“What are you doing?” I asked, taking off the mess.
She threw a new shirt at me. It was a T-shirt with a picture of Barney on the front and the words “Fan club president” printed above. “I guess I can find a way to make my wishes work on you. Hope you like your new shirt,” she said. “And from now on leave me alone or that’s just the beginning. You’ll regret messing with me.”
And that was it. Just like that. The monster in designer couture walked out on me.
“Oh, yeah?” I shouted after her. “You’re the one who’s going to regret it.”
She couldn’t get away with that. She might have had wishes. But I had powers. This was war.
chapter 31
Gabi was going to pay.
As my Barney shirt and I made our way back to class, I devised the best way to get back at her.
A—use my powers.
B—try to mess up her wishes.
C—trick her into wishing for something she didn’t want.
As I got closer to the classroom a sweet smell wafted by. It was a combo of roses, lilies, and a bunch of other flowers I couldn’t name. When I opened the door, I found out why. The room had been converted into a botanical garden. Some little outdoor fantasy world brought inside. Gone were the science desks, microscopes, and jars of frogs. In their places were white benches, dark green grass, flowers sprouting from the floor, vines of roses covering the walls, and butterflies flying everywhere. And in the middle of it all sat Gabi. And her massage chair. Like a queen on her throne.
“Like it?” she asked when I walked in.
She was trying to set me off. My first reaction was to say something obnoxious, but I held back. No need to sling insults. Not when I could use “my gift” instead. But what to do? It had to be something good.
Marc handed Gabi a bouquet he plucked from the ground. “It’s almost as pretty as you are.”
“Ha!” I said loud enough for everyone to hear. I mean, come on, it was a lame line. And he didn’t even mean it. He only said it because Gabi wished for him to like her.
“Oh, you think that’s funny?” she asked, glaring at me. “You don’t think anyone could find me pretty? Well, he’s not the only one who does. I wish Cole would tell me how much he likes me.”
That girl was evil. If I didn’t know better, I’d guess she was one of those demons Mara’s Daughters said lived on earth.
My whole body stiffened as Cole pushed through a rosebush, cameras, and about six other people to get to Gabi. “Did you get my note?” he asked, picking at some petals. “I’ve wanted to tell you about it before, but, I don’t know, I just didn’t. Everything I wrote is true, though.”
“Cole,” I shrieked. What he had written was that he thought she was beautiful and amazing! That he wanted to date her!
“Sorry, Angel.” He gave me a half smile and a little shrug. “I just don’t feel that way about you anymore. I like Gabi better.”
It’s because of the wish. It’s because of the wish. It’s because of the wish. I kept telling myself that, and yet it didn’t make me feel any better. Cole didn’t even care that he was pulverizing my heart. He only cared about Gabi. The worst best friend ever.
“Would you go out with me?” he asked her. “I’ve always thought you were really pretty and sweet.”
Always? Always! No. No. NO. NO. This wasn’t happening. I moved to the back of the room. I couldn’t watch anymore. This was awful. Worse than that. But I didn’t have the words, because there weren’t any to describe what it felt like to see the guy of your dreams and your best friend use your heart like a hacky sack.
It just royally stunk.
And I was going to make it stink a little more with the help of my powers. Let’s see how lovey-dovey Cole felt when he was stuck in a room that smelled like skunk. It was time to destroy Gabi’s little love paradise.
I closed my eyes and thought about an awful smell filling the room. Armpits mixed with cottage cheese left out for a week, and some pickle juice thrown in. Something to totally overpower the roses and lilies and love in the room.
My eyes teared up. And not just because of the Cole/Gabi situation. But because the smell was putrid. It stung the air. It was working.
“What is that?” I heard one person yell out. “Where’s it coming from?” another said. When I opened my eyes, I saw a few people sniffing around, trying to locate the source. Ha! Maybe Cole would think about the odor every time he thought about asking Gabi out.
“Uck,” Max said, his nose near my head. “It’s Angel.”
He was such a jerk. “No, it’s not. It’s the whole room.”
