Don't Scream (9780307823526) Read Free

managed to say, “Thank you,” before shutting the door firmly behind him.
    Weird
, I thought.
Except for good-looking Mark, that is a truly weird family.

CHAPTER
two
    A short while later, I was busy serving burgers, fries, and Cokes, chatting with the customers, and flashing a friendly Bingo’s Burgers smile, when Mark Malik stepped up to the counter.
    â€œHi. Thanks for bringing over the cake. It was great,” he said.
    â€œMom made it. It’s one of her specialties. I’m glad you liked it,” I said.
    Mark lowered his voice. “I’m afraid my dad wasn’t very friendly when you came. He should have invited you in. It’s just that the cake kind of took us by surprise.”
    â€œWhy were you surprised?”
    Mark shrugged. “Well, because we weren’t expecting anything like that.”
    â€œReally? Mom’s cake was just the beginning. Mrs. Snyder, across the street, will probably bring over a fresh peach pie, and Mrs. Hickey will show up with a meat loaf. You know the custom. It’s called being neighborly.”
    â€œThat’s a custom? I never heard of doing anything like that.”
    â€œWell, I never heard of
not
doing it.” I paused, aware of the line that was beginning to form behind Mark, but my curiosity won out. “Where did you say you’re from?” I asked.
    â€œThe East Coast,” he answered.
    â€œWhere on the East Coast aren’t they neighborly?”
    Linda Pruett leaned around Mark’s shoulder and said, “Jessie, what’s keeping this line? I’ve got four hungry kids waiting to eat. They’re going to tear up this place if I don’t get some food inside them pretty quick.”
    â€œSorry,” Mark said, and he stepped back, giving Mrs. Pruett a glowing smile.
    Caught off guard, she patted his arm and said, “That’s all right, son. I’m sorry to have to interrupt.”
    â€œNo problem,” Mark said. With a wave in my direction, he strode to Bingo’s main door and left.
    â€œTwo doubles and four treasure boxes, and no cheese on the burgers,” Mrs. Pruett said, quickly collecting herself. “Cokes all around, and make sure none of the treasure boxes are missing their prizes this time.” She jerked her chin toward the door. “That was a good-looking boy you were talking to, Jessie. Seems like a nice, polite boy, too. I haven’t seen him around here before. Did his family recently move to Oakberry?”
    â€œYes,” I answered as I scrawled the order andclipped it to the trolley leading to the open kitchen. “They moved in today.”
    â€œWhat’s their name?”
    â€œMalik.”
    â€œAny relation to the Maliks down around Sweet Home or Halletsville?”
    â€œI don’t think so.” I told Mrs. Pruett the total, took the bills she handed me, and gave her change.
    â€œWhere are they from?” Mrs. Pruett persisted.
    â€œThe East Coast,” I said. “That’s all Mark told me.” I loaded Mrs. Pruett’s order on a large tray and turned to the next customer.
    Mark obviously had come to Bingo’s just to see me. Hugging a little smile that no one could see, I promised myself that as soon as possible I was going to find out as much as I could about Mark Malik.
    It was getting late, near the end of my shift, when Eric Dodson wandered in. He squinted up at the menu board, which spread across the counter area over my head, then looked at me.
    â€œHi, Jess,” he said.
    â€œHi,” I answered. “What’ll you have, Eric?”
    â€œBaked potato,” he said.
    â€œWe don’t have baked potatoes,” I told him. “Fries okay?”
    Eric frowned and studied the menu board again while I studied him. When I was in seventh grade, I thought Eric was really something. He’s probably the smartest person I’ve ever met, and he’s good-looking in a skinny-tall kind of way.