Read Online The Sleepover by Jen Malone - Free Book Online Page B

only child, but I’ve met enough boys to say now with perfect certainty, “Boys are total mysteries.”
    â€œI’ll tell you what’s a mystery. A missing person, that’s what. Max, are you positive you know nothing?” Paige asks, gripping his arm.
    â€œOww,” Max says, rubbing his elbow once Paige lets go of it. “I don’t know where my weirdo sister is. And I’m telling Mom you don’t either!” He pushes his butt off the stairs and turns to climb them when all three of us grab on to his legs.
    I hold on as tightly as I can to his pajama pants. “Not so fast, Maxamillion!”
    â€œWho’s gonna stop me?” Max taunts, but his eyes get extra big when Paige leans in and shakes a fist in his face. He stops struggling and sinks onto the stair. “All right, all right,ladies. No need to resort to violence. I’m sure we can work out a mutually beneficial arrangement.”
    â€œA what what ?” Paige asks.
    â€œI’m just saying. You scratch my back; I’ll scratch yours. I won’t tell my mom, but it’ll cost you.”
    Paige looks at me and then at Max, clearly smothering a laugh. “Oh yeah, pint-size? What’d you have in mind?”
    Max rubs his hands together in glee. “Lemme see now. Meghan, I really like your sweatshirt. We could start there.”
    â€œNo way, no how.” I hug the hoodie around me and fiddle with the zipper. “Besides, it’s not mine to bargain with.”
    â€œThat’s the point,” Max says, looking momentarily disappointed, but then his eyes light up. “You’re a math whiz, though, right? That’s all yours to bargain with. You do my homework for a week—no, a month—and I won’t breathe a word.”
    â€œA month? Are you insane?”
    â€œFine, three weeks.”
    I purse my lips, considering. I’m not a cheater, and I can’t stand people who are, but, then again, if my parents discover I’ve lost my best friend (which will happen the minute Max rats us out to his mom), I can kiss my entire social life good-bye for the rest of middle school even if—no, when , definitely when—Anna Marie turns up safe and sound. Probably the rest of high school, too. I’ll die an old maid, locked away inmy room, without even paper lanterns to watch for on my birthday, like that princess in Tangled . I cannot accept that.
    I have no choice here. At least, not one that makes logical sense when you weigh the pros and cons.
    â€œTwo weeks, final offer,” I say, and Max grins. He holds out his hand for a shake. Ugh. I swallow a sigh and take his sweaty palm in mine, pumping it once.
    â€œThat’s settled then,” Paige says, brushing her pants off.
    â€œNot so fast. That’s just what I want from Meghan. You’re next.”
    Paige’s eyebrows (both of them, because she has two, like everyone on this planet with the exception of me) shoot up. Max looks extra-serious as he says, “From you, sweet maiden, I’ll take one perfect kiss.”
    Paige snorts. “Yeah, right.” She brushes more invisible lint off her yoga pants.
    This time it’s Max’s turn to raise his eyebrows. (Even bratty Max gets to have two eyebrows. I’m officially weirder than Max, and I didn’t even think that was possible.) “Oh, I’m serious. Deadly.”
    â€œWhy, you little—”
    â€œI’ll kiss him,” says Veronica, and both Paige and I whirl around to face her.
    â€œWhat? It’s only a peck. I don’t care,” she says.
    Max wrinkles his forehead. “First of all, this is my requestof Paige. Second of all, we’re gonna be brother and sister in a few weeks, so no way.”
    Veronica shrugs. “Oh yeah. I forgot about that part. Sorry, Paige. I tried.”
    Paige studies Max, tilting her head to once side. I hold perfectly still, wondering how my friend is going to