Three Wishes (24 page)

This makes me cry harder, and I bury my face in her shoulder and let it all go. I tell her every last detail, explaining why my body changed so radically six months ago, how my French folder appeared in my hand, the fact that I need to find a master by the end of the day, and, last but not least, Pete's pressure on me to have sex with him tonight.

“It's okay, G, it's okay,” she says, rocking me like a baby. After talking and crying non-stop for a half-hour, I'm spent and take deep, shuddering breaths to calm myself. Leia has taken this news so easily, with no signs of shock or denial. But I should have known she could handle whatever came her way. She's always been unflappable.
Why did I wait so long?

As if she could read my mind, she says, “I wish you had told me earlier. Can I say that? I mean — it would have been better if you had told me earlier. I could have helped you work through all of this.”

She gets up and starts pacing the room. Back and forth, back and forth, between my bed and the door to the bathroom. She's wringing her hands as she walks, and I'm about to ask her to sit down already when she stops and faces me. “Listen, G, I'm still not crazy about Pete, and the thought of him being your
master
kind of makes me want to hurl. I don't like the way he treats you” — she holds up her hand, anticipating my protests — “and I think, deep down, you would like to have another option.”

She takes a deep breath and sits down next to me, tears in her eyes. Leia, who never cries. Not even when we watch tear-jerkers. She opens her mouth to say something, but we're interrupted by my cell. The alarm goes off, reminding me of my imminent hair appointment. Her mouth claps shut again and her face drops.

“Never mind, what were you going to say?” I ask, fumbling with the phone and silencing the ringer as fast as I can.

She hesitates long enough for a deep breath. “What? Oh, no. I want you to think about your other options, that's all,” she says, wiping her nose with her sleeve and giving me a watery smile. “And, you know, I am so glad we're friends again.” But why did I think she was about to say something else?

“Yeah, me too.” I put an arm around her and squeeze, leaning my head against hers. “Are you sure that's all you were going to say?”

“I'm sure.”

I'm still not convinced, but whatever. “So what
are
my options, then?”

“You know, there's lots of fish in the sea, or, uh, masters in the, um, school?”

I snort at her lame analogy then sigh. “Like…?” I prompt.

She shakes her head, shoulders slumped. “Luke?” she says, perking up as she dabs at the remnants of her tears. I roll my eyes but let it pass. Leia never gives up. “I guess he's already got a date, anyway.” She sighs.

I stand up and pull Leia off the bed to give her another giant hug. “Will you come with me to get my hair done? Please?” I ask.

“Well, if you twist my arm and bring chocolate, I think I could manage,” she responds with some of her usual energy.

Showing off, I wish up a bag of chocolate kisses for her and then grab and wrench her arm. Her eyes widen at the appearance of the chocolate, but she gathers herself and grins. “Okay, I'll do it. But wait — aren't you going with those other girls?”

“Oh, them. Whatever.” I wave my hand. “It'll be fine. And there's plenty of room in the hair salon. Consider it a birthday present to me.”

At the salon, the three girls shrug and say “hi” when Leia enters with me. Two of them are peering in the large mirrors covering a whole wall of the room.

Maddy is frowning at herself. “It figures I would get a giant zit the day of prom. I wish it would disappear!” She turns away from her reflection, and I slyly make her wish come true. I've been focused so much on the serious side of being a genie, I missed granting fun wishes. It feels good to be altruistic again.

Joanne, still preening, makes a face behind Maddy's back, which makes Taylor, the fourth girl of our prom group, giggle. I zap Joanne with a north star right in the middle of her forehead when she looks away for a moment. She gasps when she notices the pimple, to which Taylor giggles even more.
Take that
, I think to myself.
And Taylor, you are now on notice
.

Leia doesn't miss a thing and makes a face telling me she's amused by my mischief. After my hair is done and we leave the salon, the two of us spend the rest of the day together, getting ready for prom in my room, as I had always imagined. We keep things light, avoiding any conversation about my love life, but have a great time. I don't think I have ever smiled as much as I do those few hours. We chat about college — she and Luke both got into UC Berkeley and decided to go there to be closer to their idol, George Lucas.

