Read Online 44 - Say Cheese and Die—Again by R.L. Stine - (ebook by Undead) - Free Book Online

everyone.
    My angry thoughts followed me to the nurse’s office. But I instantly forgot them when I saw the girl huddled in the chair
in the waiting room. I stopped outside the door and gaped at her in shock.
    Shari!
    It took me a few seconds to recognize her.
    Her jeans and T-shirt appeared to be about ten sizes too big! Her arms were
as thin as toothpicks. Her face was pale and puckered. Her head had shrunk. It
looked like a tiny lemon on her frail, noodlelike body.
    “Greg,” she whispered weakly. “Is that you in that big body?”
    “Shari!” I cried. “How much weight have you lost?”
    “I—I don’t know,” she stammered. “Look at me! I’m shrinking away. I’m so
light. It took me hours to walk to school this morning because the wind kept
pushing me back!”
    “Are you sick?” I cried.
    She frowned at me. “I’m not sick, and neither are you,” she replied in a
tiny, frail voice. “I’m shrinking away, and you’re bloating up—and it’s
because of those photos we took.”
    I sighed and lifted my huge stomach with both hands so that I could get
through the doorway. “What are we going to do, Shari?” I whispered. “It’s those
photos. You’re right. But what are we going to do?”

 
 
21
     
     
    Dad picked me up after school. He had rented a van since I couldn’t fit into
the car. Dad helped me squeeze through the door. My body took up the entire
backseat.
    The seat belt wouldn’t stretch over my stomach. So we had to forget about it.
    “I’m sure Dr. Weiss will have you back to normal in no time,” Dad said. He
was trying to be cheerful. But I could tell he was really upset and worried.
    He drove slowly to Dr. Weiss’ office across town. The van couldn’t pick up
speed because of all the weight it carried—me!
    Dr. Weiss is a nice elderly man with bright blue eyes and a long mane of
white hair. He talks to all the kids as if they’re two years old. He still gives
me a lollipop after each visit, even though I’m twelve!
    But I didn’t think he’d give me a lollipop today.
    He tsk-tsked as I climbed on the scale. But he couldn’t get my weight. The scale didn’t go high enough!
    He had trouble listening to my heartbeat. His stethoscope got stuck in the
folds of flab over my chest.
    He took all kinds of tests, his expression tense and thoughtful. “We’ll send
the blood samples to the lab,” he told me. “We should have some answers in a few
days.”
    He shook his head and frowned. His blue eyes appeared to fade. “I’ve never
seen anything like it, Greg,” he said softly. “I’m completely stumped.”
     
    I wasn’t stumped. I knew exactly what the problem was.
    As soon as I got home, I lumbered to my room and grabbed the phone. It took
all my strength to raise my huge, flabby arm and hold the receiver up to the
bulging flesh of my face.
    I punched in Shari’s number. It took three tries. My finger was so fat, it
kept hitting two numbers at once.
    She answered on the third ring. “Hello?” Her voice floated out so tiny and
weak, I could barely hear her.
    “I’m coming over,” I announced. “And I’m bringing the camera.”
    “You don’t have to shout!” she squeaked. And then she added, “Hurry, Greg.
I’ve lost five more pounds. I’m so light, I’m afraid I’m going to float away.”
    “I’ll be right there,” I told her. “We’ll figure out a way to save
ourselves.”
    I hung up the phone. Then I carefully dug the camera out from its hiding
place in my underwear drawer. I had to bend over to reach into the drawer. I was
huffing and puffing, gasping for breath.
    If I get any fatter, I’ll explode, I thought unhappily.
    Carefully gripping the camera, I lowered my bulk down the stairs. “I’m going
to Shari’s,” I called to my parents.
    They were in the den, discussing what Dr. Weiss had told Dad.
    “It started to rain,” Mom called. “Take an umbrella.”
    “I’m only going next door!” I shouted back.
    Besides, an