فصل 07

Monster Blood 2 - Chapter 7

“Here’s a little advice, Evan,” Andy said, grinning down at him. “Don’t go out for the wrestling team.” “Andy!” Evan cried, staring up at her in surprise. “What are you doing here?” She reached out both hands and helped tug him to his feet. Then she tossed back her short, brown hair with a flick of her head. Her brown eyes flashed excitedly.

“Didn’t you read any of my letters?” she demanded.

Evan had met Andy the past summer, when he’d stayed with his great-aunt for a few weeks. He and Andy had become good friends.

She was with him when he bought the container of Monster Blood. She shared the whole frightening Monster Blood adventure with him.

Evan liked Andy because she was funny, and fearless, and kind of crazy. He never could predict what she would do next!

She didn’t even dress like other girls Evan knew. Andy loved bright colors. Right now she was wearing a sleeveless magenta T-shirt over bright yellow shorts, which matched her yellow sneakers.

“I told you in my last letter that my parents were sent overseas for a year,” Andy said, giving Evan a playful shove. “I told you they were sending me to Atlanta to live with my aunt and uncle. I told you I’d be living just three blocks away from you!” “I know. I know,” Evan replied, rolling his eyes. “I just didn’t expect to see you jump out of the hedge at me.” “Why not?” Andy demanded, her dark eyes exploring his.

Evan didn’t know how to answer that question.

“Glad to see me?” Andy asked.

“No,” he joked.

She pulled up a thick blade of grass and stuck it in the corner of her mouth. They began walking toward Evan’s house.

“I’m starting at your school on Monday,” she told him, chewing on the blade of grass.

“Thrills and chills,” he replied, snickering.

She shoved him off the sidewalk. “I thought people were supposed to be polite in the South.” “I’m new here,” Evan replied.

“How’s Trigger?” she asked, kicking a pebble across the sidewalk.

“Good,” Evan told her.

“Like to talk a lot?” she asked sarcastically.

“I’m in a bad mood,” he confessed. “It hasn’t been the greatest day.”

“It couldn’t be as bad as the day the Monster Blood went berserk!” Andy exclaimed.

Evan groaned. “Don’t mention Monster Blood to me. Please!”

She studied him. Her expression turned serious. “What’s wrong, Evan? You look really upset,” she said. “Don’t you like it here?” He shook his head. “Not much.”

As they walked, he told her about all the trouble he was having in his new school. He told her about Mr. Murphy and Cuddles, and how the teacher was always on his case.

And he told her about Conan the Barbarian, and how Conan was always picking on him, always getting him into trouble, always playing tricks on him and making him look bad.

“And no one will believe me about the Monster Blood,” Evan added.

They were standing at the bottom of his driveway. They glanced up at Evan’s new house, a two-story red brick house with a sloping red tile roof. The late afternoon sun dipped behind a large puff of cloud, and a broad shadow rolled across the lawn.

Andy’s mouth dropped open. The blade of grass fell out. “You told kids about the Monster Blood?” she asked in surprise.

Evan nodded. “Yeah, why not? It’s a cool story, isn’t it?”

“And you expected kids to believe you?” Andy cried, slapping her forehead. “Didn’t they just think you were weird?” “Yeah,” Evan replied bitterly. “They all think I’m weird.”

Andy laughed. “Well, you are weird!”

“Thanks a bunch, Annnndrea!” Evan muttered. He knew she hated to be called by her real name.

“Don’t call me Andrea,” she replied sharply. She raised a fist. “I’ll pound you.” “Annnnnndrea,” he repeated. He ducked away as she swung her fist. “You punch like a girl!” he exclaimed.

“You’ll bleed like a boy!” she threatened, laughing.

He stopped. He suddenly had an idea. “Hey—you can tell everyone I’m not weird!” “Huh? Why would I do that?” Andy demanded.

“No. Really,” Evan said excitedly. “You can tell everyone at school that the Monster Blood was real. That you were there. That you saw it.” Andy’s expression suddenly changed. Her dark eyes lit up, and a sly grin crossed her face. “I can do better than that,” she said mysteriously.

Evan grabbed her shoulder. “Huh? What do you mean? What do you mean you can do better?” “You’ll see,” she replied, teasing him. “I brought something with me.”

“What? What is it? What do you mean?” Evan demanded.

“Meet me tomorrow after school,” she told him. “At that little park over there.” She pointed to the next block. A narrow park, only a few blocks long, ran along the bank of a shallow creek.

“But what is it?” Evan cried.

She laughed. “I love torturing you!” she declared. “But it’s a little too easy.” Then she turned and headed down the street, running at full speed.

“Andy—wait!” Evan called. “What have you got? What did you bring?”

She didn’t even turn around.