The Internet Escapade Read Online Free PDF Page A

wrong, Bri.”
    “No, I’m not.”
    “You are, too,” Sean insisted. “Watch me. I’m going to prove it.
    ”

8

    T HE NEXT AFTERNOON , WHEN it came time for the junior high computer club to work with the Redoaks Elementary kids in the media center, Sean planned to station himself in the hallway, just outside the door.
    But Mrs. Jackson kept the class a few minutes too long, and Sean was late. Most of his class and the kids from Redoaks Junior High were in the center, but Neal York arrived a few minutes late. Sean stepped in front of him.
    “Hi, Neal,” Sean said. “I’m taking a poll. Were you teased when you went to school here at Redoaks Elementary?”
    “Sure, I was,” Neal said. “I always got good grades, so some kids teased me about being a nerd.”
    “Did the teasing make you mad?”
    “I guess it bothered me when I was younger,” Neal said. “But not anymore.”
    Valerie and Brian were so busy talking as they came to the media center, they didn’t see Sean.
    “Wait, Valerie,” Sean said. He jumped out in front of them. “I have a question for you.” He didn’t care that he was interrupting. This was detective work, wasn’t it? He didn’t give Valerie or Brian time to object. “Were you teased when you went here to school?”
    Valerie looked surprised, then she giggled. “Some of the kids used to tease me about my name. They called me ‘Valerie-celery,’ and I hated it.”
    “You hated it, hmmm?” Sean said. He decided that no matter how much Brian liked Valerie, she was still on the list of suspects.
    “You go on, Valerie,” Brian said. “I’ll catch up with you.” As soon as Valerie was out of hearing range, Brian said to Sean, “I told you, you won’t get any information this way. Everybody gets teased in elementary school.”
    Not giving Sean a chance to interrupt, Brian went on. “Dennis was always losing things, and he got teased so much he decided to say funny things before anyone else could. That’s why he makes jokes all the time. Frank and Neal were teased about being nerds because they studied a lot, and for a while the kids called Sam ‘Sammy-Hammy’ when they wanted to make him mad.”
    “What did the kids tease you about, Bri?” Sean asked.
    Brian looked at his watch and said, “I’m late. I have to go help in the computer lab.” He hurried inside without answering the question.
    Sean managed to ask most of the kids in the computer club about being teased, but all it added up to was the same old stuff. They were teased about being overweight or underweight, running slowly or striking out, having freckles, big ears, or girlfriends. None of them were reasons for getting mad at the Quinns or playing tricks with the school’s computers.
    Sean was discouraged as he and Brian rode their bikes home from school.
    As soon as they were in the house, Brian said, “Let’s check the computer for more E-mail.”
    But Sean threw his backpack on a chair. “Who cares?” he said. “I don’t want anything else to do with the mystery mailer who’s spying on me.”
    “Aw, c’mon, Sean,” Brian coaxed. “He’s been sloppy with his clues. This time he may give himself away.”
    Just as Brian had suspected, there was an E-mail letter for Sean. Brian brought it up, and both he and Sean leaned close to the monitor to read what it had to say:
    YOU CAN’T FOOL ME. I KNOW YOU’RE ASKING QUESTIONS AND TRYING TO FIND ME. BACK OFF, OR YOU’LL REALLY BE IN TROUBLE.
    Sean sat down with a thump. “Another threat,” he said.
    “Hey, don’t look so worried,” Brian said. “I’m going to check some other disks Dad uses. We ought to be able to come up with names of kids—not grownups—who might have been in trouble.”
    It didn’t take long to discover that there weren’t any names of kids on the disks. “It’s probably because all juvenile records are sealed. Sorry,” Brian said.
    He put a hand on Sean’s shoulder and smiled. “Tell you what, tomorrow’s Friday.