Read Online Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Planet Girl by Tommy Greenwald - Free Book Online

“It was basically all a stupid misunderstanding,” I said. “I didn’t mean to hurt anybody. But I think it might be too late to fix it.”
    Jack smacked me on the shoulder. “Charlie Joe, you’re the one who told me at camp that you have to stand up for yourself. And when I got back home, I remembered what you said, and I went on strike to get my parents to let me quit some of my activities. And it worked! So now, I’m telling you the same thing: Don’t give up. Figure out what’s wrong, and fix it. If anyone can do it, you can.”
    I looked at Jack and nodded. Even though I’d talked him into leaving the reception with me, and dragged him downstairs just to get trapped in the basement, he was still a good enough friend to try and make me feel better.
    Sometimes people can really surprise you, you know that?
    â€œYou’re right,” I said. “Once we get back to civilization, I’m gonna try and figure it out. Thanks for listening.”
    But Jack wasn’t listening, at least not anymore. Instead, he was staring down the hall. “Hold on a second. What’s that?”
    â€œWhat?”
    He pointed at a small door that we hadn’t noticed before.
    The door said ELECTRICAL.
    We looked at each other. “Electrical what?” I asked.
    Jack shrugged. “Books, I guess.”
    But there was something about this room that felt different. I put my ear to the door and heard a loud hum coming from inside.
    â€œLet’s check it out.” I opened the door and saw a long, flat machine sitting on a table, with a zillion wires poking out in every direction. On top of the machine sat five huge computers, stacked on top of each other, all blinking like crazy.
    And, most important, there was a vent at the top of the room that was partially open.
    Jack followed my gaze up to the vent and immediately said, “Hey, wait a second,” but he was too late. I’d already started climbing up.
    â€œWatch it!” Jack yelled, but the only thing I was watching was the vent, which was my ticket to freedom.
    Jack swore under his breath, then started following me on the great computer climb.
    When I reached the vent, Jack was just below me.
    â€œGive me a push?” I asked.
    â€œA push?”
    â€œYup. Shove me through.”
    Jack pushed my back, and I pushed my shoulder into the vent, trying to open it the rest of the way. After about five shoulder shoves, I’d gotten half my body through, but then got stuck, because the vent was actually pretty small. I gave one last push and launched myself off the last computer.
    And all of a sudden I was through the vent!

    The only problem was, as soon as I made it through the vent and onto the floor above me, all the lights went out.
    â€œThat’s not good,” Jack said.
    â€œYa think? I think I must have kicked one of the wires out or something. Can you take a look?”
    I heard a sad laugh. “Uh, I would, but the lights are out.”
    I started groping in the dark, as I heard voices all around me saying, “What happened? Did the power go out? What was that?”
    I looked down and could make out Jack with his cell phone, trying to put the wire back in.
    â€œAny luck?” I whispered.
    â€œI have no idea!” Jack said, not whispering at all. “I’m good at Math and Science, not Shop.” But after a few more seconds and a little more fiddling, Jack somehow managed to figure it out, because the lights went back on. I immediately pulled him up through the vent, and he made it, too!
    â€œWe did it!” I yelled.
    â€œI know!” he yelled back.
    We lay on the ground, covered in grime and dust balls, laughing and high-fiving each other, enjoying our newfound freedom.
    Until we noticed we were surrounded by feet.
    Which was when we realized that we’d catapulted right back into the middle of the reception.
    We looked up and saw everyone from Camp