Megan Stine_Jeffery & the Third-Grade Ghost 01 (5 page)

In the end, Mrs. Becker bought the coat Jeffrey had tried on first—two hours earlier.

By the time Jeffrey, his mom, and Max left the store, Mrs. Becker was worn out. They walked through the mall, looking for a place to get some ice cream.

Just then, Jeffrey saw Mrs. Merrin. She and her husband were coming out of the pet store. She was carrying a little black puppy.

“Jeffrey!” Mrs. Merrin said. “We did it! We finally decided to get the cocker spaniel. Isn’t he adorable?”

The puppy was scared to be out in the world. But he was happy to be in Mrs. Merrin’s arms. Suddenly, though, he started barking and barking.

“Uh-oh. Troublesville,” Max said quickly. “Animals can see me.”

The puppy was barking at Max. He didn’t like the ghost one bit.

“Jeffrey,” Mrs. Merrin teased, “you said dogs love you. What happened?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Jeffrey said.

“Try me,” Mrs. Merrin said with twinkling eyes.

Jeffrey thought about it for a moment.

“The truth?”

“The truth,” Mrs. Merrin said. But she was beginning to grin already.

“Well, I was just shopping for a new winter coat,” Jeffrey explained. “And my mother made me try on so many coats with fur collars and fur linings, I think I got fleas! That’s why your puppy is barking at me. He doesn’t like the fleas.”

Mrs. Merrin gave Jeffrey’s mom an understanding look.

“Get Jeffrey a flea collar before you send him back to school on Monday,” she said to Jeffrey’s mom. “I don’t need
two
dogs in my life—one is enough!”

Then she and her husband took their new, barking puppy and went home.

The next day was Sunday—less than one week before Melissa’s birthday. Melissa rang Jeffrey’s doorbell bright and early.

“Hi, Jeffrey,” she said. “Can you help me today? I want to see if everything’s going to work out okay for my party.”

“Sure,” Jeffrey said.

Just as they were about to leave, Mrs. Becker walked through the living room. “Hi, Melissa,” she said. “Want to see Jeffrey’s new coat?”

Melissa looked alarmed. “You went coat shopping yesterday?” she asked softly. “How did it go?”

Jeffrey shook his head. “Don’t ask,” he whispered. “Just tell my mom you love the coat.”

Jeffrey went to the closet for his coat. He opened the door. Suddenly, someone pulled him inside by the arm.

“Max!” Jeffrey said. “What are you doing in here?”

“Like, we need to talk right now,” Max said.
Then he closed the door. “Heart-to-heart, face-to-face, cat-to-cat.”

What could be more embarrassing than standing in a coat closet with the door closed? Jeffrey knew his mother and Melissa were staring at the door. Every time Jeffrey moved his arms, a coat hanger hit him in the face.

“Why wasn’t I invited to Melissa’s birthday party?” Max asked.

“You’ve got to be kidding,” Jeffrey said.

There was a knock at the door.

“Jeffrey? Did you say something?” his mother called.

“No, Mom. Be right out.” Then Jeffrey lowered his voice to talk to Max. “For starters, Melissa doesn’t know you exist, Max. And even if she did, she couldn’t see you. And nobody knows your address. So how could she possibly send you an invitation?”

“Don’t bug me about the details,” Max said. “I want an invitation.”

Jeffrey could see something on Max’s face—even in the dark closet. Max’s feelings were hurt, although he was trying not to show it. “Max, there’ll be other parties,” Jeffrey said. “And you’re definitely invited to
my
birthday party.”

“Like, I’m hip there will be other parties,
Daddy-o—but not like this one,” Max said with a strange laugh. “Like, count on it.”

What was that supposed to mean? But Max disappeared before Jeffrey could ask the question. He stepped out of the closet wearing his new coat and a very worried look on his face. Max sounded like a ghost with a plan.

“Totally awesome coat, Mrs. Becker. You did it again,” Melissa said.

Good old Melissa. She always came through.

“Thanks, Melissa,” said Mrs. Becker. “Jeffrey, why were you in the closet?”

“Uh, I was checking to see if I could put my coat on in the dark, Mom. We’re having a big test on it in class this week,” Jeffrey said. “Come on, Melissa.”

Jeffrey and Melissa went next door to Melissa’s house. They headed through the kitchen, turned right at the refrigerator, and bumped smack into danger.

“Hi, slimeballs,” the danger said. It was Melissa’s older brother, Gary. He was lying on his stomach in the living room, reading the Sunday comics.

“Don’t worry, Jeffrey,” Melissa said. “My brother’s been fed. He won’t attack.”

“Hey, Melissa,” Gary said. “I accidentally put my foot through one of your stereo speakers in the
backyard. Hope that doesn’t ruin your party.”

“You’d better not,” Melissa said. She hurried through the house and into the backyard.

Melissa looked at her speakers and took a deep breath. “They’re fine,” she announced.

They could hear Gary laughing inside the house.

“Okay, here’s the problem,” Melissa said. “I’ve got my record player up in my tree house. That will be the disc jockey’s booth. And I’ve set my speakers down here on the deck. But I need help stringing the extension cords and speaker wires. I don’t know if they’re going to reach.” Melissa’s father worked at a radio station, so Melissa knew a lot about stereo systems.

Melissa leaned a ladder against an old oak tree. Then the two friends immediately got to work. Jeffrey started stringing the extension cords. They had to stretch from an outlet at the back of the house to Melissa’s tree house.

“I’ll turn on some music. Tell me if it’s too loud,” Melissa said.

Jeffrey waited. But the music didn’t start. The speakers were silent.

“Too loud!” someone shouted. It was Gary. He had come outside to watch.

“Gary, what did you do up here?” Melissa
shouted from the tree house. “Nothing works.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Gary said, sipping his soda.

Jeffrey followed the wires from the tree house and quickly discovered the problem. “Melissa,” he called, “the cord came out of the wall, that’s all.” Jeffrey plugged the cord back in.

“Try it again,” he shouted to Melissa.

“Still no power,” Melissa called back.

Jeffrey looked back at the electrical outlet on the wall of the house. The cord was unplugged again.

“Ha ha haha!” Gary laughed. “He can’t even plug in a cord.”

Gary laughed himself into the house. He drop-kicked his empty can of soda at Jeffrey as he left.

Jeffrey was angry at Gary. But that was nothing compared to how angry he was at the person who
really
pulled the cord out of the wall.

“I can’t see you, Max. But I know you’re here,” Jeffrey said.

“Like, I can’t be. I don’t have an invitation,” said Max’s voice close to Jeffrey’s ear.

“Get lost, Max,” Jeffrey said quietly.

“Can’t do that, Daddy-o,” Max whispered back. “The screaming’s just about to start. I left a little surprise for the birthday girl in her tree house.”

“Screaming? Max, what are you talking about?” Jeffrey said.

“I’m not talking about anything,” Max said with a laugh. “I’m not here, remember?”

“Look at this! Look what I found in the tree house,” Melissa 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!

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.