The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Dress

by Shani Petroff

Ooh. That was going to be a lot tougher.“The sprinklers went off.”

  “That makes no sense. Then everything would be wet. But it’s not. It’s only us. I know you’re behind this somehow,” she told me. “You were chanting all this random stuff. Maybe you made everything happen.”

  She needed to be stopped from this line of thought. But how?

  I looked around the science room. There was only one way. To fess up. “You’re right. It was me.”

  “Knew it,” Courtney yelled.

  “I dumped the water.” Come on, it wasn’t like I was really going to admit the truth. “You wanted an underwater theme for the dance so bad, so I decided to let you have one. I filled the garbage can with water from the sink and poured it on you.”

  “Then why are you wet, too?” Courtney asked, flashing between disbelief and pure anger.

  “The can was so heavy I had trouble controlling it. So the water got on me, too . . .”

  “I don’t believe you,” Courtney declared. “I know what I saw. We were in Hawaii.”

  “Maybe you were just dreaming about being there because of the water. Ever think of that?”

  She sunk into the chair closest to her. “We were there.”

  “Court, it does sound pretty out there,” D.L. said.

  “Really,” I said, using the opening D.L. gave me. “People are going to think you’re nuts. What sounds more reasonable? Me dumping water on you or me teleporting you to Hawaii?” I laughed for effect. “But go ahead, tell everyone you went surfing during detention. I can’t wait to hear what they say about you.”

  She sneered at me, and put her head in her hands. She knew I was right. “But I saw it. You, me, it was all—” She squeezed her forehead.

  I got up and moved next to her. “Believe me, if I had the power to send people on exotic vacations, you would definitely not be on my list. Unless it was sending you somewhere far, far away from me.”

  “There was hula dancing and a classroom and a giant wave . . .” Courtney’s voice sounded meek. “And D.L. hit his head and almost drowned.”

  He reached out and touched her arm. “Cor, I’m pretty sure I’d remember something like that.”

  That’s what he thought.

  “Fine,” Courtney said, looking up at me. “Maybe you did dump the water.” She didn’t sound convinced, but she was going along with it, anyway. “Then I’m sure Cole’s going to love hearing all about this one.”

  I cringed. Once again my powers were going to result in me seeming like a horrible person to the guy I adored. I couldn’t take it. When were things going to go my way? Wasn’t it time for my powers to start working for me, not against me? But that didn’t seem like it would ever happen. And I was sick of it. It was time for a change. If I couldn’t make my powers work to my advantage, I knew someone who could. Angel Garrett’s luck was about to change.

  chapter 31

  One good thing came out of my trip to Hawaii—two, if you count that I got a mini-vacation—and that was: I could now stop the pencil midair. Compared to the wave, Lou’s lesson was amateurish. Besides, I had better use for that pencil. I was using it to make a list. On why it was a good idea to have my father use his skills to make Cole ask me to the dance and dump Jaydin:1. It was just asking, and once we got there, Cole would remember how much he likes me.

  2. I’d be saving Cole from going with Jaydin, who was sneaky and awful, even if he couldn’t tell.

  3. Powers got me into this mess with Cole, powers should get me out.

  4. Cole’s supercute, and I miss him giving me that big, lopsided grin.

  5. The dance would stink if I didn’t have a date.

  6. Cole and I belonged together.

  Of course there were the cons, too . . .1. Powers always mess things up.

  2. People should be able to make up their own minds without evil influences.

  The pros totally outweighed the cons, but the cons were pretty big ones. I was torn.

  “Hello, there,” Lou said, popping in from nowhere.

  “Ever heard of calling first?” I crumpled up my list and put it under my pillow. There was no reason to let Lou in on my plan until I was sure that I was going to go through with it.

  He bowed his head to me. “My apologies.”

  “It’s okay,” I said. Besides, I didn’t want to be too hard on him. There was a good chance I’d be asking him for that Cole favor. “I’m ready for the next lesson,” I said, and sent the pencil flying through the air, and then stopped it two feet out to prove my case.

