Buster, Caleb Huett [great novels .TXT] 📗

note with my nose to flip it over onto its back. That stands for Devon Wilcrest!!!!

I knew if Tonio was going to go back to school, he needed to talk to Devon and tell him the truth. I could help both of them if I could figure out how to get Tonio to the tournament.

All of a sudden, I had a plan. I triple-checked that Tonio was sleeping, then nudged the power button on his computer with my nose. I hopped up onto his desk chair, but the force of my jump wheeled it away from the desk, so I had to reach my front paws down on the floor and walk my way back over. Another bump with my nose turned on the monitor.

Human computers are so hard to use. I slapped at the mouse clumsily until I opened up the browser, then input the secret codes we all know by heart, no need to repeat them, to log into the Bark Web. A few clicks navigated me to the DogHouse chat rooms, and I checked my list of friends. Since it was still early in the night, I figured most dogs wouldn’t be online—but if there was one person I could count on to always be logged on …

WELCOME TO THE DOGHOUSE V.3.9:

WHO LET THE DOGS IN? WE DID.

CREATING PRIVATE ROOM …

INVITING SELECTED FRIENDS …

NICE! CONNECTED. USERS IN ROOM:

FireBuster, dotpng

dotpng: what

dotpng: hello

FireBuster: hwlko jhp[eg, 8i aMUsinbg a jhum,an cxomp0uterr.

dotpng: lol omd

dotpng: are you using a smartphone

dotpng: is the keyboard six inches wide

dotpng: how are you so bad at this

FireBuster: wwhgat dsoes ommds m eewan/

dotpng: it means oh my dog

dotpng: i made it up

dotpng: here i have a program that will help correct your typing

dotpng: you’ll get a popup in a second just click yes

FireBuster: wk

FireBuster: sdkfjldlsfan

dotpng: haha just kidding it makes it worse

FireBuster: bu

dotpng: and it presses enter at random times, hahahahaha

FireBuster:

dotpng: here this one actually will help

dotpng: omd i can’t believe you clicked it again

FireBuster: 2lvbv

dotpng: those clowns are pretty scary though huh lmto

dotpng: that stands for laughing my tail off. i made that one up too

dotpng: sorry i scared you with a clown video

dotpng: i know i’m the wolf who cried boy rn but you can really click the next one

FireBuster: .,..,.,.

dotpng: haha im sirius

dotpng: get it? the dog star

dotpng: i guess you wouldn’t know but dog puns are cool again

dotpng: basically just use one paw to hit the keyboard and the other to hit the space bar to confirm which letter you meant

dotpng: it’s kinda slow but you’ll get used to it

FireBuster: Thank you, Jpeg. This helps a lot. I am messaging you because I want to tell you about something.

dotpng: ok

dotpng: one second i have to hack into the united states government

dotpng: im in

dotpng: ok what’s up

FireBuster: There is a Beamblade tournament at Roll the Ice in a week.

dotpng: the card game?

dotpng: what about it

dotpng: also I don’t think you appreciated my joke enough

dotpng: i said i hacked into a whole government

dotpng: while you were typing one single sentence at the speed of three grandpas all trying to type at the same time

dotpng: (which makes them slower)

dotpng: i really did hack into the government though

FireBuster: It has a 300 dollar prize, and I know y’all have been looking for ways to help Mia make money.

dotpng: no wag

dotpng: (as in way)

dotpng: (ok that one was weak)

dotpng: i don’t think mia knows how to play BB though

dotpng: oh wait i get it

dotpng: your boy does. the one who always looks like he’s trying to chew with his eyebrows

FireBuster: I think it could be good for both of them. And it’s easier than trying to find a secret way to give her your money.

dotpng: you’re right about that

dotpng: she doesn’t have a bank account, and ive only really got bitecoin anyway

dotpng: ok i found the flyer on their website

dotpng: ill print it out and try to put it somewhere, but no guarantees

dotpng: she kinda does what she wants

FireBuster: The scary clown video just popped up again! It’s not funny!

dotpng: hahahahahahahaha yeah dude you should stop clicking strangers’ links

FireBuster: You’re not a stranger!!!!!

“Buster?” I was surprised by a soft voice from behind me. Oh no! Tonio! I had to think fast.

“Wuh—uh, wuh—” he sputtered.

Even being around a moment like this was bad news for me. I’d already been to Dog Court once already. If Tonio realized what he was seeing, I’d be …

Well, I’d be here. Telling this story. But I didn’t get caught this time.

As soon as I realized what was happening I started acting wild, barking and jumping. I grabbed the keyboard with my mouth and tugged it to the floor with a growl. “RRR!” I roared. “RRRRRR, I’m just a DUMB DOG who HATES COMPUTERS!”

“Hey, uh, down! Down, dog!” Tonio wasn’t used to giving real commands. He lifted both hands awkwardly and twisted his wrists while taking slow steps toward me. “Don’t break the computer, please!”

“What IS THIS THING?!” I ran around to the power cord and pulled it away from the wall, hopefully in a way that looked like an accident, to wipe everything from the screen. “WHATEVER IT IS, I HATE IT!”

“Buster, no. Down! Bad dog!” That was what I was waiting to hear. Tonio thought I was just a bad dog, doing something random that an animal does. He plugged the computer back in and picked the flyer off the floor. He looked at me with a wary expression, clearly concerned with how this particular paper ended up outside the trash can and uncrumpled.

“What are you doing?” he asked. I couldn’t meet his eyes, so I pretended to suddenly be very interested in sniffing his shoes. “Hello?”

He got back in bed and stared at me. I curled up by the window and pretended to have one of those running dreams, but my heart was pounding until he finally fell asleep.

“RING, RING!” Mia threw open the