48 - Attack of the Jack-O'-Lanterns Read Online Free

horror.

 
 
8
     
     
    I was standing right next to the phone when it rang. The harsh buzz nearly
made me jump out of my skin. Was I a little tense? YES!
    I grabbed the phone in the middle of the first ring. “Hello?”
    I heard a familiar voice on the other end. “Hi, Drew. It’s Tabby.”
    “Tabby!” I cried. I decided she was calling to find out what time the party
started. “The party starts at eight,” I said. “But if you and Lee—”
    “That’s why I’m calling,” Tabby interrupted. “Lee and I can’t come tonight.”
    “Huh?”
    The phone dropped out of my hand. It clattered to the floor.
    I dove to pick up the receiver, stumbled, and nearly knocked the whole table
over.
    “What? What did you say?” I demanded.
    “Lee and I can’t come.” Tabby repeated the chilling words. “We’re going to Lee’s cousin’s instead. His cousin gets to
trick-or-treat until midnight. He does four different neighborhoods. He promised
we’ll get bags and bags of candy. Sorry.”
    “But, Tabby—” I started to protest weakly.
    “Sorry,” she said. “See you. ’Bye.”
    She hung up.
    I let out a hoarse wail and sank to my knees on the floor.
    “What’s wrong?” Walker demanded.
    “They—they—they—” I couldn’t get the words out.
    My three friends huddled around me. Walker tried to pull me to my feet. But
my head was spinning. I didn’t want to stand up.
    “They’re not coming !” I finally managed to choke out. “Not coming.”
    “Oh,” Walker replied softly. Shane and Shana shook their heads glumly, but
didn’t say a word.
    We all stayed frozen in place, stunned, too miserable to talk. Thinking about
all the work… all the planning and all the hard work.
    A whole year of planning and work.
    I’m not going to cry, I told myself. I feel like crying, but I’m not going
to.
    I climbed shakily to my feet. And glanced at the couch.
    “What is that ?” I shrieked.
    Everyone turned and saw what I saw. A huge, ugly hole in one of the brown
leather couch cushions.
    “Oh no!” Shana wailed. “I was playing with a ball of green slime. I must have
dropped it onto the couch when I stood up. It—it burned a hole in the
cushion!”
    “Quick—cover it up before Mom and Dad see—” I started.
    Of course Mom and Dad came strolling into the living room. “How’s it going?”
Dad asked. “All ready for your guests?”
    I crossed my fingers and prayed they wouldn’t see the huge hole in the couch.
    “Good heavens! What happened to the couch?” Mom shrieked.
     
    It took Mom and Dad a long time to get over the ruined couch.
    And it took me even longer to get over the ruined party.
    That’s how it went last Halloween. Two years. Two years of ruined
Halloweens.
    Now it’s a year later.
    Halloween time again. This year, we have twice as much reason to get
revenge on Tabby and Lee.
    If only we had a plan…

 
 
9
     
     
    “This year I’m a space princess,” Tabby announced.
    She had her blond hair piled high once again, with the same rhinestone tiara
in it. And she wore the same long, lacy dress.
    The same costume as two years ago. But to add the outer-space look, Tabby had
painted her face bright green.
    She always has to be a princess, I thought bitterly. Green or not green,
she’s still a princess.
    Lee showed up in a cape and tights and said he was Superman. He said it was
his little brother’s costume. He told us why he didn’t have time to get a
costume of his own. But I couldn’t understand him because of the big wad of
bubble gum in his mouth.
    Walker and I had decided to be ghosts. We cut eyeholes in bedsheets, and
armholes, and that was that.
    My sheet dragged behind me on the grass. I should have cut it shorter. But it
was too late. We were already on our way to trick-or-treat.
    “Where are Shane and Shana?” Lee asked.
    “I guess we’ll catch up with them,” I replied. I raised my trick-or-treat bag
in front of me. “Let’s get going.”
    The four of