  “Great.” He pulled out his hPhone to check on the next lesson and then put it back in his jacket pocket. “Now you need to make it return to you. I want you to have full control over which direction it moves, the speed, everything.”

  “Come on,” I said, jumping off my bed. “I can do way more advanced stuff than that. I already—” I cut myself off. I didn’t need him to know about my accidental trips. “I mean, I already mastered the moving it forward and stopping it. How hard can making a pencil go in a circle be? Can’t you teach me something cool, like how to look into someone’s soul, spy on them, make objects appear out of nowhere?”

  He shook his head no. “You are not ready for that kind of thing. The basics will teach you control. There are a lot of different aspects to your gift. Don’t underestimate having a good foundation. Each skill I’m showing you plays into a bigger whole. And just because you have a couple of the basics down doesn’t mean the others will be so easy. If an artist begins working with clay on a Tuesday, do you think he’ll be able to create a beautiful sculpture that same night?”

  “Probably,” I said.

  Lou shook his head. “No. Not without going through a process. He has to get used to the clay, learn how to mold it, and so on. It takes time. Technique. He doesn’t become a master overnight.”

  “Fine,” I said. I wasn’t looking for a lecture.

  “Don’t look so sad,” he said. “You know if you need to do something advanced, just ask. I’d be happy to make it happen.”

  “Thanks,” I moved in and gave him a big hug. “I really appreciate you teaching me.”

  Lou looked genuinely surprised. I wasn’t in the habit of giving him hugs. The truth was, today was no exception.

  I wasn’t embracing my father, I was pickpocketing him.

  chapter 32

  Evil, crazy, or stupid? I definitely possessed at least one of those personality traits. How else did I wind up stealing from the devil?

  But that’s what I did. Right as I was giving him a big ol’ bear hug, I reached into his jacket pocket and scooped up his hPhone. While I do not condone stealing, this was life or death. Well, life or death for my relationship with Cole. Before I continued with my plans to get him back, I had to know a few things. Like, did Courtney poison him against me completely? Did he ask Jaydin out because he liked her or because she just happened to be there? Did he have any feelings left for me at all? These were things that could only be found out by spying.

  Sure, Lou said he’d help me out. But really? Did I want my father knowing all the minute details of my love life? I think not. So I went the juvenile delinquent route.

  Once Lou was gone, I pulled out the hPhone. The plan seemed a lot more ingenious before I had the device in my possession. It had a lot of icons. How was I supposed to know what to do? I wasn’t very familiar with it. Lou had shown me a thing or two, but at the moment that didn’t seem like much. I hunted down the icon with the halo on it and pushed it. Lou had told me that was the application for everything involving me. After scrolling down a bit, I saw Cole’s name. I took a deep breath and clicked again.

  The screen changed, and I was looking right into Cole’s house. He was sitting around the dining room table with his parents. The screen was tiny, so I hit zoom and the picture was immediately projected onto my wall.

  I could see everything, the scuff marks near the bottom of the light peach walls, the gray in his dad’s goatee, the dachshund waiting
under the table for them to drop food, Cole’s dad reaching down and slipping the dog some chicken when Mrs. Daniels turned away. It all looked so real, like I was really there.

  They talked about lots of things—their days, the news—but my name never came up. But I could be patient. I could wait. Besides, I always said I could watch Cole all day. The only thing missing was the popcorn. I reached into my top drawer and pulled out some goodies. I keep a stash there so whenever my mom sends me to my room I have something to keep me entertained. No popcorn, but there was a bag of Tootsie Rolls.

  My mouth salivated a little when Cole’s mom brought out dessert. An incredibly gooey-looking chocolate cake. Sure beat my candy. Cole downed his in three seconds flat and went in for a second piece.

  “That’s your sister’s mud cake,” his mother said, slapping away his hand. “For when she gets back from dance practice.”

  “Becca’s not here. She loses,” he protested, reaching for it again. “She doesn’t like it that much, anyway. It’s my favorite.”

  Mrs. Daniels pulled the cake away right as Cole was about to stab it with his fork.

