Gotcha! Gotcha Back! Read online

  George laughed even harder. “Ooooh,” he said as he pretended to shake and shiver. “I’m soooo scared!”

  Chapter 5

  Saturday was cold and rainy. But the kids in Katie’s cooking club didn’t mind. Saturday was the day they met at Katie’s house to try out new recipes. They were all nice and dry inside, making chocolate-covered bananas.

  “Mmmm,” Becky Stern murmured as she took a bite of hers. “This is the yummiest!”

  “I wish we’d made more,” George grumbled. “Mine’s all gone, and I’m still hungry.”

  “Me too,” Jeremy agreed.

  “You know what I feel like?” Kevin asked the others. “Pizza.”

  “Funny, you don’t look like a pizza,” George joked.

  But everyone agreed that a pizza sure would taste good. And before long, Katie, George, Jeremy, Suzanne, Miriam, Jessica, Kevin, Mandy, and Becky were all at the Cherrydale Mall, watching as Louie threw pizza dough high in the air.

  “When the moon, hits your eye, like a big pizza pie ... ” Louie sang as he tossed the dough. Luckily the pizza didn’t hit Louie in the eye. He caught it with his hands instead.

  “I really hate rain,” Jeremy groaned. “This is the third weekend in a row that my afternoon soccer game has been rained out.”

  Becky wasn’t sad. She was smiling. “I’m glad it rained. I hardly ever see you on the weekends,” she told Jeremy.

  Jeremy scowled.

  Katie felt bad for Jeremy. Becky was always saying things like that to him. And Jeremy hated it when she did.

  “All right!” George exclaimed happily. “Louie just put our pie in the oven. Half extra cheese and half mushroom!”

  A few minutes later, Louie placed the steaming hot pizza on the table, and handed everyone a dish.

  “Mmm ... extra cheesy!” George exclaimed as he grabbed for a slice.

  “Here, George,” Suzanne said sweetly as she handed him the saltshaker. “I know how much you love salt on your pizza.”

  Katie didn’t know how anyone could put salt on pizza. But George did. He loved salty foods.

  “Gee, thanks, Suzanne,” George replied. He took the saltshaker from her. He started to turn it over onto his pizza, but stopped suddenly. Then he shook his head. “Unfortunately, I don’t like sugar on my pizza!”

  “What?” Suzanne asked him.

  “This saltshaker is filled with sugar,” George said, putting a little on his finger and tasting it. “Nice try, Suzanne, but that’s the oldest practical joke in the world. I would never fall for it.”

  Suzanne sighed. “You’re pretty good, George.”

  George shook his head. “No I’m not,” he disagreed. “I’m the best.”

  “Okay,” Suzanne admitted. “You’re the best. And you know what? I’m not even mad at you anymore.” She held out her hand. “Let’s be friends again.”

  “We’re not friends,” George told her. “Besides, you have a buzzer on your hand. And I’m not falling for that either.”

  Suzanne frowned. She’d been caught ... again.

  “Go, George!” Kevin exclaimed. “No one can pull a practical joke on you!”

  George grinned and took a huge bite of his pizza.

  “This cheese is getting all over my hands,” Miriam Chan said. “I’m going to get some more napkins.”

  As Miriam walked over to the counter, Katie noticed George reaching across the table. But from where she was sitting she couldn’t see exactly what he was doing.

  A moment later, Miriam came back to the table. She put the napkins in the center and sat down. Then she started to take a sip of her drink ...

  “Oh, yuck!” she exclaimed. “There’s a fly in my water!” Miriam jumped up to get away from the bug. As she stood, she hit the edge of the table. The water spilled all over her jeans.

  Kevin and George started laughing.

  “Check it out,” Kevin exclaimed. “Miriam wet her pants!” He laughed even harder.

  Mandy looked over at the ice and water that had spilled on the table. She picked up one of the cubes and examined it.

  “This isn’t an ice cube,” she told Miriam. “It’s a piece of clear plastic with a fake bug in it. Somebody put it in your water to scare you.”

