My Epic Fairy Tale Fail Read Free Page A

“You guys bribed him?”
    â€œIt was Trish’s idea!” said Melissa.
    Trish pushed up her glasses as a mischievous smile spread across her face. She unzipped her backpack and took out an enormous package of candy hearts. “Actually,” she said, “I got the idea from you, Jenny. Remember when you told me Anthony would do anything for some candy? It turns out that’s true.”
    The gnome’s already-red cheeks turned even redder. “What can I say, Jenny-girl? I couldn’t go another day eating nothing but rabbit food. One small bag of candy won’t hurt, right?”
    â€œSorry, guys,” I said. “You can’t come with me.”
    Trish’s face fell. “But, Jenny, my English paper will be so much better if I can see a magical place for myself. And Mrs. Brown said there’s a contest I can send my paper to. I would give anything to win.”
    She did have a point. Writing about magic would be a whole lot easier if you’d actually seen it in action. And winning an essay contest would go a long way in helping Trish stand out from her four brothers and sisters. She’d never admit it, but I knew Trish was always trying to get her parents to notice her.
    â€œPlease, Jenny?” said Melissa, her eyes big and round like a cartoon character’s. “Think of all the songs I’ll be able to write about fairies and dragons.” She waggled her eyebrows. “And about cute princes.”
    Unlike Trish, Melissa was an only child, but since her father was an opera singer and her mother was a country star, Melissa was always trying to prove to her parents that she’d inherited their music genes. I knew she dreamed of writing the perfect hit song. Maybe traveling to another world would give her more exciting things to sing about.
    No, I told myself. Just because my friends desperately wanted to come with me didn’t mean I should put them in harm’s way.
    â€œMy missions aren’t like that,” I said. “I’ve never even met a fairy. Dragons will just try to barbecue you. And princes are more trouble than they’re worth, no matter how cute they are.” I could tell my friends weren’t buying it. “I’m serious, guys. My adventures are nothing like Disney movies. They can be really dangerous.”
    â€œOh, your friends will be fine,” Anthony said with a wave of his plump hand. “You always manage to come out alive, don’t you?”
    â€œBarely,” I muttered. I turned back to Melissa and Trish. “If anything happened to you guys—”
    â€œIt won’t,” said Trish. “We’ll be careful. See?” She pulled a purple bike helmet out of her bag and plopped it on her head.
    â€œSuper-uber careful,” Melissa added, putting on a neon hockey mask. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.
    â€œYou won’t have to worry about us. We’re prepared for anything,” said Trish. She held up a thick book of fairy tales. “I’m like a walking encyclopedia!”
    â€œAnd,” Melissa chimed in, “I’ve been eating fortune cookies for weeks and saving all the little messages. We’ll have tons of cheesy sayings to get us through the adventure.” She reached in her pants pocket and pulled out a fortune. Her eyes widened as she read it, and she let out a little squeal.
    â€œWhat does it say?” said Trish.
    â€œIt says: ‘A thrilling time is in your future.’” Melissa crossed her arms in front of her chest, a smug look on her face. “See?”
    â€œIt doesn’t get any clearer than that,” said Anthony. “You have to bring them with you, Jenny-girl. The cookie gods demand it.”
    â€œBut what about the dance tomorrow night? We’ll probably miss it,” I said, knowing I sounded a little desperate. “It’s the last one of the year. Weren’t you guys excited about