8. Good News and Bad News

8 Good News and Bad News When my mom picked me up after school, I gave her the business card and told her what Dr. Floss said. "This could be an emergency," my mom said as she hit the gas. "Let's go to her office right now!" This was the worst thing to happen since TV Turnoff Week! I wanted to go to

Antarctica and live with the penguins. I'll bet a million hundred dollars that penguins never have to go to the dentist. But I'm no dummy. I reached into the back seat of the car and put on my football helmet. "A.J., why are you wearing your football helmet?" Mom asked me. "The dentist won't be able to get into your mouth with that face guard in the way."

"Exactly," I said. It didn't take long to drive to Dr. Floss's office. Mom made me leave my football helmet in the car. That's when the weirdest thing in the history of the world happened. When we walked into the waiting room, there was a bowl of candy on the table. And a bunch of cool toys. And a video game

system hooked up to a big-screen TV! It was paradise. "This place is cool," I told my mom. "Can I live here?" Mom said I could play a video game while she talked with the receptionist. I told her to take all the time she needed. I was just about to press the START button when— "Dr. Floss will see you now, A.J.," said the receptionist. Bummer in the summer! "I'll be right here waiting for you," my mother told me. "Come in with me, Mom," I said. "I'm scared." "You're a big boy," she replied. "I'll be right here when you're done." The receptionist walked me down a long hallway. I felt like one of those prisoners being taken to jail. Finally we got to a little room. Dr. Floss was in there.

"Hi A.J.!" she said cheerfully. "It's nice to see you again." I looked around the room. It was scary. There was a dentist chair with a big light hanging over it, and all kinds of dentist tools. Then I looked on the windowsill. There were a bunch of pliers lined up there. "AHHHHHHHH!" I shouted. "Is that what you use to pull out people's teeth?" "Oh no, that's my collection of antique pliers," Dr. Floss said. "Remember this morning I told you that I collect old tools?" Oh yeah. I looked around the office some more. In the corner, leaning against the wall, was a giant jackhammer. "AHHHHHHHH!" I shouted. I thought I was gonna die. "Is that what you use to drill people's teeth?"

"Of course not!" said Dr. Floss.