If Only We Read Online Free PDF Page A

painted it. My mind is playing tricks on me.” I wonder how long I can play that card before they start to wonder about my sanity. I’m guessing not long considering how well I am doing so far.
    Kaitlin taps a finger on her chin. “That’s actually not a bad idea.”
    “It’s not?” asks Maurice as he peeks back at her through the rearview mirror.
    “I’d like to paint my room a new color. I’ve been wanting to repaint my room! Could I, Dad? Please?” She bounces a little bit in her seat with her hands clasped together.
    He smiles. “Sure, pumpkin. I don’t see why not.”
    My mom seems reluctant. “I don’t have the time to help her paint with my work schedule.”
    “I’m sure either Adrienne or I could help,” Maurice says, not realizing what my mom’s words meant.
    Mom looks at us, unsure of what transpired. It's slightly amusing to see how the subject was changed so quickly. I don’t think she likes it. She faces forward as we pull into the school parking lot. “We can talk more about it later.” She forces a smile. That is her standard response when she doesn’t want to talk about something anymore. The discussion usually doesn’t come up again for another week or two. She hopes postponing it will give sufficient time for you to change your mind. I heard it last when I chose to live with Dad.
    I'm barely out of the car when I spot Lyndsay. She is running to me in her gown, holding on to her cap to keep it from flying off. She tackles me in a hug. I start laughing when I realize I should have braced myself.
    “O-M-G! Can you believe it’s here?” she says. When I squeeze her a little more than normal, she taps the back of my head and says, “Holy crap, girl! You're acting like you haven't seen me in a billion years.” It had been too long since I had seen her. When I moved, I didn't come back for any visits, and when I had come back the day after the funeral, the only people I saw were my family and Chevy.
    “I missed your exaggerations,” is out of my mouth before I realize it. Oops.
    “I was exaggerating up a storm yesterday. Were you not paying attention? Or were you too busy thinking about something else?” Then she whispers, “Or somebody else?” She sticks out her tongue. She didn't even bat an eyelash. Apparently, my words were chalked up to silliness due to unhealthy crushes.
    “Ha ha,” I reply and stick my tongue out back at her.
    “Adrienne, don’t stick your tongue out like that in public,” my mom whispers.
    “She started it,” I tell her. Lyndsay just stands there grinning.
    Mom ignores me and turns her attention to Lyndsay. “Congratulations, sweetie,” she says as she gives her a hug. “Where’s your mother?”
    “Already inside saving seats for everyone. Where’s your dad?” she asks me.
    I say, “He’s running late.”
    Mom gives me a look. “How did you know that?” Oops again.
    How did I know that? “Oh, I, uh, just guessed.” That sounded convincing. It's true that my dad can sometimes run late though. If I'm going to be reliving the past, I still need to remember that I don't know many of these things just yet. Jumping the gun on these things is going to get me branded as a psychic, or more likely a psychotic.
    She shrugs her shoulders. “Good guess, then.” I release the breath I didn’t notice I was holding.
    Lyndsay says, “I still can’t believe West Haven had to schedule their graduation ceremony at the same time as ours. I won’t be able to see Ben until tonight.” She pouts. She and Ben met at one of the fall football games. West Haven and Hamilton have been rivals ever since their founding. It wasn't the first time rivals started dating, but it was the first time that a couple stayed together this long. He's just the right kind of funny and treats her like a princess. In my books, that's all that matters.
    I say, “You can always count on them to pull a stunt like this.”
    “But the only people they’re punishing are us! The