The Ghost of Gruesome High by Larry Parr Read Free Book Online Page B

this, or what?
    It seemed like forever before the final bell rang. I hurried out of the class and toward the school parking lot, where I figured Wesley’s bug would be. If I could grab Wesley, then I could get him to help me find the others.  
    When I got to the parking lot, there was Wesley’s car and there were Jason and Wesley and Alan, all piling in. As I hurried over, Jason spotted me. For a moment it looked as if he was still mad from last night, but then he smiled and waved—but continued getting into the car.
    I was out of breath by the time I got to the little red bug, dodging half a dozen other cars being hurriedly driven out of the parking lot by teenagers eager to be anywhere other than school. Finally I made it. “Jason,” I said, “get out. I need to talk to you. Mr. Greenwald.”
    Wesley had already started the engine and had put the car in reverse. He leaned part way across Jason so he could yell at me through the passenger window. “No time!” he yelled. “We gotta get to the art supply store for my history project. Get in!”
    “I can’t!” I yelled over the roar of his engine. “I have to . . . .”
    But Wesley wasn’t listening. Jason looked up at me and smiled and threw me a quick kiss. He always does that when he’s going somewhere with the guys and he thinks I’m going to be mad at him for not being with me. As if throwing me a kiss made any difference! Boys!
    Wesley was already backing out and there was no way I could make him listen to me. He kept the engine running loudly on purpose, I think, just so he couldn’t hear me! “Where’s Jennifer?” I yelled toward the passenger window. Jason leaned out as Wesley put the bug in first and screeched away. “Doctor’s appointment!” he yelled and then waved as my friends disappeared in a sea of other cars. I was left standing alone in the middle of the parking lot, with cars streaming by me. One actually touched me and honked! I nearly jumped out of my skin!
    I just couldn’t believe my luck today. Nothing had gone right!

 
    Chapter 11
     
    Mr. Greenwald’s unexpected story
    I thought about not showing up in Mr. Greenwald’s class at all. After all, there wasn’t anything he could do to me if I didn’t show up. It’s not like he wanted to discuss anything having to do with school. Well, anything having to do with my work at school, anyway.
    But I was curious. I had been thinking about last night a lot, all day, and now that it was light and I wasn’t so scared, I was really quite curious about what he had been up to last night. After all, he had as much—or more—to explain than I did!
    I walked into his class and found him seated at his desk, correcting papers. He looked up and gave me a tight-lipped smile. “Oh good,” he said in a relaxed, casual tone, “I was afraid you might not show.”
    “I’m here,” I said curtly as I took a seat near the door, at the back of the class.  
    He looked at me and gave me another tight-lipped smile. “You can sit up front. I won’t bite. I promise.” With that he gave me a full smile.  
    I had decided to keep my distance and let him do most of the talking, but seeing him sitting there, his slightly longish hair, tinged with gray, looking messy like it usually did, with those gold-colored wire-rimmed glasses and that old sports coat with the leather patches at the elbows that he seemed to wear to school every single day, and especially those blue jeans and white tennis shoes that he wore, somehow I couldn’t find in me to be afraid of him. Slowly I got up and walked to the front of the class, directly in front of his desk and sat down.
    He stood, walked around his desk and sat on the front corner of it. He leaned forward slightly. “There. That’s better,” he said. “I suppose you know why I asked you to stop by?” he asked.  
    His voice sounded slightly hopeful, as if he was uncomfortable and wanted me to make the first move. I realized at that very moment that I was