My Name Is Evil Read Online Free PDF Page B

Chirpy. “Don’t you think he’s cute?”
    The canary tilted her head to one side, trying to understand.
    I trotted to the mirror and brushed my hair. Then I put on some lip gloss and a little eye makeup.
    I decided to change. I pulled on a fresh pair of straight-leg jeans and my new white sweater.
    I could hear the hum and roar of the mower outside. Wish Glen would hurry up and finish, I thought.
    I knew I should start my homework. But I couldn’t concentrate.
    I went back to the window and watched him for a while. Then I picked up a deck of cards and started to practice a few new tricks. But I couldn’t concentrate on those, either.
    I heard voices outside. Girls’ voices.
    â€œHey, Tarzan!” someone yelled.
    I dived back to the window and saw Jackie and Judy coming up the driveway. They had stopped to tease Glen.
    He just kept mowing. I could see that his face was bright red, and he was pretending to ignore them.
    â€œGive him a break!” I said out loud. I hurried downstairs to let them in.
    â€œWhoa. Way to go, Maggie. You got your boyfriend to mow the lawn!” Jackie teased.
    â€œMom hired him,” I replied. “I didn’t even know—”
    â€œWere you in chem lab when Kenny Fields dropped the glass beaker?” Judy interrupted.
    â€œNo. I don’t have lab on Monday,” I said.
    â€œIt was a disaster!” she exclaimed. “It was some kind of ammonia or smelly acid—something really gross. It smelled so horrible, kids started to puke all over the place.”
    â€œFirst, one kid hurled, and then everyone was hurling,” Jackie said. “It was awesome! Like an epidemic!”
    â€œThey had to evacuate half the school,” Judy said. “How come you didn’t know?”
    â€œI wasn’t there. We had a dumb field trip,” I said, rolling my eyes. “To the art museum.”
    â€œWhy don’t you invite your boyfriend in?” Jackie asked.
    â€œI already did,” I told them. I could hear the mower’s roar, fainter now. Glen was nearly down to the curb.
    Jackie pushed past me and started to the stairs. “I want to try all those new cosmetics you bought at the mall.”
    Judy and I followed her. “Where’s Jilly?” I asked.
    â€œMore dance practice,” Judy said. “She took an extra class today. She really wants to be perfect at that audition.”
    I sighed. “She already is perfect.”
    Jackie went right to my dresser. “It’s like a makeup store in here!” she declared. She started picking up jars and tubes and examining them. “This is totally cool.”
    â€œIf you’re going to try all my makeup, you have to give me something in return,” I said.
    Jackie laughed. “Okay. I’ll give you Jilly!”
    â€œHa ha,” I said. I reached out my hand. “Let me try on your necklace.”
    Jackie hesitated.
    â€œJust for a minute,” I said. “You’ve never let me try it on. I just want to see how it looks on me.”
    Jackie shrugged and carefully pulled off the necklace of tiny glass beads. “No magic tricks?”
    â€œNo magic tricks,” I promised.
    She handed it to me and went back to pawing over all my new makeup.
    â€œIt’s so beautiful,” I said, gazing into the mirror, adjusting the delicate, sparkling beads around my throat. “I’d do anything to have one just like it.”
    I caught Jackie’s smile in the mirror. “Anything?”
    â€œWell … ”
    â€œMaybe I’ll leave it to you in my will,” Jackie said.
    â€œDo you have a lot of homework?” Judy asked.
    â€œTons,” I said, sighing. “I tried getting started on it when I got home. But my mind kept spinning. I couldn’t concentrate.”
    Judy stood at the birdcage, petting Chirpy. She narrowed her eyes at me. “You’re not still upset about that fortune-teller, are