The Slumber Party Payback Read online

  The Booker Box sells TVs, stereos, CDs, DVDs, and video games. When Daddy opened the door, it was as quiet as church when we all have to bow our heads.

  “I guess he was right, Ruby. Sure is closed,” Teresa whispered.

  “It’s closed down,” Daddy said as he inched over to the light switch, “all for you guys!” When he flipped the big switch on the wall behind the cash register, all the lights came on. There was a big banner that read:

  THE BOOKER BOX

  PRESENTS

  Ruby’s PRE-Slumber-Party- Sleepover-Jam

  Video Games — Music — Snacks

  There was also a table full of mangoes, cantaloupe, and grapes, my favorite fruits. I saw a platter of cheese crackers, strawberry cupcakes, and little sandwiches. And to top things off, there were two big pitchers of fruit punch.

  “All of this for us, Mr. Booker?” Mona asked. We just stood there in the middle of the store with our mouths wide open. The three of us were shocked out of our shoes.

  “Daddy, I can’t believe you shut the whole store down just for us! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” I screamed, and jumped into Daddy’s arms.

  “That’s not all,” Daddy said. “You know how we have the weekly Booker Box video game contests and you never get a chance to jump in because it’s always so crowded?” Daddy asked me.

  “Yeah,” Mona said for me. I looked at her and giggled.

  “Well, look over there. This afternoon, you girls can play any game you want.” Daddy pointed to the video game section. He had hooked up video game systems to three big-screen TVs. Each of us had a game to ourselves.

  “I bet my brothers, the almighty Booker boys, would be jealous,” I said to Mona and Teresa.

  “Especially that rascal Roosevelt. He thinks he’s the ultimate gamer,” Teresa chimed in.

  “Please! Don’t mention his name. I want this sleepover to be perfect,” I preached, with my hands up in the air. I guess I was waving off any bad ideas or pranks that Ro might send our way.

  After all the snacks were gone and we’d finished playing video games, Daddy had another surprise for us.

  “Before we leave, I’ll let each of you girls pick a DVD that you’d like to watch tonight. You even get to keep the movie for yourself,” Daddy added.

  “Wow, thanks kindly, Mr. Booker!” Teresa cheered. We ran to the DVD section to grab the movie of our choice.

  “I know which one I’m not getting,” I said while pointing to a scary movie called The Nightmares of Keisha, Bad Dreams 3.

  “I don’t even want to look at the cover,” Teresa whimpered, covering her eyes. “I hear that some girl saw The Nightmares of Keisha, Bad Dreams 2, and couldn’t sleep for a month.”

  We picked our movies and ran toward the door. Daddy turned off the lights and then locked the doors. If the rest of the sleepover was as great as the pre-sleepover was, I could hardly wait. We jumped into the van again and headed home, ready to have more fun. On the way, Teresa and I told Mona about the other girls we tried to invite to the sleepover. All she said was, “The Chill Brook Three make the best sleepover in town.”

  “Hey, Ma!” I greeted my mother at the front door with a big hug and kiss. My brothers were right behind her. They had just returned from the grocery store. I had asked Ma to pick up special ingredients for the dinner that the girls and I were going to make.

  “Hey, baby. Are your guests here?” Ma asked.

  “Yeah. They’re upstairs putting away their bags.”

  Ro threw his three cents in even though nobody asked him. “What guests?” he wanted to know. “Everybody turned Ruby down for her party. I wonder why?” Ro had a smirk on his face.

  One of my other brothers, Marcellus, said, “Forget him, ladybug. We got all the stuff you asked for.” Marcellus carried the biggest grocery sack. Even my brother Tyner carried a sack. Ro was empty-handed. He was too busy playing with his handheld video game.

  Tyner nudged me in my side. “Hey, Rube, did she come?” he whispered.

  “She, who?” I whispered back, and I smiled a little. I knew who he was talking about, but I wanted to hear him say it.

  “You know … Mona. Is she here?” he asked softly. He didn’t want Ro or Marcellus to hear because they would’ve made fun of him. Ty has the biggest crush on Mona Sweetroll. His crush is the size of Jupiter, times ten. He was all jittery for Mona.

  Ro puckered his lips toward Tyner. “Who are you talking about, Ty? Mona Sweetroll? Your sweetheart?” he said.

