"How would we get the tickets?" Tommy asked. "It's a school night. We wouldn't be let out."
"I can sneak out," Steve said. "I'll buy them."
"But Mr. Dalton snipped off the address," I reminded him. "How will you know where to go?"
"I memorized it." He grinned. "Now, are we gonna stand here all night making up excuses, or are we gonna go for it?"
We looked at each other, then one by one nodded silently.
"Right," Steve said. "We hurry home, grab our money, and meet back here. Tell your parents you forgot a book or something. We'll lump the money together and I'll add the rest from the pot at home."
"What if you can't steal I mean, 'borrow, the money?" I asked.
He shrugged. "Then the deal's off. But we won't know unless we try. Now hurry!"
With that, he sprinted away. Moments later, making up our minds, Tommy, Alan, and I ran, too.
CHAPTER FOUR
THE FREAK SHOW WAS all I could think about that night. I tried forgetting it but couldn't, not even when I was watching my favorite TV shows. It sounded so weird: a snake-boy, a wolf-man, a performing spider. I was especially excited by the spider.
Mom and Dad didn't notice anything was up, but Annie did. Annie is my younger sister. She can be sort of annoying but most of the time she's cool. She doesn't run to Mom telling on me if I misbehave, and she knows how to keep a secret.
"What's wrong with you?" she asked after dinner. We were alone in the kitchen, washing the dishes.
"Nothing's wrong," I said.
"Yes there is," she said. "You've been acting weird all night."
I knew she'd keep asking until she got the truth, so I told her about the freak show.
"It sounds great," she agreed, "but there's no way you'd get in."
"Why not? "I asked.
"I bet they don't let children in. It sounds like a grown-up kind of show."