Road Trip Read online

  Oh, and that everything works out.

  Conor and Atticus figured out how to live together, just like Dad said they would. Probably because neither of them thinks they’re a dog. Conor and I get along fine, but he’s decided he belongs to Mom, not me, after all. Dad promised that the very next border collie rescue he hears about, that’ll be my dog.

  I can’t wait. Because another thing I learned this summer is that good things come in sets of three: Theo, Gus, and Mia, the three houses, and, pretty soon, three border collies.

  Gus comes over every weekend. To bring Gizmo to see Conor and Atticus and to make sure Dad doesn’t violate building code with the wiring in his houses. Gizmo hasn’t touched the ground except to pee since Gus picked him up at Alison’s shelter and shoved him in the front of his bib.

  Mia and Theo aren’t a couple, even though that’s what he’d like. They’re Just Friends, she always says. He winks at me and shakes his head behind her back, hopeful. He’s going to have to get past Atticus first. Atticus thinks no one sees that he won’t let Theo sit by Mia even now that we’re off the bus. But I notice.

  Mia works at Gus’s lady friend’s diner and lives above her garage, just like Gus promised. It’s a good job—no creepy customers—and she’s saving for school.

  Theo wound up only having to do about two weeks at the county lockup because of overcrowding and his good behavior. We had a huge pizza party for him when he was released. He’s working at Gus’s garage, and after fall semester, he’ll have enough credits to graduate from high school. He’s trying to talk Mia into enrolling at the same community college so they can be roommates. She shakes her head about living together, but she doesn’t say no to going to the same school, and the last time they were over, they were looking through a course catalog with Gus.

  I finally posted a bunch of pictures from the road trip on my Facebook page. There are shots of tattoos, bloody Kleenex, cops and paramedics and firemen jumping off their rigs, two border collies and a teacup Chihuahua and close-up portraits of eight other rescue dogs, a roller coaster record certificate, a racehorse and his jockey, and the talent-show stage at the state fair.

  If you don’t know the whole story, the page looks like a lot of crazy. The pictures crack me up.

  No one turned out to be like I thought they would. I wonder if they think the same about me. I know I sure do.

  Lastly, I look at a picture of Alison. Like Theo and Mia, we’re Just Friends. Like Theo, I like her more than that, even with the long distance. We keep in touch, and I’m hoping.

  Next month, we’re all going to the shelter’s fundraiser. All back on the bus, with Atticus and Conor. We couldn’t go anywhere without them. Not that they’d let us—now Dad and I have two border collies trying to get in the truck every time we go anywhere. They work as a team and run the whole house.

  Plus, Conor’s the poster boy for the shelter. I sent Alison a picture I took of him and she talked the committee into using it on the website.

  He should play a big role.

  He brought us all together.

  About the Authors

  Gary Paulsen is the distinguished author of many critically acclaimed books for young people, including three Newbery Honor Books: The Winter Room, Hatchet, and Dogsong. He won the Margaret A. Edwards Award given by the ALA for his lifetime achievement in young adult literature. Among his Random House books are Crush; Paintings from the Cave; Flat Broke; Liar, Liar; Woods Runner; Masters of Disaster; Lawn Boy; Lawn Boy Returns; Notes from the Dog; Mudshark; The Legend of Bass Reeves; How Angel Peterson Got His Name; Guts: The True Stories Behind Hatchet and the Brian Books; The Beet Fields; Soldier’s Heart; Brian’s Return, Brian’s Winter, and Brian’s Hunt (companions to Hatchet); and five books about Francis Tucket’s adventures in the Old West. Gary Paulsen has also published fiction and nonfiction for adults. His wife, Ruth Wright Paulsen, is an artist who has illustrated several of his books. He divides his time between his home in Alaska, his ranch in New Mexico, and his sailboat on the Pacific Ocean. You can visit him on the Web at GaryPaulsen.com.

  Jim Paulsen is a sculptor and former elementary school teacher. He lives with his wife and two children in Minnesota. Road Trip is his first book.

  Gary Paulsen is available for select readings and lectures. To inquire about a possible appearance, please contact the Random House Speakers Bureau at [email protected].