Free Horrible Harry and the Green Slime by Suzy Kline

Secret Pals

    Miss Mackle held up a big glass jar with the names of everyone in Room 2B.
    â€œToday,” she said, “we will pick secret pals.”
    Everyone looked around the room and pointed at somebody.
    Harry pointed at me.
    I pointed at Harry.
    â€œJust a minute,” Miss Mackle continued, “when I say ‘pick a pal,’ I mean pick a pal out of this jar.”
    Everyone stared at the jar and groaned.
    â€œFor one week,” Miss Mackle continued, “you will send letters and little homemade surprises to your secret pal. On Friday, you will bring a letter to school saying who you are. I hope this activity will promote writing skills and new friendships.”
    I put my hand in the jar very carefully. Then Harry did.
    Slowly we opened the folded pieces of paper.
    Harry flashed his white teeth. I could tell he was happy about the name he drew.
    â€œI bet you have Song Lee,” I whispered.

    Harry nodded. “How did you guess?”
    Miss Mackle put the jar back on her desk. “Now remember, boys and girls, your secret pal is a secret. Don’t tell anyone! And when you give your pal something, make sure it is when he or she is not at their desk.”
    â€œWho do you have, Doug?” Harry whispered.
    â€œI can’t tell you. Didn’t you hear the teacher?”
    Harry made a face. “I told you!”
    â€œNo you didn’t. I guessed yours.”
    â€œDo you have Ida?” Harry guessed.
    I shook my head.
    â€œTell me!” Harry insisted.
    â€œI can’t.”
    â€œThen you’re not my friend anymore,” Harry said.
    Miss Mackle stood in front of the class. “I think this activity will be a fun learning experience.”
    Some fun, I thought. I just lost my best friend.
    The next day when Song Lee was with her special English teacher, Harry put a fat letter on her desk with a picture of Tyrannosaurus Rex.
    Harry found a letter on his desk. He read it aloud:

    Harry leaned over on his desk, “See Doug, my pal knows how to be a friend. He’s not like YOU!”
    And then he picked up the conch and listened to the sounds of the sea.
    He didn’t even ask me if I wanted a turn.
    When I came back from lunch, I found a drawing on my desk.
    It was supposed to be a flying unicorn in a snowstorm. I thought it was dumb. My secret pal didn’t even know how to spell my name.
    On Wednesday, I got a drawing of a snowman and one sentence:

    It was a one-eyed snowman.
    Ho, ho, ho, I thought. It was so funny, I forgot to laugh.
    Thursday, Song Lee found a clay salamander on her desk. There was a story next to it. The story was three pages long.
    I could tell Song Lee liked the salamander because she named it Lin Woo and made a collar of flowers for it.

    When Harry came back from the lavatory, he had another note and surprise on his desk. It was a pencil holder made out of a ball of aluminum foil. Three holes were jabbed in it for pencils.
    Harry read his note:

    â€œSee?” Harry said. “My secret pal knows how to be a friend. Are you going to change your mind and tell me who your secret pal is?”
    I shook my head.
    â€œThen I’m not even going to talk to you anymore.”
    Harry was acting so horrible I didn’t even care if he was my best friend anymore.
    When I came back from the pencil sharpener, I found a folded piece of paper on my desk. Probably another dumb letter from Frosty. I opened it.
    The note had two sentences this time.

    Friday morning everyone was excited about finding out who his secret pal was. Except me.
    Miss Mackle passed out the home-work letters. “Now you will find out who your secret pal is!
    Song Lee turned as red as a salamander when she found out it was Harry. I think she knew who it was all along though. She turned red because Harry drew a heart on his letter.
    I read mine. It said:

    I thought it was from someone like Sidney.
    Harry finally got around to opening his letter. It was