10 Running Out of Time

CHAPTER TEN RUNNING OUT OF TIME "MR. WILLOW IS staring at us!" I scream- whispered. "Eight!" Simon yelled. "I can see him!" Rosie scream-whispered back. "He's walking this way. And Katie's with him! She can't find out what we're doing! Hurry, Simon!" "Nine!" "He's halfway to us now," Rosie said urgently— but quietly. She gave the Frisbee a good, accurate nudge and it jumped to the edge of the screen roof.

About half of it hung over. "Simon, we have to go! Now!" "Ten!" he yelled. I felt Mr. Willow's hand on my shoulder as I stared up at the Frisbee teetering on the edge. Rosie and Simon hustled out of the greenhouse door. Katie stood next to Mr. Willow. She totally wanted to know what we were doing, I could tell. "Why did you just yell 'ten!' like that, Simon?"

Mr. Willow asked. He didn't sound curious. He sounded like he was accusing Simon of something. It felt like we were in trouble. I froze. I couldn't move a muscle.

"Uhh," Simon said. He didn't have an answer. I noticed that his hands were in his pockets. He was trying to hide them because they were dirty. Rosie had an answer though. I knew she didn't like fibbing, but she couldn't give away our science fair project—especially with Katie standing right there. "He said it would take me at least twelve pokes with the tomato stake to get the Frisbee down," she answered and turned her back toward Mr. Willow to lock the door. I saw her wrist twist as she wiggled the key. She turned back around and continued. "But I won. I got it here in ten." She handed the keys back to Mr. Willow.

Mr. Willow reached up and grabbed the Frisbee for us. "Okay, you three," Mr. Willow said as he and Katie headed back toward the basketball hoop. "Move away from the greenhouse if you're going to throw it some more."

We said we would. When Mr. Willow and Katie and the other girls