Hazy Bloom and the Pet Project

by Jennifer Hamburg

  And I couldn’t have been more excited.

  21

  Two other things happened on the way home from the pet store. The first was that I got another tomorrow vision. This time, it was of a bunch of purple spaghetti dancing across the floor. And yes, I realized this is not something you see every day, or probably ever, but I didn’t have time to think about it, because I had a long night ahead of me and have learned the hard way that I can only concentrate on one thing at a time.

  The second thing that happened was Aunt Jenna called. Since she rang Mom’s cell phone, and since I was in the back seat surrounded by all my Pet Day supplies, I asked if I could call her back when I got home. But Mom hung up and told me Aunt Jenna just wanted to wish me luck for Pet Day, which I thought was very nice of her. Then I realized something.

  “Mom, did you tell Aunt Jenna about Pet Day?” I asked.

  “No, I didn’t.”

  Neither had I.

  * * *

  I spent the entire night sorting, labeling, arranging, and coordinating for Pet Day, which included creating fourteen different outfits for the pet fashion show. Then with Elizabeth’s help, I counted the snacks and drinks for the concession stand, checked all the supplies for the pet wash, and filled every last goody bag with yummy pet treats. I called Mrs. Agnes and asked her to send an e-mail to our class to make sure they knew where to go, what time to be there, and what last-minute items to bring. And thanks to Elizabeth’s planning guide keeping us on track, by bedtime, I had completed every single task on the to-do list.

  Except—I realized with dread—for one thing. I’d never found a replacement artist for the pet portraits. I knew how excited everyone was about having their little Fido’s portrait done. And now there was no one to do it. Just when I’d thought I had everything figured out, it turned out … I hadn’t. What was I going to do?

  Then it hit me. Because suddenly, I knew the perfect person to ask.

  I picked up the phone, dialed, then as soon as he picked up, I spoke: “I need you to do the pet portraits, because you’re really great at drawing and this doesn’t mean we’re friends, it just means I think you’re a good artist and need your help, okay?”

  At the other end of the line, Mapefrl said, “Okay.”

  * * *

  Saturday morning, with Milo and Dad holding about a dozen boxes of supplies, I arrived at the school parking lot for Pet Day. Because of Mrs. Agnes’s e-mail, my classmates were there on time and got right to work setting up the stations, hanging signs, and getting everything ready. Meanwhile, I finished up some last-minute business, such as testing the microphone. I figured since I was team leader, I’d also have the job of announcer, which I was absolutely ready for.

  “WELCOME TO … whoa, too loud! Welcome to … why can’t I hear myself? Hello? Testing? Hello?” I squawked into the microphone, causing an obscene amount of feedback that made everyone wince and cover their ears.

  Elizabeth appeared next to me. “Let me try,” she said, and took the mic. She cleared her throat and spoke. “Friends, family, pets. We are honored that you’ve joined us on this very special day! We have so much fun in store for you, so grab a goody bag, explore the stations, and have a PAW-tastic time at Pet Day!”

  I gave Elizabeth the announcer job. Mainly because I had many other very important things to do as team leader. But also because Elizabeth was the best announcer I’d ever heard, for real live. What can I say? She has a gift.

  Right before it was time for the event to start, I set out a cash box on the entrance table. I had a feeling it was going to be a great day. Assuming it wasn’t ruined by a bunch of dancing purple spaghetti.

  I rolled my eyes. Even when I didn’t want to think about my visions, they had a way of creeping back into my brain.

  “Hazel, everything looks wonderful!” Mrs. Agnes ran up to me, clutching a leash. And attached to that leash was an absolutely adorable terrier. I guessed this was Pookie.

  I bent down to scratch behind his ears.

  Mrs. Agnes continued, “Are you ready? The doors are opening in one minute! One minute!” I wanted to point out that there weren’t any doors to open since we were in the school parking lot, but I knew what she meant.

  I looked around: The decorations were up. The stations were organized. The signs were hung. All 23/23 of my classmates were in their places. “Everything’s completely and totally ready!” I said, smiling from ear to ear. Because you know what? It was.

  22

  Do you know how cute animals look in costumes? Very, very cute.

  As each pet pranced down the runway (five dogs, two cats, one guinea pig, and a ferret) for the pet fashion show, everyone oohed and aahed and clapped in delight. It was a huge success. I personally think it was due to my edgy yet wearable choices of outfits, but the cuteness was a factor, too.

  Even Mr. Cheese was in the show! He wore a top hat and had a tie around his neck, which was charming until he started to eat it. He’s still a dog, after all.

  And guess who won the prize for Most Fashionable Pet? Pookie! Mrs. Agnes was so proud.

  Shelby and Derrick did an amazing job at the pet wash, giving the animals soapy baths and adorning each one with a cute little bandanna afterward. The concessions were selling like crazy, especially the dog treats and catnip. May and Zoe had even set up a little fenced-in area for small pets, which drew an adoring crowd.

  And judging by the long line and the happy faces afterward, the pet portraits were terrific. I have to admit: Mapefrl did an incredible job.

