Read Snap for Free Online Page B

was lying flat against the truck bed. Then she gathered up husks of corn from the overturned crate and piled them on top of Sancho. “If that driver sees us, we’re done for.”
    Together the girls covered as much of Sancho with husks of corn as they could. The corn was slippery, though, and it shifted and fell into piles around Sancho, not doing much to keep him hidden. Sancho barely noticed. He chomped down on one ear after another, chewing noisily while the girls worked around him.
    â€œ
You
could be more helpful,” Danya muttered. Sancho gave her a horsey smile. There were corn kernels stuck between all of his teeth.
    â€œMaybe people will think he’s a scarecrow,” Pia said. Danya squinted at Sancho and tilted her head.
    â€œI don’t think so.”
    â€œHe’s back!” Pia whispered. Danya whirled around. The driver sauntered toward them, his attention fixed on a lottery ticket he was holding in one hand and trying to scratch with his thumbnail. He whistled a little while he walked.
    â€œDuck!” Danya hissed as the farmer made his way across the parking lot. Pia and Danya pressed themselves as flat as they could against the truck bed floor. Sancho shook out his mane, causing the corn stacked around him to roll off the sides of his back.
    Pia threw an arm around his neck and tried to push him back down. “Come on, horsey,” she muttered under her breath.
    The whistling came closer. Danya froze as the driver’s-side door creaked open, then slammed shut. She eased into a crouch. She had just noticed that the gate at the back of the truck was still unlatched; if they didn’t close it, they might simply go tumbling out of the truck, like the crate of corn had. She crawled forward, reaching for the rusty latch.
    â€œSnap, we’re going to start moving!” Pia said. Danya chanced a look behind her and saw that her fearless best friend’s eyes were wide and nervous. She wrapped one hand around the latch and tried to close it, but it was stuck, rusted into place. The engine started and the truck rumbled beneath them. Giving up, Danya scooted away from the truck’s edge. The toe of her sneaker caught against a crate of corn.
    â€œSnap!” Pia called. “Watch out!”
    Danya turned and accidentally nudged the crate out of place. It toppled over, causing a corn avalanche. The corn rolled into her backpack, knocking it into the road and dumping clothes, shoes, and the sandwich bag holding all of her money
everywhere
.
    â€œNo!” Danya shouted. The truck rumbled away with them, leaving her clothes and money behind. Sancho whinnied and pawed at the floor of the truck bed. Digging was a nervous habit of his.
    Pia grabbed hold of Danya’s shoulder and pulled her away from the edge of the truck.
    â€œDon’t worry. I got this,” she said. Before Danya could say a word, Pia jumped out of the back of the truck, tucking into a roll just before she hit the road. Danya’s heart leapt into her throat. She clutched the nearest crate of vegetables so tightly her fingers hurt. A teenager riding past on a bike slowed and let out a low whistle.
    â€œNice!” he called. Pia ignored him. She darted toward the backpack and scooped up all of Danya’s things, then sprinted toward the truck. Her fingers brushed the flapping back gate, but then the truck sped up—pulling just out of her reach.
    â€œBe careful!” Danya shouted. She stood and peered over the towering vegetable crates, hoping there’d be a stop sign or a traffic light just ahead—anything to slow them down so Pia could climb back inside. But all she saw was a long, gray stretch of road—they were headed to the highway. An all-too-familiar sense of helplessness filled Danya’s chest as she watched Pia run, knowing there was nothing she could do to help her.
    Pia seemed to notice she wouldn’t make it to the truck in time at the same moment