Read 18 - Monster Blood II for Free Online Page A

guys had other ideas.
    During the ball-handling tryout, Evan confidently began dribbling across the
floor. Halfway to the basket, Biggie bumped him hard—and Conan stole the ball
away.
    They blocked Evan’s shots. They stole his passes.
    They bumped him every time he moved, sending him sprawling to the hardwood
floor again and again.
    A fast pass from Conan caught Evan in the mouth.
    “Oops! Sorry!” Conan yelled.
    Biggie laughed like a hyena.
    “Defense! I want to see defense!” Mr. Murphy shouted from the sidelines.
    Evan lowered himself into a defensive stance. As Conan dribbled the ball
toward him, Evan prepared to defend the basket.
    Conan drove closer. Closer.
    Evan raised both hands to block Conan’s shot.
    But to Evan’s surprise, Conan let the ball bounce away. In one swift motion,
he grabbed Evan by the waist, leaped high in the air, and stuffed Evan into the
basket.
    “Three points!” Conan shouted in triumph.
    Biggie and the other guys rushed to congratulate Conan, laughing and
cheering.
    Mr. Murphy had to get a stepladder to help Evan down.
    His hand on Evan’s shoulder, the teacher led him to the side. “You’re just
not tall enough, Evan,” he said, rubbing his pink chins. “Don’t take it
personally. Maybe you’ll grow. But for now, you’re just not tall enough.”
    Evan didn’t say a word. He lowered his head and sadly slumped out of the gym.
    Conan came running up to him at the door. “Hey, Evan, no hard feelings,” he
said. He stuck out his big, sweaty hand. “Shake.”
     
    Evan held up his hand to show Andy. “It looks like a wilted petunia,” she
said. “I can’t believe I fell for Conan’s stupid handshake trick twice!” Evan
wailed. It was the next afternoon. Evan and Andy had walked from school to the small park near their houses. Evan had complained
about Mr. Murphy and Conan and the other basketball players the whole way.
    The late afternoon sun beamed down on them as they walked. Andy stopped to
watch two monarch butterflies, their black-and-gold wings fluttering
majestically as they hovered over a patch of blue and yellow wildflowers along
the creekbed.
    Even the trickling brown creek looked pretty on this bright day. Tiny white
gnats sparkled like diamonds in the sunlight over the shimmering water.
    Evan kicked at a fallen tree branch. Everything looked dark to him today.
    Dark and ugly.
    “It just wasn’t fair,” he grumbled, kicking the branch again. “It wasn’t a
fair tryout. Mr. Murphy should have given me a better chance.”
    Andy tsk-tsked, her eyes on the sparkling creek.
    “Someone should teach Mr. Murphy a lesson,” Evan said. “I wish I could think
of some way of paying him back. I really do.”
    Andy turned to him. A devilish grin crossed her face. “I have a plan,” she
said softly. “A really neat plan.”
    “What is it?” Evan demanded.

 
 
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    “What’s your idea?” Evan demanded again.
    Andy grinned at him. She was wearing a long, lime-green T-shirt over a
Day-Glo orange T-shirt, pulled down over baggy blue shorts. The sunlight made
all the colors so bright, Evan felt like shielding his eyes.
    “You might not like it,” Andy said coyly.
    “Try me,” Evan replied. “Come on. Don’t keep me in suspense.”
    “Well…” Her eyes wandered over to the tree where they had buried the
Monster Blood. “It has to do with the Monster Blood,” she said reluctantly.
    He swallowed hard. “That’s okay. Go on.”
    “Well, it’s a pretty simple plan. First, we dig up the Monster Blood,” Andy
said, watching his reaction.
    “Yeah?”
    “Then we take some to school,” she continued.
    “Yeah?”
    “Then we feed it to Cuddles.”
    Evan’s mouth dropped open.
    “Just a little bit!” Andy quickly explained. “We feed Cuddles a tiny glob of
it. Just enough to make him the size of a dog.”
    Evan laughed. It was a terrible idea, a truly evil idea—but he loved it!
    He slapped Andy on the back. “You’re bad,