Most people agreed that he had been shipped off to federal prison, and would probably show up in a few months with an arm-full of prison tats and some creepy scars. As the gossip swirled in Sean’s absence, I looked forward to the end of the school day with even more zest than usual. I knew I couldn’t tell people the truth--that I had accidentally conjured up a stolen car and, oh by the way, I was a genie. Still, it was hard to keep myself quiet as my classmates’ gleefully described Sean’s supposed love of grand theft auto, including a crime spree last weekend involving two stolen Hummers. Once I was back home, though, I found that my annoyance hadn’t completely disappeared. “It’s like they want him to get in trouble,” I said, loading the DVD player with a new indie movie. “He’s friends with like, a million people, but nobody stuck up for him today.” Natalie mumbled something incoherent through a mouthful of popcorn.
