ماسک روح زده فصل 02

The Haunted Mask - Chapter 2

She heard laughter. At another table, someone yelled, “Way to go, Steve!”

She whipped her head around to see her friend Steve Boswell standing behind her, a mischievous grin on his face. “Gotcha,” he said, letting go of her shoulder.

Steve pulled out the chair next to Carly Beth’s and lowered himself over its back. His best friend, Chuck Greene, slammed his bookbag onto the table and then sat down next to Sabrina.

Steve and Chuck looked so much alike, they could have been brothers. Both were tall and thin, with straight brown hair, which they usually hid under baseball caps. Both had dark brown eyes and goofy grins. Both wore faded blue jeans and dark-colored, long-sleeved T-shirts.

And both of them loved to scare Carly Beth. They loved to startle her, to make her jump and shriek.

They spent hours dreaming up new ways to frighten her.

She vowed every time that she would never—never—fall for one of their stupid tricks again.

But so far, they had won every time.

Carly Beth always threatened to pay them back. But in all the time they’d been friends, she hadn’t been able to think of anything good enough.

Chuck reached for the few remaining chips in Sabrina’s bag. She playfully slapped his hand away. “Get your own.”

Steve held a crinkled hunk of aluminum foil under Carly Beth’s nose. “Want a sandwich? I don’t want it.”

Carly Beth sniffed it suspiciously. “What kind is it? I’m starving!”

“It’s a turkey sandwich. Here,” Steve said, handing it to Carly Beth. “It’s too dry. My mom forgot the mayo. You want it?”

“Yeah, sure. Thanks!” Carly Beth exclaimed. She took the sandwich from him and peeled back the aluminum foil. Then she took a big bite of the sandwich.

As she started to chew, she realized that both Steve and Chuck were staring at her with big grins on their faces.

Something tasted funny. Kind of sticky and sour.

Carly Beth stopped chewing.

Chuck and Steve were laughing now. Sabrina looked confused.

Carly Beth uttered a disgusted groan and spit the chewed-up sandwich hunk into a napkin. Then she pulled the bread apart—and saw a big brown worm resting on top of the turkey.

“Ohh!” With a moan, she covered her face with her hands.

The room erupted with laughter. Cruel laughter.

“I ate a worm. I-I’m going to be sick!” Carly Beth groaned. She jumped to her feet and stared angrily at Steve. “How could you?” she demanded. “It isn’t funny. It’s—it’s—”

“It isn’t a real worm,” Chuck said. Steve was laughing too hard to talk.

“Huh?” Carly Beth gazed down at it and felt a wave of nausea rise up from her stomach.

“It isn’t real. It’s rubber. Pick it up,” Chuck urged.

Carly Beth hesitated.

Kids all through the vast room were whispering and pointing at her. And laughing.

“Go ahead. It isn’t real. Pick it up,” Chuck said, grinning.

Carly Beth reached down with two fingers and reluctantly picked the brown worm from the sandwich. It felt warm and sticky.

“Gotcha again!” Chuck said with a laugh.

It was real! A real worm!

With a horrified cry, Carly Beth tossed the worm at Chuck, who was laughing wildly. Then she leapt away from the table, knocking the chair over. As the chair clattered noisily against the hard floor, Carly Beth covered her mouth and ran gagging from the lunchroom.

I can still taste it! she thought.

I can still taste the worm in my mouth!

I’ll pay them back for this, Carly Beth thought bitterly as she ran.

I’ll pay them back. I really will.

As she pushed through the double doors and hurtled toward the girls’ room, the cruel laughter followed her across the hall.