The Wish Read Free

group moved with her.
    â€œYou’re wet.” She smiled at me. “A bus splashed me last week. It was terrible. I was soaked and muddy for hours.”
    â€œWilma . . .” Suzanne began.
    She was going to ask if a hydrant had opened on me. Or something nastier.
    â€œ. . . I never noticed your eyelashes before. They’re gorgeous.” Suzanne looked around at everybody. “Aren’t they?”
    They all nodded and looked friendly.
    Huh?

Chapter Three
    â€œI have to dry off,” I said.
    Ardis and Suzanne followed me into the bathroom. I pulled a wad of paper towels out of the dispenser and dabbed at my wet skirt. Suzanne took some paper towels too and tried to help me.
    Ardis leaned against a sink. “Suzanne says you’re her best friend.”
    Was something wrong with my hearing?
    â€œShe is,” Suzanne said. “We live in the same building. We’ve been friends practically since we were born.”
    â€œWe’re just neighbors.”
    â€œWhere do you live?” Ardis asked.
    â€œOn Sixty-sixth. The big building on—”
    â€œYou know where we live,” Suzanne said. “I invited you to my birthday party. Remember? The address was on the invitation. Only you couldn’t make it.”
    Her best friend—me—hadn’t even known there was a party.
    â€œWhere do you live?” I asked Ardis.
    â€œOn Irving Place.” She paused. “Look, if you meant it before, I could use some help with history. Maybe you can come over sometime and we can study together.”
    The truck had run me over instead of just splashing me. I was dead and this was Hell and Heaven rolled into one. Suzanne and Ardis for friends.
    â€œHow come you’re talking to me? What’s going on?” Since I was dead, it was safe to say whatever I wanted.
    Ardis looked puzzled. “I like you.” Her face went blank for a second. “I don’t know why.”
    â€œWhy shouldn’t we talk to you?” Suzanne asked. “You’re the most popular kid at Claverford.”
    The old lady! The old lady?
    Â 
    The hallucination continued. I left Ardis to go to language arts, where my humiliation by Ms. Hannah had taken place.
    When I got there, Erica was trying to yank Daphne out of the seat to the left of mine. I usually sat between Jared and Daphne, the other two loners. But today Carlos was in the chair to the right of mine. Timothy was in my chair. Everybody else was standing.
    As soon as he saw me, Timothy patted his legs. “Special cushion, Wilma. Park it here.”
    This wasn’t happening.
    BeeBee said, “You’re too bony. She’ll be disabled for life.”
    Timothy didn’t get up, so I sat near the back, next to the windows. As soon as I did, there was a scramble, like in musical chairs. Evadney Jones, president of SGO, wound up sprawled on the floor at my feet. Suzanne got the chair next to me. Trust her to get what she wanted. BeeBee was in front of me, and Jared was behind. Timothy hopped around, yowling, “Who stepped on me?”
    Ms. Hannah arrived. “What on earth? I want all of you to go to your seats.”
    Evadney stood and dusted herself off. Timothy limped away. “Offer stands, Wilma. Anytime.”
    I went to my regular seat. Jared sat down next to me, grinning like he’d won the lottery.
    â€œNow before you pass in your reports,” Ms. Hannah said, “I should like some of you to tell us about the marvelous books you read.”
    No hands went up.
    â€œDaphne, you may start.”
    Daphne, Brain and class valedictorian, was Ms. Hannah’s favorite.
    â€œI enjoyed The Joy Luck Club because it has folk stories, which were new to me since they’re Chinese—”
    â€œAnd you’re Martian.”
    â€œThat’s sufficient, Timothy. You may take a turn, after Daphne, since you’re in a talkative frame of mind.”
    I didn’t hear