“No, it’s definitely you.” He stepped back while covering his nose with one hand.
I lowered my face to my shoulder and took a whiff. Gross. It was me! I messed up. Big surprise. Why couldn’t anything ever go my way?
“As president of the Barney fan club,” he said, pointing to my shirt with his free hand, “are you in charge of cleaning up after him? Did you bring the pooper-scooper to class with you?”
First of all, Barney was not a dog. He didn’t poop in the park. And second. OMG. I reeked. Bad.
“Cut it out, Max,” Courtney said, coming up to me. “It’s all right, Angel. A lot of people suffer from BO, but it’s okay. Maybe you just need a stronger deodorant. I have some in my gym locker if you want to use it.”
“I do not have body odor,” I shouted, hoping to activate my powers. It wasn’t working. “This is a science class.” At least it used to be. “All sorts of smelly things are stored here. Something just exploded.”
“Yeah, onto you,” Max said.
“I can’t take the rotten-egg smell,” Elena said. “Let’s move to another room. Angel, you can stay here.”
“The odor is going away,” I said. As I spoke, I concentrated on the smell disappearing. Finally it did. But the teasing remained.
“Thank God,” Max said. “But maybe instead of Double-A we should call her BO.”
“Leave her alone,” Courtney told him.
Lana and Jaydin backed her up, nodding like crazy.
Gabi walked over and whispered in my ear. “Nice. I guess it doesn’t matter that my wishes don’t work on you. You take care of your own payback. So stop trying to mess with me.”
Me with her!? Try the other way around. I wasn’t the boy-stealing, wish-crazy egomaniac. She was!
My world had shifted a hundred and eighty degrees.
Courtney and Co. were the ones coming to my rescue while Gabi was the one trying to destroy me.
This was not over.
chapter 32
Gabi needed to be stopped. She wished to be a star. Well, I was going to make sure she got the full star treatment.
“Elena,” I said, flashing my dimples. “I’m sorry I’ve been so difficult. I really do want to help Gabi be a star.”
“Good,” she said.
“Just tell me what I need to do. Oh,” I added, putting my plan into motion, “how important is it for stars to stay in shape? Should I get Gabi to the gym?”
“You know, exercise is very important.” I could see her wheels turning. “Gabi, let’s get you to do a few laps around the track, some sit-ups, crunches, yoga.”
Ha! Gabi hated to exercise. About as much as I hated math. Which was a lot.
“No,” she protested.
“It’s part of being a star,” Elena said.
“Since when?” she asked.
Since I put it in Elena’s head.
“You could always just give up what you have. Give it all up,” I said. “Then you wouldn’t have to spend hours working out.”
The corners of Gabi’s mouth slowly turned upward until she had a big grin on her face. I knew her well enough. She was up to something. Something big. “Elena,” she said, “don’t some stars get their exercise from dancing?”
Elena nodded.
“Great,” Gabi said. “I wish I could do it that way.” Hip-hop music started pumping through th
e intercom in the class. “Works for me,” Elena said.
“You can’t beat me,” she whispered to me. “Hey, Cole,” Gabi said. “Want to dance?” She made sure to send me a big, old smirk.
“Absolutely,” he said.
Once they started, the whole class turned into a dance party. Everyone was shaking their hips and moving their bodies to the music. At least it was a fast song. Still, I didn’t like Cole anywhere near Gabi.
“Marc,” I said, nudging him. “How can you let some other guy dance with Gabi? Go cut in.”
“I don’t know,” he said, shrugging his shoulder. “She asked Cole. Not me.”
“Trust me.” I gave him a push in her direction. “I’m her best friend. She likes you. She’s only trying to make you jealous. Now go.”
“Really?”
“Yes!” I practically pushed him three feet toward Gabi. “Dance already.”
He did. And he even managed to wedge his way between Cole and Gabi. My work was done. Until Gabi opened her mouth again.
“Cole, don’t go away. I can dance with you both.”
