Free Sprinkles and Secrets by Lisa Schroeder

want to join us this year, Sophie?”
    Before I can answer, Hayden jumps in. “She’s too much of a girl. A girl who’s gonna be in a commercial and wants to make sure she doesn’t mess up her hair.” He puts one hand on his hip and the other hand next to his head where he pretends to fluff up his buzz cut. I give him a nice, girlie shove.
    â€œA commercial?” Pete asks. “Really?”
    â€œUh, well, no.” I glare at Hayden. “I just have an audition on Monday. I’m sure there will be a ton of people there and I won’t get it.”
    â€œOh, come on!” he says. “Think positively. You’ve got to believe it to achieve it!”
    Yeah, that’s Uncle Pete for you. He’s the training manager at a car dealership in town and he’s always telling the salesmen that the key to selling cars is to visualize the sales and all this other hocus-pocus stuff.
    â€œWell, I did that for the baking contest and it didn’t exactly work out too well for me,” I say. “Besides, I’m not sure I want to do commercials anyway. I mean, maybe I should wait. Hold out for a spot on a television show, you know?”
    â€œDon’t ever pass up an opportunity, Sophie,” he says as he helps Hayden dish up a big piece of chocolate cream pie and put it on his plate. “You never know when another one will come along again. Because many times, they never do. Trust me. If you have a good opportunity, you have to go for it. Or, I promise, you’ll regret it later.”
    Geez, has he been hiding in our closets, listening to my mom?
    Oh yeah, that’s right. They’re brother and sister. Same gene pool and all of that. No wonder.

Chapter 15
monster cookies
THEY’RE NOT SCARY, ONLY DELICIOUS
    I n the car on the way home, Hayden is talking and talking and
talking
about how much fun the football game was. Dad, Uncle Pete, and Uncle Ben played too, and Hayden ended up on Dad’s team. Dad let him play quarterback for part of the game. Hayden has never been offered that position before this year. And one of his passes led to a touchdown, which Hayden cannot shut up about.
    I turn and look out the window. We’re at a stoplight next to the library, which is completely dark, since it’s a holiday. I think of Isabel and all the time she spends at the library, looking at books and dreaming of the places she wants to travel.
    Isabel understands dreams. I know that. So why am I having such a hard time telling her? Why can’t I tell her about this fantastic opportunity that’s been handed to me like a pretty platter of cupcakes—even though it may be for her main competitor?
    All my life, I’ve gone after what I’ve wanted. That’s what I do. When I wanted a dog, I looked and looked until I found one that wouldn’t make my mom itch and sneeze. If I hadn’t done that, where would we be now? Daisy is what inspired Mom to start her business. The Pampered Pooch wouldn’t exist, and our lives would be totally different now. All because I wanted something and did my best to make it happen.
    But this time, something is holding me back.
    Hayden taps my arm. I turn and look at him. He’s holding a wishbone. “Make a wish.”
    â€œWhere’d you get that?” I ask him.
    â€œThe chocolate cream pie,” he says, his voice fullof sarcasm. “Where do you think I got it? I stole it from the turkey. So go on. Make a wish.”
    I close my eyes. I start to wish for myself, but it’s all so messy, I don’t even know where to start. So I wish for the boy who’s been on my mind since yesterday. His life is a little less complicated than mine at the moment.
I wish Dennis would make a new friend.
    â€œWhen I say three,” Hayden says, “start pulling. One, two, three.”
    When we start pulling, the bone breaks in my favor.
    â€œNo fair,” Hayden says. “I want a