The Wish by Gail Carson Levine

went back to the kitchen . . .
    . . . and found Reggie sitting next to Ardis with his head in her lap. She had that look you get on your face when a soap bubble touches your arm and doesn’t burst immediately, or when a butterfly lands on you—something magical and precious has just happened and you don’t want it to end.
    Her hand hovered about two inches above his head. She was dying to pet him, but she was still afraid.
    â€œHe loves it if you scratch behind his ears,” I said.
    And she did it!
    â€œHe’s wagging his tail!” she said, smiling delightedly.
    â€œHe likes what you’re doing. He likes you.” After graduation, please remember I made this possible.
    â€œI like him. I like you, doggie-Reggie.”
    Reggie wagged his tail a few more times, then stood and shook himself.
    â€œI feel abandoned.”
    â€œYou shouldn’t. It makes it that much more of an honor when he does come over.”
    â€œI guess.”
    â€œI think he’d like a pretzel.”
    â€œIs it all right? The salt isn’t bad for him?”
    â€œIt’s all right.”
    She gave him one without flinching, and he trotted off with it. “Is that your dress? What a stupendous color. Oh! I almost forgot. Nina and BeeBee are coming to my house before Grad Night to get ready together. Russ, Liam, and Carlos are meeting us there. Jared could too. You want to come? BeeBee is incredible with hair and makeup.”
    I nodded. Going to Ardis’s would be a fabulous beginning for the Final Triumph of Wilma the Popular.

Chapter Nineteen
    F riday. Ten more days.
    Ms. Hannah gave our yearbooks out in homeroom. My prepopularity photo smiled dutifully at me from page sixty-seven. Underneath, it said:
    Â 
    Wilma Sturtz
    Science Club
    You can count on Wilma.
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    I wondered what they’d write about me now.
    There was a saying under each picture. I hunted for Ardis’s. There. Under “SGO, Debating Club, Russian Club,” her saying was “Sensitive, smart, stunning—spectacular!” And they were right.
    Under Nina’s photo, it said, “A thousand points for wit and friendship.” BeeBee’s was “The next Picasso—and she’s nice too!” Jared’s was “Behind those eyebrows, the pen of a writer.” It sounded like he had a ballpoint in his skull instead of brains.
    Daphne’s wasn’t any better than mine. Hers was “We expect a lot from Daphne.” Under Suzanne’s it said, “The snoop with the scoop. Beware of libel suits!”
    I spent the day autographing yearbooks and having mine autographed. I asked everybody to write why they liked me. I wanted to find out how the spell made me seem to them.
    In their books, I tried to write why I liked them. In Ardis’s I wrote, “My favorite because you’re honest and fun and brave !” In Nina’s I wrote, “All that’s behind your bark is a wagging tail and a wet tongue.” To BeeBee—“For putting up with a skating dummy and for not having a fit about Reggie.” To Daphne—“I like all dog lovers, especially the ones with a sense of humor.”
    I held Jared’s book for five minutes before I figured out what to say. Finally, I wrote, “I like your Rules, your caricature, the amazing stuff you say—and your eyebrows.”
    I had to struggle to think of things to write about everybody else, but I didn’t lie to anyone. In Suzanne’s book I just signed my name.
    My book was passed around so much that I didn’t get to look through it till sixth period, when I held it in my lap while Ms. Singer went over math problems. I checked first to see what Jared had written. Under his picture were the words “See back cover.” I turned to the back and found two poems. The first one was:
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    She asks why I like her.
    Might as well ask
    Why I breathe.
    Maybe tomorrow I won’t
    Breathe