Still a Work in Progress by Jo Knowles

anyone did, no one admits it.
    Ryan and I jump up. “We’ll find her,” Ryan says.
    Lily follows us inside. We wander through the classrooms and call her name.
    “Here, kitty, kitty,” Lily sings.
    “Cur-ly!” I call encouragingly. “Want a treat?”
    “You don’t have a treat,” Ryan says.
    “She doesn’t know that. It’s how we get the Captain to come when we want him.”
    “That’s mean.”
    “She’s happy with a pat. Don’t worry about it.”
    “She’ll never trust you again.”
    “I’ll risk it.”
    We call and call, but there’s no sign of her. The longer we look, the more I get that helpless feeling again. What if she got outside? How will she survive in the cold with just her measly vest?
    After searching all the classrooms, we go to the Community Room and look under the couches and in the closets but can’t find her there, either.
    “What if she ran away?” Lily asks. “Would she do that?”
    “Why would she leave such a good situation?” Ryan asks. “Plenty of clothes. Mice. Always a lap to sit on? It doesn’t make sense.”
    “Curly!” I call out again. “Curly, come get a treat!”
    Something in the ceiling scratches.
    “Curly?” Lily says.
    Scratch.
    “Curly! Is that you?” I ask.
    Scritch-scratch.
    “She’s stuck in the ceiling! Mr. Sticht! We found her!” Lily yells.
    Ryan and I drag a table under the part of the ceiling where we heard the scratching, then climb up. The ceiling is made up of a bunch of square-shaped pieces that you can push up and move, so we start pushing a bunch, careful to avoid touching the wads of gum some student from the past pelted up here, until I can feel the weight of Curly on one. “Here!” I say to Ryan, pointing to the next square.
    “Careful, boys,” the Tank says when he comes bounding into the room.
    Ryan slowly pushes the square next to the one Curly is on up and over, leaving a big hole in the ceiling.
    Curly peeks out and mews pitifully.
    “C’mon, girl,” Ryan says.
    “Treat,” I add.
    Curly mews again and pokes a paw out.
    Ryan reaches up for her and pulls her down. “She’s shaking!”
    “Give her to me,” Lily says, holding out her hands.
    “But you’re allerg —”
    “I’ll take her,” I say, interrupting Ryan before he can spill the beans and get Curly kicked out.
    I jump down from the table and reach up for Curly. She has a cobweb hanging from one ear. I wipe it off and then hold her against my chest. She starts to purr.
    “Poor thing,” the Tank says. “Curly, what on earth were you doing up there?”
    “Maybe there was a mouse,” Lily says.
    “In the ceiling?” Ryan asks. “Gross!”
    “Mice are everywhere,” Lily says matter-of-factly.
    “I’m just glad we found her,” the Tank says. “You had us worried sick, girl!”
    “How do you think she got up in there?” I ask.
    “Who knows? It’s an old building. There are holes all over the place. I’ll have Ms. Leonard take a look.” Ms. Leonard is the school janitor.
    “You guys should probably go back out. Your rides might be here.”
    “Be good,” I say, setting Curly on the floor. She shakes herself like a wet dog, then walks over to the Tank and rubs against his legs.
    “Crazy cat,” he says. There’s a catch in his voice, as if he got choked up.
    Lily hooks her arms through mine and Ryan’s. “My heroes,” she says. It’s embarrassing, but also feels kind of nice. I look over at Ryan, who has a huge grin on his face. Too bad Lily is dating the pole dancer.
    As we climb the stairs, Sam and Molly start toward us. “What happened?” Sam asks. Their cheeks are bright red, which, according to Sam, means that they’ve been kissing a long time.
    “My heroes saved Curly,” Lily says, letting go of our arms. “She got stuck in the ceiling, but they got her out safe and sound.”
    Sam looks impressed. We all go back out and sit on the steps. Molly sits on the one below Sam and leans back against his legs.
    Ryan takes one look at