A Frog's Way Home (The Calamity Girls Book 3)

Thai Feud

One morning, Rosalina got me up. She helped out Mrs Boonchuy with breakfast while Anne was getting Polly some orange juice. "Would anyone like some eggs?" Rosalina asked. "Yes, please." Polly replied politely. "Why, yes." Hop Pop added. "These are egg-selent, Rosalina." "Thanks, I learned from the best." My sister explains, looking at Mrs Boonchuy with a smile. "Thank you for the delicious food." Polly thanked. "You're very welcome." Mrs Boonchuy said. "Hey, where's Sprig?" I asked. "Beats me." Rosalina replied. "Hey, good morning, fam fam! Ooh, eggs." Sprig announced, eating the leftover eggs from the pan. "These could use a little something. Got any hot sauce?" "Sure, I'll go..." Mrs Boonchuy began as Sprig hopped over to the fridge. "Don't worry, Mrs B, I got it." Sprig said, rummaging through the fridge for the hot sauce. He drinks it straight from the bottle and his mouth was on fire. Mrs Boonchuy glared at both me and Anne. "Sprig, can we chat?" Anne asked, dragging him away from the fridge. "Dude, what are you doing?" "What do you mean?" Sprig asked. "Sprig Plantar, you're a guest in the Boonchuy's home!" Hop Pop snapped. "For frog's sake, behave like one!" "Silly Hop Pop, we're not guests, we're family." Sprig said. "No we're not!" Hop Pop continued. "Just because Anne and Rowena are Plantars, doesn't automatically make you a Boonchuy or a Warbler." "Doesn't it, though?" Sprig asked. "I mean, the math checks out." "You're not a part of Anne or Rowena's family!" Polly snapped. "Oh." Sprig whimpered. "Guys, is that true?" "Not entirely true." Rosalina explained. "I don't mind you guys." "Don't worry about it, man." Anne said. "Being a guest around here is so much better. Being family just means chores, responsibilities, and getting yelled at when you mess up." "I, for one, like being waited on hand and foot." Polly commented, putting her feet on the table. "And I should know, I have feet now." "Sorry guys, I just always wanted a bigger family and I guess I got a little carried away." Sprig apologized. "Girls, c'mon, we have a lot of work to do at the restaurant." Mrs Boonchuy called. "That's us." I said. "See you guys when we get back." "Wait, can I come with you?" Sprig asked. "I'd like to make up for how rude I was this morning." "I guess that'd be fine." Anne replied. "Hop Pop, Polly, do some research on opening portals and junk while we're gone." I added, heading to the car with Anne and Sprig. "You got it." Hop Pop said. "So, are we watching Starzgate or Quantum Hop?" Polly asked. "Ooh, I recommend Quantum Hop, it's one of my favorites." Rosalina replied.

I decided to help Mrs Boonchuy with the restaurant. Sprig was just begging to help out while Anne and I chopped up some veggies. "How can I help? How can I help?!" Sprig repeatedly asked. "Don't worry about it, pink frog, you're our guest." Mrs Boonchuy replied, handing him a plastic cup. "Why don't you sit in the corner with a Thai iced tea." "I hate being a stupid guest." Sprig grunted. "I wanna be family." All of a sudden, a customer walked in as Sprig pulled up the face mask he was wearing with his disguise. "What's happening, Boonchuys?" Ned, one of the restaurant's best customers asked. "Anne? And Rowena too? I thought you were both dead." "Ned!" Anne greeted. "Check it out, Sprig, this guy's our number one customer, he's been around for years." "And I'm not just a customer anymore, I bought a food truck!" Ned explains. "I want to bring your mom's amazing cooking to all of LA, she puts the POW in pad krapow." "You guys are in business together?" I asked. "Well, no." Ned replied, glaring at Mrs Boonchuy. "Not yet." "I already told you." Mrs Boonchuy scoffed. "We're just not interested in a food truck." "But you've got the best Thai food in the county, if we partnered up, we could make so much money together." Ned begged. "Couldn't you just share some of your recipes with me?" "Absolutely not." Mrs Boonchuy declined. "These recipe are for family only." "Well, when you change your mind, you know where to find me." Ned runs outside to his food truck, parked right outside the restaurant entrance. "Wow, he's literally parked right outside the restaurant." Anne said. "That can't be good." "It's not." Mrs Boonchuy explains. "Customers are very confused right now." "I'm sure he means well." I commented. "He does, but Ned just doesn't realize he's hurting the business." Mrs Boonchuy continued, walking away to the kitchen. "It's been weeks and he still hasn't budged. Oh well." "Tough problem, huh?" Sprig questioned. "Why, if someone were to solve it, your mom might consider him the son she never had." "Sprig, stay out of this." Anne warned. "Okay, sheesh, it was just a thought." Sprig retorted.