  “He can’t help it … he’s in looooove,” Marcellus joked as he pinched Tyner’s chubby cheeks. Ro and Marcellus laughed and jabbed Tyner. I’ve never seen Tyner’s honey-brown face turn so apple-red.

  Ma came to Ty’s rescue. “That’s enough, everybody.” She wrapped her arms around Ty to protect him from Marcellus and Ro. Then Ma said, “Go upstairs and check on your friends, Ruby. Your brothers and I have something to talk about. Give us about five minutes.”

  “Okay, Ma. Can we start making our dinner when you’re done?”

  “Sure, baby,” Ma said to me. I ran to the steps, but I didn’t go all the way up. I went just far enough so Ma and the boys couldn’t see me. I balled myself up like a little roly-poly bug and listened.

  “All right, boys, pay attention, especially you, Roosevelt. Tonight is Ruby’s night. Period,” Ma declared. I liked the sound of that. “So unless you’re called on to help, to play a game, or just to be around, stay out of her space. You hear me?” Ma asked.

  “Yes, Ma.” They all spoke at the same time. Ro’s voice was the quietest. I could tell he only half agreed.

  “You don’t have to worry about me, Ma,” Marcellus said. “I’ve got my recital tomorrow afternoon, remember?”

  “You know I wouldn’t forget, baby,” Ma said. Marcellus plays this big tall guitar-looking thing called an upright. It’s a bass cello. He’s good at it, too, just like with everything he does.

  Ty was happy to help, but not by staying away from us girls. “Ma, I’m always here if you need me.” He giggled. Ty will say anything to be close to Mona.

  “I know, sugar. If I need you for anything, I’ll call you.” Ma giggled back.

  All of a sudden, Mona and Teresa came crawling on their hands and knees behind me. “Girl, what are you doing?” Mona said softly.

  “Ruby, you know I can’t sleep in your room with that critter in there,” Teresa whispered in my ear. She was talking about my pet iguana, Lady Love.

  When we got downstairs, Ro and Marcellus were putting the groceries away in the kitchen. Ty stayed behind with Ma. This was his chance to see Mona.

  “You girls are back together again!” Ma said. “Hi, Teresa. Hi, Mona.” Ma gave both of them a hug.

  “Hi ya, Mrs. Booker. That dress sure is pretty,” Teresa said.

  “How long has it been, Mrs. Booker? Have you missed me?” Mona asked.

  “Sure have. This block hasn’t been the same without Mona Sweetroll.” Ma smiled and winked at me. She knows that Mona likes to hear stuff like that.

  While we were talking, Ty stood there staring at Mona. He wiped his sweaty hands on his shirt.

  “Tyner, what’s wrong with you, cutie?” Mona said playfully. Tyner is usually so smart and always has the answer to everything. But things change when Mona comes around. He stutters and stammers. It is sooooo funny.

  “Who, m-m-m-me? I’m doing f-f-f-fine. How are you, M-M-M-M …” Tyner just couldn’t get her name out of his mouth.

  “Have you forgotten my name, Ty?” Mona said, winking at him.

  “I didn’t for-for-for-forget you. N-n-n-never.” Ty shoved his hands in his pockets. Then he rocked back and forth on his heels.

  “Well, Ty, excuse us, baby. This is a girl party, and the girls and I are going to the kitchen to make our very own pizzas,” Ma said. “Maybe we’ll call you down for a taste.”

  Mona could put worms and tree moss on her pizza, and Ty would say it was the best. Poor lovesick boy.

  Ty we
nt upstairs to watch TV, and we went into the kitchen.

  “I’ll show you how to make a pizza pie, girlie,” Teresa said to Mona. We were all wearing colorful aprons and floppy chef hats, even Ma.

  We got to choose our own toppings. Ma went first. “What do you think about my pepperoni, sausage, chicken, pineapple, super-cheesy combo?” she asked us.

  “Sounds good to me,” I said. “But I don’t think any of you will be able to hang with my veggie pizza.”

  “I know you can’t be serious, girl,” Teresa smirked. She looked at me like I was joking, but I wasn’t.

  “What’s a pizza without a load of meat?” Mona asked. She wiped her hands on her pink apron and grabbed a handful of pepperoni.

  “You don’t know what you’re missing,” I told them. “I’ve got mushrooms, green and red peppers, onions, eggplant, spinach, tomatoes, and my favorite soy cheese. Man, that’s good!”

  “Both of you are lost in the dark,” Teresa chimed in. Her apron was covered with all kinds of stuff that I’d never seen on a pizza.