  “And I know who,” Suzanne said. She stared right at George.

  “Who, me?” George asked. “I was just sitting here, eating my pizza.” He gobbled down the last bite. “And I’m finished now. So I’m leaving.”

  “Me too,” Kevin added. He stood up and followed behind his best friend.

  “I know it was George who did that,” Suzanne said as the boys left. “I’m sure of it.

  “I wish we could get him back for his dumb practical jokes,” Miriam said with a frown.

  Mandy smiled. “Oh, I think we can,” she said mysteriously.

  Katie gulped. She didn’t like the sound of that at all.

  Chapter 6

  “Can you believe Mr. Kane?” Suzanne exclaimed angrily as she and Katie stood on the school steps on Monday afternoon. “Why should we all have to miss recess just because George played another of his practical jokes on everyone?”

  “Suzanne, you don’t know for sure it was George,” Katie said.

  “Come on, Katie,” Suzanne argued. “Who else would put a piece of plastic throw-up in the salad bar at school?”

  Katie frowned. The fake throw-up was actually hers. She was just lucky Suzanne hadn’t remembered that Katie had gotten it from her Secret Santa.

  “Lots of people could have done it,” Katie said. “Anyone could buy plastic throw-up at the toy store.”

  Suzanne shrugged. “I guess. But George is the only person in the world who would put it in the salad bar.”

  Katie couldn’t argue with that. So she changed the subject instead. “You want to come over to my house and do homework?” she asked.

  Suzanne shook her head. “Sorry. I have plans with Mandy today.”

  Katie looked at her strangely. Suzanne and Mandy hardly ever hung out together.

  “Oh,” she said slowly. “What are you guys doing?”

  “Nothing special,” Suzanne said with a shrug.

  Katie waited for Suzanne to ask her if she wanted to come, too.

  Suzanne didn’t say a word.

  Just then, Mandy came walking out of the school. “Hey, Suzanne. Hi, Katie.”

  “Hi,” Katie replied.

  “Are you ready?” Suzanne asked Mandy.

  Mandy looked over at Katie. “Uh, sure,” she murmured. “I just ... um ... er ... I have to go back and get something out of my classroom first.”

  “Oh, okay,” Suzanne said. “I’ll come with you.” She turned to Katie. “See you later,” she added.

  “Yeah, later,” Katie answered as she watched the two girls head into the school building together.

  There was something really suspicious about Suzanne and Mandy’s behavior. Katie couldn’t figure out what was going on, but she knew something was up.

  There was only one way to find out what it was. Quickly, Katie hurried up the steps and back into the school.

  Katie knew that it was wrong to spy on people. But she couldn’t help herself. She had to know what the girls were up to. Quickly, she followed the girls down the hallway.

  “Wait, do you hear somebody?” Mandy asked, suddenly stopping in her tracks.

  Katie gasped, and then ducked down under a nearby water fountain.

  “I don’t see anyone,” Suzanne said, looking around. “Come on, we have to hurry.”

  “We have to be careful, too,” Mandy reminded her. “We don’t want to get caught in the computer center after school without permission.”

  The computer center. So that’s where they are going. Now Katie was more confused than ever. What were they up to?

  Mandy and Suzanne might not have seen Katie, but Katie had heard what they were saying. And it made her really angry!

  “Don’t you feel bad about keeping a secret from Katie?” she
heard Mandy ask Suzanne. “After all, she’s your best friend.”

  “She would just try to stop us,” Suzanne said. “Katie’s a goody-goody.”

  Katie scowled. This wasn’t the first time Suzanne had said that. Katie was so angry, she wanted to scream. But she had to be quiet if she was going to find out what was going on.

  Mandy continued down the hall. Suzanne followed close behind. When the girls finally reached the computer center, they stopped and looked around again.

  Katie darted into a nearby bathroom to keep from being spotted. She stood there quietly, waiting until she heard the door to the computer center slam shut.

