Why I Quit Zombie School by R. L. Stine Read Free Book Online Page B

convince them.
    My parents wouldn’t listen to me. But they
would
listen to Franny.
    Franny. The only other living kid in this school.
    Franny would tell them this is a zombie school. And they would believe her.
    Now where could I find her? She could be anywhere.
    And then I nearly cried out when I saw Franny step into the court. She wore a red-and-black Romero sweatshirt over a short black skirt. She had a bulging backpack on her shoulders.
    I guessed she was headed to the Study Room upstairs.
    “Franny! Hey!” I took off, running through the crowded circle of kids. “Franny!”
    She turned and waited for me. “Matt, what’s up?”
    “Did your parents come?” I asked.
    She shook her head. “Not this time. Yours?”
    “Yes,” I said. “I want you to meet them. I want you to tell them —”
    “Tell them?” Franny said.
    I turned. My parents had followed me acrossthe hall. Dad was texting someone on his phone. Mom smiled at Franny.
    “This is Franny. She’s in my class,” I said.
    Mom and Dad said hi. Dad frowned at the phone and tucked it into his pants pocket.
    “Have you been at Romero long?” Mom asked her.
    “This is my second year,” Franny said. She shifted her backpack on her shoulders.
    “I’ve been trying to tell my mom and dad about this school,” I told Franny. “But they don’t believe me.”
    She giggled. “Really?”
    Dad rolled his eyes. “You’re not starting this stuff again, are you? In front of your friend?”
    “Tell them,” I said to Franny. “Go ahead. Tell them the truth about this school. They won’t believe me — but they’ll believe you.”
    Franny squinted at me. “The truth?”
    “Yes,” I insisted. “Go ahead. Tell them what’s
special
about this school.”
    Franny raised her eyes to the ceiling, as if she was thinking hard. She took a deep breath. Finally, she started. “Well …”

20
    “I guess the
library
is really special,” Franny said. “It’s open twenty-four hours a day, and they have thousands of books. And tons of computers with a very fast connection.”
    “That’s nice,” Mom said with a smile.
    “And the Dining Hall is pretty special,” Franny added.
    I groaned. “Franny, you know that’s not what I meant.” My heart was pounding. I wanted to explode. Why was she
doing
this?
    “Tell my parents about the zombies!” I screamed.
    Several kids turned to stare at me.
    Franny scrunched up her face. “Zombies?”
    “Tell them what you told me,” I begged. “You know. That this is a zombie school. That you and I are the only
living
kids here.”
    Franny laughed. “Matt, tell me you didn’t believe me,” she said. “I was joking. You know. A joke for the new kid in school.”
    Dad slapped my shoulder. “Guess we won’t be hearing about
that
anymore,” he said. “Thank you, Franny.”
    “But — but —” I sputtered.
    Franny turned to the door. “I have to go study,” she said. She grinned. “You know. Meet up with the other zombies and maybe rip some live flesh while we do our math.”
    Mom and Dad laughed.
    I could feel my face go red-hot. I mean, my blood was
boiling
.
    Franny took a few steps, then turned back. “Matt, are you coming to the dance party after all the parents leave tonight?” she called.
    “Party?” I could barely get the word out. I felt so angry and upset, I was shaking. “I don’t think so,” I replied.
    Franny waved good-bye to my parents. Then she hurried away.
    “You should go to the party,” Mom said. “You’ve got to stop living in your own world, Matt.”
    I didn’t answer. My head was still burning hot. My hands were balled into tight fists.
    “You’ve got to make friends here and try to fit in,” Dad said.
    Fit in?
That’s a laugh. Fit in with a school full of zombies. For sure.
    “Franny seems nice,” Mom said.
    Nice? She’s a liar and a traitor
, I thought.
    She was my last chance. And now I was doomed. Trapped in this school with the living dead. Trapped here — until