بگو سیب و بمیر فصل 23

Say Cheese and Die! - Chapter 23

“Sorry,” Bird said. “I didn’t mean to—”

Before he could finish his sentence, a voice interrupted from behind the bleachers. “Hey—what’ve you got there?”

Greg looked up from the developing snapshot in surprise. Two tough-looking boys stepped out of the shadows, their expressions hard, their eyes on the camera.

He recognized them immediately—Joey Ferris and Mickey Ward—two ninth-graders who hung out together, always swaggering around, acting tough, picking on kids younger than them.

Their specialty was taking kids’ bikes, riding off on them, and dumping them somewhere. There was a rumor around school that Mickey had once beaten up a kid so badly that the kid was crippled for life. But Greg believed Mickey made up that rumor and spread it himself.

Both boys were big for their age. Neither of them did very well in school. And even though they were always stealing bikes and skateboards, and terrorizing little kids, and getting into fights, neither of them ever seemed to get into serious trouble.

Joey had short blond hair, slicked straight up, and wore a diamondlike stud in one ear. Mickey had a round, red face full of pimples, stringy black hair down to his shoulders, and was working a toothpick between his teeth. Both boys were wearing heavy-metal T-shirts and jeans.

“Hey, I’ve gotta get home,” Bird said quickly, half stepping, half dancing away from the bleachers.

“Me, too,” Michael said, unable to keep the fear from showing on his face.

Greg tucked the snapshot into his jeans pocket.

“Hey, you found my camera,” Joey said, grabbing it out of Greg’s hand. His small gray eyes burned into Greg’s as if searching for a reaction. “Thanks, man.”

“Give it back, Joey,” Greg said with a sigh.

“Yeah. Don’t take that camera,” Mickey told his friend, a smile spreading over his round face. “It’s mine !” He wrestled the camera away from Joey.

“Give it back,” Greg insisted angrily, reaching out his hand. Then he softened his tone. “Come on, guys. It isn’t mine.”

“I know it isn’t yours,” Mickey said, grinning. “Because it’s mine !”

“I have to give it back to the owner,” Greg told him, trying not to whine but hearing his voice edge up.

“No, you don’t. I’m the owner now,” Mickey insisted.

“Haven’t you ever heard of finders keepers?” Joey asked, leaning over Greg menacingly. He was about six inches taller than Greg and a lot more muscular.

“Hey, let him have the thing,” Michael whispered in Greg’s ear. “You wanted to get rid of it—right?”

“No!” Greg protested.

“What’s your problem, Freckle Face?” Joey asked Michael, eyeing him up and down.

“No problem,” Michael said meekly.

“Hey—say cheese!” Mickey aimed the camera at Joey.

“Don’t do it,” Bird interrupted, waving his hands frantically.

“Why not?” Joey demanded.

“Because your face will break the camera,” Bird said, laughing.

“You’re real funny,” Joey said sarcastically, narrowing his eyes threateningly, hardening his features. “You want that stupid smile to be permanent?” He raised a big fist.

“I know this kid,” Mickey told Joey, pointing at Bird. “Thinks he’s hot stuff.”

Both boys stared hard at Bird, trying to scare him.

Bird swallowed hard. He took a step back, bumping into the bleachers. “No, I don’t,” he said softly. “I don’t think I’m hot stuff.”

“He looks like something I stepped in yesterday,” Joey said.

He and Mickey cracked up, laughing high-pitched hyena laughs and slapping each other high fives.

“Listen, guys. I really need the camera back,” Greg said, reaching out a hand to take it. “It isn’t any good, anyway. It’s broken. And it doesn’t belong to me.”

“Yeah, that’s right. It’s broken,” Michael added, nodding his head.

“Yeah. Right,” Mickey said sarcastically. “Let’s just see.” He raised the camera again and pointed it at Joey.

“Really, guys. I need it back,” Greg said desperately.

If they took a picture with the camera, Greg realized, they might discover its secret. That its snapshots showed the future, showed only bad things happening to people. That the camera was evil. Maybe it even caused evil.

“Say cheese,” Mickey instructed Joey.

“Just snap the stupid thing!” Joey replied impatiently.

No, Greg thought. I can’t let this happen. I’ve got to return the camera to the Coffman house, to Spidey.

Impulsively, Greg leaped forward. With a cry, he snatched the camera away from Mickey’s face.

“Hey—” Mickey reacted in surprise.

“Let’s go !” Greg shouted to Bird and Michael.

And without another word, the three friends turned and began running across the deserted playground toward their homes.

His heart thudding in his chest, Greg gripped the camera tightly and ran as fast as he could, his sneakers pounding over the dry grass.

They’re going to catch us, Greg thought, panting loudly now as he raced toward the street. They’re going to catch us and pound us. They’re going to take back the camera. We’re dead meat. Dead meat.

Greg and his friends didn’t turn around until they were across the street. Breathing noisily, they looked back—and cried out in relieved surprise.

Joey and Mickey hadn’t budged from beside the bleachers. They hadn’t chased after them. They were leaning against the bleachers, laughing.

“Catch you later, guys!” Joey called after them.

“Yeah. Later,” Mickey repeated.

They both burst out laughing again, as if they had said something hilarious.

“That was close,” Michael said, still breathing hard.

“They mean it,” Bird said, looking very troubled. “They’ll catch us later. We’re history.”

“Tough talk. They’re just a lot of hot air,” Greg insisted.

“Oh, yeah?” Michael cried. “Then why did we run like that?”

“Because we’re late for dinner,” Bird joked. “See you guys. I’m gonna catch it if I don’t hurry.”

“But the camera—” Greg protested, still gripping it tightly in one hand.

“It’s too late,” Michael said, nervously raking a hand back through his red hair.

“Yeah. We’ll have to do it tomorrow or something,” Bird agreed.

“Then you guys will come with me?” Greg asked eagerly.

“Uh… I’ve gotta go,” Bird said without answering.

“Me, too,” Michael said quickly, avoiding Greg’s stare.

All three of them turned their eyes back to the playground. Joey and Mickey had disappeared. Probably off to terrorize some other kids.

“Later,” Bird said, slapping Greg on the shoulder as he headed away. The three friends split up, running in different directions across lawns and driveways, heading home.

Greg had run all the way to his front yard before he remembered the snapshot he had shoved into his jeans pocket.

He stopped in the driveway and pulled it out.

The sun was lowering behind the garage. He held the snapshot up close to his face to see it clearly.

“Oh, no!” he cried. “I don’t believe it!”