  “Do you know what you’re doing?” I asked.

  “You all may make pizza your own way in Bellow Rock, but in Memphis, where I was born, this is how they do it,” Teresa said with her hands on her hips. “First, we have the turnip greens, ham-hock slices, black-eyed peas, corn-bread crumbs, rib-tip chunks, and then we top it all off with the best barbecue sauce in the world. Now, that’s good eatin’.” Mona, Ma, and I laughed so hard at Teresa’s Memphis pizza.

  When we finished topping our pies, Ma said, “Okay, ladies. Let’s put your pizzas in the oven.”

  “What can we do while we wait?” Mona asked.

  “Let’s decorate and paint our toenails in different colors while we are waiting for the pizzas to be ready,” Ma suggested.

  “Oh, yeah! Sounds good to me, Ma,” I cheered.

  “Let’s do it!” Teresa shouted.

  “Mrs. Booker, do you know how cool you are?” Mona said as she wrapped her arms around Ma.

  We went into the den, where Ma painted our toenails and put cucumber slices on our eyes. We sat back in three fluffy chairs. We looked like superstars at a spa.

  Mona leaned over to me. “Ruby, do you know how happy I am that none of those other girls showed up?”

  “Yeah, me, too.” I said.

  “I feel the very same way, guys,” Teresa added.

  I took the cucumber slices off my eyes and held hands with my two best friends. It felt so good being together again.

  Inside, I kept hoping that we could get through the night without any stupid Ro Rowdy pranks. So far, everything was going well.

  “So, what do you think, Tyner?” Mona asked my brother while he took a sharklike bite out of the extra-meaty pizza she’d made. Ty chewed and gulped really, really hard. I could tell he didn’t like the pizza. But Ty is so nice, he wouldn’t hurt anybody’s feelings.

  “It’s—it’s—it’s okay.” I could tell Ty was not being totally honest. Mona’s pizza looked tough and rubbery, but Ty went ahead and ate it, anyway.

  “This amazing Southern-girl pizza is really delicious!” Marcellus had grabbed a slice of Teresa’s pizza. “Is that smoked neck bones and mustard greens I taste? I love it!” He gobbled that slice so fast.

  We all sat at the kitchen table with Ma, Ty, and Marcellus. Daddy was in his home office, and Ro was in my room getting my pet iguana, Lady Love, to put in the basement.

  “Well, Ma, since you’ve tasted all three of our pizzas, which one is the best?” I asked. Teresa and Mona leaned in to hear Ma’s answer.

  Ma tapped her long fingernails on the table and then said, “You know what, if I had to pick one … I wouldn’t.”

  “Awwwwww!” all three of us moaned. I knew she was going to say that.

  “I can’t pick a favorite. They’re all so good and all so different. You ladies did a great job,” Ma said. Ma’s kind of like Ty. She doesn’t like to hurt people’s feelings. But I know she liked my pizza the best. I just knew it by the way she smiled when she ate it.

  “So what’s next?” Mona asked. “What kind of fun are we gonna have now?”

  “I guess we could put on a DVD. We could watch The Chicken Nugget Princess,” I suggested. “But first let’s put on our pajamas.”

  Teresa came up with a super-fun idea. “Sounds good to me. I love that princess! And we can play dress up and put on our own fashion show.”

  “You girls can raid my closet,” Ma offered. “I’ll even let you try on some of my jewelry.”

  “Do you know how awesome that sounds?” Mona added.

  We all snatched a piece of each other’s pizza and zoomed upstairs with our movie.

  “I tell you, Ruby, every time I come over here, your room gets cuter and cuter.” Teresa always says that when she comes over.

  “T, you were just over yesterday. My room hasn’t changed.” I giggled.

  “I know, but I always notice something new in here. I swear I do.”

  Mona hadn’t seen my room in a while. She hit me with a clump of questions. “Can you believe this dresser? Girl, where did you get that Crazy Cutie Crew bedspread? Don’t you know I love your room, too?”

  Teresa stuck the disc in the DVD player. “I’ll put in The Chicken Nugget Princess. I’ve been meaning to ask my mama to get this movie.”

  Mona turned off my bedroom lights. I shut and locked my bedroom door. I didn’t want Ro to come in my room and try any of his stunts.

  “Are you going to push play or what?” Mona asked me.

