Read Online Wish I May by Lexi Ryan - Free Book Online

now?”
    Drew shoots me a look, as if our father’s cluelessness is entirely my fault.
    “She’s in high school, Dad. Drew will be a sophomore. And Gabby will start fifth grade in the fall.”
    Dad looks taken aback by this information. “You’ve grown up so much,” he says, almost to himself. Then he turns his gaze to his soup and we finish our meal in silence.
    I make a mental note to get money from Dad to go grocery shopping for some basic foodstuffs. Drew will likely starve before eating okra. She may be a vegetarian, but she shouldn’t be mistaken for someone who actually eats vegetables.
    After our meal, I show the girls to the room they’ll be sharing, and for Drew’s sake, I try to see it through her eyes. Old pea-green shag carpet, mattresses on the floor that I’ve already made with their sheets and blankets from home, rickety little end table between the beds.
    “This is worse than the brothel of a motel you had us staying at,” she says under her breath.
    “It’ll be better when we move all your stuff in.”
    She snorts. “Sure. The lipstick on the pig didn’t do it, so let’s try some mascara.”
    “Drew, I need you to try. ” I feel Gabby at my side, grabbing my hand. “This situation will only be as good as you let it be.”
    “Good?” Her voice shakes and she throws her phone on her bed. “What in the fuck is good about any of this? I lost my mom and I have to live with this guy who never cared enough to visit more than a handful of times or, I don’t know, call on my birthday. I had to leave my friends and my home. I hate this house. I hate this town, and I fucking hate you .”
    I stagger back as she twists the dull blade in my heart. “What do you want me to do?” Tears roll down my cheeks because I’m not heartless and I hate what I’m asking of them. “I’m serious. Please tell me, because I don’t know what to do.”
    Beside me, Gabby squeezes my hand. Then she speaks. It’s the first word I’ve heard from her lips since I found her squatting on the floor next to Mom’s dead body.
    “Stay.”

Seven Years Ago
     
    “ S HE’S NOT taking my calls.” I throw the phone against the locker room wall. It hits with a sharp crack . Brand fucking new phone ruined. I’m not even like that. I don’t lose my temper over shit. But Cally left, and I’m not even myself anymore.
    At first it was okay. We talked all the time. I sent her a new cell since her mom missed the payment on her old one and it got shut off. We shared the mundane details about our days. We texted. We made plans for prom. I sent her emails with the web links about the little cabin I booked. We traded text messages about the strawberry wine I snuck from Grandma’s basement. We whispered late until sunrise about our first night together. And I confessed how I can’t stop thinking about what it’s going to be like to finally slide inside her.
    Those stolen moments weren’t enough, but they kept me sane. And now I don’t even have that much.
    Max and Sam exchange a look. They’ve been holding their tongues where Cally’s concerned, but I can see they’re done with that.
    “Man,” Max says, “you’re about to start college. It’ll be awesome.”
    “Maybe you should just…let her go,” Sam says. “Be young. Date around.”
    I set my jaw. “Right. Sure.” But they don’t fucking understand. I don’t want to date around. I want Cally .
    I drag a hand through my hair. My stomach burns. She’s been ignoring my calls, blowing off my texts with occasional vague responses about being “busy.” The last time I did get her on the phone, she was distant, not saying much, not bothering to laugh at my jokes and making excuses to get out of the conversation before it even began. “I sent her plane tickets to come home for prom. That’ll help. I shouldn’t have gone so long without seeing her. Prom will fix things.”
    “Long distance is hard when things are good,” Max warns. “It’s no way to fix