  He opened his mouth to complain, but just as he was about to speak, his phone rang.

  “Hey, Jaydin,” Cole said, answering it. He looked at his mother and then back down. Then his voice got super low. “Yeah,” he said. Then he uttered something else, but it was impossible to make out.

  He was a really good whisperer. He must not have wanted his mom to hear, but it was making it hard for me to hear, too! “Yeah,” he said again.

  I was getting absolutely nothing from this conversation. What was Jaydin saying? I needed to eavesdrop on her side of the conversation, too. What if she was telling him about what I did in detention? I’m sure Courtney filled her in on everything. Or worse, what if they were talking about the dance? Or how much he loved her?

  There had to be an icon on the hPhone to let me raise the audio or split screens so I could be in both of their houses at once.

  “Sure,” Cole said into the phone, his mouth curling up into that grin I loved.

  What was he sure-ing? This conversation couldn’t have been going on without me. I tapped on a few icons. Then some other ones. I had to know what those two were saying. But nothing was happening. I was tapping on two, three icons at a time, when suddenly there was a flash of light, and I was pulled up off my feet and sucked into the phone. Then, just like a spitball from a straw, I was shot out. Right into Cole’s living room.

  chapter 33

  This was bad. Very bad. Cole and his family were no more than ten feet away from me. I ducked down behind the couch. The fireworks and the tree were nothing compared to this. I had to get out of there. If Cole or his family caught me, I’d look even more like an obsessed crazy person, which I suppose I was in a way . . . but I didn’t mean to break into his house!

  How did I get out of there? I pulled out the phone and hit the Angel icon again. Nothing. Same when I hit Cole’s name. What was I going to do? I thought about making a run for the front door, but there was no way to get to it without them noticing me. I would have given anything to be able to transport myself back to Hawaii at that very moment. Or outer space.

  My whole body stiffened as a light chiming sound approached. Moving my head slowly, I was able to see what it was. Cole’s dog, his tags clinking together with each move. He stopped right in front of me and cocked his head to the side. I put my fingers to my lips. It had no effect on the dog. He started barking like crazy.

  “What’s wrong, Sammy?” Mrs. Daniels asked, her voice coming closer.

  No. No. NO. I slid and shimmied my whole body under the couch. For once, being as flat as a board came in handy. I was able to fit. Barely.

  The dog kept yapping. Please, Sammy! Stop, I thought. I’ll buy you all the bones you could ever want. But he wouldn’t let up.

  “Something under there? Cole, will you take a look for me? I can’t bend.”

  “Jaydin, I have to call you back.” He sounded disappointed to hang up, which would have totally bummed me out if I wasn’t in panic mode. “What’s up, Sam?” he asked. “What did you find?”

  Cole was about to see me stuffed under his couch. Life can be cruel. I closed my eyes, squished my arms to my side, making myself as small as I could, and prepared for Cole’s scream of fear and disgust when he discovered me hiding in his house.

  As I did, my hands hit something in my pocket. I felt around. Yes. The tootsie rolls. I opened one up and pushed it over to Sam.

  He grabbed it greedily and ran to the other side of the living room.

  “Whoa, what do you have there?” I could hear Cole go after his dog. They seemed to be struggling. “I can’t get it away from him.”

  Mr. Daniels joined the rest of the family to try and wrestle the tootsie roll away from Sam. I used that as a chance to move. I slithered out the back of the couch and crawled under the dining room table. At least there I could have my hands free to maneuver the hPhone.

  “Chocolate is not good for dogs,” Mrs. Daniels lectured Cole. I could hear Sam bark as they pried the treat from his teeth.

  “It wasn’t me,” he objected. “Talk to Becca.”

  I didn’t want to get him in trouble or make his dog sick, but I was desperate. The hPhone was my only hope. I hit icons. Every icon. Any icon.

  “Hell-o,” a voice on the other end said. I tried to hang up, but it wasn’t working. The whole phone was flashing. I had pushed so many icons; they must have been interfering with one another. “How can I help you?” the voice continued. I covered the speaker with my hand to hush it.

