No More Dead Dogs: The Alternate Ending
Enter. Wallace Wallace
I was so angry with myself for telling a lie to Rachel, even that small one, that as she started through the cafeteria line I rushed over and got in next to her. She had just misjudged the amount of hot-sauce in the container and it was now all over her taco.
"Here, take some of mine," she offered. "I got a little carried away."
"That's ok." What am I saying? Flashed through my mind as I dismissed her offer.
"I have to talk to you." Rachel said, sounding slightly nervous.
"No, I have to talk to you. Listen, Rachel. I lied." As I confessed, I wondered why I wasn't any less nervous.
"I know," she said soothingly. "Dylan's serving hard time in his Chamber of Horrors."
I shook my head mournfully. "You don't understand. I never lie. It just doesn't happen-"
"It's ok," She interrupted.
"I don't know what came over me. I mean, what was I thinking? I guess- well," I paused a second, "Old Shep blew up, and you were so upset-"
Rachel suddenly spooned some salsa onto my taco. "It was sweet, really sweet." She smiled.
Unsure of what to say next, I sat down to eat. A few moments later I turned to Rachel. She looked semi-upset, but I asked her a question anyway. "Now that the plays over, maybe we could get together sometime. You know, if you want."
She took a few moments to ponder this. Right as I was about to say never mind, she answered.
"There is a problem. What about Trudi? We've been friends since third grade. And, well, you've probably noticed that she totally loves you. You and me hanging out - do you think that she could handle it?" Rachel looked genuinely worried about her friend and I knew she was right to.
That was when Dylan showed up, dragging Trudi and Steve Cavanaugh. There was a desperate look on Dylan's face. Those two things didn't bode well with me. I knew automatically that something was wrong, but when did Steve ever let a kid drag him around?
Enter.
Rachel Turner
Dylan had some nerve, dragging around Trudi and Steve like that. I nearly started laughing, until I saw a weird look on Dylan's face. He was frightened by something.
"You know, your kid brother would be a wonderful addition to the team, Rachel." Cavanaugh grinned roguishly. "He's got a strong arm. Unlike our local bench-warmer that we all know and love."
"And play ruiner. Don't forget that," Trudi growled. "Why are you with him, Rachel?" Her voice became accusing, as she narrowed her eyes.
"I ruined that play." Dylan admitted in a small voice. Then, as Steve and Trudi turned and stared at him, he continued, "But there was someone who found out and has been threatening me through locker letters. He or she said that if I didn't keep Wallace away from the play and explode the dog that they'd turn me in." Poor little brother, I thought sadly. "I got another letter today. It said that I'd failed, but there was another job for me to do."
He handed me the letter. I saw on the scrap of paper a threatening message.
You failed!! I have one last redeeming assignment for you. If you fail, I'll spill to Parker.
Your instructions will be in your locker
tomorrow morning. Do not fail!!
"What is it?" Wallace asked, gently tapping my shoulder. I must have looked shocked.
"Dylan's gonna receive a locker letter tomorrow afternoon. From whoever has been sending him letters." I managed to get out. Then, suddenly livid with anger that anyone had the audacity to send those letters to my little brother, I continued, "I'm gonna trap this guy and tear him to shreds."
"Then we're helping," Wallace and Trudi said at the exact same moment.
"Me too," Steve said. When he received surprised stares he laughed. "You don't think that I'm going to let my best friend get his rear kick to China without me to cheer on the other guy, did you?"
"You've got a weird sense of friendship." I commented.
"I think that it is sweet." Trudi said, staring at Steve.
"I think that Wallace has lost an admirer and Cavanaugh's gained one." Trudi immediately peeled her eyes of Steve and glared at me.
"Whatever. Just call me Steve, will you." He then saw Trudi staring at him and grinned at her. " Oh. Now I get that remark. Don't be so cryptic, next time," He said, turning back to me.
"She wasn't cryptic. I understood her perfectly." Wallace said, trying not to laugh.
Enter.
Wallace Wallace
It was after school, and Steve, Rachel, Trudi, Dylan, and I was staked out near Dylan's locker. Just waiting for Note Writer. (That was what we had nicknamed him.) I held the tape recorder that I had borrowed from Porker Zit. I told him that I would record an interview on it for him about what went into the setting up "Old Shep: My Pal."
"I see someone!" I exclaimed. It was. No way!
"It's Porker?!" Rachel gasped that very moment.
Steve flashed the camera, then yelled, "We got you on film, Porker. We know that you've been threatening my little buddy Dylan."
"How could you!" Rachel said angrily, as we all hoped out of the janitor's closet. "It made news. That made people listen to my column. He was just one of many pawns." Porker started laughing. "You'll never prove it. You'd need a taped confession of guilt and I won't be fooled into that."
"What, like saying that you've been threatening my little brother?" Rachel asked innocently. I quickly turned the volume up on my recorder.
"Yes." Porker laughed again.
"To late for you then," I crowed. I pulled out the recorder. "I got it all." I turned it off.
At that very moment Mr. Fogelman walked up, whistling one of the Dead Mangoes' tunes. "What is going on?" He asked.
For some reason everyone turned to me. So I did the only sensible thing I could think of. I told him the truth. He then had to put Porker into detention.
The next day at lunch, Steve and Trudi sat down for lunch with Rachel and me. Trudi offered to have the three of us watch a movie with her. When Steve started to ask about her proposed movie I told him, "Come on, Steve. It's just like Old Shep: My Pal. Everything blows up at the end."
"Oh, Doofus Doofus, really?" After that I tuned him out halfway.
