find his way to your front door. You hear about that happening with dogs all the time.”

  But I lost him in the Internet. And you never hear about that.
>
  “Thanks a lot, you guys.” Zoe aimed her phone at the little birds eating the muffins and took a picture. “I’m sure you need to be getting home too. Arcade will keep you posted on the search.”

  Scratchy wiped muffin crumbs off his lap and jumped up on his scooter. “Okay, we’ll take some of the curvy paths home and let you know if we see him. You up for that, Carlos?”

  Carlos leaned back and popped a wheelie. “Sure! I can navigate a few bumps.”

  And with that, Scratchy and Carlos zoomed off.

  * * *

  “I guess we should tell Mom and Dad.” I hung my head as we approached the stairway to our brownstone. “I mean, it’s not like they aren’t gonna notice that Loopy’s gone.”

  Zoe nodded. “Yeah. But what exactly are we going to tell them?”

  Chapter 27

  Serious Convos

  “Hey, you two! How was the park?” Dad came in from the back porch carrying barbequed steak on a platter. “Are you hungry?”

  “The park was lovely,” Zoe said. “But we have some bad news to tell you. It might ruin your appetite.”

  “Oh?” Mom came out from the kitchen, carrying iced teas that she set on the dining room table. “Is someone hurt? Sick?” She gave us each a once-over.

  I decided to just spill it. “We lost Loopy.”

  Mom put both hands up to her mouth. “Oh, dear!”

  I sat down and took a sip of tea. “We’ve been looking all afternoon. Our friends have been too.”

  Dad frowned. “Why didn’t you tell us right away? We could have helped you look.”

  “We didn’t want to worry you,” Zoe said. “Plus, we kept thinking he’d show up somewhere, any minute. You know Loopy. And then the minutes turned to hours—”

  “And then we were in the Ramble . . .” I chimed in.

  Dad put the platter of steaks on the dinner table. “Okay, this is what we’ll do. We’ll eat and then we’ll print out some signs. Then we’ll take a walk and hang them up all over the neighborhood. Someone’s sure to have seen him.” He turned to Mom. “Is everything else ready?”

  “You bet. Mashed potatoes, salad, and a special tonight . . . shrimp cocktail!”

  “Wow, fancy!” Dad said.

  And perfect timing! We’re running out of food for Flames.

  * * *

  Zoe and I did our best to sneak as many shrimps as we could into our napkins. Thankfully, Dad and Mom were distracted by our Loopy news, so they spent a lot of time discussing possible solutions with each other.

  “We can put Loopy’s picture on social media too,” Mom said. “There’s the neighborhood page and, even better, I’ll put it on my Picture Post account!”

  “All that is good,” Dad said. Then he looked at me. “How’re you doing, bud? Don’t give up hope. We’ll find him.”

  I nodded and tried to swallow my bite of steak through the lump in my throat. “I know. I’m just worried.”

  “Of course, you are. He’s your dog. And he’s lost. That’s normal.”

  “I’m worried about Doug too.”

  “Oh? And how is Doug doing at his aunt’s house? We sure miss him around here.”

  “Yeah, me too. He’s doing okay. But he could be better. I have an idea how we could help him.”

  Dad put down his fork. Mom did too.

  “Go on . . .” Dad said.

  “Well, if he lives in Florida, he can’t see his grandma. She raised him, you know.”

  “Yes,” Mom said. “He must miss her terribly.” Both my parents stared at me. I watched out of the corner of my eye as Zoe took the opportunity to shovel the rest of the shrimp into her napkin.

  “And I think it would be better for Doug’s grandma if she could see him more often.”

  “Those are some good thoughts, Arcade.”

  “Yeah. Compassionate,” Zoe added.

  I sat up straighter and wiped my mouth with my napkin. “Yes, so I was wondering if we could look into adopting Doug.”

  Silence.

  Dad put his elbows on the table and clasped his hands together. He rested his chin on his hands. “Wow. That’s a serious request.”

  “Yes, it is.” Mom stared at Dad.

  “That would change the dynamics of this family forever.”

  “It would definitely add to the food bill,” Zoe said. “And it would give me another pesky little brother.”

  “We’d have to take some time to pray about it, and we don’t even know if it’s possible to adopt Doug if his aunt wants to keep him.” Mom pulled her napkin off her lap and began to fold it on the table.

  I balled up my napkin and threw it on my plate. “And why does SHE get to choose? Shouldn’t it be up to Doug?” I covered my heart with my hand. The token was resting over it. “I’m sorry. It’s been a horrible afternoon, and I’m REALLY worried about Loopy.”

  I don’t usually leave the table without permission, but I had to get out of there. I pushed back in my chair and ran up the stairs to my room, half slamming the door. I flopped down on my bed and punched my pillow a whole bunch of times until I got tired.

  Okay, token. You can stop the testing now. I’m pretty sure I’m NOT the right kid.

  I rolled over, sat up, and ripped the chain and the token off my neck. I pulled open my top drawer, the one that holds my underwear, and I threw it in. “You’re better off with the Badger brothers.”

  There was a knock at the door. I didn’t answer, but Zoe barged in anyway.

  “I didn’t say come in.”

  She crossed her arms and stared at my neck. “Where’s the token?”

  I pointed to my drawer. She walked over, opened it, fished around, and pulled it out. She held out the chain. The token spun around and around. “That’s not the answer, and you know it.”

  “I’m tired of all this, Zoe! I’m NOT the right kid! I’m not worthy to wear pure gold. I’m failing all the tests. Oh, and by the way, I failed a test at school too. So why bother?”

  “Why bother? You’re just going to give up that easy? Do you have any mettle at all? Don’t you remember what Elijah said today? About fiery trials?”

  I shrugged. “He said they produce strength and character.”

  “And he should know! He didn’t have the greatest life before he came to New York City, and it’s not that easy for him still. And yet he’s strong through it all. And you said it yourself this afternoon. He’s peaceful.”

  “But he’s older than me,” I said. “He can handle it better.”

  “Okay, how about Doug and all he’s going through? How about Wiley? Can they run away from their trials? What about Carlos? Can he throw his wheelchair in his underwear drawer and be done with it? They can’t quit their trials, and you shouldn’t either.”

  I wanted to argue with her soooo bad. Show her how her point-of-view was way off. I’m usually so good at that! But this time, as much as I hated to admit it, Zoe was r . . . Zoe was ri . . . okay, Zoe was right.

  I reached out, snatched the chain from her hand, and draped it over my neck.

  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

  W
aiting 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?”

  Mr. Dooley was looking right at me, curling his index finger.

  “Um . . . yes, sir.” I scooted out of my chair and walked up to his desk.

  “Arcade, is something wrong? You seem very distracted today. Is this test too hard?”

  They’re all too hard.

  “No, sir. I’m sorry. I’ll try to focus better.”

  “Look, I know it’s been hard for you since Doug moved . . .”