much.
“Billy Broccoli, you cannot let him get away with that,” he said, his voice full of anger. “Answer him.”
But Billy just stood there feeling helpless. Deep down, he knew Rod was probably right. Being the assistant scorekeeper of the baseball team was almost like not being on the team at all.
Hoover couldn’t stand it. He wanted to protect Billy from this bigmouthed kid. And that really surprised him, since in all his ninety-nine years of being a ghost, he had never felt this way about any of the other kids hehad been assigned. What he really wanted to do was punch Rod in the nose, but if he did that, Rod would punch Billy. Besides, the Higher-Ups did not look kindly on physical violence of any kind. So he had to move to Plan B, which was to scare Rod into a quivering clump of Jell-O.
He started with the always reliable spinning-picture trick. He reached out and took the corner of the framed Dodgers poster hanging on Billy’s wall and spun it so that it twirled like a top on the wall. Then he just smiled for a second while he watched Rod’s eyes start to grow wider.
“How did you do that?” Rod asked Billy.
The Hoove knew the fun had just begun. He floated over to Billy’s desk and lifted it a few inches off the ground, then made it shake violently in midair.
“Do you see that desk vibrating?” Rod asked, his voice cracking.
Billy was starting to enjoy this.
“I don’t see anything,” he said. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t mess with me, Broccoli. I know you see what I see. How are you making that happen?”
“I’m standing right here in front of you,” Billy said. “Doing nothing.”
“Well, then, you are an alien,” Rod said. “I’ve always known this house had a weird vibe, but I’ve never seen anything this strange. It’s almost as strange as you. I’m out of here, and by the way, don’t invite me back. You and your room creep me out.”
“First of all,” Billy said, “I didn’t invite you. And second of all, don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”
Rod was in such a rush to get out of there, he pulled a Hoove. He tried to walk through the door without opening it, and smacked his forehead right into it. Furious, he flung the door open and tore down the hall without looking back.
Billy burst out laughing, and so did the Hoove. They could hardly contain themselves, as each did their own impression of Rod trying to get out of the room.
Thunk! Bang! Slap!
Billywas practically crying with laughter. As he and the Hoove replayed the image of Rod Brownstone thumping into the door and then tearing down the hall almost peeing in his pants with fear, Billy thought for the first time that maybe having your own personal ghost could be useful after all.
CHAPTER 8
Rod Brownstone was in a panic as he sprinted out of Billy’s room. He wasn’t the kind of guy who showed fear easily, but whatever had happened in that bedroom had rattled his ever-confident cover. As he reached the kitchen, he spotted Ruby, Sofia, and Breeze coming up from the basement, and screeched to a full stop just before crashing into them.
“Hey, ladies,” he said, trying to recover as best he could. He tried desperately to appear calm and self-assured, but he must not have been too convincing because Breeze took one look at him and asked, “Are you all right?”
“Sure.” He shrugged. “I mean, why wouldn’t I be? What could possibly be wrong? I can’t think of one thing. I was just hanging out with your brother.”
Ruby smiled. “Billy?” she said. “He’s cute, in his own trippy kind of way.”
“Yeah, you could say that if you think dorks are cute, that is,” Rod shot back.
He didn’t like it one bit that Ruby said something nice about Billy. He always thought every girl had a secret crush on him, and it offended him that Ruby Baker didn’t seem to be joining the club. Besides, what could she possibly see in Billy Broccoli that she didn’t see in him? He certainly
“Billy Broccoli, you cannot let him get away with that,” he said, his voice full of anger. “Answer him.”
But Billy just stood there feeling helpless. Deep down, he knew Rod was probably right. Being the assistant scorekeeper of the baseball team was almost like not being on the team at all.
Hoover couldn’t stand it. He wanted to protect Billy from this bigmouthed kid. And that really surprised him, since in all his ninety-nine years of being a ghost, he had never felt this way about any of the other kids hehad been assigned. What he really wanted to do was punch Rod in the nose, but if he did that, Rod would punch Billy. Besides, the Higher-Ups did not look kindly on physical violence of any kind. So he had to move to Plan B, which was to scare Rod into a quivering clump of Jell-O.
He started with the always reliable spinning-picture trick. He reached out and took the corner of the framed Dodgers poster hanging on Billy’s wall and spun it so that it twirled like a top on the wall. Then he just smiled for a second while he watched Rod’s eyes start to grow wider.
“How did you do that?” Rod asked Billy.
The Hoove knew the fun had just begun. He floated over to Billy’s desk and lifted it a few inches off the ground, then made it shake violently in midair.
“Do you see that desk vibrating?” Rod asked, his voice cracking.
Billy was starting to enjoy this.
“I don’t see anything,” he said. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t mess with me, Broccoli. I know you see what I see. How are you making that happen?”
“I’m standing right here in front of you,” Billy said. “Doing nothing.”
“Well, then, you are an alien,” Rod said. “I’ve always known this house had a weird vibe, but I’ve never seen anything this strange. It’s almost as strange as you. I’m out of here, and by the way, don’t invite me back. You and your room creep me out.”
“First of all,” Billy said, “I didn’t invite you. And second of all, don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”
Rod was in such a rush to get out of there, he pulled a Hoove. He tried to walk through the door without opening it, and smacked his forehead right into it. Furious, he flung the door open and tore down the hall without looking back.
Billy burst out laughing, and so did the Hoove. They could hardly contain themselves, as each did their own impression of Rod trying to get out of the room.
Thunk! Bang! Slap!
Billywas practically crying with laughter. As he and the Hoove replayed the image of Rod Brownstone thumping into the door and then tearing down the hall almost peeing in his pants with fear, Billy thought for the first time that maybe having your own personal ghost could be useful after all.
CHAPTER 8
Rod Brownstone was in a panic as he sprinted out of Billy’s room. He wasn’t the kind of guy who showed fear easily, but whatever had happened in that bedroom had rattled his ever-confident cover. As he reached the kitchen, he spotted Ruby, Sofia, and Breeze coming up from the basement, and screeched to a full stop just before crashing into them.
“Hey, ladies,” he said, trying to recover as best he could. He tried desperately to appear calm and self-assured, but he must not have been too convincing because Breeze took one look at him and asked, “Are you all right?”
“Sure.” He shrugged. “I mean, why wouldn’t I be? What could possibly be wrong? I can’t think of one thing. I was just hanging out with your brother.”
Ruby smiled. “Billy?” she said. “He’s cute, in his own trippy kind of way.”
“Yeah, you could say that if you think dorks are cute, that is,” Rod shot back.
He didn’t like it one bit that Ruby said something nice about Billy. He always thought every girl had a secret crush on him, and it offended him that Ruby Baker didn’t seem to be joining the club. Besides, what could she possibly see in Billy Broccoli that she didn’t see in him? He certainly
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