Locker 13 by R.L. Stine Read Free Book Online Page A

leaned forward and tried to concentrate on the game.
    Sharon McCombs, the tallest girl in the Shawnee Valley eighth grade, tossed the ball in. A pass. Then another pass, which was almost stolen by a Bee Stinger.
    Hannah grabbed the ball. She turned and started to dribble to the basket. After about three steps she tripped. The ball bounced away as she fell flat on her stomach.
    A Bee Stinger grabbed it just before it went out of bounds. She dribbled all the way down the floor—and scored easily before Hannah had even picked herself up off the floor. Twelve to two.
    I cupped my hands around my mouth. “Get ’em, Hannah!” I shouted.
    She didn’t look up. She was fiddling with the white bandage on her hand.
    A minute later Hannah had the ball again. In close. She jumped and shot. And missed. Missed the net, the backboard. Missed everything.
    I leaned on my hands and watched the game in silence. Hannah missed six or seven shots in a row. She tripped over the ball, hit the floor hard, and got a huge, bright red floor burn on her knee. Her passes to her teammates went wild. She kept losing the ball to the other team. Tripping over her own feet. Bumping into other players.
    It was sad. She didn’t look like Hannah at all.
    The half-time score was Bee Stingers twenty-five, Squirettes five.
    When the team came out to start the second half, Hannah sat down on the bench and didn’t play.
    What’s going on? I wondered.
    I climbed down from the bleachers and walked over to her on the bench.
    â€œLuke, you came to a bad-news game,” she said, shaking her head.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” I asked. “You’re hurt? From your bike accident yesterday?”
    She watched the Bee Stingers score another basket. Then she turned to me. “No. It’s not because of my accident,” she whispered. Her eyes were dull, watery. Her skin was so pale.
    â€œSo, what is it?” I asked.
    Hannah frowned. “It’s all because I lost my good-luck charm,” she said.
    I gaped at her. “Huh?”
    â€œIt’s what brought me all that amazing great luck,” Hannah said. “I have to find it. As soon as I lost it, my luck changed.”
    My mouth dropped open. I realized my heart had started to pound.
    â€œIt’s a tiny skull,” Hannah continued. “A little yellow skull. I—I never went anywhere without it.”
    She tugged at the bandage on her hand. Then she raised her eyes to me. “You haven’t seen it anywhere … have you, Luke?”

My legs suddenly felt weak. I gripped the back of the bench and stared at Hannah. I could feel my face growing red.
    I could feel the skull in my jeans pocket. I knew I should pull it out and hand it to her.
    But how could I?
    I needed the good luck, too. Hannah had enjoyed so much good luck for so long. Mine had just started. For the first time in my life, I was having a little good luck.
    How could I go back to being a loser again?
    Hannah’s watery eyes locked on mine. “Have you seen it, Luke?” she repeated. “Have you seen it anywhere?”
    My face burned. So many frantic thoughts whirred through my head.
    I really needed that good-luck charm. Ever since I found it, my life had changed. I was a new person.
    But Hannah was my friend. My best friend in the whole world. She was always there for me when I needed her.
    I couldn’t lie to her—could I?
    â€œNo,” I said. “I haven’t seen it anywhere.”
    Hannah’s eyes remained on me for a few seconds more. Then she nodded slowly and turned back to the game.
    My heart was pounding hard now. I had a heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach. “Where did you lose it?” I asked.
    She didn’t reply. She cupped her hands around her mouth and cheered on her teammates.
    I backed away from the bench. I felt like a total creep. I jammed my hand into my pocket. Wrapped my fingers around the rubber skull.
    Give it back