signal?”
I scowled at him. “I got your signal. I heardyour stupid chirp. You made me wreck all the YC posters and the art room. And you made me steal a test.”
He tossed back his head and laughed. “That’s a start, Son.”
“No — not a start!” I cried. “That’s the end . I mean it, Slappy. Stay out of my head. You can’t do that to me again!”
I tried to sound tough, but my voice trembled and cracked.
His eyes shut, then quickly opened. “The fun hasn’t started, Son. Today was just practice.”
“Noooo!” I let out a cry and dove toward him. I had the sudden urge to pick him up and tear him to pieces.
But before I reached the bed, I heard that sound again. A loud chirp .
I staggered to a stop. I suddenly felt too dizzy to walk. The ceiling and floor appeared to be closing in on each other.
I shook my head hard, trying to shake the weird feeling away.
And then I heard my mom’s voice shouting up from downstairs. “Jackson? Are you home? Come down and say hi. Aunt Ada, Uncle Josh, and your cousin Noah are here.”
I groaned. Cousin Noah? He was eight and he acted like he was two. I hated to eat dinner with him. He always had food stuck to histeeth. And he whined all the time, whined like a baby.
But I had no choice. I turned away from Slappy and started out of my room. I was heading down the hall when I heard his raspy shout:
“Have a great dinner, Son.”
I hurried downstairs. Everyone was already sitting at the dining room table.
I hugged Aunt Ada and shook hands with Uncle Josh. Noah stuck his tongue out at me and made a spitting sound.
“Noah, is that the way you say hi to your cousin?” Aunt Ada scolded him.
He laughed. “Yes.” Then he spit again.
Uncle Josh just shook his head. He and Aunt Ada are like opposites. She’s skinny and talks all the time. He’s pretty fat and almost never says a word. I always think they’re like salt and pepper. In fact, she has black hair, and his hair is white.
Noah has a round baby face, short brown hair like fuzz on an egg, and two front teeth that stick out and make him look like Bugs Bunny. He always wears a baggy T-shirt and cargo shorts. He doesn’t like long pants.
I took my seat next to Rachel. She was tapping her spoon on her bowl, waiting for the soup to be poured. Rachel gets very impatient at mealtime.
Mom served the soup. Then she said, “Jackson, tell Aunt Ada how much you like the sweater she bought you.”
I opened my mouth to speak — but my head felt heavy. I felt very strange.
“It’s a terrific sweater,” I told my aunt. “I don’t wear it. I use it as a snot rag.”
“As a what ?” Aunt Ada’s mouth dropped open.
“Yeah, I blow my nose in it,” I said.
Noah was the only one who laughed. Dad dropped his soup spoon. Rachel stared at me as if I was some kind of weird animal species.
Mom squinted at me. “Jackson? Was that a joke?”
“Your soup is a joke,” I said. “I’ve puked up better food than this!”
Mom gasped and nearly fell off her chair. Noah started to choke on his soup. Aunt Ada slapped his back.
I’m saying these horrible things, and I can’t help myself.
Slappy is in my head. He is totally controlling me. These are his horrible jokes, and he’s forcing me to say them.
I couldn’t stop myself. I held up a spoonful ofthe pea soup. “I’ve seen better looking scabs,” I said.
I turned to Uncle Josh. “Are you really that fat?” I said. “Or does someone inflate you in the morning? Didn’t I see you in the Thanksgiving parade?”
He scowled at me. He gazed at my mother. I could see he was confused.
“I’m sorry,” I told him. “You’re not fat. You’re TOO BIG to be fat. Where do you shop for clothes? Piggly Wiggly?”
Aunt Ada jumped to her feet. She bumped her soup bowl, and soup splashed onto the tablecloth.
“Jackson — this isn’t like you at all,” she cried. “I can’t believe you’re so rude.”
“I can’t believe you’re so ugly,” I
I scowled at him. “I got your signal. I heardyour stupid chirp. You made me wreck all the YC posters and the art room. And you made me steal a test.”
He tossed back his head and laughed. “That’s a start, Son.”
“No — not a start!” I cried. “That’s the end . I mean it, Slappy. Stay out of my head. You can’t do that to me again!”
I tried to sound tough, but my voice trembled and cracked.
His eyes shut, then quickly opened. “The fun hasn’t started, Son. Today was just practice.”
“Noooo!” I let out a cry and dove toward him. I had the sudden urge to pick him up and tear him to pieces.
But before I reached the bed, I heard that sound again. A loud chirp .
I staggered to a stop. I suddenly felt too dizzy to walk. The ceiling and floor appeared to be closing in on each other.
I shook my head hard, trying to shake the weird feeling away.
And then I heard my mom’s voice shouting up from downstairs. “Jackson? Are you home? Come down and say hi. Aunt Ada, Uncle Josh, and your cousin Noah are here.”
I groaned. Cousin Noah? He was eight and he acted like he was two. I hated to eat dinner with him. He always had food stuck to histeeth. And he whined all the time, whined like a baby.
But I had no choice. I turned away from Slappy and started out of my room. I was heading down the hall when I heard his raspy shout:
“Have a great dinner, Son.”
I hurried downstairs. Everyone was already sitting at the dining room table.
I hugged Aunt Ada and shook hands with Uncle Josh. Noah stuck his tongue out at me and made a spitting sound.
“Noah, is that the way you say hi to your cousin?” Aunt Ada scolded him.
He laughed. “Yes.” Then he spit again.
Uncle Josh just shook his head. He and Aunt Ada are like opposites. She’s skinny and talks all the time. He’s pretty fat and almost never says a word. I always think they’re like salt and pepper. In fact, she has black hair, and his hair is white.
Noah has a round baby face, short brown hair like fuzz on an egg, and two front teeth that stick out and make him look like Bugs Bunny. He always wears a baggy T-shirt and cargo shorts. He doesn’t like long pants.
I took my seat next to Rachel. She was tapping her spoon on her bowl, waiting for the soup to be poured. Rachel gets very impatient at mealtime.
Mom served the soup. Then she said, “Jackson, tell Aunt Ada how much you like the sweater she bought you.”
I opened my mouth to speak — but my head felt heavy. I felt very strange.
“It’s a terrific sweater,” I told my aunt. “I don’t wear it. I use it as a snot rag.”
“As a what ?” Aunt Ada’s mouth dropped open.
“Yeah, I blow my nose in it,” I said.
Noah was the only one who laughed. Dad dropped his soup spoon. Rachel stared at me as if I was some kind of weird animal species.
Mom squinted at me. “Jackson? Was that a joke?”
“Your soup is a joke,” I said. “I’ve puked up better food than this!”
Mom gasped and nearly fell off her chair. Noah started to choke on his soup. Aunt Ada slapped his back.
I’m saying these horrible things, and I can’t help myself.
Slappy is in my head. He is totally controlling me. These are his horrible jokes, and he’s forcing me to say them.
I couldn’t stop myself. I held up a spoonful ofthe pea soup. “I’ve seen better looking scabs,” I said.
I turned to Uncle Josh. “Are you really that fat?” I said. “Or does someone inflate you in the morning? Didn’t I see you in the Thanksgiving parade?”
He scowled at me. He gazed at my mother. I could see he was confused.
“I’m sorry,” I told him. “You’re not fat. You’re TOO BIG to be fat. Where do you shop for clothes? Piggly Wiggly?”
Aunt Ada jumped to her feet. She bumped her soup bowl, and soup splashed onto the tablecloth.
“Jackson — this isn’t like you at all,” she cried. “I can’t believe you’re so rude.”
“I can’t believe you’re so ugly,” I
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