Mean Ghouls by Stacia Deutsch Read Free Book Online

to take orders from anyone just because they were popular.
    â€œAnd you?” Megan asked Happy. “How did you change?”
    â€œMy parents expect me to design clothes and someday work with them — so that’s what I used tofocus on. I never painted before I got here,” Happy admitted. “I like it.”
    Megan smiled. It was the first time she’d ever heard Happy say anything positive.
    Of course, being Happy, she immediately added, “I’m not very good, though.”
    â€œSam thinks you’re great,” Megan said. “Why not try painting in color?”
    â€œBoring.” Happy snorted. “Then I’d be like everyone else.”
    As they walked out of the bathroom, Megan found that she was feeling a little better. She still wanted to get cured and go home ASAP, but now that Happy had shared something private, something really important to her, she felt like she had a best friend at ZA.
    And she was fascinated by the idea that kids coming to the Academy felt like they could change who they’d been or how they’d been treated at their old schools. Megan wondered about Sam. What had he been like before? Was he different now, too?
    â€œHome economics is starting now.” Happy looked at her watch. “Science is over.”
    â€œIsn’t home ec a thing from the 1950s?” Megan asked.
    That wasn’t what she’d planned to ask Happy. She had a different, more important question to get to first, but yet again, the thought wasn’t sticky in her brain. It was frustrating not being able to remember what you were thinking minute to minute.
    â€œIn the olden days, home ec used to be for girls to learn sewing, cooking, cleaning — you know, the skills they’d need when they got married.” The corners of Happy’s lips rose to the place where Megan thought she might smile. But she didn’t. “Now it’s about living a zombie life.”
    â€œI don’t get it,” Megan said. “A zombie life?”
    â€œIt’s an easy class.” Happy checked her red notebook for the schedule. “Today, we’re cooking zombie food.”
    â€œThat doesn’t sound bad,” Megan said. “I liked the cafeteria vegeta —” It took an instant for Megan to realize what they were making. “Ugh. We’re doing brain recipes, aren’t we?” Megan’s stomach flipped as if she’d just gotten off a roller coaster. “Ewww,” she said.
    â€œDon’t worry,” Happy said. “We don’t use real human brains in class. You can choose rabbit or pig.”
    â€œUhhhh-uhhhh,” Megan groaned. She thought she might puke.
    Even without smiling, Happy could joke. “Just kidding,” she said dryly. “We’re making desserts out of rotten fruit.”
    Suddenly, Megan’s stomach felt better, and she found she was in fact hungry. “I could go for that.”
    â€œI hate fruit,” Happy said. “And vegetables. And meat. And bread.” She added, “And brains.”
    â€œOf course you do,” Megan said with a chuckle, adding, “I hate brains, too.”
    As they walked down the hallway, a young boy, about ten years old, came rushing up to Megan. He grabbed her around the waist so hard, he nearly knocked her down.
    â€œI love you,” the boy said. He had straight dark hair and wore glasses. There was a huge gash over one of his eyes and a long gooey slash down his right arm. If she ignored the zombie stuff, the boy reminded Megan of Zach.
    â€œUhhhh,” Megan half groaned. She wasn’t sure how to respond. It was the first time a boy, other than her dad, had told her he loved her.
    He released her from the hug, just enough to look up at Megan. “Until you came, the Bs didn’t like me because I pulled a fire-alarm prank that made the sprinklers go off in the dorm and got all their stuffwet!” He hugged Megan again.