Sixth Grade
Worksheets
Unlucky Friday
Friday the 13th
Reading Comprehension for June 13
Mason Abernathy's superstitious nature was his father's fault. Mason had always been proud of his father. Mr. Abernathy ran a construction company. In Mason's eyes he was the smartest man in the world. Then one day Mason discovered one of his father's quirks. When his firm's estimators informed him that a job value included the number 13, Mr. Abernathy always changed it to 14. (Therefore a price of $1,613 would be changed to $1,614.) He refused to submit work proposals on the 13th day of any month. Finally, when it was Friday the 13th, he would not go to work.
Mason realized that if the number 13 could upset a man of incredible strength and intelligence like his father, then it was a number to avoid. Staying home from school on Friday the 13th seemed like a sound idea. His mother disagreed.
That's how he wound up hiding in the boys' restroom, where Dylan Cannon found him.
"I thought you were out sick today," Dylan said over the sound of running water.
"I wish I was," Mason said in a low voice, "but my Mom wouldn't go for it. You'd think on a day as dangerous as this, a guy's mom would let him stay home!"
Dylan finished drying his hands. "What happened? Did Big Jake threaten to pound you into pudding today?"
Mason snorted. A bully was nothing. "It's Friday the thirteenth! Don't you know anything?"
Dylan turned and folded his arms across his chest. "I know what you are," he said.
Mason waited, expecting his popular friend to call him a scaredy-cat. Instead, a long stream of gibberish came out of Dylan's mouth. Mason stared in disbelief. "What did you say?"
