Read Online My Hairiest Adventure by R. L. Stine - Free Book Online Page B

hall, slamming lockers, laughing and talking. I glanced at my
watch. Only three minutes till the bell rang.
    “How’s it going, Larry?” a voice called.
    I turned and saw Howie Hurwin grinning at me. His sister, Marissa, stood
beside him. Her braid was caught in her backpack strap, and she was struggling
to free it.
    “Hi, Howie,” I said, sighing. He was the last person I wanted to see
this morning!
    “Ready for tomorrow?” he asked. Why did he have to grin like that when he
talked? That grin just made me want to punch him.
    “Tomorrow?” I glanced down the crowded hall, searching for Lily.
    Howie laughed. “Did you forget about the Battle of the Bands?”
    “Ow!” Marissa cried. She finally managed to tug her braid free. “Is your band
still going to play?” she asked. “We heard about Manny leaving.”
    “Yeah. We’ll be there,” I told her. “We sound pretty good.”
    “We do, too!” Howie replied, grinning even wider. “We might be on TV. My uncle knows a woman who works on Star
Search. He thinks maybe he can get us on.”
    “Great,” I replied, without any enthusiasm.
    Where was Lily?
    “If we get on that show, we’ll probably win,” Marissa added, still fiddling
with her long braid. “And then we’ll be famous.”
    “They asked us to play at the next school dance,” Howie said. “They didn’t
ask your band, did they?”
    “No,” I replied. “No one asked us.”
    That made Howie’s grin practically burst off his face. “Too bad,” he said.
    The bell rang. “I’ve got to go,” I said, hurrying toward Miss Shindling’s
room.
    “See you at the contest tomorrow,” Marissa called.
    “We’re going first,” Howie shouted. “I guess they’re saving the best for first !”
    I heard the two of them laughing as I stepped into the classroom. I
made my way to my seat, searching for Lily. Had she slipped past me while I was
talking with Howie and Marissa?
    No. No sign of her.
    I sank into my seat, feeling worried and disappointed. Was Lily sick today? I
hoped not. She can’t get sick the day before the Battle of the Bands, I told
myself. She just can’t.
    “Larry, would you hand out the tests?” Miss Shindling asked, dropping a heavy
stack of papers into my arms.
    “Huh? Test?”
    I had totally forgotten.
     
    Lily didn’t come to school. I tried phoning her at lunchtime. The phone rang
and rang, but no one answered.
    After school, I decided to go to Lily’s house to see what had happened to
her. But as I walked out of the school building, I remembered that my mom had
asked me to come straight home after school. She had some chores she wanted me
to help her with.
    It was a clear, cold day. Puffy, white clouds floated high in the afternoon
sky. All the snow had finally melted, but the ground was still soft and wet.
    I waited for several cars to pass. Then I crossed the street and headed for
home.
    I had walked nearly a block when I realized I was being followed.
    A dog brushed softly against my leg. Startled, I stopped and stared down at
it.
    The dog had light brown fur, almost red, with a white patch at its throat. It
was a medium-sized dog, a little bigger than a cocker spaniel. It had long,
floppy brown ears and a long, furry tail that swept slowly back and forth as it gazed up at me.
    “Who are you?” I asked it. “I’ve never seen you before.”
    I glanced around, making sure there weren’t a dozen other dogs lurking in the
bushes, getting ready to chase after me.
    Then I turned and started walking again.
    The dog brushed my leg again and kept on going. As I walked, it stayed a few
yards ahead of me, glancing back to make sure I was following.
    “Are you following me —or am I following you ?” I called to it.
    The dog’s tail gave a single wag in reply.
    It followed me all the way home.
    My mom was waiting for me in the driveway. She had a long green sweater
pulled down over her jeans. “Nice day,” she commented, glancing up at the