  “What is that?” Mrs. Daniels asked.

  Not again. They were going to get me. In a last ditch effort, I threw a tootsie roll into the kitchen to draw their attention away from me and crawled toward the front door. I just needed to make it to the safety of the front lawn.

  As I approached the door, it swung open pushing me behind it.

  “Hey,” a voice called out.

  “It’s just Becca,” Cole said.

  Phew. His sister came to my rescue. Not only did they think it was she who had been talking, but I was now safely hidden behind the door.

  “Just Becca,” she said, as she made her way into the living room. “Nice.”

  “Do we live in a barn?” Mrs. Daniels asked her. “Go shut the door.”

  I prayed she was a bratty daughter who would disobey her mother, but the hand reaching around the door told me that wasn’t the case.

  Well, my time in Goode was nice. I wondered where the juvenile detention board would send me once the Daniels pressed charges. Probably some school for problem children. I clutched my hand around the hPhone. Why had I been so stupid? I wished I never turned the thing on. Then I realized I hadn’t tried one thing. Shutting it off. With a quick push, I did it. The phone was off, and I was sucked back in—and right back to my bedroom.

  That was it. I had figured it out. I got myself back before I got caught. “Thank God,” I said.

  “Not quite.” Lou was hovering over me, his light eyes now black. He held out his hand. “You have something of mine, I believe.” His voice was crisp.

  I put the phone in his hand, but refused to look at him. I had never seen Lou this angry. It was scary.

  “You’re stealing from me?”

  I thought silence was the best response. Apparently he didn’t think so. “Well? I’m waiting for an answer.”

  “Sorry,” I mumbled. “But shouldn’t you be proud?” I questioned. “I’m taking after you.” I flashed him a smile, making sure my dimples popped out. It was one of the physical traits we shared. I hoped seeing them would remind him that I was his daughter and not some misfit for him to banish to the underworld.

  “No,” he said, his voice firm. “I have higher hopes for you.”

  I thought punishment from my mother was bad, but I had a hunch it was like a slice of mud cake in comparison to what the devil could dole out.

  “Are y
ou going to make me shovel coal for the rest of eternity?” I asked, clutching onto my comforter. It was possibly the last soft, comfortable thing I’d ever touch.

  “What?” he asked, his eyes slightly lightening.

  “Isn’t that what you do? Send people down below and make them shovel coal into the flames of Hades?”

  He laughed. “You watch way too many horror movies.” He put his hand on my shoulder. “Angel, you’re my daughter. I am not going to take your soul for disobeying me. But I’m not happy, and you will be punished if you do it again.”

  “Do it again? Does that mean I’m off the hook?”

  “This time,” he said, giving me an I-mean-business look.

  “And you’re not going to tell Mom, right? I don’t want her to know about my powers. Not yet.”

  He shook his head. “I still think that’s a mistake. But if that’s what you want, I won’t tell her, as long as you stay out of trouble.”

  “Thank you,” I said, wrapping my arms around him. This time the hug was real, but he checked his pockets, anyway.

  “Now what were you trying to do with this?” he asked, patting the phone. “I told you I’d help you if you needed something. What do you need?”

  “Nothing,” I said. I had seen more than enough. Cole was no longer into me. It was one thing to go after his forgiveness. But getting him to choose me over Jaydin was completely different. Jaydin was beautiful and popular. How could I possibly compete with that?

  chapter 34

  “Look at her,” I said to Gabi, “trying to tempt Cole with her muffins. Big deal. So she can bake. I could probably bake, too, if I tried.” I couldn’t take my eyes off the doorway to homeroom. That’s where Cole was standing with Jaydin. She had just handed him the muffin when I walked in. I heard her say she made it herself. “How can he like her?” I felt my fists clench as Jaydin tossed her head back and laughed at something Cole said.

  “Beats me. But you’ll win him back,” Gabi said.

  “No, I won’t,” I said, pounding my fist onto my desk. “The dance is almost here. He’s not going to cancel on her. He’s had it with me.”