Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson Read Free Book Online Page B

Twinkies, andshe was so proud that as soon as she got on the bus she forgot everything she knew and yelled to another first grader, “Guess what I got in my lunch today, Billy Jean?”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œTwinkies!” she shouted so loud you could have heard her in the back seat even if you were deaf in both ears. Out of the corner of his eye, Jess thought he saw Janice Avery perk up.
    When they sat down, May Belle was still screeching about her dadgum Twinkies over the roar of the motor. “My daddy brung ’um to me from Washington!”
    Jess threw another look at the back seat. “You better shut up about those dang Twinkies,” he said in her ear.
    â€œYou just jealous ’cause Daddy didn’t bring you none.”
    â€œOK.” He shrugged across her head at Leslie to say I warned her, didn’t I ? and Leslie nodded back.
    Neither of them was too surprised to see May Belle come screaming toward them at recess time.
    â€œShe stole my Twinkies!”
    Jess sighed. “May Belle, didn’t I tell you?”
    â€œYou gotta kill Janice Avery. Kill her! Kill her! Kill her!”
    â€œShhh,” Leslie said, stroking May Belle’s head, but May Belle didn’t want comfort, she wanted revenge.
    â€œYou gotta beat her up into a million pieces!”
    He’d sooner tangle with Mrs. Godzilla herself. “Fighting ain’t gonna get back nothing, May Belle. Them Twinkies is well on the way to padding Janice Avery’s bottom by now.”
    Leslie snickered, but May Belle was not to be distracted. “You’re just yeller, Jesse Aarons. If you wasn’t yeller, you’d beat somebody up if they took your little sister’s Twinkies.” She broke into a fresh round of sobbing.
    Jess stiffened. He avoided Leslie’s eyes. Lord, there was no escape. He’d have to fight the female gorilla now.
    â€œLook, May Belle,” Leslie was saying. “If Jess picks a fight with Janice Avery, you know perfectly well what will happen.”
    May Belle wiped her nose on the back of her hand. “She’ll beat him up.”
    â€œNoooo. He’ll get kicked out of school for fighting a girl. You know how Mr. Turner is about boys who pick on girls.”
    â€œShe stole my Twinkies.”
    â€œI know she did, May Belle. And Jess and I are going to figure out a way to pay her back for it. Aren’t we Jess?”
    He nodded vigorously. Anything was better than promising to fight Janice Avery.
    â€œWhatcha gonna do?”
    â€œI don’t know yet. We’ll have to plan it out very carefully, but I promise you, May Belle, we’ll get her.”
    â€œCross-your-heart-and-hope-to-die?”
    Leslie solemnly crossed her heart. May Belle turned expectantly to Jess, so he crossed his, too, trying hard not to feel like a fool, crossing his heart to a first grader in the middle of the playground.
    May Belle snuffled loudly. “It ain’t as good as seeing her beat to a million pieces.”
    â€œNo,” said Leslie, “I’m sure it isn’t, but with Mr. Turner running this school, it’s the best we can do, right, Jess?”
    â€œRight.”
    Â 
    That afternoon, crouched in the stronghold of Terabithia, they held a council of war. How to get Janice Avery without ending up squashed or suspended—that was their problem.
    â€œMaybe we could get her caught doing something.” Leslie was trying out another idea after they had both rejected putting honey on her bus seat and glue in her hand lotion. “You know she smokes in the girls’ room. If we could just get Mr. Turner to walk past while the smoke is pouring out—”
    Jess shook his head hopelessly. “It wouldn’t take her five minutes to find out who squawked.” There was a moment of silence while they both considered what Janice Avery might do to anyone who reported her to the principal. “We gotta get her without her knowing