Have You Met My Ghoulfriend? by R.L. Stine Read Free Book Online Page A

hypnotize me?”
    Mom and Dad turned their eyes on me.
    “Hel-lo. Did I go near you this morning?” I said. “I don't think so.” They were always ready to blame me. “I just do simple tricks,” I said. “I don't know how to hypnotize anyone.”
    “I think we need to get Colin to Dr. Welles'office,” Mom said. She felt his forehead. “Do you have a fever?”
    “No, Mom.” Colin pulled away. “I feel fine now. I don't need a doctor.”
    “But how do you explain your behavior?” Dad asked, scratching his bald head.
    Colin shrugged. “I just felt strange. Like I was sleepwalking or something.”
    That answer seemed okay to Mom and Dad. Mom bent down and started to pick up the broken glass from the coffeemaker. “Better hurry to school, boys. It's very late.”
    I picked up my backpack and ran to the front closet to get my jacket. As I slid into the jacket, I glimpsed myself in the mirror on the closet door.
    That wasn't a yellow glow in my eyes—
was
it?
    No. It must have been sunlight reflecting from the living room window.

17
    I MET A ARON IN the hall at school. Aaron has long curly red hair and freckles. Teachers always tell him he looks like Huck Finn. But we don't know if that's good or bad.
    Aaron wears baggy brown cargo shorts to school every day. He even wears shorts on the coldest, snowiest days of the winter.
    Why?
    He says, “No reason.”
    But I know the reason—it's because he thinks he has great-looking legs.
    One of the other weird things about Aaron is that he never does his schoolwork. He says he comes to school to learn things, not to do a lot of work.
    Mom and Dad don't want me to hang around with Aaron. They say he's a bad influence. But I don't think he's an influence at all. I think he's just a good friend.
    “What are you doing for after-school?” Aaron asked.
    After-school? I totally forgot. We have a new program at Jefferson Elementary. Twice a week we have to stay after school and do some activity.
    I sighed. “I got signed up for soccer.”
    Aaron shook his head. “You'll get creamed.”
    “I know,” I said. “Colin makes me practice soccer with him in the backyard. Mainly, he uses me for target practice. He just keeps kicking the ball at me until I'm a five-foot-four bruise.”
    Aaron patted me on the shoulder. “Dude. This afternoon. Bring a lot of Band-Aids.”
    We started toward Ms. McDonald's class. “What are you doing for after-school?” I asked.
    “Internet chess.”
    “Excuse me?” I stopped him. “You don't play chess, remember?”
    “I know. But I can just pretend I'm planning my next move and stare at the screen till it's time to go home.”
    See? Aaron's got it all worked out.
    We stepped into the classroom. Traci Wayne looked up when I walked in. She quickly lowered her eyes to the book she was reading.
    I glanced toward the front. Ms. McDonald wasn't there. Kids were perched on the windowsills, laughing and talking. A couple of guys were heaving a lunch box back and forth across the room, playing keep-away from another boy. Robby Marx was showing off some new kind ofdance move, making hip-hop beats with his mouth.
    Giggling, two girls chased a boy, pinned him to the chalkboard, and grabbed a notebook from his hand. “Give it back!” he screamed, and chased them to the back of the room.
    Justin Freed, the kid who sits next to me in the back row, slapped me a hard high five. “What's up, Max?”
    Before I could answer, Ms. McDonald stepped into the room. She is my favorite teacher of all time. She is very young and very cool-looking. She always wears sweaters and faded jeans to school. She has bright blue eyes, long, curly black hair, and an awesome smile.
    But she wasn't smiling this morning. She was holding her head with both hands. “Quiet, please!” she shouted. “Quiet! I mean it. Quiet!”
    The two boys gave the lunch box one last toss. The kids on the windowsills jumped off and slid into their seats. The girls gave the boy his notebook back