Megan Stine_Jeffery & the Third-Grade Ghost 01 Read Online Free PDF Page B

said angrily. She hurried down the ladder carrying a long green snake that wrapped itself around her arm. “Only a dink like Gary thinks a snake would frighten a girl!”
    Jeffrey laughed. “Yeah—he must think this is still the 1950s!”
    Max appeared sitting in the oak tree. “Ha, ha,” he said. “Like, it’s so funny I forgot to laugh.”
    “I’m going to put this snake in Gary’s pillowcase,” Melissa said. “He deserves it. He’s going to try to ruin my party. I know he is.”

    “Wait, Melissa,” Jeffrey said, taking the snake from her. “It’s not fair to the snake. Besides, Gary won’t ruin your party.”
    “How do you know?”
    How do I know? Jeffrey thought to himself. I know because I know who will try to ruin your party. Max! But Jeffrey couldn’t tell Melissa that. She didn’t even believe Max existed!
    “Just take my word for it,” Jeffrey said. “I can handle Gary.”
    “No offense, Jeffrey, but you’re not in Gary’s league. He’s a major-league creep,” Melissa said.
    “Just the same, I
promise
you Gary won’t ruin the party,” Jeffrey said. But he thought to himself, Too bad I can’t say the same thing about Max!

Chapter Eight

    In no time at all it was Saturday, the day of Melissa’s birthday. The party started at two o’clock. Kenny Thompsen was the first person to arrive. However, he arrived at
Jeffrey’s
house, not at Melissa’s. He was too shy to go over to Melissa’s house alone.
    Jeffrey was in his room wrapping his present for Melissa when Kenny rang the doorbell. Max was sitting on Jeffrey’s bed. They were having an argument—the same one they had had all week.
    “Max, you can’t go to the party,” Jeffrey said.
    “Says you and whose army?” Max said. “Like, I dig surprise parties. They’re a gas.”
    “Max, this isn’t a surprise party,” Jeffrey said.
    Max smiled. “Sure it is. You just aren’t hip to all the surprises I’ve got planned.” He disappeared when Kenny walked into the room.
    “Hi, Jeffrey,” Kenny said. “What’d you get Melissa?”
    “Batter’s helmet with a built-in L.E.D. scoreboard,”Jeffrey said. “What about you?”
    “Two books by Robert Louis Stevenson,” Kenny said.
    “But, Kenny,
you’re
the one who loves to read. Not Melissa,” Jeffrey said.
    “Yeah. Lucky for me, Melissa’s great about lending her books,” Kenny said. “Let’s go.”
    They walked next door to Melissa’s house. Melissa had her hair braided and tied with bright satin ribbons for the party. She greeted everyone at the door and told them to go into the backyard.
    Outside, music was blaring. The boys were eating all the snacks and the girls were dancing. Everyone was having a great time.
    But Jeffrey just couldn’t relax and enjoy it. He was too busy looking for the uninvited guest—or rather, the uninvited ghost!
    “Hey, Kenny,” Melissa said. “Becky Singer is looking for you.”
    “Why?” Kenny asked. Kenny seemed to be the only person in the world who didn’t get it that Becky Singer liked him.
    “Maybe she wants to borrow a book,” Jeffrey teased. He went over to the snack table where Benjamin Hyde was trying one of everything.
    “You know what I don’t like about parties, Jeffrey?”Ben said. “They make too much garbage.”
    “Ben, you’re getting nuts about garbage,” Jeffrey said.
    “Look at this,” Ben said. “Paper plates and paper napkins. Soda cans. Plastic spoons. Paper hats. And after the party, someone’s going to have to make it all disappear!”
    Speaking of disappearing, Jeffrey wondered where Max was. He had threatened to show up at the party, but so far he was a no-show. Of course, Max could be there and still be a no-show, Jeffrey realized.
    Suddenly, there were two screams at the table with the punch bowl. Mandy Lutrell and her twin sister Mindy were standing there with identical purple stains on their identical pink dresses. “There are holes in the bottoms of the paper cups!” Mandy