Never Ever Read Online Free Page A

only drawback to skipping dinner with her parents was that there was no food in her system. So Wylie helped Phinn polish off every last bite of the feast he’d laid out on the table—the fries, the burgers, even the signature apple pies.
    As soon as Phinn had eaten his last pie, he wiped his hands on his pants and leaned close to her.
    â€œWylie.” He spoke her name with such gravity, like he was about to tell her he was dying, and this was his last night on earth.
    â€œYes?”
    â€œI want to know everything about you.”
    It was easily the sexiest thing anyone had ever said to her, even if it was some line he’d used on countless girls before tonight.
    â€œWhere do you want me to start?” she asked.
    â€œTell me about your family.”
    Before she could say a word, the fluorescent lights in the restaurant began to flicker, and one of the homeless guys yelled that he wanted a free refill on his soda.
    â€œYou want to get out of here? The present company’s not exactly conducive to sharing your life story,” Phinn said.
    Wylie nodded. Phinn put a hand on the small of her back as they walked through the exit and onto a now-peaceful street in Williamsburg. The cold draft and absence of bright lighting felt like a huge relief once their feet hit the sidewalk.
    â€œAll right, start at the beginning,” Phinn said. And so she began by telling him about her parents.
    â€œWhen my parents were young, my dad was this fancy investment banker and my mom was this crazy artist. They kind of met by accident. He was tagging along with a friend to her going-away party. She was supposed to leave New York to study art in California, but they fell in love and she changed all her plans.”
    â€œShe stayed in New York for him?”
    â€œYup. They had this whirlwind romance and got married after a few months. And instead of having kids, they decided they would travel the world. My mom got knocked up with me in Paris. It was their first trip together. They’ve never said it outright, but I’m pretty sure I was an accident,” Wylie said, sticking closely to the truth for now.
    â€œA happy accident,” Phinn was quick to add.
    â€œDepends on the day. Anyway, my dad always said my brothers owe their lives to me. I was such a sweet and easy baby, they decided to have more kids. So my mom never went to art school and stayed at home with us instead. My whole life, I’ve never even seen her pick up a paintbrush.”
    â€œDoes she miss it?” Phinn asked.
    â€œI wouldn’t know.”
    From there, the conversation turned to her brothers.
    â€œThey’re my best friends,” Wylie explained. “I woulddo anything for them. Joshua’s the smart one. It’s actually a little annoying. He’s a year younger, but people always think he’s the oldest, just because he’s the most responsible. He actually wants to be president someday.”
    Phinn let out a small laugh.
    â€œI know it sounds ridiculous coming from most people,” Wylie told him, “but not from Joshua. When he tells people who know him that he’s going to run for office, they don’t pat him on the head and tell him he’s adorable, they say they’ll vote for him. He’s like a young JFK. And you should meet his girlfriend, Abigail. They’ve been together since their freshman year in high school and I swear, she’ll probably be First Lady someday.”
    Wylie was tempted to leave out the entire story about the hit-and-run and the fact that her brother was going to be sentenced tomorrow, but it felt like too big of an omission. And she was glad she’d given Phinn the bullet points, because he admitted to reading something about it online. But when he made more inquiries about what had caused the accident, she didn’t tell him that the whole thing was her fault. The only other people who knew that part of the story were her brothers.
    The