  Finally, and perhaps most importantly, there were no purple dancing spaghetti attacks whatsoever. Which was obviously a huge relief. For me, at least.

  Throughout the day, I collected dollar after dollar, taking care to put all the money safely in the cash box. I couldn’t wait to see how much we had raised. I had a feeling it was going to be a lot. We were totally going to win the fundraising challenge. Or I should now say, FUNdraising Challenge, because you know what? It actually was fun!

  Sure, I wish Fred had been there to see it all. But the truth is, I might be over the idea of getting an iguana, after all; maybe I’ll turn my attention to fashion design.

  “Hazy Bloom,” Joanna said, coming up to me and waving a ten-dollar bill. “Do you have change? We’re about to sell the very last dog cookie.”

  “Sure. Let me get the cash box.” I walked back over to the donation table, where I had expertly hidden the cash box in a little nook under the top.

  I reached under to grab the box and my stomach flipped. It wasn’t there. I dropped to my hands and knees and started looking around. A shaggy black-and-white husky came up to me, wagging his tail. He probably thought I was playing a game, but I wasn’t. I was having a panic attack because the cash box was gone. I started darting around the table, my heart beating out of my chest. Where was it? Where was it?

  “Hazy Bloom, are you okay? What’s wrong?” Elizabeth looked at me with concern.

  I stood up, my eyes filled with dread.

  “We have a problem,” I said. Then I burst into tears.

  23

  A few minutes later, Elizabeth had calmed me down by making me sit in a chair, take fifty deep breaths, and visualize a taco, and while I didn’t understand that last part, surprisingly, it worked.

  When she saw that I was better, she said, “Okay, let’s just think about this. Where did you last see the cash box?”

  “Right there!” I gestured emphatically at the table.

  “Are you sure you didn’t take it anywhere else?”

  “I’m sure! I’m definitely, positively, absolutely—oh wait.”

  I had just remembered: I’d grabbed the cash box on the way to the fashion show so it would be safe. Then I took it with me to the pet wash. And the pet portraits. And the concession stand when I got a hot dog.

  This was so not fair. By trying to be extra-responsible, I ended up being not responsible about the most important thing in the world.

  “Wh
at am I going to do?” I lamented. “All of our money is gone!”

  I slumped down to the ground and began thinking about which deserted island I would escape to now that no one in my class was ever going to talk to me again, when Elizabeth turned to me intensely, as if something had just occurred to her.

  “Hazy Bloom, did you have any visions yesterday?”

  This comment made me think that either a) Elizabeth had a very short attention span or b) she was changing the subject to make me feel better. But then I realized it was neither of those things. She was looking for a clue.

  I told Elizabeth about the dancing purple spaghetti. At first, she looked completely bewildered, which I understood, because believe me, I’d had the same reaction. Then she asked if there was something … anything else I remembered.

  I squeezed my eyes closed, trying as hard as I could to “re-see” my vision. “I remember seeing something yellow…”

  “Yellow?”

  “There were two of them. Two yellow…”

  “Two yellow what?” Elizabeth practically shouted.

  “I don’t know!” I said, my eyes still closed. “I couldn’t tell!” I squeezed my eyes tighter, willing my memory of the image to come into focus. “Bananas? Sticks of butter?” I paused. Was that a logo? “Shoes?” I said. My eyes flashed open. “They’re yellow sneakers!”

  “Sneakers!” Elizabeth exclaimed.

  I frowned. “But why would sneakers have purple spaghetti on them?”

  Elizabeth thought about this. Then she smiled. “Tell me, Hazy Bloom. What’s long and squiggly and goes on shoes?”

  “Oh right. Like something like that exists.”

  Then my eyes opened wide.

  “Shoelaces!” we said at the same time.

  Elizabeth and I raced through the masses of people and pets, searching high and low for yellow sneakers with purple shoelaces. It seemed like the crowd was suddenly ten times bigger than before, which was great, because that meant we were getting record numbers, but also terrible because it was really hard to find what—or who—we were looking for.

  Just when we were sure we’d searched every foot in the entire parking lot, I spotted them. A pair of very cute, bright yellow sneakers with purple shoelaces skipping through the crowd, causing the laces to bounce and “dance” all over the place. And guess whose feet they were attached to?

  Summer’s. Did she steal our cash box? That thief!

  Elizabeth and I rushed up to her. It turned out that she had brought her puppy, too. How dare she bring her pet to our FUNdraiser and then steal our money!

  “Hi, Hazy. Hi, Elizabeth. I’ve been looking for you. Pet Day is amazing. Bruno and I are having a blast.”

  But before I could say “Never mind that, bub. Hand it over!” like a police officer in the movies, Summer continued.

  “Oh! I found this on the ground over there by the concession stand.” She held up the red cash box. “Isn’t this your money box?”

  So, Summer wasn’t trying to steal our money?

  “You just … found this?” I asked.

  “Yes. Just a minute ago.”

  “And you were going to give it back?”

  “Of course!”

  Well, this was unexpected.