Enter. Wallace Wallace
I was so angry with myself for telling a lie to Rachel, even that small one, that as she started through the cafeteria line I rushed over and got in next to her. She had just misjudged the amount of hot-sauce in the container and it was now all over her taco.
"Here, take some of mine," she offered. "I got a little carried away."
"That's ok." What am I saying? Flashed through my mind as I dismissed her offer.
"I have to talk to you." Rachel said, sounding slightly nervous.
"No, I have to talk to you. Listen, Rachel. I lied." As I confessed, I wondered why I wasn't any less nervous.
"I know," she said soothingly. "Dylan's serving hard time in his Chamber of Horrors."
I shook my head mournfully. "You don't understand. I never lie. It just doesn't happen-"
"It's ok," She interrupted.
"I don't know what came over me. I mean, what was I thinking? I guess- well," I paused a second, "Old Shep blew up, and you were so upset-"
Rachel suddenly spooned some salsa onto my taco. "It was sweet, really sweet." She smiled.
Unsure of what to say next, I sat down to eat. A few moments later I turned to Rachel. She looked semi-upset, but I asked her a question anyway. "Now that the plays over, maybe we could get together sometime. You know, if you want."
She took a few moments to ponder this. Right as I was about to say never mind, she answered.
"There is a problem. What about Trudi? We've been friends since third grade. And, well, you've probably noticed that she totally loves you. You and me hanging out - do you think that she could handle it?" Rachel looked genuinely worried about her friend and I knew she was right to.
That was when Dylan showed up, dragging Trudi and Steve Cavanaugh. There was a desperate look on Dylan's face. Those two things didn't bode well with me. I knew automatically that something was wrong, but when did Steve ever let a kid drag him around?
Enter.
Rachel Turner
Dylan had some nerve, dragging around Trudi and Steve like that. I nearly started laughing, until I saw a weird look on Dylan's face. He was frightened by something.
"You know, your kid brother would be a wonderful addition to the team, Rachel." Cavanaugh grinned roguishly. "He's got a strong arm. Unlike our local bench-warmer that we all know and love."
"And play ruiner. Don't forget that," Trudi growled. "Why are you with him, Rachel?" Her voice became accusing, as she narrowed her eyes.
"I ruined that play." Dylan admitted in a small voice. Then, as Steve and Trudi turned and stared at him, he continued, "But there was someone who found out and has been threatening me through locker letters. He or she said that if I didn't keep Wallace away from the play and explode the dog that they'd turn me in." Poor little brother, I thought sadly. "I got another letter today. It said that I'd failed, but there was another job for me to do."
He handed me the letter. I saw on the scrap of paper a threatening message.
You failed!! I have one last redeeming assignment for you. If you fail, I'll spill to Parker.
Your instructions will be in your locker
tomorrow morning. Do not fail!!
"What is it?" Wallace asked, gently tapping my shoulder. I must have looked shocked.
"Dylan's gonna receive a locker letter tomorrow afternoon. From whoever has been sending him letters." I managed to get out. Then, suddenly livid with anger that anyone had the audacity to send those letters to my little brother, I continued, "I'm gonna trap this guy and tear him to shreds."
"Then we're helping," Wallace and Trudi said at the exact same moment.
"Me too," Steve said. When he received surprised stares he laughed. "You don't think that I'm going to let my best friend get his rear kick to China without me to cheer on the other guy, did you?"
"You've got a weird sense of friendship." I commented.
"I think that it is sweet." Trudi said, staring at Steve.
"I think that Wallace has lost an admirer and Cavanaugh's gained one." Trudi immediately peeled her eyes of Steve and glared at me.
"Whatever. Just call me Steve, will you." He then saw Trudi staring at him and grinned at her. " Oh. Now I get that remark. Don't be so cryptic, next time," He said, turning back to me.
"She wasn't cryptic. I understood her perfectly." Wallace said, trying not to laugh.
Enter.
Wallace Wallace
It was after school, and Steve, Rachel, Trudi, Dylan, and I was staked out near Dylan's locker. Just waiting for Note Writer. (That was what we had nicknamed him.) I held the tape recorder that I had borrowed from Porker Zit. I told him that I would record an interview on it for him about what went into the setting up "Old Shep: My Pal."
"I see someone!" I exclaimed. It was. No way!
"It's Porker?!" Rachel gasped that very moment.
Steve flashed the camera, then yelled, "We got you on film, Porker. We know that you've been threatening my little buddy Dylan."
"How could you!" Rachel said angrily, as we all hoped out of the janitor's closet. "It made news. That made people listen to my column. He was just one of many pawns." Porker started laughing. "You'll never prove it. You'd need a taped confession of guilt and I won't be fooled into that."
"What, like saying that you've been threatening my little brother?" Rachel asked innocently. I quickly turned the volume up on my recorder.
"Yes." Porker laughed again.
"To late for you then," I crowed. I pulled out the recorder. "I got it all." I turned it off.
At that very moment Mr. Fogelman walked up, whistling one of the Dead Mangoes' tunes. "What is going on?" He asked.
For some reason everyone turned to me. So I did the only sensible thing I could think of. I told him the truth. He then had to put Porker into detention.
The next day at lunch, Steve and Trudi sat down for lunch with Rachel and me. Trudi offered to have the three of us watch a movie with her. When Steve started to ask about her proposed movie I told him, "Come on, Steve. It's just like Old Shep: My Pal. Everything blows up at the end."
"Oh, Doofus Doofus, really?" After that I tuned him out halfway.