Monster High 4: Back and Deader Than Ever Read Online Free PDF Page B

of belly fat that didn’t seem to faze her took a seat behind a worn drum kit mended with duct tape. A girl with pink hair, a silver bra, and black skinny jeans plugged her bass into an old amp with a peeling sticker that said BAD CAT . The guitar player wore a poofy blue prom dress, torn fishnets, and combat boots. Once they were situated, a brunette with a high-gloss ponytail and an off-the-shoulder black jersey tee stomped onto the stage. Her white leather booties reflected the dirty wood floor. She looked more like an indignant cheerleader than a fellow rocker.
    “Heyyyy, boozers and losers!” she called. “My name is Davina, and I’m about to rock your cock-a-doodle-doos!”
    Her bandmates exchanged an irritated glance. Pink Hair leaned into her mike and added, “And we’re Grunge Goddess.”
    Everyone cheered.
    “Oops, forgot about them.” Davina girlie-giggled. “My rude.”
    “We’re used to it,” shouted the drummer, knocking her sticks together. “Five, six, sev-uhn, eight!”
    Which reminded Melody—math test! It was time to go. Andthen familiar chords blasted through the bar. Pearl Jam? She couldn’t leave now.
    Melody began shoving her way toward the stage.
    “Watch it!” called a blue-haired girl in jeggings and a mesh tank top. Then Melody collided with a muscular mass in a dark gray tee.
    “You okay?” he asked, gripping her shoulder. Despite the cluster of sweaty bodies, his hand was surprisingly cool. She nodded and slipped past him.
    “Follow us,” said a familiar boy’s voice. It was Billy and his violet-scented girlfriend, Spectra: Merston High’s beloved invisible couple. They pulled her to the front of the stage with dexterity. They had navigated these crowds before.
    As the spotlight roamed, Melody caught a glimpse of Spectra. The light moved on, and the purple-haired ethereal beauty in a black tank dress disappeared. “What are you doing here?” Melody asked.
    “I’ve been coming here for years. The music is awesome.”
    Melody nodded her head vigorously and flashed Spectra two geeky thumbs up. Then she held her arms up and cheered as the band played “State of Love and Trust.”
    “Where’s your sister?” Billy asked.
    “Shane,” Melody called.
    “Look who I met!” shouted Candace, dancing toward them in the center of a three-person conga line. “Rudy and Byron.”
    “Brian,” said the guy in the front.
    “Then stop saying your name is Byron,” Candace said.
    “I didn’t!”
    Candace jumped out of the line. “I don’t conga with liars.”
    For the next thirty minutes, they danced and laughed through the best of the nineties. Melody’s math book beckoned, but each song was better than the last. She couldn’t pull away from the thumping bass notes and the moaning guitar. From the music that had been her friend when no one else was interested.
    Onstage, Davina half-swallowed the microphone and swung her ponytail like a revving chopper. She turned her back to the crowd and slapped her Pilates-toned butt.
    The song began to build, and Melody sang along. Bouncing up and down as the chorus peaked, she surrendered to the collective energy of the crowd. Chugging Red Bull while getting shot from a cannon probably felt like this.
    A sudden longing for Jackson gripped Melody like a zipped leather jacket. She wanted him there. Needed him to know this part of her. Music roused something inside her the way Jackson’s sweat roused D.J. She had witnessed his transformation, and she wanted him to see hers. Life’s special moments didn’t feel real anymore unless they were shared. That was love. But wasn’t love also leaving him alone so he could study for their math test?
    Davina was at the front of the stage, leaning toward the audience. “Catch me, you chapped-lipped weaklings!” she shouted. And then—arms splayed, chin up, toes together—she dove. She glided through the air toward her fans with the assurance of a wide-winged seabird. “Incominggggg!”
    Bodies