Dreamer, Wisher, Liar by Charise Mericle Harper

Author:Charise Mericle Harper
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins

chapter twenty-four

Love

I woke up thinking about Anderson’s. It was too late to sneak into the basement, because I could hear the faint voices of Mom and Claire in the kitchen. I pulled on my bathing suit, shorts, and a shirt. I had a mission—we were going to the pool no matter what! I needed to know what that sign said. Part of me was hoping I was wrong, that it was somewhere else, that it didn’t say Anderson’s. The wishes by themselves were enough. I didn’t want it to get bigger. I wasn’t sure I could handle bigger.

I sat on the side of the bed and pulled on a sock. The PJ Walker book was next to me. I picked it up, flipped through the pages, and found Percy’s letter. Peter had been right; it was a twist in the story, and it explained a lot. Now I liked Percy more, even felt sorry for him. The letter explained Percy’s childhood—how he’d lived in an orphanage and had never been adopted. Mostly it was because he was different—he had one short leg and his foot turned in the wrong way; and then there were the three moles on his nose, and his crossed left eye. The kids at the orphanage had liked him once they got to know him, but no parents ever did. That explained why he’d told Viola those crazy stories about his childhood. The truth was boring—and maybe too painful.

It was hard to imagine Percy as a funny-looking kid. Now that he was a grown-up, he seemed handsome, confident, and outgoing, but that was the new him—after all the operations. Now he was perfect, and no one would ever be able to tell what he used to look like. It made me wonder: Which was harder—having something different about you that everyone could see, or having something different about you that was hidden? I didn’t have time to decide, because five seconds later Claire charged into my room. When she’d first arrived, I’d made a rule about knocking first, but now it didn’t seem as important.

“Do you know how to make Miss Sato and Mr. Gripes fall in love?” asked Claire.

I shook my head.

“Well, I do.” She sat on the side of my bed. “All you have to do is find out what Miss Sato’s handwriting looks like, copy it, and write a love letter to Mr. Gripes. It’s perfect, because when Mr. Gripes gets the letter, he’ll think it’s from Miss Sato and he’ll fall in love with her again.”

Claire was extra pleased with herself. I could tell she couldn’t wait for me to get started, but her plan had flaws—lots and lots of flaws. Mostly I was stuck on the “write a love letter to Mr. Gripes” part—there was no way I would ever be able to do that. Part of me even felt sorry for Miss Sato—Mr. Gripes didn’t seem very lovable.

I shook my head. “I can’t write a love letter.”

Claire was surprised. “But it’s perfect!”

Her plan was nothing close to perfect.

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