  “Thank you,” I mumbled. Then I said more loudly, “Really. Thanks, Summer.” Summer smiled. And I smiled back. Because that’s when I realized Summer wasn’t so snooty, after all. She was actually kind of nice. And her puppy was pretty cute, too.

  24

  That afternoon, after Pet Day was over and we had cleaned, sorted, returned, and swept up every single pet-related item, I stopped by Ms. Simone’s class’s car wash to show my support. Then that same night, even though a) I was exhausted, b) my throat hurt from having talked all day, and c) I still smelled like dog even after two showers, I went to the Lipkin Luau. Elizabeth came with me, of course. And it was amazing. The school cafeteria had been completely transformed into a tropical island with tiki huts, inflatable coconut trees, and even real sand! We entered the limbo contest. We made our own grass skirts. We drank pineapple smoothies. Elizabeth even joined the hula dance-off … and won first place!

  Summer seemed so excited to see us. She thanked us for coming, and then said again how much fun Pet Day had been.

  Which I kind of already knew, but I thanked her anyway. Then the three of us grabbed hands and ran for the photo booth.

  * * *

  The total amount of money we raised on Pet Day? Seven hundred sixty-one dollars and two cents. The total combined amount raised by the other two classes was $631, which, if you were good at math (like I am now), you would know is less. So we won!

  But honestly, I didn’t even care that much. I mean, don’t get me wrong. My entire class had been singing my praises all day, which I enjoyed very much. They had even decided I should be in charge of the end-of-school class-awards ceremony (which I declined, and Elizabeth happily accepted). I was just so relieved it had all worked out. And more than anything, I was proud. I had led my team to victory. It turned out I was a pretty good team leader, after all.

  At morning assembly that Monday, the principal presented our class with the Lipkin FUNdraising Challenge Trophy. I went up on the stage to accept it and announced that as a class, we had decided our money would go toward improving the reptile section in the library, which was my idea. I felt I owed that to Mrs. Fowler. And to Fred. I had just walked off the stage and was passing the trophy around to my friends when I suddenly felt it: prickles and goose bumps. And then, a tomorrow vision appeared … of the Eiffel Tower.

  That night, Mom made my favorite dinner to celebrate my victory: spaghetti. Regular colored. In a fun twist, we were eating in Milo’s room to celebrate the fact that Dad had finally finished building his loft bed. Honestly, this was more exciting to me than winning the fundraiser. And I must say, despite my doubts, Dad did an incredible job. Such a good job that I asked if he would make me a loft bed, too.

  Dad told me he’d think about it—after he’d had about a six-month rest.

  At the end of the meal, my parents said they had an announcement. The two of them were going on a vacation. I gently reminded my parents that they had three children and asked what we were going to do while they were gallivanting around on vacation and did they just expect us to take care of ourselves, because if someone had to change The Baby’s poopy diapers, it wasn’t gonna be me.

  Mom laughed. “We’re not leaving you by yourselves. We’ll find the perfect person to come and stay with you.”

  “Maybe Aunt Jenna can come!” I said. I hadn’t thought about Aunt Jenna lately because I’d been so busy with Pet Day. And also, I was still upset that she didn’t have tomorrow power after all.

  At least that’s what she had said. Because while I didn’t know why she’d lie to me, I couldn’t help but remember how Aunt Jenna had told me to drink water at school, and the next day at the sink I saw my hand in the mirror and figured out my vision about Pet Day.

  Then she had called to wish me luck for Pet Day, when no one had even told her about it—one day before the event.

  I really hoped she’d be the one to watch us when Mom and Dad went away.

  Because I still had some major questions for her, for real live.

  “So where are you going anyway?” Milo asked Dad as he served dessert.

  And just like that, I remembered my vision of the Eiffel Tower. “You’re going to France!” I exclaimed.

  Mom looked surprised, then she took out a brochure from her pocket. On the front was a picture of the Eiffel Tower.

  “How’d you know that?” Milo asked as my entire family looked at me oddly.

  “Oh, just a lucky guess,” I said.

  I giggled and dug into my ice cream.

  About the Author

  Jennifer Hamburg is an Emmy-winning children’s television writer who has worked on hit shows such as Doc McStuffins, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, and Super Why! She is currently at work on anot
her Hazy Bloom adventure, and lives with her family in Houston, Texas. You can sign up for email updates here.

  About the Illustrator

  Jenn Harney is an illustrator and toy designer whose work has been featured in Highlights for Children magazine. Jenn lives in Cleveland, Ohio, with her husband, her daughter, a dog named Steve, and a fish with nine lives. She is the author of the Hazy Bloom series, including Hazy Bloom and The Tomorrow Power and Hazy Bloom and The Pet Project. You can sign up for email updates here.

  Thank you for buying this

  Farrar, Straus and Giroux ebook.

  To receive special offers, bonus content,

  and info on new releases and other great reads,

  sign up for our newsletters.

  Or visit us online at

  us.macmillan.com/newslettersignup

  For email updates on Jennifer Hamburg, click here.

  For email updates on Jenn Harney, click here.

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Notice

  Dedication

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23

  24

  About the Author and Illustrator

  Copyright

  Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers

  An imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC