Chapter One
DUMB MOVIE
âWant to see
Revenge of the Ghost
tomorrow?â Kate asked her best friend Jake.
âSure,â said Jake.
Kate and Jake loved
Revenge of the Ghost
. Theyâd seen it three times already, but they still loved watching it.
They loved to scream when the ghost appeared in the captainâs room.
They loved to screech, âIâm back,â when the ghost screeched, âIâm back.â
They loved to howl when the ghost took off his head and carried it down the hall like a hat.
âSee you tomorrow at two,â said Kate.
âIâll bring potato chips,â said Jake. Jake always brought potato chips.
The next day, Kate filled a bowl with popcorn and a plate with chocolate chip cookies. Sheâd helped her mom bake the cookies that morning. The house still smelled of chocolate. It was the best smell in the world.
At two fifteen, Kate looked out the window. She didnât see Jake, but she wasnât worried.
Jake was always late.
Last week his excuse was that he didnât have any clean underwear. The week before he said the zipper on his pants broke. Kate smiled. What crazy excuse would he have today?
Kate opened the door and peeked out. There was Jake! He was walking down the street with his mom and a tall boy. The tall boy had red hair and freckles just like Jake.
Who was he?
âSorry weâre late,â said Jake. âBut my cousin Lionel just came over. Heâs moving to our neighborhood next week.â
âHow nice,â said Kateâs mom.
âCan he watch the movie too?â asked Jake.
âOf course,â said Kateâs mom.
Lionel plunked down on the couch in the den. Jake flopped down beside him. Kate slipped the movie into the player. Then she curled up in the big chair.
The movie began.
âIâve seen this movie before,â said Lionel. âItâs dumb.â
âI know,â said Jake, âbut itâs funny.â
The ghost floated into the captainâs room.
Kate screamed.
âAre you scared of the ghost?â Lionel asked her. âHe doesnât even look like a ghost.â
âYeah,â said Jake, âhe looks fake.â
Kate glared at Jake. âHe looks real to me,â she said.
The ghost screeched, âIâm back,â but Kate didnât screech. She felt silly screeching alone.
Jake didnât look like he was going to screech. He didnât look like he was even watching the movie.
He was too busy talking to Lionel.
âThis movie is really dumb,â said Lionel. âWant to play video games?â
âWe donât have any,â said Kate.
âYouâre kidding,â said Lionel.
âWe have some at my house,â said Jake. âWe can play them later.â
âGreat,â said Lionel.
The ghost took his head off and carried it in his arm.
âThis is the stupidest movie in the world,â said Lionel.
Jake nodded. âI know,â he said. âItâs really dumb.â
How could Jake say that? thought Kate. He loved
Revenge of the Ghost
.
Lionel picked up a handful of potato chips and crunched them in his mouth. Then he made a face like a clown. Jake laughed.
âShhh,â said Kate, but Lionel crunched some more potato chips. He made a face like a baboon.
Jake laughed and laughed.
Kate glared at Lionel, but Lionel kept crunching.
âCut it out!â said Kate.
âSorry,â said Lionel. âI forgot you were watching the movie.â
âI canât anymore,â said Kate. âItâs over.â
âHey, Jake,â said Lionel. âWant to go to your house and play video games?â
âSure,â said Jake. âIâll call my mom.â
Soon Jake and Lionel left.
Kate ran to her room and flung herself on her bed.
âWhatâs the matter?â asked her mom.
âI hate Lionel,â said Kate. âHe said the movie was dumb, and he
Daniel Huber, Jennifer Selzer
Kimberly Witherspoon, Andrew Friedman