Read Online Don't Scream! by R. L. Stine - Free Book Online

it and tucked it under my arm.
    My heart was pounding against my chest.
I’m a thief,
I thought.
I’m stealing this from my school. I’m a criminal!
    I turned — and saw Mr. Feingold, the computer lab teacher, standing in the doorway.
    I uttered a startled cry.
    He didn’t look happy. “Jack? What are you doing in here?” he demanded.

24
    Mr. Feingold is big and wide and looks like a grizzly bear. His curly brown beard covers almost his whole face and meets the curly brown hair over his head.
    He wears short-sleeved shirts and has hairy arms that look like they’re covered in bear fur. He has a big belly that bounces when he walks.
    He looks a lot like he should be a wrestler on TV. But he’s a nice guy and a really good teacher. He knows
everything
about computers and the Internet. Everyone likes him.
    But now I wished he was somewhere far away. Not squinting at me with that frown on his face. “Jack?”
    My brain froze. My mouth dropped open. I still had the laptop tucked into my armpit.
    Jack, think fast. Think of
something
!
    â€œWhy are you in here?” Feingold repeated. “What are you doing with that computer?”
    â€œUh … Returning it,” I said. My voice cracked.
    He rubbed his bear whiskers.
    â€œI … borrowed it this afternoon,” I said. My heart was in my throat. I could barely speak. “Uh … Miss Rush asked me to bring it to her classroom. So now … I’m returning it.”
    He nodded. I couldn’t tell if he believed me or not.
    He glanced at the wall clock. “It’s kind of late,” he said.
    â€œI know,” I replied. “I … had to stay late in class. Working on a project. But I wanted to return the laptop.”
    When did I get to be such a good liar?
    â€œVery good,” Feingold said. “Don’t bother hooking it up. I’ll do it tomorrow.”
    He believes me! Yay!
    He flashed on the lights. “Have a nice evening, Jack,” he said. He lumbered toward his desk. “Thanks for returning the laptop.”
    â€œHey, no problem,” I said. Could he see the sweat pouring down my forehead?
    I turned and hurried out of the computer room. No one in the hall.
    I spun around the corner and started toward the front doors. I didn’t walk — I jogged.
    I burst breathlessly out of the school, onto the front steps. The air was cool. The sun floated low behind the houses across the street.
    â€œWell,
that
went well,” Emmy said sarcastically.
    I uttered an angry cry. “You almost got me in a lot of trouble.”
    â€œYou failed, Jack,” she said coldly. “I hope you do better next time.”
    Next time?
    Yes.
    There would be a next time. And a next time after that. And guess what? I finally ended up getting caught.
    But that’s a long, frightening story.

25
    That afternoon, Mom had to come pick me up in her car. I think she believed my story about having to stay late in the computer lab.
    I was becoming a total liar, and I hated it.
    After dinner, I called Eli. I needed him to think hard about my Emmy problem. I needed his help desperately.
    I told him the whole story. About stealing the laptop. Everything.
    Eli listened in near silence. Every few minutes, he muttered, “Wow. Wow.”
    â€œ ‘Wow wow’ doesn’t help me,” I said. “What should I do?”
    â€œJack, it’s a no-brainer,” he answered.
    â€œExcuse me? A no-brainer? What?”
    â€œStop fighting her. Find her a friend,” Eli said. “Find her a digital friend as fast as you can, and she’ll go away.”
    â€œYou’re definitely right,” I said. “But what will I have to
steal
to find the friend?”
    The next morning, I found out.
    I was walking through the halls at school, on my way to the lunchroom. I had the phone in one hand. My backpack bounced on my back.
    I blinked at a white flash of light. The light bounced