  Katie slipped out of the bathroom, and headed toward the computer center. She stood outside the room and placed her ear against the wooden door. Unfortunately, she couldn’t hear a thing.

  Katie crouched down and tried to peek into the room through the keyhole. But Katie couldn’t see anything, either.

  Just then, Katie heard footsteps in the empty hallway. She turned around just in time to see Mrs. Derkman, her third-grade teacher, walk up beside her.

  “Katie, do you have an after-school activity today?” Mrs. Derkman asked.

  Katie shook her head.

  “Then what are you doing here?” Mrs. Derkman asked.

  “I, um ... well ... I thought I dropped something,” Katie told her nervously.

  “You dropped what?” Mrs. Derkman demanded.

  “I forget,” Katie answered quickly.

  “Well, I’m going to forget I saw you walking around in the hallway after the school day has ended—if you leave right now,” Mrs. Derkman told her.

  Katie knew Mrs. Derkman could get her into big trouble if she wanted to. “Yes, ma‘am,” she answered. Then she turned and raced down the hall and out of the school.

  Chapter 7

  There was no one outside the school building. By now, all the kids had gone home. Everyone except Mandy and Suzanne, that is. They were still in the computer room.

  Katie wondered if Mrs. Derkman had found them in there yet. They were going to be in big trouble when she did.

  Just then, Katie felt a cool breeze blowing on the back of her neck. She shivered slightly and lifted the collar of her jean jacket. But the breeze pushed right through it. No jean jacket could block out this wind. It was too strong.

  This was the magic wind!

  The magic wind picked up speed. It blew harder and harder, until it was circling right around Katie.

  The magic wind became more powerful, whipping around Katie. She closed her eyes tight and tried not to cry.

  Then it stopped. Just like that.

  The magic wind was gone.

  And so was Katie.

  Slowly, Katie opened her eyes and looked around. The magic wind had blown her around to the back of the school building. Now she was standing outside, right near the window of the computer room. Through the window, Katie could see Mandy and Suzanne quietly sneaking out of the room.

  Katie was still curious about what Suzanne and Mandy had been doing. But right now she had a bigger mystery to solve ...

  Who had the magic wind turned her into?

  Katie looked down. She was wearing a pair of black jeans, with big pockets and huge baggy legs. On her feet she was wearing black and orange sneakers with Velcro instead of laces.

  Those were George’s sneakers!

  Quickly, Katie looked at the window. George’s reflection stared back at her. That was one mystery solved. Katie was George. And she was going to be George until the magic wind came and switcherooed her back into Katie again.

  Katie had no idea when that would be. So in the meantime, she might as well solve the other mystery: What were Suzanne and Mandy doing in the computer room?

  Maybe they had left some sort of clue behind. Katie just had to get into the computer room ... without bumping into anyone. That meant she couldn’t be seen in the hallway. She would have to crawl through the window instead!

  Katie opened the window wide enough for her to move through. Then she remembered that George was a lot plumper than Katie was. She opened the window even wider.

  Katie stuck her head in the room, and pulled the rest of George’s body over the windowsill. She put her feet quietly on the ground, and walked over to the computers.

  Unfortunately for Katie, Suzanne and Mandy had remembered to turn their computer off before they left the room. Now how was she supposed to know which one they had worked on?

  Then Katie remembered something important. Computers got warm when they were turned on. The one Mandy and Suzanne had just been using would have to be warmer than the others. Quickly, Katie moved around the room, touching each computer until she found one that was warm.

  Katie switched the computer on and waited for it to boot up. Then she went straight to the history file. Her computer teacher, Mr. Beitman, had taught the fourth-graders that the history file had a list of all the most recently used documents.

  The file opened. At the top of the list was a document called “4A Express.”

  Mandy had been working on the class newspaper, Katie thought to herself. But why was Suzanne helping her? She isn’t in class 4A. She is in class 4B.

  Katie double-clicked the file. Instantly, the front page of next week’s Class 4A Express appeared on the screen.

  Now Katie knew what Suzanne and Mandy had been up to. And it wasn’t very nice at all.

