Charlie Bumpers vs. the Squeaking Skull by Bill Harley Read Free Book Online Page A

down at the ground and then at us, like he was trying to find the right words. “My mom, she said that she kind of … Well, she says we can watch a scary movie, but she’s not going to get
The Shrieking Skull
for us.”
    Stupific!
I thought, trying to look really disappointed.
    “How come?” Tommy asked.
    “She said one of her friends told her it was really bloody and gory, so we have to watch something else.”
    “That’s okay with me,” Hector said. “I don’t care.”
    “I’m sorry,” Alex said. “I told my mom you all wanted to see it, but she wouldn’t listen to me. She said it was too scary. It’s totally not fair! She hasn’t even seen it!”
    I wondered if it was because my mom called. “It’s okay, Alex,” I said in a sad sort of voice. But I meant it. It was REALLY okay!
    “Don’t worry about it,” Tommy said. “We can—”
    “You guys playing soccer?” Darren Thompson shouted. He and Kyle Curtis had appeared out of nowhere.
    “We’re going to,” Tommy said.
    “Hey, Alex,” Kyle said. “I told Darren about your Halloween party. Do you think he could come?”
    Alex opened his mouth and then closed it. Hiseyes shifted around like he was a hamster in a cage looking for a way out. “I don’t know,” he said. “I guess I could ask, but … um … I think there are kind of too many people already. Hector’s coming and that makes six of us and my mom’s kind of freaking out.”
    “Are you sure?” Darren asked. “I’d really like to come.”
    Darren had a way of making people feel uncomfortable. When he was acting all friendly like this it always made me wonder if he had some kind of evil plan.
    “I’m
pretty
sure,” Alex said. He was having a hard time saying no.
    “I am, too,” I said. “Remember when my mom talked to your mom? Your mom told her there were too many people coming already.”
    My mom hadn’t really said that, but I figured Alex could use some help.
    Darren looked at me like he was going to strangle me. “Whatever,” he said. “Who cares about a dumbHalloween party? You guys will probably just do some stupid stuff anyway.”
    “At least we’re watching a good movie,” Kyle said.
“The Shrieking Skull.”
    Alex and Tommy and Hector and I looked at each other.
    Darren saw right away there was something wrong. “That’s what I thought,” he said. “You’re too chicken to watch a real horror movie.”
    “That’s not it,” Alex said. “We all want to see it. But my mom won’t get it for us, so we’ll have to watch something else. But it’ll be scary, too,” he added.
    “Yeah, right.
Real
scary, I’ll bet.” Darren turned to leave. “Come on, Kyle.”
    Before he walked away, Kyle leaned in toward Alex like he was telling him a big secret. “It’ll be okay,” he said. “I know a way we can still watch it.”
    “How?” Alex asked.
    “I’ve got my own copy. I’ll just bring it and we’ll watch it when your parents go to bed.”
    “Um … okay,” Alex said.
    “Unless you guys really are too chicken,” Kyle said.
    “Kyle!” Darren called to him. “Come on!”
    “We’re
not
chicken,” Alex said.
    “Okay,” Kyle said. “See you guys later.”
    We all stood looking at each other after he left.
    “Why is Darren like that?” Hector asked.
    “I don’t know,” I said.
    “He’s not very nice.” Hector had this way of saying things very simply—like they were just true. “He’d better hope he doesn’t meet a chupacabra.”

16
Bats Don’t Need to Shave
    The night before Halloween, I did my homework and then got out my rabid bat costume and put it on. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, raising and lowering my arms, I noticed that there was a little rip in one side of the sweatshirt where I had attached the bat wings, a twist tie had fallen off, and one of the metal pieces on the umbrella was bent. But I still looked really cool.
    Then I remembered the rabid part. I needed shaving cream.
    I wondered if Dad would