“He said, ‘Those are pretty flowers.’ ”
David stayed late in science class to help Mr. Lugano put away some laboratory equipment and chemicals. “Be careful not to drop anything,” Mr. Lugano warned him.
“I won’t,” said David.
He didn’t.
“You know, I was thinking,” Larry said at lunch. “If you’re afraid to go on a date with Tori—”
“I’m not afraid,” said David. He lay on his back as he drank from a carton of lemonade.
“Well, anyway,” said Larry. “I was thinking. It might be easier to ask her out if it was sort of like a double date.”
“Huh?” said Mo.
“I was just thinking,” Larry said to Mo. “Maybe you and I could pretend to be on a date, too. We wouldn’t really be on a date. We’d just pretend to be on a date.” He adjusted his blue sunglasses. “Like, if David wants to put his arm around Tori, or something, he can signal me, and then I’ll put my arm around you. I’ll just be pretending, but Tori won’t know that.”
“Oh, well, sure, if it will make it easier for David,” said Mo. “Sure.”
“So where do you want to go?” asked Larry.
“We could go to a movie,” suggested Mo.
“Okay,” said Larry. “A scary movie! That way Tori will want to hold David’s hand or grip his arm or something.”
“I’ll grip your arm,” said Mo. “But it won’t count.”
“Right,” said Larry.
“It’s still only a little past twelve,” David reminded them. “We have four more hours.”
They never asked him, but actually he thought their “pretend” date was a good idea. That way, when he called up Tori he could just say something like, “Some friends of mine and I are going to a movie. You want to come along?”
That is—if the curse didn’t strike first.
After school, Mo and Larry stuck with him to make sure he didn’t cheat. “I’m not going to cheat,” he protested. “Why would I cheat?”
They continued to plan their “pretend” date. They decided to see
The Tongue That Wouldn’t Die!
It was scary and they figured it would also make Tori think about kissing.
“The curse may have already struck, and we don’t even know it,” said David.
“You’d know if—” Larry started, then stopped.
Roger, Scott, and Randy were hanging around the bike rack with three girls. Roger was with Leslie. Scott was with Ginger. Randy was with Tori.
David looked at Tori as she looked back at him. Then she turned abruptly and said something to Randy.
David and his friends kept walking.
“You don’t know that she likes Randy,” said Mo. “She might just have been getting her bike.”
“It was just a coincidence that she happened to be there when Randy was there,” said Larry.
“She talked to him,” said David.
“That doesn’t mean anything,” said Mo. “Maybe he was in her way. She probably said ‘Get out of my way, jerk!’ ”
“You still have to ask her out,” said Larry.
David realized that Mo and Larry didn’t want anything to get in the way of their pretend date. “Unless the curse strikes,” he said.
When they entered David’s room, the clock radio next to his bed read 3:33 P.M .
“Three threes,” said Larry. “That’s lucky.”
“I think the curse has already struck,” said David. “I just haven’t figured out how yet. It can be real subtle sometimes.”
Larry and Mo didn’t buy it.
“So, what do you want to do?” David asked.
“Nothing,” said Mo. “We’re just going to wait.”
Ricky walked past David’s door and scowled at David and his stoogy friends.
It was 3:45 P.M .
“We can go out back and throw the ball around,” David suggested.
“No way,” said Larry. “We’re staying right here until four seventeen.”
“How about something to drink?” asked David. “I’ll go make some lemonade.”
Mo and Larry each put a hand on David’s shoulder, holding him in place. “We’re not thirsty,” said Mo.
“You can’t fight a curse,” said David. “If it wants to strike
David stayed late in science class to help Mr. Lugano put away some laboratory equipment and chemicals. “Be careful not to drop anything,” Mr. Lugano warned him.
“I won’t,” said David.
He didn’t.
“You know, I was thinking,” Larry said at lunch. “If you’re afraid to go on a date with Tori—”
“I’m not afraid,” said David. He lay on his back as he drank from a carton of lemonade.
“Well, anyway,” said Larry. “I was thinking. It might be easier to ask her out if it was sort of like a double date.”
“Huh?” said Mo.
“I was just thinking,” Larry said to Mo. “Maybe you and I could pretend to be on a date, too. We wouldn’t really be on a date. We’d just pretend to be on a date.” He adjusted his blue sunglasses. “Like, if David wants to put his arm around Tori, or something, he can signal me, and then I’ll put my arm around you. I’ll just be pretending, but Tori won’t know that.”
“Oh, well, sure, if it will make it easier for David,” said Mo. “Sure.”
“So where do you want to go?” asked Larry.
“We could go to a movie,” suggested Mo.
“Okay,” said Larry. “A scary movie! That way Tori will want to hold David’s hand or grip his arm or something.”
“I’ll grip your arm,” said Mo. “But it won’t count.”
“Right,” said Larry.
“It’s still only a little past twelve,” David reminded them. “We have four more hours.”
They never asked him, but actually he thought their “pretend” date was a good idea. That way, when he called up Tori he could just say something like, “Some friends of mine and I are going to a movie. You want to come along?”
That is—if the curse didn’t strike first.
After school, Mo and Larry stuck with him to make sure he didn’t cheat. “I’m not going to cheat,” he protested. “Why would I cheat?”
They continued to plan their “pretend” date. They decided to see
The Tongue That Wouldn’t Die!
It was scary and they figured it would also make Tori think about kissing.
“The curse may have already struck, and we don’t even know it,” said David.
“You’d know if—” Larry started, then stopped.
Roger, Scott, and Randy were hanging around the bike rack with three girls. Roger was with Leslie. Scott was with Ginger. Randy was with Tori.
David looked at Tori as she looked back at him. Then she turned abruptly and said something to Randy.
David and his friends kept walking.
“You don’t know that she likes Randy,” said Mo. “She might just have been getting her bike.”
“It was just a coincidence that she happened to be there when Randy was there,” said Larry.
“She talked to him,” said David.
“That doesn’t mean anything,” said Mo. “Maybe he was in her way. She probably said ‘Get out of my way, jerk!’ ”
“You still have to ask her out,” said Larry.
David realized that Mo and Larry didn’t want anything to get in the way of their pretend date. “Unless the curse strikes,” he said.
When they entered David’s room, the clock radio next to his bed read 3:33 P.M .
“Three threes,” said Larry. “That’s lucky.”
“I think the curse has already struck,” said David. “I just haven’t figured out how yet. It can be real subtle sometimes.”
Larry and Mo didn’t buy it.
“So, what do you want to do?” David asked.
“Nothing,” said Mo. “We’re just going to wait.”
Ricky walked past David’s door and scowled at David and his stoogy friends.
It was 3:45 P.M .
“We can go out back and throw the ball around,” David suggested.
“No way,” said Larry. “We’re staying right here until four seventeen.”
“How about something to drink?” asked David. “I’ll go make some lemonade.”
Mo and Larry each put a hand on David’s shoulder, holding him in place. “We’re not thirsty,” said Mo.
“You can’t fight a curse,” said David. “If it wants to strike
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