  I was trying to get comfortable first. “I want to see this as much as you do. Hold your horses,” I said. Then I pushed the play button on the remote control. Mona chucked a pillow at me.

  “PILLOW FIIIIIIGHT!” Teresa yelled out. Pillows were flying everywhere. I ducked under the side of my bed. Then I ran toward the big basket of stuffed animals that I’d put together for the girls. It was covered with a big, heavy blanket.

  “I know you’re not going for those teddy bears, are you?” Mona challenged me. She and Teresa had the same idea. When I grabbed my cuddly giraffe to throw at Mona, it felt wet and squishy. And it smelled like toe jam and vinegar!

  “Gross, Ruby. All of these things smell hog-bad.” Teresa covered her nose with both hands. The entire basket was wet and musty.

  “What is that smell?” Mona asked. I could barely hear her because she had a pillow over her nose and mouth. The smell was starting to make us sick. I didn’t want to believe that Ro was pranking us again. Especially since Ma had talked to him.

  I went over to open my window, but it was stuck. Then Teresa came up to me and tapped me on the arm and said, “Uh, Ruby, I don’t think that’s The Chicken Nugget Princess.” She pointed at the TV.

  On the screen in big red letters was The Nightmares of Keisha, Bad Dreams 3. That was the horror movie none of us wanted to see! It was a scary movie made for kids, but a scary movie is a scary movie.

  “Maaaaaa!” I screamed.

  “Turn on the lights! Turn on the lights!” Teresa ran around the room like a scared mouse.

  I flipped the light switch on the wall, but the light wouldn’t come on. I ran over to the lamp next to my bed. There was no bulb. I even unplugged the TV and the DVD player, but they wouldn’t go off.

  “Turn it off, please, Ruby!” Teresa started to cry. She dove into her sleeping bag and covered her head. “I don’t want to have nightmares!”

  It was dark and smelly, and the walls were closing in on us.

  Mona and I grabbed Teresa, and we ran to the door. I tried to unlock it, but it wouldn’t open. We were trapped with the funky toe-jam–vinegar smell and The Nightmares of Keisha, Bad Dreams 3.

  “Help! Help!” We all yelled and banged on the door. I kept turning the knob, but it wouldn’t open. I didn’t know what to do.

  “Ruby, Teresa, Mona, what’s going on in there?” I heard Marcellus yell through the door.

  “I’ll go get Ma. Hold on!” Ty hollered.
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  “Help, Marcellus! Help us!” I screamed as the room got darker, and Keisha, Bad Dreams 3 screamed out in horror.

  Ma made it to my door and said, “Girls, on the count of three, I want you to push really hard, okay? One, two, PUSH!”

  When they pulled and we pushed, the door flew open. Teresa, Mona, and I rocketed into the arms of Ma and the boys. All of us fell on the floor in the hallway, smelling like bad goat feet.

  “Man. You girls, you need to wash, and I mean right now,” Marcellus said. He covered his nose with his shirt and then walked back to his room to practice for his recital.

  All of a sudden, the fear I felt from being locked in my room turned into red-hot anger. I knew who was responsible for the bad smell and the scary movie.

  “How did all of this happen?” Ma asked us.

  “I’ll tell you how it happened, Ma. Come with me.” I stomped down the hallway toward Ty and Ro’s room.

  Ma, the girls, and Ty followed me. I was going to bust Ro. I knew he wasn’t in his room.

  “Where are you going, Rube?” Ty asked me.

  “To show Ma that Ro is —” I was saying as I opened the door to their room. To my surprise, Ro was sitting at his desk, studying. On a Friday night! I knew something was up.

  “What’s going on, ladies? I hope you’re having fun. Hi, Ma. Hi, Ty.” Ro looked up and gave us a sparkling smile. I wasn’t falling for it.

  “Where’s the glue? Where’s the smelly stuff you put on my toys? How did you make that scary movie come on my TV? Where are the goods, Ro?!” I stormed around his room looking for anything I could find to prove that he was up to his old ways. But I didn’t find a thing. Not one thing.

  “What’s wrong with her, Ma? What is she talking about?” Ro asked like he really didn’t know what was going on. Then he said, “Ruby, go back to having fun with your girls. I’m trying to study for a big test on Monday. Do you mind?”

  Ma looked carefully around the room, but she didn’t see anything, either. She took Mona and Teresa down the hallway so they could clean up and get ready to play dress up. Ty went to Marcellus’s room. I could hear the upright bass songs floating down the hallway.