Read Online Wishful Thinking by Alexandra Bullen - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Alexandra Bullen
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shuffled past them, looking at the growing fire. She wore an oversize sweatshirt and cutoff shorts, and Hazel noticed for the first time that her knees were slightly turned in, just like her own. Not like they’d ever bond over that, or anything.
Luke whistled through his teeth, raising his can as Jaime turned. Jaime started to wave back, but quickly stuffed her hand in her pocket as soon as she spotted Hazel.
“I’m guessing I was right,” Luke hedged.
Hazel sighed and took another sip from the can. This one went down somewhat easier. She could already feel a lightness spreading across her chest.
“Do you work on the farm, too?” Hazel asked. She was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that he slept only a few feet away from where she’d been holed up in the office all day. She hated being oblivious to things that were right in front of her. It made her feel like there was a secret code, and everyone knew it but her.
“Nah.” Luke shook his head, wiping sand from the heels of his palms. “I work at the yacht club in town. But I’ve been staying at Rosanna’s every summer since I was a little kid.”
Hazel felt a quick jealous pang. Had everyone at the estate been living with Rosanna and Billy forever? She imagined a younger Luke, playing in the waves, feeding the animals, eating family dinners at the patio table. They were
her
parents, but it seemed like Luke and the others already had something with them that she never would.
“What about your parents?” Hazel asked. The question came out with more of an edge than she’d meant for it to. “I mean, where do you live the rest of the year?”
“I was born in Virginia, but we moved around a lot,” Luke explained. “My dad’s a military defense lawyer. I made it to about the sixth grade before he had me shipped off to boarding school. Guess I should be grateful. After living with him, school was a walk in the park.”
“Where did you go?” Hazel asked. She’d always wondered what it would be like to go to boarding school. It sounded kind of nice, actually. During the school year, nobody had parents. Maybe she would’ve actually fit in.
“A couple places.” Luke shrugged. “Mostly in Maryland and D.C. Took a while to find the right spot. But I survived.”
Hazel stared at a patch of sand by her feet. She’d alwaysthought that knowing who her parents were would automatically mean she’d get to live in one place forever.
“What about you?” Luke asked. “I heard you’re from California. How’d you end up out here?”
Hazel tucked her hands inside the long sleeves of her shirt and let her hair fall over her shoulder, hoping it would effectively shield her face. She’d told the lie a few times now, but it still felt awkward on her tongue.
“My parents are traveling,” she said loudly, in that voice she sometimes used when she was called on in class and hadn’t been paying attention. It was a kind of fake confidence that she hoped would hide the fact that she had no idea what she was saying. “I didn’t have anything else to do.”
At least that part was true, and Luke seemed to buy the rest. “What about when the summer ends?” he asked. “Back to school?”
Hazel looked out at the water, and thought of the sterile halls of her high school, the anonymous cafeteria where she ate alone at lunch. The night of the party at the Ferry Building, she’d had only a few months until graduation. She hadn’t given much thought to what came next. There was that art school in the city, but she still didn’t think it was worth the tuition. And she couldn’t imagine ever living in New York.
“I have no idea,” she sighed, and Luke laughed. A Frisbee skidded to a stop beside them and Luke grabbed for it. He looked toward the water and tossed it to a stocky kid with a crew cut, waving one hand over his head.
“Join the club,” Luke said, clapping sand from between his fingers. “I always thought I’d have a better idea of
Luke whistled through his teeth, raising his can as Jaime turned. Jaime started to wave back, but quickly stuffed her hand in her pocket as soon as she spotted Hazel.
“I’m guessing I was right,” Luke hedged.
Hazel sighed and took another sip from the can. This one went down somewhat easier. She could already feel a lightness spreading across her chest.
“Do you work on the farm, too?” Hazel asked. She was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that he slept only a few feet away from where she’d been holed up in the office all day. She hated being oblivious to things that were right in front of her. It made her feel like there was a secret code, and everyone knew it but her.
“Nah.” Luke shook his head, wiping sand from the heels of his palms. “I work at the yacht club in town. But I’ve been staying at Rosanna’s every summer since I was a little kid.”
Hazel felt a quick jealous pang. Had everyone at the estate been living with Rosanna and Billy forever? She imagined a younger Luke, playing in the waves, feeding the animals, eating family dinners at the patio table. They were
her
parents, but it seemed like Luke and the others already had something with them that she never would.
“What about your parents?” Hazel asked. The question came out with more of an edge than she’d meant for it to. “I mean, where do you live the rest of the year?”
“I was born in Virginia, but we moved around a lot,” Luke explained. “My dad’s a military defense lawyer. I made it to about the sixth grade before he had me shipped off to boarding school. Guess I should be grateful. After living with him, school was a walk in the park.”
“Where did you go?” Hazel asked. She’d always wondered what it would be like to go to boarding school. It sounded kind of nice, actually. During the school year, nobody had parents. Maybe she would’ve actually fit in.
“A couple places.” Luke shrugged. “Mostly in Maryland and D.C. Took a while to find the right spot. But I survived.”
Hazel stared at a patch of sand by her feet. She’d alwaysthought that knowing who her parents were would automatically mean she’d get to live in one place forever.
“What about you?” Luke asked. “I heard you’re from California. How’d you end up out here?”
Hazel tucked her hands inside the long sleeves of her shirt and let her hair fall over her shoulder, hoping it would effectively shield her face. She’d told the lie a few times now, but it still felt awkward on her tongue.
“My parents are traveling,” she said loudly, in that voice she sometimes used when she was called on in class and hadn’t been paying attention. It was a kind of fake confidence that she hoped would hide the fact that she had no idea what she was saying. “I didn’t have anything else to do.”
At least that part was true, and Luke seemed to buy the rest. “What about when the summer ends?” he asked. “Back to school?”
Hazel looked out at the water, and thought of the sterile halls of her high school, the anonymous cafeteria where she ate alone at lunch. The night of the party at the Ferry Building, she’d had only a few months until graduation. She hadn’t given much thought to what came next. There was that art school in the city, but she still didn’t think it was worth the tuition. And she couldn’t imagine ever living in New York.
“I have no idea,” she sighed, and Luke laughed. A Frisbee skidded to a stop beside them and Luke grabbed for it. He looked toward the water and tossed it to a stocky kid with a crew cut, waving one hand over his head.
“Join the club,” Luke said, clapping sand from between his fingers. “I always thought I’d have a better idea of
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