I roll my eyes at her. “You're not going to start stalking him, are you?”

She rolls her eyes right back.

Then I realize I've been so preoccupied with everything else we've discussed that I haven't even asked about her prom date.

“I'm going with Joel. He asked me a few weeks ago, and I said yes. But we're going as
friends
.” She wags a finger at me. “Don't think I didn't know you were trying to set us up before, and, uh we don't like each other like that.”

I don't know why this makes me feel kind of funny, but I try to hide my reaction. “I'm sure you'll have a great time.”

“Yeah, definitely,” she says. “We're doubling with Luke and, believe it or not, Sarah — you know, the rower? Ryan's sister. They're technically going as
just friends,
too.”

“Awesome. I want to hear your plans.”

She proceeds to give me all of the details. In keeping with Leia's unique style, she found her dress, a baby-pink vintage 1960s' number, at a thrift store. They decided to have their prom night dinner at the local boathouse where Sarah rows.

“We're getting takeout from the Chowda House, which is
so
scrumptious, my mouth is already watering,” she says. “And the boathouse is a super cool building about a hundred years old, with a tiny dining area with one of those huge, long mahogany tables, overlooking the river. Plus, listen to this — Joel's uncle has agreed to let Joel borrow his classic convertible for the night. Doesn't that sound awesome?”

I sigh, excited for her, but envious they're going to have a low-pressure, creative prom night.

“We're going to be a bit more conventional. The guys have rented a limo and made reservations at Primavera. So I'll finally get my carbo-load — a little late.” I laugh a little before reporting the end of the night is supposed to happen in a hotel room above where the dance is being held.

Leia manages to rein in the comments I can see in her eyes. “Don't do anything you're not ready for, okay?”

I nod.

At last it's time for our dresses. Leia's fits her like it was custom-designed. When I'm done changing, she tells me, “You look like a goddess.”

Blushing, I thank her; but when I see myself in the mirror, I do feel like a different person. It's that fairytale thing again. My dress is gauzy and jade-green with a deep neckline and an empire waist. It drapes on me loosely, but is gathered in at all the right places. The cut and color emphasize my sea-green eyes, olive skin, and the genie curves that I'll keep as long as I choose a master before midnight.

We finish our preparations and go downstairs a short while before our dates are due to arrive. My grandparents are beaming, taking photo after photo of us. “You girls look amazing,” they keep repeating. I can tell they are excited to have me and Leia back together again. We're all giddy with the spirit of the evening.

Leia texts Joel and Luke and asks them to come over to my house before going to get Sarah. Since Pete arranged for the limo, I'll be the first of the girls in our group to be picked up. I hear the doorbell ring and answer it, taking care while walking in my too-high strappy sandals. I'm glad Pete has a good four inches on me, so although I'm towering at six-foot-two, he'll be taller yet.

It's Luke at the door, and he does a double-take when he sees me. “You're so beautiful!” He reaches out and hugs me, adding, “Everything feels right now that you and Leia are friends again.”

I give him a kiss on the cheek. I couldn't agree more.

I'm expecting Pete next, but it's Joel who arrives. When I open the door, his mouth drops open.

After a moment he says, “Hey, Genie,” a little breathless. “This is a great surprise. It's fantastic you and Leia have made up — and I hope you can forgive me as well.”

“What? No, Joel, don't even worry about it now. It was a big, ridiculous fight. I'm happy to have my friends back.
All
of you.” We share a brief hug, and I assure Joel again. “It's water under the bridge. Everything.” He smiles, hesitant, but I feel certain I'm at peace with what happened on Valentine's Day.

My grandparents take a few more pictures of all four of us before it's time for Luke, Leia, and Joel to go get Sarah. As they leave, I wave goodbye from the door. Pete pulls up in the limo, his head sticking out of the sunroof as the driver gets to the curb. I step forward and wave. Then he notices the other three getting into Joel's car, and I see a dark look cross his face.
Oh, no.