With them both? Who did Gabi think she was? I wasn’t letting her have two guys. Especially when one of them was mine.
With a wave of my hand, I sent Gabi flying backward. At least that was one power I knew how to control. “Oops, what happened, Gabi?” I acted all innocent.
“Nothing,” she said, doing some stupid move back to Cole and Marc where she pretended to throw out a fishing line and reel them in.
I sent her backward again. Nobody even thought anything about it. They probably figured she was just making the most of the space—showing off on the dance floor.
“Amateur hour,” she said to me, and gestured for the guys to come closer. “I wish it was a slow song. Cole, I’ll dance with you first.” The music changed, and Cole reached out to put his arms around Gabi.
“No!” I sent her flying again. Or I tried to. But I wasn’t fast enough. Cole already had his arm around her and instead of sending her away, I sent them both tumbling to the ground.
He fell right on her!
“Sorry,” Cole said, standing up. His cheeks were all pink, and he put out his hand to help her up.
She took it. And he actually interlocked their fingers and gave her one of those cute, lopsided grins of his that always made me all melty. I hadn’t meant for that to happen. I wanted to keep them apart, not push them closer together.
“I’ll help her,” I said, cutting in, trying to nudge my way between them. They needed to be separated.
“That’s okay,” Cole said, not taking his eyes off Gabi. “I like helping her. I like everything about her.”
It didn’t matter to him what I thought, how I felt. All that mattered was Gabi. I couldn’t take it anymore.
chapter 33
“Where are you going?” The cameraman chased after me as I booked down the hall.
“Bathroom, now leave me alone.”
“You just went to the bathroom.”
Why did this guy care how often I had to pee? “Maybe I have a small bladder, okay?” They were so going to air that on the reality show. I was going to be the smelly girl who had to use the toilet every three minutes.
But who cared? Nothing mattered anymore. I lost my dad, my best friend, and my boyfriend all in one week. And to top it off, my attempts to do good in the world were all failing.
When I finally got inside the bathroom, I sat down with my back up against the door. I thought the silence and getting away from everyone would be comforting, help me relax. But it was the opposite. I just kept picturing Cole reaching out for Gabi’s hand. It was like one of those sappy perfume commercials where the guy helps the woman up from a puddle and then they go on to live happily ever after. While me, I was probably doomed to shoveling coal in the underworld. And then I’d be depressed forever. Shoveling coal would just remind me of Cole. My Cole. The Cole that ditched me for Gabi.
How could I get him to notice me? I crossed my arms around my chest. My nonexistent one. And then it occurred to me. Maybe if I had boobs Cole would look at me. They’d give me an edge over Gabi. She didn’t have any, either.
But it wasn’t like they were going to grow overnight—if ever. Unless . . .
No. I couldn’t. Could I?
I looked down at my shirt. Yeah, my powers had messed up before. But this was worth the risk. Instead of Double-A, I could be Double-D. That was pretty good motivation. And since the bathroom was quiet, I could focus, really concentrate on making them grow. Lou always said concentration and powers went hand in hand. Although, he’d probably flip out if he knew what I had in mind. Even more incentive!
Big boobs here I come. I was going for it.
I slapped my hands over my chest and closed my eyes and chanted, “Grow, grow, grow, grow, grow.”
Nothing was happening. I was still flat as an ironing board. “Come on,” I groaned. Why wasn’t this working? I even made up a rhyme. “Come on chest, be the best, be bigger than all the rest.”
Still nothing.
I needed to clear my mind. No Gabi, no Cole. Just my boobs getting bigger. I envisioned it, saw myself actually needing a bra—not just wearing one to wear one—and all of a sudden, my hands pushed outward. My boobs were growing.
Yes!
And growing.
Uhhh.
And growing!!!
OMG!!!
They wouldn’t stop. They were getting massive. Like all of my teachers’ boobs combined. And then some. Please stop! Please stop! Please stop! Please stop!
