Careful What You Wish For Read Online Free PDF Page B

he was there. And Max, well, he looked like a golden retriever that someone just swatted with a newspaper. But even sadder. So much so that I wanted to give him a hug. And I’ve never wanted to give Max a hug.
    When the bell rang he got up and shuffled out of class. His head was drooped so low he looked a foot shorter than usual.
    â€œCome with me,” Gabi said, her voice sounding chipper. I don’t know how. Watching Max made me want to listen to depressing music and cry.
    I followed Gabi into the bathroom. She looked under each of the stalls to make sure no one was there.
    â€œWhat’s going on?” I asked. “We have to get to English. I want a seat next to Cole.” There were no assigned seats in class. It was first come, first serve.
    â€œYeah, I know. You have a boyfriend now. Lucky.”
    â€œYou will, too.”
    â€œYeah, right.” Her voice sounded sad, but it quickly perked right up. “But that doesn’t matter now.” She paused for effect. “You’re going to love this. You looked all mopey and down in the dumps over your Max problem. So”—she clapped her hands together and squealed—“I, your incredibly smart best friend, came up with a solution. I know how we can help Max.”
    Gabi was on her tippy toes, she was so excited.
    â€œHow?”
    â€œI can wish for everyone in school to like him.”
    â€œAnd how’s that going to help anything?”
    Gabi pretended to slam her head on the bathroom counter. She had a slight tendency for the overdramatic. “How can you not see?” she asked, straightening back up. “It’s your plan, only substituting me instead of Max. I can wish that he becomes popular and you can make it come true. That way we know nothing crazy will happen because we’ll both be focused on putting him on the A-list.”
    No wonder I liked Gabi. The girl was a genius.
    â€œLet’s do it!” I had her stand directly across from me. We grabbed hands and made eye contact. “Focus,” I told her. She nodded.
    â€œMake everyone in school adore Max,” Gabi said. “Make the wish come true.” I repeated exactly what she said, then concentrated on making her wish come true. Make Gabi’s wish come true. Make Max popular. Make the wish come true, I thought over and over again. When the late bell rang we dropped hands. “Keep your fingers crossed,” I said. “If that worked, we just turned Max’s world around.”

chapter 9
    I didn’t have to worry about getting a seat when I got to English class. They were pretty much all empty. Except for the back right hand corner. Right where Max sat.
    People were fighting to get a seat near him. My wish granting had worked! I grabbed Gabi’s arm. “How cool is this?”
    â€œTotally,” she said.
    Jaydin squeezed her way into the seat next to Max.
    â€œGet up,” Courtney said, yanking her BFF’s sleeve. “I want to sit there.”
    â€œToo bad,” Jaydin said, doing the unthinkable and defying the ever-powerful Courtney Lourde herself. “I got here first.”
    â€œI said get up!”
    That was something I never expected to see. Not if I lived to be 125 years old. Courtney Lourde fighting to get closer to Max Richardson. I half expected to see Wilbur the pig fly by the window.
    â€œWhy don’t I make it easy?” Rick Drager said. “Both of you leave him alone. Hey, Max, come check this out. I got a bunch of new rookie baseball cards. Some I already have. You can have the duplicates if you want.” Rick? The very Rick who just this morning smashed Max into a locker was now vying for his attention?
    When Max didn’t move, Rick got up and went to him.
    â€œNo way,” Cole said, blocking his way. “Everyone knows what you did to him. You think I’d let you get anywhere near him after that?” Cole turned his attention to his new friend.