The skipped-lunch disaster.

They were all looking at Andrew--Sarah Elizabeth Booker, Miss Cooker, Mrs. Anna Milsnooker, his best friend Matthew Rooker, Mr. Reginald van der Lookner, Fire Chief Sam McCrooker, Police Captain Brian Dookler, and even Nibbles the class hamster.

"How did this happen?" they all asked.

It happened because at lunchtime, Andrew sat next to Butch the Bully. It happened because Butch the Bully made fun of the peanut-butter-and-banana sandwich Andrew loved and the apple he had shined and the milk he brought instead of soda. It happened because Butch the Bully's sneering face made Andrew forget that lunch was important. But it really happened because Andrew decided he would just skip lunch altogether.

In math class that afternoon, Sarah Elizabeth Booker shot her hand in the air to answer a question, which startled Andrew, who was drowsy because he hadn't eaten his lunch. He jumped, which made his chair bump the bookshelf, which shook the aquarium.

Fish water sloshed and splashed Sarah Elizabeth, who screamed and jumped out of her seat, flinging her pencil at Miss Cooker. Miss Cooker shrieked and threw her chalk across the room. It landed on the head of Nibbles the hamster.

Frightened by the attacking chalk, Nibbles flew out of his cage. He landed on Mrs. Anna Milsnooker, the principal, who was passing by just then. Nibbles clutched Mrs. Milsnooker's new fluffy black wig, which made Mrs. Milsnooker wave her arms wildly over her head. She grabbed Nibbles and flung him into the cafeteria.

There, Nibbles plopped onto the tray of Andrew's best friend Matthew Rooker.

Matthew thought aliens had landed in his spaghetti, so he screamed, too. He threw his tray across the room--Nibbles, spaghetti, and all. The whole furry, saucy mess flew out the cafeteria window and landed with a splat on the windshield of Mr. Reginald van der Lookner's car. Mr. van der Lookner's chauffeur, blinded by the glob, ran over the fire hydrant in front of the school. The waterfall was enormous. Traffic backed up for blocks. Soon, Fire Chief Sam McCrooker arrived on the hook and ladder truck to stop the water. And then Police Captain Brian Dookler had to unjam the traffic jam.

Police Captain Dookler asked Fire Chief McCrooker how all this had happened. Fire Chief McCrooker asked Mr. van der Lookner how all this had happened. Mr. van der Lookner asked Andrew's best friend Matthew Rooker how all this had happened. Matthew Rooker pointed to Nibbles and asked Principal Milsnooker how all this had happened. Principal Milsnooker also pointed to the hamster and asked Miss Cooker how all this had happened.

Miss Cooker turned to Sarah Elizabeth Booker and asked her how all this had happened. Then

Sarah Elizabeth Booker, and everyone else, turned and looked right ... at ... Andrew.