Finally, after what seemed like two and a half lifetimes, they did. I looked in the mirror and let out a slight gasp. My powers worked all right. Too well. My shirt was completely stretched to the limit. Barney looked like he’d gained two hundred pounds, his face was so stretched. And the boobs hiked my shirt up putting my belly on display for the world to see. How was I going to explain this?
This wasn’t what I had in mind. I had wanted big boobs. But not bowling balls.
“Go back to your normal size,” I said. I tried pushing them, hoping they’d flatten back down, but they wouldn’t. This was bad. I kept trying. Then I heard a couple of voices nearing the bathroom. No one could see me like this. I needed to hide in one of the stalls. But I hadn’t moved quickly enough. The door to the bathroom was opening.
I used my powers to hold it shut. “All full in here. Use the one down the hall,” I said.
But the person on the other side wasn’t giving up.
“Come on. Open up. I just want to use the mirror.”
“Busy,” I answered.
“What are you doing? I’m getting a teacher,” the voice on the other side said.
I didn’t need to draw more attention to myself. I had to make a break for it. So I opened the door and bolted.
chapter 34
I was definitely getting in my exercise for the day. The cameraman, too. He was right behind me as I made my way through the halls. Running with boobs was weird. They felt like two bean bags strapped to my chest. I held up my arms to cover them, to keep them still. But there was no stopping. Not with the cameraman on my tail.
He couldn’t film me with these things. I could just imagine what people would think when they saw them. That I balled up toilet paper—seven rolls worth—in my bra, or put balloons or melons in there. It was disastrous. Being Double-A was bad, but being a bra stuffer was even worse. People would be flinging dirty tissues at me for the rest of my existence.
We neared the corner. I was about twenty feet ahead of him. It was my only shot. I had to duck into a room before he made the turn and saw where I went. The second one on the right looked empty. I made my move.
I held my breath and waited, but no one followed me in. I took a look around. There was a couch, a coffee machine, a TV. The teachers’ lounge—where they went to get away from all of us. I had never been inside before. It was pretty cool.
The closet drew my attention. There had to be somethin
g in there to cover up my chest. The selection wasn’t big. I saw a man’s suit jacket, a fleece hoodie, and a trench coat. I grabbed the trench coat. It was way too old-looking for me, but I didn’t care. It would do the trick.
I put it on, closed the belt, and shoved my hands in the pockets. There was a pair of sunglasses inside. I threw them on, too. Anything to help keep that cameraman from recognizing me.
Just then the door to the lounge creaked open. As casually as I could, I moved to the coffee machine, keeping my back to the door. Whoever it was just needed to think I was a teacher.
“Can I help you?”
It was the principal, Mr. Stanton. His low, no-nonsense voice couldn’t be mistaken.
I shook my head no.
“What are you doing in here, Miss Garrett?”
How’d he know it was me? I didn’t even say anything. Guess I was the only person in Goode Middle School with fire-engine-red hair. I took off the sunglasses and gave him a tiny smile. He didn’t look amused. “I’m going to repeat myself,” he said. “What are you doing in here?”
There was no way I was getting in trouble. I needed an excuse. Something he’d go for. “Max!” I said. “Max wanted a cup of coffee and asked me to come in here and get it for him.”
“Oh,” Mr. Stanton said. “Why didn’t you say so? He’s a fine young man. What that boy wants he should get.” Stanton was under the Max spell like almost everyone else.
And since helping Max got me in this mess, it was only fitting that I used him to get me out of it—at least part of it. “Exactly.”
The bell sounded, and I grabbed a cup of coffee. “I’d better go.”
I needed to make my escape while the halls were busy. It was easier to get lost in a crowd. And I needed to get to Gabi—without being followed. It was time to put an end to this giant mess.
chapter 35
I rushed to my locker with my head down. Gabi’s was a few feet away from mine, and she tended to stop there after science class. The plan was to grab her, lock us in a classroom, and keep her trapped until she agreed to undo the wishes. That’s right, I was going to star-nap her. It was my only choice. My powers weren’t working, and I needed an alternative.
Careful What You Wish For Page 10