He gets out of the limo and comes up to me, ignoring my friends as he walks by them. I see Leia roll her eyes and Luke shrug his shoulders before they get into the car, but Joel keeps watching Pete as he approaches me.

“You take care, Genie,” Joel calls out. “We'll see you at the dance.”

They're hardly in the car and out of earshot before Pete starts giving me a hard time. “What were they doing here? Those people aren't your friends anymore. They treated us like garbage.”

“Pete, it's between me and my friends. Leia and I had a long talk today, and we've worked it out. She's going to try to not interfere anymore. She wants to be my friend, so we were all taking pictures before you came.”

He takes a couple of deep breaths, trying to control himself, and forces a smile. “Well, babe, if it makes you happy, then I'm happy too, I guess.”

Right then, my grandparents open the front door and shoo us inside.

“We've only got a minute,” Pete tells them, acting like Mr. Charming. “There are three other couples awaiting the chariot!”

All four of us chuckle as Papa starts posing us for pictures. He snaps about a dozen before he's satisfied. I gather my purse and shawl and overnight bag, double-checking that my tetrahedron is still in my purse, so I can give it to Pete tonight.

Papa pulls me aside for a quick
tête-à-tête
in the kitchen while Pete chats with my grandmother in the living room. “Honey, you're eighteen now, but you're still our little girl,” he says with a sigh. Straightening, he adds, “Your grandmother and I discussed this already. We trust you to make good choices.”

I shift my feet and won't meet his eyes.

“About anything Pete might have, uh, planned for tonight. Remember that one night can change your future forever.”

The heat is creeping up my cheeks, and I say nothing, hoping this conversation will end quickly.

“Please don't do anything to make us regret placing our trust in you. Make sure you're back here, safe, by ten tomorrow morning. Or we'll call the police and report you missing.”

I look up, unsure if he's joking. He's not smiling, so I decide not to take a chance, answering him with a “Yes, Papa.”

We re-enter the living room, saving Pete from making more small talk. I give my grandparents a final kiss before Pete and I set off in the limo for the next pickup.

Maddy, Taylor, and Joanne got ready together, and their dates, John, Chris, and Jacob, are all waiting with them so we're able to gather everyone else in one stop. Everyone's giddy with excitement, and I'm enjoying the chatter.

“Oh, you guys are totally going to be prom king and queen!” Maddy gushes to Pete and me.

Dinner is a high-spirited affair. We're seated in a separate section of the restaurant, a small room with a long table and high-backed, red velvet-upholstered chairs.

Soon after we arrive, Pete leaps to his feet. “I wanna propose a toast!” he says. “To my girlfriend Genie, the sexiest, hottest girl at school.”

Out of the corner of my eye I notice Joanne making a face.
Whatever.

“Happy Birthday, babe.” He raises his glass and takes a gulp. “I bet you thought I forgot!” he adds. “But I have a special gift for you.”

He pulls out a small box and presents it to me. Opening it, I see a gold ring with a tiny knot in it.

“It's a love knot. A promise you will give me your heart. Here. Take it!”

Pete grabs my hand and tries to shove the ring on my finger. It feels like he's putting on a lock and chain, and I feel my gut rebelling against it, while on the outside I'm all smiles and thank yous. The girls at the table
ooh
and
ahh
, while the boys give Pete knowing looks. The ring is too small for me, and though Pete keeps trying to jam it on, it's clear it's not going to work.

“Oh, thanks so much, Pete!” I say as genuinely as I can manage. “But it'll have to be re-sized, so why don't we keep it in the box for now so I don't lose it. I'll make sure to put it right in my purse. This is so wonderful. Such a nice present.”
And not only is it not my taste,
I think to myself,
I'm not sure I like the meaning behind it.

Our orders arrive soon after, and for a short while there are only the sounds of contented eating. The food is delicious, and I offer Pete a bite of my gnocchi with fresh pomodoro sauce.

He snickers and says, “Babe, it's not your gnocchi I want.” Elbowing John, he adds, “Get it?
Gnocchi
— sounds like knockers.”