Read Online Wishful Thinking by Alexandra Bullen - Free Book Online
Authors: Alexandra Bullen
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I’m sorry you don’t want me here, but Rosanna does. I have no idea what your problem is.”
“Problem? I don’t have a problem,” Jaime said flatly. “And even if I did have a problem—which I don’t—I can’t imagine you’d understand. I heard all about your parents and their little European vacation. Sounds swell.” Jaime’s voice dripped with false sincerity.
Hazel’s pulse raged in her ears and she wanted nothing more than to set the record straight, to snap back with her real story, the one without vacations or parents of any kind.
“You sure it’s too late to join them?” Jaime asked with a dramatic pout.
Hazel’s cheeks were burning and she turned quickly back to the folder on the desk.
“Later, Blondie,” Jaime called as she bounded down the stairs. Through the office’s one, blurry window, Hazel watched as Jaime stalked across the field. The tall, leafy oaks swayed in the breeze and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. In the distance, the ocean looked striped, the sun reflected in mirrored streaks across the surface.
Hazel sighed and opened the folder.
A beautiful day for paperwork.
10
H azel’s eyes were swimming and her head throbbed. After she’d come back for the treadmill manual, Jaime had quickly assigned Hazel an endless list of boring tasks, ranging from sorting the unpaid bills to testing an entire box full of printer cartridges.
Hazel was also starving. Jaime had brought her a dry turkey sandwich at lunch, but that was hours ago. She had no idea how late she was supposed to stay in the office and was considering making a run for it, when a pair of voices wafted from behind the door to the hall. She hopped out of the chair and peeked through the window, like a prisoner in solitary confinement, ravenous as much for conversation as she was for a decent meal.
A muscular girl with braided blond pigtails walked toward her, followed by a lanky boy with a dark goatee. They both looked to be in their mid-twenties. They stopped at a door and were about to disappear behind it when Hazel burst into the hall.
“Hi!” she said, with just a touch more enthusiasm thanshe’d hoped. “I mean, hey. I’m Hazel. I’m … working here now. With Jaime?”
The girl took a step toward her and wiped her hands on the sides of her dirty overalls. “Oh, hey. Rosanna told us to be on the lookout for a new face.” She smiled. Her face was dotted with freckles. “I’m Maura, and this is Craig.” Craig offered an awkward little wave and ducked inside one of the rooms off of the hall.
“Sorry, were we bothering you?” Maura asked, peering over Hazel’s shoulder into the office. “Feeding time can get pretty chaotic.”
“Not at all,” Hazel insisted. “I was just starting to go a little stir crazy.”
Maura laughed, her braids swinging behind her back. “We’re about to head down to the beach for the bonfire,” she explained. “It’s sort of a weekly tradition. You should come.”
At home, Hazel was well practiced in the art of turning down invitations, and rarely saw anybody outside of school or work. But suddenly she found herself feeling grateful for even the possibility of being around people. Especially people other than Jaime. She smiled. “Thanks. I’d like that.”
“Cool.” Maura nodded, heading back toward her door. “Let me clean up and we’ll meet you downstairs?”
Hazel nodded and closed herself back inside the tiny office. Jaime would probably be mad she hadn’t gotten to everything, and even more annoyed when Hazel showed up at the bonfire. But Hazel didn’t care.
In fact, it only made her want to go more.
The sun was low in the sky as Craig led the girls down a long, wooded path. Mosquitoes buzzed around their heads and Hazel swatted at one as it nibbled near her ankle. The path ended at a clearing in the forest, where ten or twelve cars, mostly pickup trucks and beat-up hatchbacks, were already parked. They took a rickety old staircase to the beach
“Problem? I don’t have a problem,” Jaime said flatly. “And even if I did have a problem—which I don’t—I can’t imagine you’d understand. I heard all about your parents and their little European vacation. Sounds swell.” Jaime’s voice dripped with false sincerity.
Hazel’s pulse raged in her ears and she wanted nothing more than to set the record straight, to snap back with her real story, the one without vacations or parents of any kind.
“You sure it’s too late to join them?” Jaime asked with a dramatic pout.
Hazel’s cheeks were burning and she turned quickly back to the folder on the desk.
“Later, Blondie,” Jaime called as she bounded down the stairs. Through the office’s one, blurry window, Hazel watched as Jaime stalked across the field. The tall, leafy oaks swayed in the breeze and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. In the distance, the ocean looked striped, the sun reflected in mirrored streaks across the surface.
Hazel sighed and opened the folder.
A beautiful day for paperwork.
10
H azel’s eyes were swimming and her head throbbed. After she’d come back for the treadmill manual, Jaime had quickly assigned Hazel an endless list of boring tasks, ranging from sorting the unpaid bills to testing an entire box full of printer cartridges.
Hazel was also starving. Jaime had brought her a dry turkey sandwich at lunch, but that was hours ago. She had no idea how late she was supposed to stay in the office and was considering making a run for it, when a pair of voices wafted from behind the door to the hall. She hopped out of the chair and peeked through the window, like a prisoner in solitary confinement, ravenous as much for conversation as she was for a decent meal.
A muscular girl with braided blond pigtails walked toward her, followed by a lanky boy with a dark goatee. They both looked to be in their mid-twenties. They stopped at a door and were about to disappear behind it when Hazel burst into the hall.
“Hi!” she said, with just a touch more enthusiasm thanshe’d hoped. “I mean, hey. I’m Hazel. I’m … working here now. With Jaime?”
The girl took a step toward her and wiped her hands on the sides of her dirty overalls. “Oh, hey. Rosanna told us to be on the lookout for a new face.” She smiled. Her face was dotted with freckles. “I’m Maura, and this is Craig.” Craig offered an awkward little wave and ducked inside one of the rooms off of the hall.
“Sorry, were we bothering you?” Maura asked, peering over Hazel’s shoulder into the office. “Feeding time can get pretty chaotic.”
“Not at all,” Hazel insisted. “I was just starting to go a little stir crazy.”
Maura laughed, her braids swinging behind her back. “We’re about to head down to the beach for the bonfire,” she explained. “It’s sort of a weekly tradition. You should come.”
At home, Hazel was well practiced in the art of turning down invitations, and rarely saw anybody outside of school or work. But suddenly she found herself feeling grateful for even the possibility of being around people. Especially people other than Jaime. She smiled. “Thanks. I’d like that.”
“Cool.” Maura nodded, heading back toward her door. “Let me clean up and we’ll meet you downstairs?”
Hazel nodded and closed herself back inside the tiny office. Jaime would probably be mad she hadn’t gotten to everything, and even more annoyed when Hazel showed up at the bonfire. But Hazel didn’t care.
In fact, it only made her want to go more.
The sun was low in the sky as Craig led the girls down a long, wooded path. Mosquitoes buzzed around their heads and Hazel swatted at one as it nibbled near her ankle. The path ended at a clearing in the forest, where ten or twelve cars, mostly pickup trucks and beat-up hatchbacks, were already parked. They took a rickety old staircase to the beach
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