Read Online Be Careful What You Wish For by R. L. Stine - Free Book Online Page B

by the radiating red glow. When it faded, Clarissa had vanished.
    “Sam! Sam — rise and shine!”
    My mother’s voice floated up to my room from downstairs.
    I sat straight up in bed, instantly awake. “Mom!” I cried happily.
    I remembered everything. I remembered waking up in an empty house, in an empty world. And I remembered my third wish.
    But time had gone back to this morning. I glanced at the clock. Seven. Mom was waking me up at the usual time.
    “Mom,” I leaped out of bed, ran downstairs in my nightshirt, and joyfully threw my arms around her, hugging her tight. “Mom!”
    “Sam? Are you okay?” She stepped back, a startled expression on her face. “You running a fever?”
    “Good morning!” I cried happily, hugging Punkin, who seemed just as startled. “Is Dad stillhome?” I was so eager to see him, too, to know that he was back.
    “He left a few minutes ago,” Mom said, still examining me suspiciously with her eyes.
    “Oh, Mom!” I exclaimed. I couldn’t conceal my happiness. I hugged her again.
    “Whoa.” I heard Ron enter the kitchen behind us.
    I turned to see him staring at me, his eyes narrowed in disbelief behind his glasses. I ran over and hugged him, too.
    “Mom — what did you put in her orange juice?” he demanded, struggling to back away from me. “Yuck! Let
go
of me!”
    Mom shrugged. “Don’t ever ask me to explain your sister,” she replied dryly. She turned to the kitchen cabinets. “Go get dressed, Sam. You don’t want to be late.”
    “What a beautiful morning!” I exclaimed.
    “Yeah. Beautiful,” Ron repeated, yawning. “You must have had some terrific dreams or something, Sam.”
    I laughed and hurried upstairs to get dressed.
    I couldn’t wait to get to school. I couldn’t wait to see my friends, to see the halls filled once again with talking, laughing faces.
    Pedaling my bike as hard as I could, I grinned every time a car passed. I loved seeing peopleagain. I waved at Mrs. Miller across the street, bending to pick up her morning newspaper.
    I didn’t even mind it when the Carters’ terrier came chasing after my bike, barking his high-pitched yips and nipping at my ankles.
    “Good dog!” I cried gleefully.
    Everything is normal, I told myself. Everything is wonderfully normal.
    I opened the front door to school to the sound of crashing locker doors and shouting kids. “Great!” I cried aloud.
    A sixth-grader came tearing around the corner and bumped right into me, practically knocking me over as I made my way to my locker. I didn’t cry out angrily. I just smiled.
    I was so
happy
to be back in school, back in my crowded, noisy school.
    Unable to stop grinning, I unlocked my locker and pulled open the door. I called out a cheerful greeting to some friends across the hall.
    I even said good morning to Mrs. Reynolds, our principal!
    “Hey — Stork!” a seventh-grade boy called to me. He made a funny face, then disappeared around the corner.
    I didn’t care. I didn’t care what anyone called me. The sound of so many voices was so wonderful!
    As I started to take my coat off, I saw Judith and Anna arrive.
    They were busy chatting, both talking at once. But Judith stopped when she saw me.
    “Hi, Judith,” I called warily. I wondered what Judith would be like now. Would she treat me any differently? Would she be nicer to me?
    Would she remember how much she and I used to hate each other?
    Would she be any different at all?
    Judith gave Anna a little wave and came hurrying over to me. “Morning, Sam,” she said, and smiled.
    Then she pulled off her wool ski cap — and I gasped.

23
    “Judith — your hair!” I cried in astonishment.
    “Do you like it?” she asked, staring at me eagerly.
    She had cut it shorter like mine and had tied a ponytail on the side — just like mine!
    “I — I guess …” I stammered.
    She breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at me. “Oh, I’m so glad you like it, Sam!” she cried gratefully. “It looks just