"I wish you'd just leave me alone!" Mikey said. And he did. Fred Orr seemed to forget he had even been bugging Mikey, and suddenly went back to his seat in front of Mikey. He looked at the rock again. Had his wish come true? No way, he was in fourth grade, he'd outgrown all of that stupid superstition. But maybe he should test it. He looked up at Fred Orr, and said as quietly as he could: "I wish Fred Orr had long blonde hair in pigtails, braided with pink and purple ribbons."
After speaking, Mikey felt compelled to look away for some reason, but when he looked back at Fred, his wish had come true! And what's more, Fred didn't even seem to notice anything about it. He just kept sitting there while Ms. Warren talked. Nobody else seemed to notice, either. This was amazing! Just for fun, he thought he'd try another wish.
In another whisper, Mikey said, "I wish Fred Orr was dressed like a girl, and played with the girls on the playground." Once again, he looked away, and when he came back, Fred seemed not to have changed much. But their was a difference. His jeans seemed tighter, and Mikey saw a couple of pink hearts embroidered into the denim. He was also wearing a purple sweater. Fred hated purple! He used to beat up any boy who'd even think of wearing anything with a hint of purple in it!
Mikey was astonished at the amount of power he held in his hand. He could mess with his classmates all day, and nobody would notice! Or, he thought, maybe he should wait until he got home. For once he'd have an upper hand over his big brother Jon...
