Open Wide (2 page)

“Hey, Suzanne, watch where you’re going!” Kevin shouted.

“George should have been watching where
he
was going,” Suzanne insisted, getting up. “He crashed right into me.”

“He was trying to catch a football,” Jeremy told her. “You were the one walking backward.”

Suzanne flipped her long brown curls behind her. “Come on, George, get up,” she said. “Stop being so dramatic.”

But George stayed there on the ground, holding his ankle. He gulped as if he was holding back tears.

“It hurts,” he said through clenched teeth. “It really hurts.”

“Oh, man!” Jeremy shouted. “I think you broke his ankle, Suzanne.”

“I’ll get the nurse!” Katie exclaimed. She zoomed into the school building as fast as she could.

A few moments later, Katie returned to the playground with Nurse Haynes. By now a whole circle of kids had gathered around George. The fourth-grade teachers, Mr. Guthrie and Ms. Sweet, were making the kids give George some room.

Suzanne was standing off all by herself, watching. She looked upset.

“Let me through, guys,” Nurse Haynes said as she pushed herself through the crowd of fourth-graders. “Okay, George, let’s take a look.” She bent down and gently examined his ankle.

“It’s swelling up,” Nurse Haynes noted. “I don’t think it’s broken, George, but you’ll need an X-ray. Come on. We’ll get you to my car.”

Mr. Guthrie put his arms underneath George and scooped him up, taking care not to hurt his injured ankle.

“Don’t worry. X-rays don’t hurt a bit,” Nurse Haynes assured George. “I’ll call your parents and have them meet us at the hospital.”

“Th-th-the hospital?” George looked really scared. “I’ve never been to a hospital,” he said quietly. Then he glared angrily in Suzanne’s direction. “All you do is cause trouble, Suzanne!” he shouted. “I wish you didn’t go to this school!”

Katie gasped. That was a terrible thing to wish. Katie knew better than anyone that wishes could be dangerous. Especially if they came true.

Katie had learned
that
lesson the hard way. It all started one horrible day back in third grade. Katie had lost the football game for her team. Then she’d splashed mud all over her favorite jeans. But the worst part of the day came when Katie let out a loud burp—right in front of the whole class!

That night, Katie wished to be anyone but herself. There must have been a shooting star overhead when she made the wish, because the very next day the magic wind came.

The magic wind was like a really powerful tornado that blew only around Katie. It was so strong, it could blow her right out of her body . . .
and into someone else’s
!

The first time the magic wind appeared, it turned Katie into Speedy, the hamster in her third-grade class. Katie spent the whole morning going round and round on a hamster wheel and chewing on Speedy’s wooden chew sticks.
Bo-ring!

She was sure glad she turned back into herself before anyone found out that it was really Katie, and not Speedy, who was in that cage with no clothes on!

The magic wind didn’t just turn Katie into animals, though. One time it came and turned her into one of the Bayside Boys, her favorite musical group. She’d almost broken up the band!

One time the magic wind came to the Cherrydale Mall, and—one, two, switcheroo—it changed her into Louie, the owner of the pizza parlor. By mistake, she’d put cinnamon and sugar on the pizza instead of Louie’s secret spice mixture! Actually, the cinnamon pizza tasted kind of yummy—like a big, doughy dessert. Louie thought so, too. He’d added it to his menu—although he wasn’t exactly sure how he’d come up with the idea.

That was the weird thing about the magic wind. The people Katie turned into never really remembered much about what had happened to them.

But Katie never forgot. Which was why she hated wishes so much.

“Okay, everyone, let’s line up and go inside,” Ms. Sweet told the fourth-graders. “I think we’ve all had enough excitement for one recess.”

The kids all did as they were told. As class 4A lined up beside 4B, Katie glanced at Suzanne. She looked kind of sick to her stomach—almost as if she were the one who had been hurt in the fall.

“George, is this the bench where you want to sit?” Suzanne asked as she walked beside him the next morning in the school yard. She was carrying George’s backpack for him. George couldn’t carry his bag himself because he was using crutches to help him walk.

Katie stood nearby and watched with her mouth wide open. She couldn’t believe it. Suzanne was actually being nice to George.

