Someday Angeline (Someday Angeline 1)

“I don’t know his number,” said Abel, “or his last name.”

“Boone,” said Melissa. “I know Gary.” She smiled. “Gary Boone.”

Gus laughed. “Mr. Boone,” he said.

Abel looked through the phone book. “There are over two pages of Boones in here,” he said. “I can’t call them all.”

“Wait,” said Melissa. “I met his parents. What were their names? Oh…” She put her hands to her ears and shook her head, as if she were trying to shake their names out, like a gum ball from a gum ball machine.

“You’ll just have to call up every Mr. Boone!” laughed Gus. Neither Abel nor Melissa knew why he was laughing, but he thought it was very funny that Angeline’s two friends were named Mr. Bone and Mr. Boone.

Melissa hit her head. A name came out. “Spencer,” she said. And another. “Prentice. Spencer and Prentice Boone. Give me the number. I’ll call them.”

Gary answered the phone.

“Hello, Gary,” said Melissa. “This is…” She paused. “…Mr. Bone.” She explained the situation to him and asked him if he’d seen Angeline or knew where she was. He said he didn’t.

“Have you tried the aquarium?” he suggested.

“She’s not there,” she told him.

Gary asked her what she was doing at Angeline’s apartment. She told him she was planning to have dinner with Angeline’s father.

“With Angeline and her father?” Gary asked.

“No, just her father.”

“You mean like a date?” Gary asked.

“I guess,” said his teacher.

“You’re going on a date with Angeline’s father!”

“Just cool it,” she replied.

“Does Angeline know?”

“I don’t know.”

She hung up the phone. “He’s coming over,” she told Abel and Gus, “to help look for her.”

That was one reason. The other reason why he was coming over was because he wanted to see what Mr. Bone looked like when she went out on a date. He also wanted to be there when Angeline found out her father was going on a date with Mr. Bone, and hopefully he’d be the one who would tell her.

When Gary arrived, all four of them searched the apartment.

“You check that side of the bed, Mr. Boone,” said Gus, “while I check this side. That way she can’t switch back and forth.”

Gary laughed. “Okay, Gus,” he said.

Abel tried to organize the search very systematically. He locked the bathroom door so she couldn’t circle around them.

“You sure look pretty tonight, Mr. Bone,” said Gary.

“Thank you, Gary,” she said.

“Do you always look so pretty when you go out on dates?” he asked.

“Knock it off, Gary,” she replied.