Have You Met My Ghoulfriend? (8 page)

“Give the kid a break,” Dad said, heaping meat loaf on his plate. “He has to concentrate on soccer now.”

Wow. Can you believe it? Dad actually taking my side?

Things were definitely looking up. I spooned potatoes onto my plate, then took the meat loaf platter from Dad. I was feeling pretty happy.

But then I felt something stir inside me.

Something shifted in my brain. And I suddenly knew what I was going to do. I was going to heave the meat loaf platter against the wall. Then I was going to pick up everyone's dinner plate and toss them, too.

Oh, wow. I can't stop myself. I feel myself slipping out of control.

Here goes …

“Jabba jabba gumma!”

T
HE NEXT MORNING,
M
OM
called the school and said I'd be late. Then she took me to see Dr. Welles.

Dr. Welles has an office with two other doctors in a bright new building a few blocks from the mall. He is a nice young doctor with long blond hair that always falls in front of his eyes when he examines you. He seems like a really cool guy, and I'm sure he's a good doctor. I mean, he's got a lot of certificates on his wall.

But what can a doctor do about a Berserker Ghoul?

“Maybe you need vitamins or something,” Mom said as she pulled our car into the parking lot. “Maybe your system is missing something.” She kept chewing her bottom lip and looking really worried. “Maybe you do need to change schools and get away for a while.”

Oh, wow.

Last night, it took nearly an hour to clean up the mess I made throwing all the food against the
kitchen wall. Mom and Dad both grabbed me and hugged me till I calmed down. Even Colin looked worried.

I felt so bad. Once I could talk again, I apologized over and over. Mom was sure Dr. Welles would find out what was wrong with me.

And now here I was wearing one of those crinkly blue paper robes. Sitting on his examining table while he poked his cold stethoscope against my chest and made me take deep breaths.

His hair fell over his eyes as he leaned down to study my face. “Your eyeballs look a little yellow,” he said softly.

That's because there's a ghoul looking out my eyes, Doc.

I didn't say it. I wanted to say it. But what would be the point?

“We'll do a blood test. Check for hepatitis,” he said. He smiled at me. “Hey, Max, did you hear about the really dumb guy who stayed up all night studying for his blood test?”

“Ha, ha.” I tried to laugh. But every time I remembered last night … every time I thought about the ghoul inside me … I didn't want to laugh. I wanted to scream. Or cry.

After I got dressed, Mom met me in Dr. Welles' office. She sat down across from his desk and clasped her hands tightly in her lap. “Well? What do you think, Doctor?”

“Everything checks out okay,” Dr. Welles told her, brushing back his hair. “Maybe Max should get more exercise.”

Exercise?

I have a gross jabbering ghoul inside my body—and he wants me to get more exercise?

A few minutes later, Mom and I were driving home. Mom patted my head. “Do you feel any better, Maxie?”

“Oh, yes,” I lied. “I feel a lot better, Mom.”

I'll feel better—until the ghoul wakes up and makes me go berserk again. I suddenly felt really sorry for myself. The ghoul had jumped from Colin to me. Now wasn't it someone else's turn? Why didn't it jump to someone else?

Because Phears wants it inside you.

I answered the question myself.

Because Phears wants to break you.

Well, I felt pretty much broken. Where was Phears, anyway? We drove past two fat brown rabbits on a front lawn, and I shuddered. Phears could be inside one of those rabbits.

Phears could be coming back for me at any time….

Mom pulled the car up the driveway. “I'll wait in the car,” she said. “Run upstairs and get your backpack. Then I'll drive you to school.”

I ran up to my room and found my backpack at the side of my bed. The cat in the wall was crying
again. I banged my fist on the wall. “Go away! Go away!”

“Don't scare it away, Max!” a voice cried. I turned to see Nicky and Tara on the edge of my bed.

“The cat is driving me crazy,” I said.

“But we need it,” Tara said. She pulled me over to my desk chair. “Sit down. I want to tell you my plan.”

“I can't,” I told her. “Mom is waiting for me in the car.”

“But my plan is so simple,” Tara said. “It won't take long to explain.”

“We need that cat,” Nicky said, pointing to the wall. “It's Phears' cat.”

