Read Megan Stine_Jeffery & the Third-Grade Ghost 03 for Free Online

just trying to make sure Arvin had a happy Christmas—and Mrs. Merrin, too. But I’ve been having a terrible Christmas without you.”

    “Like, owww,” Max said. “My wrist is hurtsville from making that snow angel. We’d better make the emergency-room scene.”
    “Max!” Jeffrey grinned. “You know about Jonathan? Don’t tell me you were there at the Monster Smash!”
    “Hey, Daddy-o, just because you can’t see me doesn’t mean I’m not eyeballing you,” Max said with a laugh. “Besides, I do the Monster Smash all the time. Since I’m already in ghosts ville, what do I have to worry about?”
    “Did you see me? I made it down the hill! I was going to plow right into a tree, but I didn’t,” Jeffrey said proudly.
    “I’m hip, Daddy-o,” Max said. “That’s because I pushed you out of the way.”
    Jeffrey couldn’t believe what Max was saying. “You pushed the toboggan away from the tree?”
    “It was easier than pushing the tree out of the way.”
    “You saved my life, Max,” Jeffrey said, smiling at his friend.
    “No sweat. Like, I don’t know what to lay on you for a Christmas present, anyway,” Max said.
    The two friends went inside and then straight to the kitchen to make some hot chocolate.
    “Jeffrey,” his mother said. “You forgot to take your boots off.”
    “Sorry, Mom,” Jeffrey said.
    His mother was looking at the kitchen floor with a puzzled look. “Jeffrey, why are there two different boot tracks on the floor?”
    “Uh, I was in such a hurry to get some hot chocolate, I was marching double time, Mom,” Jeffrey said.
    Mrs. Becker laughed and tears formed in her eyes.
    “It wasn’t that funny, Mom,” Jeffrey said.
    “Like, you can say that a few more times,” whispered the invisible Max.
    “I know, Jeffrey,” said his mother. “But I haven’t seen you look so happy in days. It just made me a little teary.” She sniffled a couple of times.
    “Mom, don’t sniff up. Blow your nose,” Jeffrey said, imitating his cousin, Wendy. Then he and Max left with their hot chocolate.
    For the rest of the day, Jeffrey and Max played tricks on Jeffrey’s cousins.
    When Jonathan wanted to get off the couch—which wasn’t very often—he couldn’t.
    “It feels like someone’s sitting on my chest,” Jonathan explained. “Honest, Aunt Betsy.”
    “Hmm,” Mrs. Becker said, sounding less than convinced. “Maybe you’re a couch potato who has taken root.”
    Of course she couldn’t see what Jeffrey could see—that Max
was
sitting on Jonathan’s chest and keeping him pinned to the couch.
    At lunchtime, Max stood behind Wendy and made fun of her Miss Perfect Manners act. Jeffrey couldn’t help laughing.
    “Don’t laugh with your mouth full,” Wendy said to Jeffrey.
    Then she took a bite of her grilled cheese sandwich.
    Suddenly, Miss Perfect Manners spit out the bite of sandwich. It went flying across the table and landed right in Jonathan’s soup.
    “Great shot, Wendy,” Jeffrey said, laughing. “But wouldn’t it be more
polite
to play this game
after
lunch?”
    Wendy turned red with embarrassment. “It felt like someone slapped me on the back and made me spit,” she said.
    “Oh, sure,” Jeffrey said, winking in Max’s direction. “Probably the same person who was sitting on Jonathan’s chest.”
    Late that night, Jeffrey was splashing around in the bathtub. Max was squirting mounds of white shaving cream from a can into his hand. He spread it on his face. Then, using a comb, he pretended to shave.
    “I’ve got a totally dynamite plan,” Jeffrey said to Max. “Don’t you want to hear it?”
    “Like the corn plant said to the crow, I’m all ears, Daddy-o,” Max said.
    “Christmas morning, real early, we sneak downstairs,” Jeffrey began. “Then we steal all the presents that are for Wendy and Jonathan. And then we wrap up our presents for them and put themunder the tree instead. You know, things like old rotten food—”
    “Boxes of dirt,”