“No, I think I’d like to sit on that bench by the tree,” George replied, pointing clear across the yard to a bench beneath a maple tree.

Suzanne grimaced slightly. “Okay,” she replied. “But remember, I’m carrying two backpacks—yours and mine.”

“I can’t carry my backpack,” George reminded her. “I sprained my ankle when you walked into me yesterday . . . remember?”

Suzanne bit her lip. “I remember,” she said as she headed over toward the maple tree.

“Do you believe that?” Katie asked Emma W., Becky Stern, and Mandy Banks as the girls watched George and Suzanne. “They’re actually getting along.”

“It won’t last,” Mandy predicted.

“What do you think is going on?” Emma W. asked.

“Maybe Suzanne feels guilty,” Mandy said.

“Maybe. But you know what Jeremy always says?” Becky asked her. “He says that nobody ever knows why Suzanne does the things she does. I think he’s absolutely right.”

“You think
everything
Jeremy says is right,” Mandy told her. “You have such a huge crush on him.”

Becky’s cheeks turned pink, but she didn’t argue with Mandy. How could she? Everyone knew it was the truth. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a few squares of bubble gum. “You guys want some?”

“Oh yeah,” Mandy said, grabbing one of the squares and peeling off the paper.

“Not for me, thanks,” Emma said. “Chewing sugary gum can give you cavities. Besides, you’ll just have to spit it out when we go inside.”

“That’s okay,” Becky said, popping a square of pink gum into her mouth and chewing. “It loses its flavor in a few minutes anyhow.” She blew a giant bubble.

“Good one,” Mandy complimented her. She chewed for a minute and then blew a big bubble of her own.

That sure looked like a lot of fun to Katie. For a minute, she thought about taking a piece of gum, too. But then she looked over at Emma. And she thought about Dr. Sang and his dental drill.

No,
Katie thought sternly to herself
.
She didn’t want any holes in
her
teeth.

As Katie entered the cafeteria, Emma asked her, “Did you remember it’s tooth day?”

“I sure did. I brought my travel toothbrush and toothpaste,” Katie answered. Then she realized that Emma wasn’t listening. She followed Emma’s gaze and understood why.

George was seated at a lunch table, with his leg resting on a chair beside him. Suzanne was heading toward him with a tray of food.

“Okay, I got you the cheeseburger, the French fries, the ketchup, and the juice,” Katie heard Suzanne say.

“Uh, Suzanne,” George said, lifting off the top of the bun. “You forgot the little pickles on my cheeseburger. Could you go back for them, please?”

“But George,” Suzanne said. “I’m really hungry.”

“I’d get them myself, only . . .” George pointed to his bandaged ankle.

“Oh, okay,” Suzanne said with a sigh. “I’ll be right back with them.”

Katie sat down in the seat across from George and pulled out her lunch. Her mother had packed her a really yummy Swiss cheese and tomato sandwich on a kaiser roll, and a fruit-juice box.

“Hi there, Katie Kazoo,” George said, using the way-cool nickname he’d given her.

“Hi, George,” Katie replied. “Is your ankle any better?”

“It still hurts,” George told her. “I sprained it. The doctor said I have to stay off it for a few days.”

“Suzanne’s really being nice, huh?” Katie noted.

“She’d better,” George replied. “She’s the one who did this to me.”

Just then Suzanne returned with the pickles. “Here you go, George,” she said as she handed him a paper plate filled with thinly sliced pieces of pickle.

“What took you so long?” George asked her. “My burger is getting cold.”

“Sorry, I bought my lunch while I was up there,” Suzanne explained. She put her tray on the table and sat next to Katie.

“Hi, Suzanne,” Katie greeted her.

“Hi,” Suzanne answered. “Boy, am I hungry!” She picked up her cheeseburger and took a big bite.

No sooner did she begin to chew than George started to speak. “You know what this hamburger needs?” he said. “Mustard.” He held his plate out toward Suzanne.

“I’ll get it for you,” Katie said, jumping up.

George shook his head. “Katie, you’re a vegetarian. Looking at hamburgers probably makes you sick. Suzanne will do it.”