Read Online The Seventh Wish by Kate Messner - Free Book Online Page B

Friday night and staying over. What about Dad?”
    â€œDad has his ski trip.”
    â€œCan’t he stay home?” Tears are running down my cheeks now because I know the answer’s no. Dad has airplane tickets, and his college friend will be there waiting for him, and they can’t cancel the whole trip because I have a dance competition.
    I get out of the car and stomp toward the house.
    Mom follows me. “Charlie, please.” Mom puts her purse down on the kitchen table and gets herself a glass of water. “The Albany feis is the first weekend in April, and—”
    â€œThat’s two whole months from now! Mom, we
promised
Dasha a ride too. If we can’t go, we can’t move up to the other class. We need to be in Novice with Catherine because we’re working on a science fair project together, and we’re going to meet on Sundays before dance, and if we can’t go to the feis, we can’t move up and everything will be messed up. Please? Can’t you just . . . ?” But then I stop talking. Because there’s no good way to finish that sentence. Mom has to go to the conference for her new job. And Dad can’t cancel his trip.
    Finally I say, “Can Abby come home and take me?”
    â€œNo. She’s been struggling with her academics, Charlie. She needs her weekend to study.”
    â€œFine.” My eyes sting with tears. I grab my backpack, go to my room, and take out my phone.
    Charlie: Hey . . . are you there?
    I wait a while. Abby’s classes end at noon on Mondays. She should be free.
    But she doesn’t answer.
    Charlie: I REALLY need to talk to you.
    I wait some more, hoping the phone will ring, hoping Abby will see my text and understand that I need her. But my words sit there on the screen by themselves.
    So I give up on texting and call. Abby’s voice mail picks up. “Hey, this is Abby. You know what to do!” It beeps. I hang up and flop down on my bed.
    Usually, I love my room with its bright-blue paint and the multicolored handprint border that Abby and I made when I was little. Big red hand, little blue hand, big yellow hand, little purple hand . . .
    But today, I’m tired of being the youngest in the family. I hate the way everybody else’s plans matter more than mine.
    Besides, all those colors remind me of the bright solo dresses I won’t get to shop for—blues and oranges, whites and greens and reds—sparkling on the rack with other girls pawing through them. I can’t believe I caught all those stupid fish to earn money for my dress. I think of all those afternoons with my toes freezing in my boots and my fingers numb, and now I can’t even go.
    But then I think of the fish with the emerald eyes.

Chapter 8
    The Fifth Wish
    Mrs. McNeill’s car is at Drew’s house just like every day she stays with him after school, but she’s not outside. The garage door is closed, and the sled and ice fishing stuff are nowhere to be seen, so I knock on the door.
    â€œIs Drew here?” I ask when she answers.
    She shakes her head. “He’s gone to the store with his dad to buy some warm-ups for basketball.”
    â€œHe made the team?” I try to look surprised, even though I knew he would.
    Mrs. McNeill smiles one of the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen from her, and that’s saying something. “That boy is full of surprises. Apparently, he did so well at tryouts that he not only made the team but is also going to be on the starting lineup for the first game.”
    â€œThat’s awesome!”
    â€œIsn’t it?” she says. “But he won’t be around to fish today. I’m going to stay in too. I’m fighting a cold.”
    â€œThat’s okay.” I start to leave, but as soon as I turn around, I see Mom’s silhouette in the kitchen window and I remember that I need a wish.
    â€œMrs. McNeill?” I turn back to