Read It and Weep! by P.J. Night Page A

Charlotte’s cookie. “Anyway, if you really—” She coughed. Then she coughed again. Her face turned pink.
    â€œLaur? You okay?” asked Charlotte, springing out of her chair.
    Lauren was now coughing harder. Gwen wheeled around and banged Lauren on the back. Lauren grabbed her milk and took a big sip.
    â€œI’m fine!” she sputtered. “You can stop whacking me now!”
    â€œSure you’re okay?” asked Gwen worriedly.
    â€œI’m fine. Really. Everyone turn around and go back to what you were doing,” said Lauren through gritted teeth. “I’m already trying to live down the fruit fly thing. I don’t need the whole school watching you perform the Heimlich maneuver on me.”
    Gwen laughed and turned back to Cassie.
    Charlotte sat back down, still regarding her friend warily.
    â€œI’m okay, really,” said Lauren, slightly irritably. “I just breathed in a piece of cookie is all.”
    At play rehearsal that afternoon Lauren delivered the wrong line at the wrong place, causing them to have to skip a whole scene.
    â€œLauren,” said Mr. Thompson, the director. “Please don’t do that again. All right, start from the top of scene three, everyone.” He massaged his temples as though his head was throbbing.
    After rehearsal, as Lauren was hurrying to catch the late bus, she got her necklace hooked to her locker, and when she closed the door, it exploded into an avalanche of bouncing beads. By the time she’d collected most of them, she’d missed the bus home from school.
    She texted her father at work.
    Missed the bus. Walking home. Everything fine. I’ll walk Teddy. See you at dinner?
    There was no immediate answer from her dad, so she started walking home. It was a beautiful September afternoon, and the warm, late-summer sun cast a golden light on the trees and the sidewalk. Really, she thought, I ought to walk home more often. Except that poor Teddy will be anxiously waiting for me when I get home.
    A minute or so later her phone buzzed. She flicked it on, assuming it was her dad. But it was from an unknown number—a number with thirteen digits.
    You should not have taken the card. Fear for yourself. And for your dog.
    She stopped dead in the middle of the sidewalk, staring at the text. An elderly lady pushing a shopping cart rammed into her from behind.
    â€œWatch what you’re doing, young lady!” she barked at Lauren, muttering about newfangled gizmos as she continued on her way.
    â€œSorry!” Lauren said absently. She looked again at the text. It couldn’t possibly be from Charlotte. But who else knew about the card? Hadn’t Charlotte mentioned that she, Charlotte, had gotten a weird text? This was a little odd, she was forced to admit. Could it be Stacy? Stacy didn’t even have Lauren’s phone number. Still, she could have easily gotten it from someone.
    Threatening her was bad enough. But threatening her dog?
    A feeling of dread passed over her. It was too much of a coincidence that she’d just texted her dad about Teddy and that someone had then threatened to hurt him. Was someone somehow hacking into her phone? What an awful thought. It was probably just some annoying kid being a jerk, but still.
    Teddy.
    She broke into a run. By the time she got home, she was completely out of breath and half-hysterical with worry.
    â€œTeddy? Teddy!” she bellowed, throwing open the side door and practically falling inside.
    For a second all was quiet. And then she heard a thump above her and the jingle of a collar. Teddy came padding down the steps, tail wagging, tongue out.
    â€œHey, buddy,” she said, stooping down and letting him nuzzle her all over her face, her head, her neck. She threw her arms around his neck. “You’re okay, aren’t you, boy? Of course you are.” She stood up and grabbed his leash off the hook. “Come on. We’ll go for a