Don't Stay Up Late by R. L. Stine Read Free Book Online Page B

you live nearby?” she asked.
    I nodded. “My mom and I … we live on Village Road near the pond. We just moved to Shadyside. A few months ago.”
    Her dark eyes locked on mine. “Do you like it?”
    â€œYes,” I said. “It’s a little different from Shaker Heights. I mean, smaller. But I like the school. And I’ve made some friends.”
    She pulled a pack of sugarless gum from her T-shirt pocket and offered me a piece. I waved it away. She slid two pieces into her mouth. “I’m addicted to this stuff.”
    â€œI’m a Mentos freak,” I confessed.
    She let out a dry, almost silent laugh. Her dark eyes flashed.
    â€œLet me tell you about the job,” she said, leaning closer to me.
    â€œIt’s babysitting, right?” I said. I suddenly realized I didn’t see or hear a kid. The house was silent except for the soft tick of a large square clock on the mantelpiece. And I didn’t see any toys or other evidence of a child in the house.
    â€œIt’s a little more than babysitting,” Brenda said. She settled back on the chair. “I’d better start at the beginning. I just got a new job, and the hours are kind of long.”
    â€œYou mean you work late?” I asked.
    She brushed back her ponytail. “Yes. Three days a week I don’t get home till nine or ten. So … this is what I need, Lisa. I need someone to pick Harry up at four o’clock three days a week.”
    â€œHow old is Harry?” I asked.
    â€œHarry is eight going on thirty-five,” she joked. She gave that dry, whispery laugh again. “Actually, he’s a sweetheart. You’ll love him.” She drummed the arm of the chair. I noticed her long, perfect fingernails, a dark red.
    â€œHarry has to be picked up at my sister’s house,” Brenda continued. She waved a hand. “It’s a few blocks away. My sister Alice is homeschooling Harry, and she’s just a terrific teacher.”
    â€œNice,” I said awkwardly. She was waiting for me to respond, and I didn’t know what to say. I heard a creaking sound and turned toward the door.
    Brenda sighed. “That’s just the old stairway,” she said. “It likes to creak and groan like an old man. You’ll get used to it. I don’t even hear it anymore. I had some carpenters out to look at it. But they said all old houses shift and groan.
    I gazed at the stairway for a moment. The banister was smoothly polished dark wood. The steps had no carpet on them.
    â€œSo you pick up Harry at four,” Brenda said. “You bring him home. You help him with his homework. Sometimes Alice piles it on, even though he’s only eight.”
    â€œHarry is a good student?” I asked.
    â€œHe likes to work,” she answered. “He’s very curious about all kinds of things.” She chewed the gum for a while, studying me. “After homework, you give him dinner. Then entertain him for a while. He has an Xbox game he loves. He plays it for hours.”
    â€œThat sounds like fun,” I said.
    â€œYou put him to bed around eight. And wait till I get home at nine or ten.” She leaned close again and put a hand on my wrist. “Is that too many hours for you, Lisa?”
    â€œNo,” I said. “I don’t think so. I can do my homework after Harry goes to bed.”
    She nodded. “If you can take the job, I’ll pay you well. I’ll be honest. I’m really desperate to find someone good. I’ll pay you three hundred dollars a week.”
    Whoa! I thought maybe I hadn’t heard correctly. “Three hundred a week?” I repeated.
    She nodded.
    This will really help our money problems, I thought. We’ll be fine till Mom can go back to work. Finally, I’ve had some good luck.
    â€œDoes this sound like something you’d like to do?” she asked. She tugged at a loose strand of her dark