Be Careful What You Wish For Read Online Free PDF Page A

pulled off our wet sneakers in the kitchen. “You won’t believe what happened to me. I —”
    “Later,” he said, pulling off his wet socks and tucking them into the sneakers. “I’ve got to get to that homework.”
    He disappeared up to his room.
    I started to my room, but the phone rang. I picked it up after the first ring.
    It was Cory, calling to ask how my basketball practice had gone after school.
    “Great,” I told him sarcastically. “Just great. I was so fabulous, they’re going to retire my number.”
    “You don’t have a number,” Cory reminded me. What a friend.
    Judith tried to trip me in the lunchroom the next afternoon. But this time I managed to step over her outstretched sneaker.
    I made my way past Judith’s table and found Cory nearly hidden in the corner near the trash baskets. He had already unwrapped his lunch and had a very unhappy expression on his face.
    “Not grilled cheese again!” I exclaimed, dropping my brown paper lunch bag on the table and pulling out the chair across from him.
    “Grilled cheese again,” he muttered. “And look at it. I don’t even think it’s American cheese. I think my dad tried to slip in cheddar on me.”
    I opened my chocolate-milk carton, then pulled my chair in closer. Across the room, some boys were laughing loudly, tossing a pink-haired Troll doll back and forth. It landed in someone’s soup, and the table erupted in wild cheers.
    As I picked up my sandwich, a shadow fell over the table. I realized that someone was standing behind me.
    “Judith!” I cried, turning my head.
    She sneered down at me. She was wearing a green-and-white school sweater over dark greencorduroys. “Are you coming to the game after school, Byrd?” she demanded coldly.
    I set down the sandwich. “Yeah. Of course I’m coming,” I replied, puzzled by the question.
    “Too bad,” she replied, frowning. “That means we don’t have a chance of winning.”
    Judith’s pal Anna suddenly appeared beside her. “Couldn’t you get sick or something?” she asked me.
    “Hey, give Sam a break!” Cory cried angrily.
    “We really want to beat Jefferson,” Anna said, ignoring him. She had dark red lipstick smeared on her chin. Anna wore more lipstick than all the other seventh-graders put together.
    “I’ll try my best,” I replied through clenched teeth.
    They both laughed as if I had made a joke. Then they walked off, shaking their heads.
    If only my stupid wish would come true
! I thought bitterly.
    But of course I knew that it wouldn’t.
    I figured I was in for more embarrassment and humiliation at the game.
    I had no idea just how surprising the game would turn out to be.

10
    The game felt weird from the beginning.
    The Jefferson team was mostly sixth-graders, and they were pretty small. But they were well coached. They really seemed to know where they were going. And they had a lot of energy and team spirit.
    As they came trotting to the center of the gym for the opening tip-off, my stomach was fluttery and I felt as if I weighed a thousand pounds.
    I was really dreading this game. I knew I was going to mess up. And I knew that Judith and Anna would be sure to let me know just how badly I messed up, and how I let the team down.
    So I was really shaky as the game started. And when, in the opening tip-off, the ball was slapped right to me, I grabbed it — and started dribbling toward the wrong basket!
    Luckily, Anna grabbed me and turned me around before I could shoot a basket for Jefferson!But I could hear players on both teams laughing. And I glanced at the sidelines and saw that both coaches — Ellen and the Jefferson coach — were laughing, too.
    I could feel my face turn beet-red. I wanted to quit right then and go sink into a hole in the ground and never come out.
    But — to my amazement — I still had the ball.
    I tried to pass it to Judith. But I threw it too low, and a Jefferson girl stole it and started dribbling to our basket.
    The game was ten