Philip Gets Even (9781597050807) Read Online Free PDF

cried over and over that the old buzzard was still eating M & Ms and Tracy better do something. When he couldn’t get the attention he wanted from Tracy,
who was trying to get the room quiet, pay attention to the boys’
explanations, and ignore Mr. Conway’s continuing discussion of Everyday Things , he grabbed some M & Ms from the bowl
and threw them at her.
    “Please, now. Stop that,” Tracy cried,
shaking a red M & M from her hair. “Can we all simply return to
the main room? Please. Everyone back to the main room. Please! ”
    Slowly and noisily the people started moving.
On his way out Mr. Conway went over to the blue bowl, scooped out
the remaining M & Ms, and shoved them into his jacket pocket.
As he passed Johnny Visco, the boy look at him and screamed,
“ Put them back, you old buzzard .” Mr. Conway nodded his head
politely at the boy and kept on going.
    By the time everything was sorted out, the
competition was cancelled, Philip and Emery were in disgrace, and
Johnny Visco was angry.
     
     

 
     
     
     
Six
    “An old buzzard? He called me an old
buzzard?” Mr. Conway slapped his right hand down on the arm of his
big soft chair.
    “He’s going to kill us,” Philip was
moaning.
    “He’ll smash us both into mush,” Emery
agreed.
    “That M & M boy called me on old
buzzard?” cried Mr. Conway popping three M & Ms defiantly into
his mouth. “I’m glad we ate his art if he called me an old
buzzard.” They were sitting in Mr. Conway’s living room. The old
man looked at the two boys with fire in his eyes. “Just what we should have done. That’s all it was good for. M & Ms are
for eating. Not for making statements about diversity and dodo
birds.” He patted his pocket. “You two don’t have any more...”
    “No,” Philip said loudly.
    “Old buzzard! Dang. I should have snatched
those last two cupcakes. How were they, anyway?”
    “Great,” said Emery. “There were chocolate,
strawberry...”
    “Emery!” Philip cried. “Never mind about the
cupcakes. We’re going to be killed in school tomorrow. Who cares
about cupcakes?”
    “This Johnny Visco is a tough guy, eh?” said
Mr. Conway, whose new hearing aid batteries were working fine.
    Philip and Emery moaned and nodded.
    “Just look him in the eye and tell him the
old buzzard said his installation got what it deserved. Digestion.
Tell him...” Mr. Conway started laughing. “...tell him his
installation melted in my mouth and not in my hand.”
    “If I hear one more time about how M & Ms
melt,” Emery mumbled.
    The boys sat disconsolately and watched Mr.
Conway hold his sides and laugh till tears rolled down his
cheeks.
    “We better go,” said Philip, shaking his
head.
    Mr. Conway wiped his eyes. “Sorry, boys. I’ll
hold onto the painting. Maybe we can enter it somewhere else. Or
maybe that ridiculous art gallery will come to its senses and give
us the prize we deserve.” Then he walked the boys to the front door
and said goodbye. The boys heard him laughing as the door
closed.
    Philip did not get much sympathy at home.
When he told his parents what had happened, they smiled. Then his
mother looked at his father and they started laughing.
    “You didn’t know it was part of the contest?”
said Philip’s father.
    “No! How could we? A bowl of M & Ms.
Would we eat it if we knew it was one of the art things?”
    “Tasteful way to get rid of the competition,”
said Philip’s mother, and his parents gave a laugh.
    Philip turned and stomped up to his bedroom.
His parents were laughing now, but they wouldn’t be laughing
tomorrow when he came home from school dead. Smashed into mush by
Johnny Visco.
    ~ * ~
    Philip and Emery hid out behind some trees
across the street from school the next morning until they heard the
line-up bell ring. Then they ran into the schoolyard and into line
at the last minute. The schoolyard was full of teachers picking up
their classes, so they knew they were safe for the moment.
    Johnny Visco was