The New Year's Party Read Online Free PDF Page A

smiling warmly. “I had Meade last year. He’s great if you don’t mind a lot of reading.”
    â€œThanks,” P.J. mumbled.
    â€œReading is just about all he ever does,” Liz teased.
    â€œMe, too,” Greta replied.
    â€œIf you count
Glamour
and
Vogue!
” Reenie exclaimed.
    They laughed again—everyone but P.J.
    Reenie glanced at her watch. “Oh, wow. It’s almost time for first period. I’d better get my books. Liz, I’ll show you where your locker is, if you want to hang on for a sec.”
    â€œOkay,” Liz answered. “I could use the help. I’m still a little lost.”
    Reenie worked the combination too quickly and had to do it again. Five. Nine. Two. The lock opened with a click. She tugged on the door.
    Stuck.
    She pulled harder.
    Still stuck. What’s going on? she thought.
    â€œWhy won’t it open?” Liz asked.
    And then it did open.
    The door swung open, nearly pushing Reenie to the wall.
    Liz cried out and jumped back.
    Reenie screamed.

Chapter 8

FAST EXIT
    A hand reached out of the locker.
    Then another hand. They reached for Reenie’s throat.
    Reenie shook her head. “I don’t believe this. Don’t you guys ever give up?”
    Ty was crammed inside her locker—his back pressed against one side, his knees jammed against the other. Reenie couldn’t believe he had squeezed into such a small space.
    â€œWhat took you so long?” he asked, breathing hard. He pulled himself from her locker. “I was
dying
in there.”
    â€œYou know, Ty, I’m getting really sick of thesedumb jokes. What if you got stuck?” Reenie demanded. “What if you suffocated before I opened the door?”
    â€œAir can get in through those little slits,” Ty explained. “I really scared you that time, didn’t I? I had to try since Sean’s trick didn’t work at your house. You were scared. Come on, admit it.”
    Reenie couldn’t help smiling. Ty sounded so excited. “I was startled, not scared,” she told him. “Just like last time. Scared is when you’re walking alone at night, and you hear footsteps behind you.”
    â€œScared is when you’re in a room all by yourself, and you feel cold fingers on the back of your neck,” Greta suggested.
    â€œYeah,” Reenie agreed. “That’s scared. When something surprises you, you’re just startled. Scared is a lot more serious.”
    â€œAnd it lasts a lot longer,” Greta added.
    Ty raised his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. I give. You were only startled.”
    â€œHow did you get in there?” Greta demanded.
    But Ty didn’t answer. His eyes fixed on something down the hall.
    No, Reenie realized. Not something down the hall. Liz. We forgot all about her.
    Liz stood quietly off to the side with her brother. Ty seemed unable to take his eyes off her.
    â€œThis is Ty. He’s not really crazy. He acted perfectly normal until he started hanging around with us,” Reenie explained. “Then he got addicted to ourstupid practical jokes. We’re always playing dead. Trying to scare each other to death. Sick, right?”
    â€œDefinitely sick,” Liz replied. She turned to Ty.
    â€œI’m Liz, and that’s my brother, P.J. We’re new at Shadyside.”
    P.J. lowered his gaze and didn’t say anything.
    â€œI’m new, too,” Ty replied. “I started at Shadyside this fall.”
    â€œHow do you like it?” Liz asked.
    â€œIt’s okay. I met these guys right off.” He gestured to Reenie and Greta. “We hang out a lot. We have a pretty good time.”
    â€œIt’s a little weird the first day at a new school,” Liz admitted. “You get all turned around. I even tried to get into Reenie’s locker by mistake.”
    Ty kept staring at Liz. He seemed to have forgotten the rest of them.
    I guess all those girls who hoped