The Wish List

Who We Are

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life but what we give."

~Winston Churchill

"Ally, you've gotta try this! It tastes like. . . like heaven."

My six year old sister waved the ice cream in the air, completely unaware that almost the entire restaurant was watching us.

"Steph, come here." I grabbed my younger sister's arm and dragged her back toward the table, keeping my head bowed in embarrassment.

"What? Oh, come on, Ally!" She giggled, "Just because Emery is here doesn't mean you have to get all girly and quiet." I felt my face grow even warmer as her words echoed through the parlor.

I looked through my lashes as Emery Payne looked up, his eyes glistening with amusement as he looked in my direction.

"Stop." Steph plopped down in the chair, smiling, "You're little and he's big, it won't happen." I wanted her to just be quiet, for her to stop embarrassing me. But she seemed to only be getting started.

"I'm thirteen and he's fifteen and a half, it's not that big of an age difference." I replied in a hushed whisper. She continued to eat her ice cream, her eyes narrowing by the second.

"I don't understand big girls." She muttered, "It's always about boys and how cute you look. What happened to dollys and playing dress up? And you never play with me anymore." I sat down, pushing my hair into my face so Emery couldn't see how much I was blushing.

"You'll understand in a few years." I replied, sipping at my soda.

"I never will." She said, looking proud of herself.

"It's like one of those unavoidable colds." I explained, "You can keep trying to fight it, Stephie, but you're going to like guys, or girls, and you're going to like them a lot." She snorted.

"You don't know that. I'll ask Jason." I nodded, making a gesture toward our eighteen year old brother trying to hit on the girl behind the counter.

"Go ahead, Sissy. I'm sure he'd love to answer you." She stared at me for a second before we both fell into a fit of giggles.

That's how it was with Steph, no matter what, we always ended up laughing at the end of our arguments.

"Alyssa, right?" I nearly dropped the cup in my hand as Emery stepped in front of Steph and leaned against the table.

"I. . . well. . . I. . ."

"Yes, that's my sister Ally." Steph said, jumping out of her seat and tugging Emery until he sat down.

"Hi." I tucked a strand of my bleached blonde hair behind my ears and smiled across the table. Emery grinned, ruffling Steph's hair.

"And she likes boys, a lot." Steph explained, then grabbed Emery's arm and pulled him down so she could whisper in his ear. But it was so loud that I heard exactly what she said.

"You better not hurt her."

*

"Do you remember him?" Steph giggled, falling back on to the hospital bed beside her as my mind snapped back into reality, "He looked at you with really big eyes, I think he liked you a lot." I laughed, seeing Tessie smiling up at the screen from the other side of Ty beside me.