Free Prank List by Anna Staniszewski Page A

a few minutes later to clean the house. I can tell Marisol is even more nervous than I am. I try to distract her by asking her to tell me about the wacky personalities Andrew has been dealing with at film camp, but her eyes keep going to the window any time a car drives by.
    Finally, after the Ladybugs leave, it’s showtime.
    As we make our way out of Marisol’s room, I notice her hands are shaking.
    â€œIt’ll be fine,” I say as we leave her house. “Angela’s mom won’t suspect anything.”
    Marisol nods and goes toward the Barelis’ front door, while I rush around the side of the house and ease my way through some bushes. Then I stand under Angela’s bedroom window, trying not to look too conspicuous.
    A minute later, I hear the doorbell ring and then catch snippets of Marisol explaining to Mrs. Bareli how she let Angela borrow a sewing kit a few weeks ago and how she’s wondering if she can come in and look for it since there’s a special needle that she needs for a project she’s working on.
    I hold my breath as Mrs. Bareli lets Marisol in. The minute the door closes, I count a few seconds to give them time to go upstairs. Then I pull out my phone and dial the Barelis’ number.
    â€œHello?” Mrs. Bareli says after a few rings. Yes! That means Marisol is currently all alone in Angela’s room, free to plant an enormous hairball in the middle of the carpet. Now I have to give her some time.
    â€œYes, hello,” I say, trying to make my voice sound older and more official. “I’m calling about your latest order with…” My mind goes blank. I open my mouth and close it again. Nothing.
    â€œMy order from where?” she asks.
    â€œUh…penguins!” I call out, blurting the first word that comes to mind. Oh my goldfish. Did I really just say that?
    â€œPenguins?” she repeats. “Is this some sort of joke?”
    â€œNo! No, ma’am. Of course you didn’t order penguins. That would be ridiculous. Where would we even get penguins this time of year?” I clear my throat, stalling. “I’m calling from, um, Penguin Refrigeration about your latest freezer purchase.”
    Great. She’ll tell me she didn’t order a freezer and hang up on me.
    â€œDid my husband call you? We’ve been talking about getting a deep freezer for years, but as far I know, we didn’t… Wait!” She lets out a laugh. “I see now. This must be a surprise for my birthday. It’s coming up in a few weeks. I probably shouldn’t even be talking to you!” She giggles in a way that reminds me of Angela.
    Uh-oh. I’d wanted to distract her for a little while, not get her hopes up about a birthday present that will never come.
    â€œIs there a problem with the order?” she says.
    â€œOh, um…no, we’re just confirming it.”
    Suddenly, I hear Marisol in the background. “I found the needle,” she calls. “Thanks, Mrs. Bareli!”
    That’s my cue to hang up. I try to think of something to say to Mrs. Bareli to help smooth things over, but my mind is unhelpfully blank again. Finally, I wish Mrs. Bareli a happy birthday and hang up. Then I run like the wind to the back door of Marisol’s house, almost tripping over a garden hose on the way.
    A minute later, while I’m still panting, Marisol opens the door for me and lets me into the house. She’s grinning like a monkey, which I guess means her part of the plan went smoothly.
    When we go up to her room, we both erupt in hysterical giggles.
    â€œI can’t believe that worked!” says Marisol. “Did she suspect anything on the phone?”
    â€œI don’t think so,” I say. “Although next time you see Mr. Bareli, you might want to convince him to buy a freezer.”
    Marisol’s smile fades, and she looks at me with a strange expression that almost looks like guilt. “So, I