As I helped Anne bus down tables, we Sprig outside with a bunch of angry customers. "While you're in there, could you grab those recipes?" Ned asked as we grabbed Sprig and brought him inside. "Anne, Rowena, this behavior is unacceptable, I'm doubling both of your chores!" Mrs Boonchuy exclaimed, going back into the kitchen. "Don't let it happen again." "Wait, why'd she yell at you guys for something I did?" Sprig asked. "She's not about to yell at a guest, Sprig." Anne explains. "She only yells at family." "And I believe she also yelled at me because I came home the same time as Anne." I said. "Oh, guys, thanks for rubbing it in!" Sprig cried. "Look, Sprig, we both know what you're doing here, and I get why, but please stop, or I'll be cleaning the bathroom with a toothbrush for the rest of my life." Anne begged. "Just knock it off, okay?" "Knock it off? Or knock it on?" Sprig asked himself. "Don't even try." I warned. "I heard that!" Anne added. "No you didn't!" Sprig shouted.

An hour later, Anne came up to me in the kitchen. "Rowena, could you help me with taking out the trash?" Anne asked. "Yeah, of course." I replied, grabbing one of the bags. Once we got outside, we both saw Sprig in the driver's seat of Ned's truck. "Oh no." We groaned in unison, running up to the truck. "No, Sprig. Bad Sprig!" Anne snapped. "What are you doing?" I asked. "Squirming my way into Mrs B's heart by making this food truck disappear!" Sprig replied. "Not on my watch." Anne said, climbing inside with me not far behind. While he tried to fight us off, Sprig accidentally put the food truck in drive. "Holy crab apples!" Anne panicked. "When did we start moving?!" Sprig asked. "Holy frog abuse! You accidentally hit the gear shift with your foot and it went into drive." I explained. "Rowena, your dad's a car engineer, you drive." Anne said. "I haven't driven a car before, but I have driven Bessie." I whispered. "Rowena, look out!" Anne and Sprig yelled as the truck continued to speed up. "Brakes, gotta mash the brakes." I said. As the brakes failed to work, Anne noticed a note above the ceiling. Ned you rascal, Don't forget to fix the brakes! -❤️Ned. "NED!" "It's okay, I got this." Sprig commented, pulling on the radio. "Whoa, girl, whoa!" "Dude, that only works on snails!" Anne shouted. We all screamed as we were headed towards a turtle and some trash. The truck was launched by the turtle across town. We drove past a road sign for a skate park. "Sprig. Idea. Use your tongue and help Rowena make a hard left." "Got it." Sprig said. "Is that really the best idea?" I asked. Sprig launched his tongue and helped me make the sharp turn.

After a few turns and tricks at the skate park, the truck could no longer move. "I don't believe it." Anne said. "Me either." I added. "We did it!" We celebrated, until Mrs Boonchuy and Ned opened the back doors. "I don't believe this." Mrs Boonchuy said. "Me either, you sent your daughter and her friend to destroy my truck?!" Ned asked. "Girlfriend." I corrected. "What are you people insane?!" Ned asked. Sprig quickly got his disguise back on and hopped out of the truck. "Anne and Rowena had nothing to do with this, it was all me. I was just..." Sprig explains with a sigh. "I just wanted to be part of the family, but I should've respected your boundaries instead of pestering you into something you didn't want." "It's okay, pink frog. I mean, Sprig." Mrs Boonchuy said. "I know how much you mean to my daughter and her friend, and how much they mean to you." "Girlfriend." I repeated. "I probably shouldn't have treated you like such an outsider." Mrs Boonchuy continued. Ned began bawling his eyes out. "I feel like an outsider, too!" He cried. "I love your restaurant so much, I just wanted to be part of it, but I was wrong! I'm so sorry, I'm done trying to get your recipes, I just realized this is a gross appropriation of your culture, and I should just show myself out." "Ned, look, I can't give you the recipes because they're for family only." Mrs Boonchuy sighed. "But, we could use some help with deliveries." "Deliver? Me?!" Ned gasped. "I mean, it wouldn't pay much, but you will be part of the restaurant." Mrs Boonchuy suggested. "Yes, I'd love to." Ned agreed, heading to the truck, driving away. "You will not regret it, Mrs Boonchuy, not for a second. I'll make you proud." "Well, I guess we're all done here." Sprig said as he was grabbed by the hood by Mrs Boonchuy. "Not so fast! If you think you're getting out of here without an earful, you've got another thing coming!" She scolded. "Firstly, how dare you disobey me. Secondly, how dare you put Anne, Rowena, and yourself in danger. Thirdly, why are you smiling?" "You're scolding me, which means..." Sprig cries. "Yup, you're family now, bud." Anne explains as Sprig hugs Mrs Boonchuy in tears. "Already having second thoughts about this." She commented.