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

back, I saw Judith, Anna, and the others trudging over slowly, yawning, pulling their bodies with great effort.
    And as Ellen shouted for everyone to “hustle up,” I watched them wearily approach. Then I realized to my amazement
that my wish had come true!

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    “What is the matter, girls?” Ellen demanded as we huddled on the sidelines. She glanced from player to player, examining each one with concern.
    Anna dropped down wearily to the floor, her shoulders slumped. It looked like she could barely keep her eyes open.
    Judith leaned her back against the gym’s tile wall. She was breathing hard, and beads of sweat rolled down her pale forehead.
    “Let’s get up some energy,” Ellen urged, clapping her hands. “I thought you girls were
pumped
for this game!”
    “There’s no air in here,” one of the players complained.
    “I feel so tired,” another one said, yawning.
    “Maybe we’re coming down with something,” Anna suggested from down on the floor.
    “Do you feel sick, too?” Ellen asked me.
    “No,” I told her. “I feel okay.”
    Behind me, Judith groaned wearily and tried to push herself away from the wall.
    The referee, a high school kid wearing a black- and-white-striped shirt about five sizes too big for him, blew his whistle. He signaled for us to get back out on the floor.
    “I don’t understand it,” Ellen sighed, shaking her head. She helped pull Anna to her feet. “I don’t understand it. I really don’t.”
    I
understood it.
    I understood it perfectly.
    My wish had come true. I couldn’t believe it! That strange woman really did have some kind of magical powers. And she had granted my wish.
    Only not quite the way I had imagined.
    I remembered my words so clearly. I had wished to be the strongest player on the basketball team. That meant I wanted the woman to make me a stronger, better player.
    Instead, she had made everyone else
weaker!
    I was the same klutzy player I’d always been. I still couldn’t dribble, pass, or shoot.
    But I was the strongest player on the team!
    How could I have been such a jerk?
I scolded myself angrily as I trotted back to the center of the gym floor. Wishes
never
turn out the way you want them to.
    When I reached center court, I turned back and saw Judith, Anna, and the others trudging onto the floor. Their shoulders were slumped, and theydragged their sneakers over the floor as they walked.
    I have to admit I enjoyed it just a little.
    I mean, I felt perfectly fine. And they looked so weak and pitiful.
    Judith and Anna really deserve it,
I told myself. I tried not to grin as they slumped into their places. But maybe I was smiling just a little.
    The referee blew his whistle and called for a jump ball to start things off. Judith and a Jefferson player faced each other at the center circle.
    The referee tossed the ball up. The Jefferson girl jumped high. Judith made a real effort. I could see the strain on her face.
    But her feet didn’t even leave the floor.
    The Jefferson player batted the ball to one of her teammates, and they headed down the floor with it.
    I chased after them, running at full speed. But the rest of my team could only walk.
    Jefferson scored with an easy layup.
    “Come on, Judith — we can catch them!” I shouted, clapping my hands cheerfully.
    Judith glared dully at me. Her green eyes looked faded, kind of washed out.
    “Pick it up! Pick it up! Let’s go, Mustangs!” I cheered energetically.
    I was really enjoying rubbing it in.
    Judith could barely bounce the ball inbounds. I picked it up and dribbled all the way down thefloor. Under the basket, one of the Jefferson players bumped me from behind as I tried to shoot.
    Two foul shots for me.
    It took my slow-motion teammates forever to make their way down the floor to line up.
    Of course, I missed both of my foul shots.
    But I didn’t care.
    “Let’s go, Mustangs!” I shouted, clapping my hands energetically. “Defense! Defense!”
    Suddenly, I had become both a