I swallowed. “You're kidding me, right? Why do we need Phears' cat?”

“Because we can make a deal with him,” Tara said.

“Make a deal with that evil ghost?”

Nicky and Tara both nodded. “Lulu told us Phears loves his cat more than anything. So we make a deal. We'll give Phears his cat—
if
he'll send the Berserker Ghoul away.
And
if he'll tell us what he knows about our mom and dad.”

I stared at them, thinking hard. Make a deal with Phears? “Well … it might work,” I said.

The cat meowed again, a mournful sound.

“There's only one problem,” I continued. “How do we get the cat?”

“That's no problem,” Nicky said.

“Yeah. No problem,” Tara agreed. “It will be easy. You go in the tunnel and bring it out.”

S
ATURDAY TURNED OUT TO
be a chilly, gray November afternoon. I could see my breath steam up in front of me as I trotted across the grass to the soccer field behind school.

Some of the guys on our team were already warming up, doing stretching exercises, kicking soccer balls back and forth. I saw the visiting team's school bus pull up to the teachers' parking lot. The Terrible Tiger Cubs were here to play. Everyone said they were the best elementary school team in town.

A small crowd had gathered at the bleachers to watch the game. Traci Wayne sat at the top with some of her cool friends. She waved to me, and I waved back and shouted hi. Then I realized she was waving to Robby Marx, who was coming up behind me.

I tossed my jacket onto the pile of jackets on the bench and picked up a yellow and white Battling Bulldogs team jersey. When I looked up, I saw my dad at the sidelines, waving for my
attention. “Kill 'em, Max!” he shouted. “Kill 'em! Break 'em apart!
Kill
'em, boy!”

Dad isn't exactly what you'd call a good sport.

Colin stood beside Dad, hands stuffed in his jacket, a big grin on his face. He expected me to totally mess up, and I knew he was probably right.

The sky grew darker. Black clouds rolled overhead. I shut my eyes and prayed the game would be rained out.

When I opened them, Coach Freeley was standing in front of me, a big grin on his face. “You're our secret weapon, Max,” he said, slapping me on the back. “No one expects you to be the
monster
you are!”

“Uh … thanks, Coach.”

“Get out there, Max. Be aggressive. Be a
monster
!” He slapped me on the back again, then turned and trotted off to greet the visiting team.

Be a monster.

Great advice.

My whole body shuddered. What if I got out on the field and the Berserker Ghoul didn't take over like the other day? The ghoul had been sleeping for days. What if it decided to keep on sleeping and left me stranded out there on my own?

I can't play soccer. I'll get
creamed
!

Feeling panic sweep over my body, I glanced around. “Nicky? Tara? Are you here?”

Where were they? They promised to be here. They promised to help me during the game.

“Nicky? Tara?”

I couldn't believe they weren't here. How could they do this to me?

We'd made a deal. They help me look like a good soccer player on the field. And I risk my life and go back into that terrifying tunnel and carry out Phears' cat.

The whistle blew for us to line up. The match was about to begin.

I turned and saw Dad shaking his fists in the air. “
Kill
'em, Max!
Break
'em!
Kill! Kill!
”

T
HE MATCH STARTED.
I
tried to stay away from the ball. But my teammates kept passing it to me. They expected me to go berserk, knock players onto their butts, charge the net, and score—the way I did in that crazy practice.

But the Berserker Ghoul was still asleep.

It was just me—me all by myself out there— and I totally sucked. A couple of times, I tripped over the ball and went sailing onto my stomach on the hard ground. Once, the ball bounced right through my legs. Three times, I tried to take a shot—and kicked the ball
behind
me instead of in front of me!

Yikes.

After a few more stumbles and missed kicks, Coach Freeley took me out of the game and sent in Robby Marx. “What's wrong, Max?” Coach asked, leading me to the bench. He slapped a water bottle into my hand. “You saving it for the end again? That's okay. Take a breather. Don't forget. You're my secret weapon.”

Yeah. I'm the secret weapon. And so far, I was keeping it
really secret
!

I glanced up to the top of the bleachers. Traci Wayne was cheering for the team. I sure hadn't given her anything to cheer about. She'll never talk to me now, I thought. None of the cool kids will ever talk to me.

