The Genie in the Designer Hoodie Chapter 2

That notebook was sealed away for a year.

When I opened it again, I was already a junior in high school.

The wishes in the notebook gradually became more trivial and frequent:

"To finish all my worksheets before 10 PM."

"To rank in the top five in the grade on the day after tomorrow's midterm."

"To find another part-time job at night to pay next semester's tuition."

Left all alone, I started fulfilling my own wishes.

But occasionally, a little random thought would pop out in the notebook:

"My desk mate ordered Popeyes for lunch again. What does it taste like? It smells so good. Is it delicious?"

"A friend invited me to see a movie tonight. It's supposed to be the kind I like, but the tickets are too expensive."

"I want to adopt a kitten. Never mind, I couldn't take good care of it."

Financially strapped, having to budget carefully even for meals, these wishes were too luxurious for me.

Later, a rich kid transferred from the class next door. His name was Liam.

The first time we met, he treated the whole class to Popeyes.

A week later, with a wave of his hand, he rented out an entire movie theater for the class.

The class cheered, hailing him as the biggest baller in the whole school.

Behind his back, though, they mocked him for having more money than sense and trying to show off.

Those ignored, random wishes were quietly being fulfilled just like that.

In my heart, I gave Liam a nickname: The Genie. Liam the Genie.

And I was the impoverished Aladdin.

Only, my Genie was exceptionally generous, exceptionally giving.

The pizza place I had walked past several times but couldn't bear to go into? He treated the whole class to it every few days.

My Genie seemed to have no three-wish limit.

Every wish in my notebook was meticulously fulfilled by him.

In the summer, he bought ice cream; in the winter, he brought hot cocoa.

I learned what those heavily advertised fast-food chains tasted like.

I was able to join the crowd when classmates talked about the most popular movies.

Even the bitter cold that terrified me—he personally gifted me a down jacket.

That was my most dignified winter. My ears didn't get frostbite, and my fingers didn't get chilblains.

Near the end of my junior year, I wrote out a withdrawal application.

The people I borrowed the three thousand dollars from for my mother's medical bills were showing up at my door every day, hounding me until I was physically and mentally exhausted.

I packed my bags, ready to head south to work in a factory.

The day before I left, I ran into Liam.

He had lost a bet and had to give the first girl who walked by ten thousand dollars.

And I was that girl. He shoved the money at me without a word:

"Hey, don't make me break my promise. It's just a little money, not even enough for you to buy a new outfit."

The crumbs that fall through the fingers of the rich are enough for the poor to work a lifetime for.

I used that money to pay off the debt, finished high school, and got into college.

In my plain and simple value system:

Aladdin's Genie was omnipotent.

Liam was also omnipotent.