  Chapter 8

  MYSTERIOUS PRACTICAL JOKER EXPOSED!

  Katie stared at the headline. Just beneath it was a picture of George Brennan. Not just any picture. Suzanne and Mandy had used the worst picture of George they could find. It was taken right after the pie-eating contest at last year’s school picnic. George had felt really sick.

  “That is so mean,” Katie muttered to herself.

  There were other articles on the page, too. They were the usual boring stories. One headline read, “Mr. Kane Picks 4A to Lead Pledge of Allegiance.” Another said, “4A Aces Math Tests.” The headline next to that one read, “Art from Ink Stains.”

  But it was the big picture of George that stood out on the front page. There was no way anyone would miss that article.

  And what a mean article it was:Fake mice on the floor. Plastic throw-up in the salad bar. Whoopee cushions everywhere. Who has been responsible for these mean tricks? It’s George Brennan, and now everyone knows it! George should be punished for causing so much trouble in the fourth grade. And so should anyone else who has been involved.

  Katie gulped! When Mr. Guthrie read that, George could be in big trouble! So might Katie. After all, that whoopee cushion and the plastic throw-up had been hers.

  Katie just couldn’t let any of that happen. She was going to have to delete the article and get rid of that mean, awful picture of George.

  Katie stared at the screen for a minute trying to figure out what to do. Mandy had been using a special program that was made to create newspapers. Katie had never used that program before.

  I’ll start by deleting the picture of George, Katie thought as she hit a few of the keys on the keyboard.

  Bling! The alert sound rang out. The computer screen went blank.

  Katie gulped. Had she just deleted all of Mandy’s hard work? She hadn’t meant to. She had only wanted to delete George’s picture.

  Bling! Just then, the alert sound rang out again. The front page of the newspaper flashed onto the screen.

  Phew! Katie was so relieved.

  But not for long. Katie had made a terrible mistake. Sure, the picture of George was gone. But the picture of Mr. Kane had been made really big. So big, in fact, that all you could see was the principal’s nose!

  Katie had to fix that. She quickly double-clicked the mouse.

  Bling! The screen went blank. Then the newspaper reappeared.

  “Oh, no!” Katie cried out. Instead of fixing the front page, she’d made things worse. Part of the headline that had once read, “Mr. Kane Picks 4A to Lead Pledge of Allegianc
e,” had been deleted.

  Now, beneath the giant picture of the principal’s nose it read: “Mr. Kane Picks.”

  Mr. Kane was definitely not going to like that. Katie had to fix it right away!

  She began pressing more keys on the keyboard. Bling! The computer screen went blank. Then the front page of the newspaper reappeared.

  This time, Katie realized she had changed two headlines. “4A Aces Math Tests” and “Art from Ink Stains” had been mixed together. Now the headline read: “Math Test Stinks.”

  Oh, no! That wasn’t what Mandy had written at all!

  Katie began moving the mouse around the screen. She just had to fix this before someone found out what she had done.

  Chapter 9

  Bling! Bling!

  The computer blurted out lots of warning sounds as Katie moved and clicked the mouse, trying to fix the newspaper. She moved her fingers as quickly as she could. But Katie wasn’t fast enough.

  Before she could make things right again, Mr. G. spotted her in the computer lab.

  “George,” the teacher called out as he walked into the room. “What are you doing?”

  At first Katie didn’t answer. She had been so focused on fixing the newspaper that she had forgotten that she was George now.

  But Mr. G. had no idea that George was really Katie. “George?” the teacher repeated.

  “I ... um ...” Katie stammered.

  Mr. G. didn’t wait for her to think of an answer. Instead, he walked toward her, and peered over her shoulder at the computer screen.

  “Oh, George,” Mr. G. said. “This time you have gone too far.”

  “But Mr. G.,” Katie began. “Mandy and Suzanne were going to print this awful picture of George ... I mean of me, and—” Katie told the teacher.

  Mr. G. shook his head. “That doesn’t give you the right to make a mess of the Class 4A Express,” he said.