Free Careful What You Wish For by Shani Petroff

ended up granting all of the guy’s wishes.
    â€œSo? It’s not like you couldn’t reverse it in a millisecond.”
    â€œIt’s not that simple. Once a wish is made it’s done. No going back, no altering it. Unless the person who made the wish wants to give it up.”
    Again Lou was making a big deal out of nothing.
    â€œOkay, if the guy wished for something bad, why wouldn’t he want to reverse it?”
    â€œBecause,” Lou said, “it’s all or nothing. The wish was that all his wishes would come true. To undo it means giving everything back. Not just the bad stuff. Gremory’s subject wanted to be a baseball player way too much to give it up. Sure, there were some things even he would have wanted to reverse. Like when he accidentally wished his coach would shut up, and the guy could no longer speak at all. But nothing was worth giving up his dream.”
    Then he was a jerk. I wouldn’t have that problem with Gabi. She wasn’t that baseball player. She wouldn’t let someone suffer because of her. She was the nicest, best person in the world. She would definitely give it all up. She wouldn’t leave someone silent for the rest of their life or Max all self-absorbed—not even for all the ice-cream sundaes and straight As.
    Lou went on with his story, pretending not to notice that I was back to ignoring him. “Gremory, of course, couldn’t leave things as they were. And with a little help from me we made the man realize he was better off without wishes. But do you see how dangerous playing around with this power can be? What if the person wished everyone would shut up? There would be worldwide ramifications.”
    â€œOkay,” I said. “You made your point. You can go now. I won’t try to grant a wish.”
    Too bad I already did.

chapter 20
    I got to the McBrin house extra early the next morning to meet Gabi. Which, if you know me, is super impressive. I am not a morning person at all. But I couldn’t sleep. I kept having nightmares that a zombie was after me, wanting me to grant him a wish. Between that and thoughts of Gabi transforming the town into Wonka World, I got my butt in gear extra early. I was there a whole twenty minutes before Gabi showed up.
    â€œThank God,” I said when she finally arrived. “You didn’t make any more wishes, did you?”
    She said she didn’t. But Gabi was the worst liar ever. She looked like she just swallowed a baseball bat, she was that uncomfortable.
    â€œGabi . . .”
    â€œOkay,” she said, and dropped down to the grass. “I may have made a few itty-bitty ones. But not on purpose. They just happened. And honestly, they’re so small, it’s like they don’t exist at all. I mean, it’s nothing to worry about.”
    â€œWhat did you wish for?” I said before she went into a fifty-eight minute oral presentation on why I shouldn’t freak out. The girl could talk when she wanted to.
    Gabi pulled at her ponytail and twisted the strands around her fingers. “Well, my mom totally doesn’t care what I eat anymore or how I do in school.” Her voice got higher and faster. “My room has its own dessert bar, a hundred-inch flat screen TV, a whole wall of new books, a water bed, a—” She saw the look on my face and stopped. My jaw was skimming my sneakers.
    â€œCome on,” she said, standing back up. “You have to admit it’s pretty cool. It didn’t hurt anyone. And Rori is sooo jealous. It’s awesome.” Rori was Gabi’s little sister, who was more than a little spoiled—and used to getting whatever she wanted.
    â€œYeah. Cool until something bad happens. We have to reverse it.”
    â€œToo bad we don’t know how,” she said. The sincerity in her voice was totally fake.
    â€œGood news,” I said. “We do.” I filled her in on what Lou had told me about how Gabi had