he said. âI strained it twice, and I drank half of itâjust to make sure.â He set the tray on my lap.
âA beautiful day!â I said. âNo marching. No tree bark.â
I hugged Gassy. He was tucked under the covers next to me. I slipped him a slice of bacon. He burped in my faceâhis cute way of saying thanks.
Feenman and Crench came bursting in. Feenman made a grab for my French toast. I had to stab him with my fork to keep him away.
âHow great is this?â Crench cried. âNo more tree bark. Skruloose is gone, and everything is back to normal!â
I handed the tray to Belzer and climbed out of bed. âOne more thing to do,â I said. âFinish the Water War.â
âHuh? Finish it?â Crench said.
âI invited Sherman over here,â I said. âTo congratulate him on his victory.â
They stared at me. âBernie, have you totally lost it?â Feenman asked.
âShermanâs victory will last until he reaches the eighth step,â I said. âI rigged up the water balloon in the ceiling again. When he reaches the eighth step, I pull the rope. Sploosh. Sherman sinks under tengallons of cold water. We winâbig-time.â
âBrilliant!â Belzer said. âThen everything will be back to normal!â
I heard footsteps from downstairs. âHeâs here!â I whispered. âFeenmanâquick. Get your camera. I want to e-mail this photo to everyone in school!â
Feenman disappeared into his room. The rest of us hurried out into the hall. I leaned over the banister and gazed down the stairs. âShh. Quiet, dudes. Here he comes.â
Feenman raised his camera.
âWait for it. Wait for itâ¦.â I whispered.
I grabbed the rope. I counted and listened to Shermanâs heavy shoes clomp up the stairs.
âWait for itâ¦waitâ¦NOW!â
I tugged the rope hard. The camera flashed.
I heard a startled scream. The splash of cold water.
He hit the floor. He made a choked sound.
âYESSS!â I cried, jumping up and down. âYesss! A direct hit! Bullâs-eye!â
My buddies jumped to their feet, cheering, clapping, and laughing their heads off.
We all touched knuckles. Then we did the secret Rotten House Handshake.
I heard the gurgling sound again.
I turned and gazed down the stairwell.
âUh-ohâ!â I gasped in horror. Then I gasped again.
âMrs. Heinie?â I called. âMrs. Heinie? Youâre back? Welcome back, Mrs. Heinie. What a surprise. I can explain! Really! I can explain!â
About the Author
R. L. Stine graduated from the Rotten School with a solid D+ average, which put him at the top of his class. He says that his favorite activities at school were Scratching Body Parts and Making Armpit Noises.
In sixth grade, R.L. won the school Athletic Award for his performance in the Wedgie Championships. Unfortunately, after the tournament, his underpants had to be surgically removed.
R.L. was very popular in school. He could tell this because kids always clapped and cheered wheneverhe left the room. One of his teachers remembers him fondly: âR.L. was a hard worker. He was so proud of himself when he learned to wave bye-bye with both hands.â
After graduation, R.L. became well known for writing scary book series such as The Nightmare Room, Fear Street, Goosebumps, and Mostly Ghostly, and a short story collection called Beware!
Today, R.L. lives in a cage in New York City, where he is busy writing stories about his school days. Says he: âI wish everyone could be a Rotten Student.â
For more information about R.L. Stine, go to www.rottenschool.com and www.rlstine.com
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
Look for these
ROTTEN SCHOOL
books, too!
The Big Blueberry Barf-Off!
The Great Smelling Bee
The Good, the Bad and the Very Slimy
Lose, Team, Lose!
Shake, Rattle, &