“Well,” Dev said, “Devvy wants to tell her she has nothing to worry about.” Dev recited his reply text as he tapped it out. “Yes. I. Have. My. Inhaler. All. Good.” Dev groaned and stuffed the phone back in his pocket.
Amaiya hopped off her bike while it was still in motion. “Your mom?”
“His mom,” Curtis confirmed from his spot by the bike rack.
The four of them adjusted their backpacks and stared up at their school. The principal stood at the top of the steps, waving them in.
“We survived a wildfire and Ms. Fagan can’t even let us be one minute late.” Dev sighed.
“Back to normal,” Amaiya grumbled.
They headed toward the building.
“So what’re we doing this weekend?” Curtis asked with a yawn. “What? It’s never too early to plan ahead.”
“Hiking?” Dev replied with a too-big grin.
The others groaned.
“I think you’ve been banned from all hiking trails in the state of Nevada,” Matt shot back. “But actually, I have a better idea.”
Dev, Amaiya, and Curtis stopped in their tracks and turned to face Matt. “What’s that?” they asked all at once.
“Movie night,” Matt said with a little shrug. “My house. Pizza. Popcorn. Scout. I thought we could do something nice and safe for once.”
“You’ve never invited us over to your house!” Dev said, throwing his arms up in excitement and dancing a goofy jig.
“I’m in,” Curtis said.
“Sounds fun, Matt,” Amaiya said, her nose wrinkling as she smiled. “Especially if Scout will be there.”
“Great,” Matt said, looking from Amaiya to Curtis to Dev.
Seeing their groggy faces in the early morning sunlight—like he did every day—it was hard for Matt to believe that he’d ever questioned what they were made of. Up on that mountain, his friends had put themselves on the line for each other—and for him. They’d shown him who they were, all right, and he would never doubt them again.
“Movies, pizza, and Scout.” Matt grinned. “I can’t wait.”
Acknowledgments
This book is about family, friendship, teamwork, kindness, helping others—and, of course, dogs. In other words, all the good things in life.
Brian and the goons—how do I thank you for being absolutely everything? JiffyD! Virginia Wing—thank you for being our rock of Gigi. Kunsang Bhuti and Tenzin Dekyi, thank you for your loving care.
Go, Team Scout! Les Morgenstein, Josh Bank, and Sara Shandler at Alloy, and Margaret Anastas and the amazing Luana Horry at Harper—you guys are best in show. Thank you for being Hero and Scout’s biggest fans. Thanks always to the sales, marketing, and publicity groups at Harper, and to Katelyn Hales at the Robin Straus Agency.
And thank you to the team captains: Robin Straus, a tireless champion; Romy Golan, so kind . . . so patient; and Hayley Wagreich, always my favorite editor—we (by “we” I mean “you”) did it.
And finally: Rescue dogs rule! Our wicked Vida is a source of such joy—and many funny dog mannerisms. Thanks to Animal Lighthouse Rescue (alrcares.com) and all the rescue organizations for saving so many dogs and enriching the lives of so many families.
About the Author
Photo by Johannes Kroemer
JENNIFER LI SHOTZ is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Max: Best Friend. Hero. Marine., about the coolest war dog ever. She is also the author of the Scout and Hero series. Among other things, Jen has written about sugar addiction, stinky shoes, and sports-related concussions. A Los Angeles native, she graduated from Vassar and has an MFA in nonfiction from Columbia. She lives with her family and dog, Vida, in Brooklyn. For the occasional tweet, follow her @jenshotz.
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Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
SCOUT: FIREFIGHTER. Copyright © 2018 by Alloy Entertainment. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
www.harpercollinschildrens.com
Produced by Alloy Entertainment
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New York, NY 10019
Cover photos by Shutterstock.com and Allied Integrated Marketing
Photo illustration by Allied Integrated Marketing
Cover design by Rick Farley
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018948003
Digital Edition SEPTEMBER 2018 ISBN: 978-0-06-280262-0
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-280261-3
ISBN 978-0-06-280250-7 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-0-06-288989-8 (paper-over-board)
1819202122BRR10987654321
FIRST EDITION
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