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Ben floated out to the soccer field where Winnie was flying her broom.

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She looked so happy soaring over the field.

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"I'm coming in for a landing!" he heard her say.

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"Me too!" cried another witch, tilting her broom down toward the field.

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Ben watched Winnie cruise to a soft landing.

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Then he floated over to her, his heart beating fast.

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He had come outside to ask her to the Monster Mash dance on Friday night.

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"What if she says no?" Ben thought, suddenly panicked.

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That would be terrible.

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He'd feel so stupid, and then things would get awkward between them. Maybe he shouldn't—

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Just then Winnie smiled at him. Her green eyes sparkled in the sunlight.

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Ben smiled back nervously. Winnie could sometimes read people's thoughts.

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Did she know what he was thinking now?

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"Great flying, Winnie," said Ben quickly.

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"Thanks," she answered. "I'm practicing for my broom-flying test.

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If I pass, I'll finally have my broom-flying license.

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Then maybe I can join the Witches' Formation team.

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They get to fly over the school during important events."

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"I'm sure you'll pass," said Ben.

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He knew he had to ask her now, before he lost all his courage.

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He took a deep breath—such a deep breath, he suddenly felt dizzy.

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Winnie stared at him. "Ben, are you okay? You look pale, even for a ghost."

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"I'm fine," Ben lied.

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His heart pounded faster. "Winnie, will you . . . um . . . ?"

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Smiling, Winnie tilted her head. "Will I . . . ?"

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"Will you go to the Monster Mash with me?"

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For a moment Winnie didn't say anything.

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"Oh no!" Ben thought, panicking again. "I never should have—"

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"I'd love to," she said.

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"You would? I mean, wow! That's great!"

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Suddenly Ben didn't know what to say. "Dancing is fun, right?"

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"I love dancing," Winnie agreed.

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"I love it almost as much as I love broom flying."

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"Me too," said Ben. "I mean, not broom flying but just regular flying.

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Not that there's anything wrong with broom flying. It's just that I'm a ghost and . . ."

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"What a dumb thing to say," Ben thought as Winnie giggled.

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He was babbling like an idiot.

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"I'll pick you up at seven," Ben told her. "Okay?"

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"Actually," Winnie said, "I'm on the decorating committee.

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So I have to get to the gym early to help decorate.

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Maybe we can just meet at the dance?"

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"Sure," said Ben. "That sounds great. I'll see you at school tomorrow."

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"Okay," said Winnie, grinning at him.

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Ben floated away as fast as he could. He could not believe his good luck.

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Ever since he'd first seen Winnie, he'd thought she was the most beautiful witch in the world.

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And now she was going to the dance with him!

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The next morning during homeroom, Mr. Freaky's voice crackled over the loudspeaker.

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"Good morning, students.

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I wanted to let everyone know that Miss Bungle is out sick with the flu today.

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So all of her broom-flying classes and activities are canceled until she returns. Thank you."

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Ben shot Winnie a sympathetic look.

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She looked pretty disappointed at the news.

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"Maybe Miss Bungle will be back soon," he whispered.

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"Yeah, I hope she's okay." Winnie smiled and tried to shrug it off.

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But Ben could tell that she was upset.

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"At least I have the dance to look forward to tonight, right?"

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"Right," he answered with a grin.

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After homeroom they walked together to Cooking.

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Today Ben was actually looking forward to cooking something.

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Mr. Freaky had hired a new teacher to replace Mrs. Hag.

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This one was supposed to be a much better cook than Mrs. Hag.

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"Good morning, monsters," said the new teacher, who was wearing goggles and an apron.

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"My name is Mr. Icky." His four tentacles waved to the students.

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"Today we're going to make slug cupcakes with rotten-egg frosting.

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They're for the dance tonight."

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"Woo-hoo!" called Mog.

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He was sitting with his new girlfriend, Lilly, and a few other monsters.

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"Slug cupcakes are awesome!"

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Soon the students started cooking.

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As Ben plopped slugs into his cupcake batter, he overheard Winnie talking to some other girl monsters about the dance.

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"I got my dress at Frightful Fashion," said a witch.

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"My mom bought me some new shoes too."

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"My dress is from the Suction Shop," said an octopus monster.

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"It's bright pink, and guess what—"

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She waved a bunch of her arms. "It's sleeveless!"

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"Cool. You're going to look great," said Winnie.

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She glanced over at Ben with a shy smile.

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"My dress is from the Witch's Closet.

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It's really pretty—black, of course, with lots of lace."

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Ben smiled back at Winnie, and he was still smiling a minute later as he started stirring the cupcake batter.

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He couldn't wait to see Winnie tonight.

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Their first Monster Mash dance together was going to be perfect.