After school the next afternoon, Evan and Andy found Kermit behind his lab table as usual. “Hi, Kermit,” Evan called, tossing his backpack down and stepping up to the table.

Kermit didn’t glance up. He was busy stirring ingredients in a large mixing bowl, using a large wooden spoon.

Evan peered into the bowl. It looked like pie dough in there. It was thick and gooey and yellowish.

Kermit hummed to himself as he stirred.

Andy was wearing a sleeveless, hot pink T-shirt over bright yellow shorts and matching yellow sneakers. She stepped up beside Evan and peeked into the bowl. “Making a pie?” she asked.

Kermit ignored her, too. He kept stirring and humming, stirring and humming.

Finally he stopped and glanced up at Evan. “I told my mom you lost my Frisbee,” he said, sneering. “She says you have to get me a new one.”

“Huh? Me?” Evan cried.

Andy walked around to Kermit’s side of the table. She lowered her head to the bowl. “Smells lemony,” she said. “What is it, Kermit? Is it some kind of dough?”

“It was your fault my Frisbee got lost,” Kermit told Evan, ignoring Andy’s questions. “Mom says you’re a very bad baby-sitter.”

Evan let out an angry cry. He balled his hands into fists. He struggled to keep himself from strangling Kermit.

It was a real struggle.

“Mom wanted to know who drank up all the orange soda,” Kermit continued. “I told her you and Andy drank it.”

“Kermit!” Evan shrieked. “You played a horrible trick on us yesterday! You put chemicals in our orange soda! You made us laugh and laugh and laugh—until it hurt. Then you got us in major trouble with Conan! Did you tell your mom that? Did you? Did you?”

Kermit put his hands over his ears. “Don’t shout, Evan,” he whined. “You know I have very sensitive ears.”

Another angry growl escaped Evan’s throat. He felt about to explode with rage.

“I told my mom that you shout at me all the time,” Kermit continued. “Mom says you’re just immature. She thinks you’re very babyish. She only lets you stay with me because you’re my cousin.”

Kermit picked up the wooden spoon and started to stir the doughy mixture again.

Evan spun away, trying to control his anger.

I’m glad Andy and I are going to do what we’re going to do, he thought. I’m glad we’re going to give Kermit a little scare. He’s been asking for it. He really has. And now he’s going to get it.

Evan walked over to his backpack. He unzipped it and pulled out a candy bar. “Mmmmmm. A Choc-O-Lik Bar,” he murmured. He crossed back to the lab table, unwrapping the candy bar as he walked.

Standing in front of Kermit, Evan took a big bite of the chocolate bar. It made a loud crunch as his teeth sank into it. “Mmmmmm!” he proclaimed. “Choc-O-Lik Bars are cool.”

The candy bar was part of the plot.

Evan knew that the Choc-O-Lik Bar was Kermit’s favorite.

The candy bar was supposed to distract Kermit. While Kermit stared at the candy and pleaded with Evan to give him a bite, Andy would slip a tiny chunk of Monster Blood into Kermit’s mixture.

Evan crunched the candy bar loudly, making lip-smacking sounds as he chewed.

Kermit glanced up. He stopped stirring the yellowish dough. “Is that really a Choc-O-Lik Bar?” he asked.

Evan nodded. “Yeah. Sure is.”

“My favorite,” Kermit said.

“I know,” Evan replied. He took another crunchy bite.

Kermit stared at the candy bar.

Andy stood beside Kermit. Evan saw the blue container of Monster Blood in her hand. Just seeing the can made Evan shiver.

So many bad memories. So many nightmares.

The green gunk inside the can was so dangerous.

“Can I have a piece of the Choc-O-Lik Bar?” Kermit asked Evan.

Andy lifted off the top of the Monster Blood container.

“Maybe. Maybe not,” Evan told Kermit.

Andy stuck two fingers in the container. She pulled out a gooey green hunk of Monster Blood.

“Please? Pretty please?” Kermit begged Evan.

Andy dropped the chunk of Monster Blood into Kermit’s big bowl of dough. Then she quietly snapped the cap back on the container and slid it back into her bag.

Evan took another bite of the candy bar.

“You shouldn’t eat a candy bar unless you have enough to share with everyone,” Kermit scolded.

“You haven’t been very nice to me,” Evan told him. “So I’m not going to share.”

Kermit started stirring the dough again. He stared angrily at Evan as he stirred. He didn’t see the green Monster Blood being stirred up in the yellow dough.

Evan took another bite of the Choc-O-Lik Bar. Only a few bites left.

“I’m going to tell Mom you were mean to me,” Kermit threatened. “I’m going to tell her you wouldn’t share.”

Evan shook his head. “See what I mean? You’re not nice to me, Kermit. If you were nice to me, I’d share all my candy bars with you.”

Andy winked at Evan. Then she peered into the bowl.

Kermit stirred and stirred.

Andy’s expression became tense. She gripped the edge of the table with both hands. Evan saw her nibble her bottom lip.