My dad was still standing on the sidelines, silent now, hands balled into fists at his sides. Colin had that obnoxious grin on his face. Suddenly, he turned to me and mouthed the word
loser
.

Despite the cold weather, sweat poured down my forehead. “Nicky? Tara? Are you here?” I called.

Where
were
they? They promised!

Three minutes left to play. The Battling Bulldogs were losing 2 to 1. Cold raindrops started to drip down from the black sky.

I sat shivering on the bench. A hand squeezed my shoulder. I looked up to see Coach Freeley, clipboard in one hand. “Get in there, Max,” he growled. “Go crazy.”

“Jabbba gummma gumma,” I said.

Yes!

I felt the ghoul shift inside me. The field took on a yellow glow, bright as sunshine. My feet pounded the ground, but I felt as if I was floating.

“Jabbbba hubbbba!” A battle cry roared out of my open mouth.

I head-butted one player and sent him tumbling to the wet ground. Oh, wow. One of
our
players!

I bumped a Tiger Cub out of the way. Kicked him hard in the leg. Stole the ball from him and moved it toward the goal.

Another roar escaped my throat. I could see the startled faces of my teammates. And I could hear my dad over the shouts of the crowd: “Kill! Kill!
Kill!
”

I faded away into a yellow cloud as the Berserker Ghoul totally took over my brain and my body. I felt so helpless … so
alone
inside my own body!

I felt jolt after jolt as the ghoul banged into the other players, bumped them hard and sent them sprawling onto the grass. I heard cries all around me and felt another hard bump as my shoe sent the ball flying—
into the net!

And then I went crashing through the net. I stood roaring, ripping the net to pieces.

The shouts of the crowd broke through the yellow haze. And I was back. Yes. It was me again. My teammates were crowding around me, slapping me high fives, pounding my back.

I had tied up the game with less than five seconds
to go. The Terrible Tiger Cubs were going home without a victory. And once again, Max the Monster had triumphed.

Traci Wayne ran up and slapped me on the shoulder. “Max, you're the
man
!”

Did she really say that? Or was my imagination running away from me? Traci Wayne wouldn't say that to
me
—would she?

Dad wrapped me in a bear hug, so tight my tongue popped out of my mouth. I expected him to say something about how proud he was or how surprised. But instead, his words filled me with dread:

“They need you at the Plover School, Max. You'll be a superstar at that school!”

No. Oh no.

All my fear suddenly came crashing down on me. It was a big moment of victory. But it wasn't
my
victory.

It was the ghoul's victory.

Rain started to pour down. Everyone ran toward the parking lot. But I dropped to my knees on the grass and let the cold raindrops soak me.

I need help, I told myself.

I need to get rid of this ghoul. Get rid of Phears. Get rid of all the talk about that horrible Plover School.

Nicky? Tara? Where are you?

You promised to help me. And you didn't show.

I really need your help now. We need to help each other.

So where are you? Why didn't you keep your promise?

“N
ICKY, WE HAVE TO
hurry,” Tara said. “We promised Max we'd be at his game.”

“I keep drifting in and out,” I said, trying to shake myself awake. “It's like I take short naps or something.” I pounded my fists together. “I
hate
being a ghost.”

Tara stood in front of Max's dresser mirror. She leaned toward it and started to straighten the sleeves of her sweater. She sighed. “I hate it too, Nicky. I keep forgetting that I have no reflection. Every time I look into a mirror and don't see myself, I feel really sad.”

Phears' cat let out a low sad whimper. It seemed to be right on the other side of the wall. But I knew it might be deep inside the mysterious tunnel.

“Poor Max,” I said. “He's so scared of going back in that tunnel.”

Tara turned to me, tugging at the floppy hat on her head. “I don't blame him. Who knows what kind of creatures are in that tunnel? I wish we could go with him. You know. Help him. But you
remember what Lulu said. She said only living people can go in—and come back out.”

I swallowed. “Once we have the cat, your plan will work, Tara. I know it will. Phears will be desperate to have his cat back. And he'll help us find Mom and Dad.”

Tara shook her head. “It's our only chance. Mom's note just isn't helpful at all. And we don't have any other clues.”

I pulled Tara away from the mirror. “Come on. Let's go find Max.”