You Can't Scare Me! by R. L. Stine Page A

tail stood straight back.
    Charlene blew harder, but she still wasn’t getting much sound.
    Buttercup’s stomach began to rumble. The rumble became a low growl. The growl became a snarl as the big dog ferociously bared his teeth.
    â€œCharlene — stop,” I said. “Don’t waste it.”
    Charlene stopped whistling. The dog relaxed.
    â€œDoes anyone have some gum?” Charlene asked, holding her throat. “My mouth is really dry.”
    Molly handed her a stick of gum.
    â€œButtercup is ready!” Hat declared happily as we stepped into the woods.
    Shadows of the leaves overhead danced on the ground. Sparkling rays of sunlight beamed down through the trees. Twigs and dried leaves crackled under our sneakers as we walked.
    â€œCome on, dog!” Charlene pleaded, tugging hard at the leash.
    â€œSsshh,”
Molly warned. “We’ve got to be quiet now. If Courtney is in the woods, she’ll hear us.”
    â€œCome on, Buttercup!” Charlene repeated in a loud whisper.
    The dog was being difficult. He kept stopping to sniff things. He pulled at the leash, trying to break free and go off on his own. I guess there were too many exciting smells for him. His tail was wagging back and forth, and he was panting noisily.
    We were deep in the woods now, approaching the creek. It grew shadier and cooler. Purple shadows surrounded us as we walked.
    â€œI’ll sneak up near the tree house and see if Courtney and Denise are there,” I whispered. I handed the brown paper bag I’d been carrying to Hat. “Hold this for me. I’ll be right back.”
    Hat gazed suspiciously at the bag. “What’s in it?”
    â€œYou’ll see,” I told him and hurried off on my scouting mission. Keeping low, I made my way through a clump of tall weeds.
    I glanced back at my friends. They had clustered around Buttercup. The huge dog had plopped down on the ground and was chewing on a big stick.
    As I followed a narrow dirt path through the trees, I realized my heart was pounding excitedly. This was it! The day of our victory over Courtney.
    Her tree house was perched near the creek on the other side of a small grassy clearing. As I approached the clearing, I could hear the soft trickle of water from the creek bed.
    Slipping between the trees, I kept in the shadows. I didn’t want to be spotted by Courtney or Denise. That would spoil the surprise.
    A smile broke over my face as I thought about how scared they were about to become.
If
they were there….
    I stopped at the edge of the clearing and peered across it. The tall grass was matted down by dozens of footprints. I realized that my brother and his friends must have taped part of their Mud Monsters video there.
    Keeping under the trees, I began to make my way around the circle of the clearing. There, on the other side, Courtney’s tree house came into view. It looked like a large wooden crate perched in the lowest limb of an old oak tree. A rope ladder connected it to the ground.
    Were they there, Courtney and Denise?
    I couldn’t see them.
    I took a few more steps, pushing tall weeds out of the way as I came nearer. “Ow,” I muttered as something prickled my shoulder. Glancing down, I carefully pulled two burrs from the sleeve of my T-shirt.
    Then I kept walking, trying to be silent as I moved nearer the tree house.
    I stopped when I heard voices. Girls’ voices.
    And then I saw Courtney and Denise. They were just ahead of me, walking in the woods.
    I ducked low behind a clump of thick shrubs.
    They were only a few feet in front of me. Had they seen me?
    No.
    They were talking excitedly, having some kind of heated discussion. I watched them through the shrub. They were both wearing blue midriff tops and white denim shorts. Twins.
    They were walking slowly in the other direction, casually pulling up weeds and wildflowers as they walked.
    Great!
I thought.
This is
perfect!
    I
knew
this was