Read Online Careful What You Wish For by Shani Petroff - Free Book Online Page B

into the grass before she could take a bite. “See,” I screamed. “Did you see that change? One wrong word and you could accidentally kill yourself. DO NOT REPEAT THAT. Gabi, you have to be really careful until I figure out a way to fix this.”
    â€œDon’t worry,” she said, looking way too relaxed for a girl who just had a brush with death by mint chocolate chip. “I’ll be careful, and I won’t wish for anything crazy. I can handle this. I’ve seen how you’ve dealt with your powers. I’ll be fine. I promise.”
    Her reassurance didn’t calm me down one bit.
    I was in for big trouble. I could feel it.

chapter 19
    I took a big chug from a bottle of Mom’s sweetness serum. I was game for anything that promoted goodness, even one of Mom’s concoctions. But it didn’t help me solve any of my problems. I was still at a loss about how to undo Gabi’s wishes. And I had to hurry. It wouldn’t be long before Max made the whole student body his personal butlers. Or . . . Gabi accidentally wished for the end of civilization.
    The doorbell distracted me from my thoughts. I tossed the container back in the fridge and made my way into the living room. Mom beat me to the door. “Well, I’m glad to see you are finally learning some manners.”
    She was talking to Lou. My fists clenched. What did he want? And since when did he bother waiting to be invited in?
    â€œI know you hate it when I pop in unannounced. So I’m working on it.”
    â€œThank you,” Mom said. And she sounded like she actually appreciated the gesture.
    Was Lou trying to use Mom to get to me? Make her all sympathetic to his cause to get to know his daughter? It wasn’t going to work. I’d just tell her everything he’d been up to with the soul stealing. Then he’d never be allowed back in.
    â€œMom,” I said, giving Lou a smug look. “Do you know why Lou’s really here? What he’s been up to recently?” He wasn’t going to win this time.
    â€œWhat are you talking about?” she asked.
    â€œLou’s—”
    He cut me off. “Here to help Angel with her pow—”
    â€œNO!” I shouted. Mom didn’t know I inherited Lou’s evil powers, and I wanted to keep it that way.
    â€œHer what?”
    â€œHer PowerPoint presentation. I suggested she try one for her science project—to give her a leg up on her classmates. I told her I’d help her make it. Isn’t that right, Angel? Didn’t we say today after school?”
    Blackmail. That was Lou’s plan. Hang out with him or he’d rat me out to my mom. Nicely played. He really was good at this manipulation thing. “Yeah, that’s what we said. Let’s go.”
    I slammed my bedroom door shut. “This is not making me like you more.”
    â€œYou’ll come around,” he said.
    That’s what he thought. I sat on my bed, put on my iPod, and stuck in the earbuds. So he sat down next to me and plucked them right out. “We need to talk.”
    I looked up at the ceiling.
    â€œWhat you said before, about thinking about granting wishes, don’t do it.”
    â€œWhy? Don’t like the idea of me helping others?”
    â€œWhat I don’t like,” he answered, “is the idea of you doing something that could hurt you.”
    I ignored him.
    â€œAngel, I’m serious. You don’t know what you’re doing. Look what happened to Gremory. It was a mess, he thought he was making the man’s wish to become a baseball player come true. But his focus wasn’t right.”
    â€œYeah, you told me,” I said, hoping to end the conversation. “He ended up granting all of the guy’s wishes.”
    â€œYes, and that’s why I don’t want you trying it. It’s a very common mistake. Gremory’s thoughts were so wrapped up in giving the guy what he wanted that he