Good Friends

"Good Friends" is the fifth short story featured in the book Tales to Give You Goosebumps.

Plot
Dylan and his friend, Jordan, are hanging out after school. The two boys see Jordan's younger sister, Ashley, talking to an imaginary friend. Jordan makes fun of her, and Ashley runs away. Dylan's older brother, Richard, demands that Dylan come inside and do his homework. Dylan lies and says that he's done his homework, and Jordan asks Dylan why he lets his brother boss him around.

That night, while Dylan is trying to do homework, Jordan comes up with a plan to release Richard's pet tarantulas in the hopes of scaring Ashley. The boys steal Richard's spiders and walk outside. Richard storms out, yelling at Dylan. Richard calls Dylan an embarrassment because he likes playing with imaginary friends Jordan and Ashley.

Trivia

 * This story references Barbie. Additionally, the tarantulas' names, Axel and Foley, are references to the character Axel Foley, protagonist of the film Beverly Hills Cop.
 * Elements of this story would later be used for the story My Imaginary Friend from R.L. Stine's 2001 collection The Haunting Hour. It also features someone who has a friend that forces them to do bad things, and a twist where their friend turns out to be imaginary.
 * This short story, "Something Strange About Marci", and "Monster on the Ice" are all tied for having the lowest page count in the Tales to Give You Goosebumps series, with only ten pages each.
 * The French translatiom has an extended ending where Richard's mom comes home and asks if he is still playing with his imaginary brother, revealing that Dylan is made up as well.