Текст книги "Pushing the Limits"
Автор книги: Katie McGarry
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Текущая страница: 9 (всего у книги 23 страниц)
NOAH
“Stop sulking already. If you would have screwed her when you first met her, like I told you to, you wouldn’t be twisted like a damn pretzel.” Beth slammed her tray on the lunch table.
I pushed my pizza away and leaned back in the chair. So far, Echo had done little more than make fleeting eye contact with me today. Just like she’d said, she’d gone back to her life and, in theory, I’d gone back to mine. Problem? I didn’t like mine, not without her.
Isaiah placed his tray on the other side of me. “Let him be, Beth. Sometimes you can’t help who you fall for.” Words of wisdom from the guy who ignored his feelings for Beth.
Beth scowled as she stabbed a fork into her chicken patty. She kept her hair in her face to hide the bruises the makeup couldn’t cover. “What’s eating you, Isaiah? You’ve been brooding almost as bad as Noah. Please don’t tell me you’ve fallen for some unreachable, stupid girl, too.”
Isaiah changed the subject. “So, Beth, I heard Mrs. Collins called you into her office.”
“What for?” I asked. Mrs. Collins messing with one of us was enough.
“I’m assuming one of my teachers turned me in when they noticed the bruises. I told her I fell down the steps at my dad’s house.” She winked at Isaiah and the two laughed at their shared joke. Neither of them had any clue who their fathers were.
My heart quickened when I caught a flash of red entering the lunchroom. At the corner door farthest from me, Echo paused and performed a quick scan. She held her books tight to her chest, sleeves clutched in her hands. Our eyes met. Her green eyes melted and she gave me that beautiful siren smile. My lips quirked and I motioned for her to come over to the table. What the hell was I doing?
Beth had evidently become a mind reader. “What the hell are you doing?”
While watching Echo’s eyes widen, I quickly turned to Isaiah. “Would you like to work on a 1965 Corvette?”
“Do I want a million bucks? Hell, yeah.”
“Got plans after school?” I asked. Echo glanced over to her lunch table and then back to me. Come on, my little siren. Come to me.
“We haven’t skipped in a while,” said Isaiah.
“I’m game,” said Beth. “And I don’t need the excuse of a car to skip.”
“No skipping.” I kept my eyes locked on Echo’s. She shifted from one foot to another. She needed a reason to come. I picked up my calculus book and showed her the cover. She exhaled enough that a couple of curls moved with her breath. Finally, my nymph approached.
“Hey.” She spoke so softly I had to strain to hear her. Her eyes flickered from me to Beth to Isaiah, then back to me.
“Want to sit?” I asked, knowing the answer. By standing next to my table, she was breaking a hundred of her stuck-up little friends’ social rules.
“No, my friends are expecting me.” She emphasized the word before purposely glancing over to the table of girls who stared at our interaction. Score one, Echo. I’d messed Saturday night up so badly she didn’t even consider us friends. Beth smiled and tauntingly waved at Echo’s table of gal pals. Echo cringed externally while I inwardly flinched.
“What do you need, Noah?” She stared at Beth while she asked and then let her eyes narrow on me.
“This is Isaiah.”
She raised both eyebrows. “Okay.”
“He’s going to look at Aires’ car after school. We can study at your house while he assesses what needs to be done.”
Her face brightened. “For real?”
“What’s for real?” asked a familiar voice. Dammit—the overgrown ape. Just when I’d started to manipulate Echo back into my corner, her loser boyfriend swooped in and draped an arm around her shoulder.
Echo continued to beam. “Isaiah’s going to look at Aires’ car for me.”
The corners of my mouth turned up as Luke’s turned down.
“When?” he asked.
“Today. After school,” answered Isaiah. He shifted in his chair to let Luke have a good look at him, earrings, tattoos and all his punked-out glory.
“Echo!” called one of her friends.
She glanced behind her, then rifled through her backpack. “I’ll be leaving after lunch for an appointment and won’t be back, but after school will totally work.”
Echo bent over and scribbled her phone number on a napkin. Her shirt dipped, exposing a hint of her cleavage. The glare I gave Isaiah warned him off from looking and the smile I sent Echo’s ape boyfriend when she slid the napkin to me made the ape’s fist curl.
“My phone will be off,” said Echo. “But text me your number so I can give you directions. See you guys after school.” She took a step, but Luke didn’t follow. “You coming?”
“I’m going to grab something to eat first.”
Echo bit her bottom lip and stole a look at me before walking away. So I hadn’t screwed everything completely up. I had at least one more shot at Echo.
A chair scraped against the floor and Luke took a seat at our table.
“What is the deal with you popular people? Can’t you leave the losers alone?” mumbled Beth.
Luke ignored her. “We played basketball against each other freshman year.”
Both Beth’s and Isaiah’s heads snapped toward me. I never discussed my pre–foster care life. I folded my arms across my chest. “Yeah. We did.”
“I defended you and you kicked my ass. Your team won.”
He brought up that game like it was yesterday. For me, it was eons ago. Those memories belonged to a boy who died alongside his parents in a house fire.
When I didn’t respond he continued, “You won that day, but you ain’t winning now. She’s mine. Not yours. Are we clear, amigo?”
I chuckled. “Way I hear it, Echo’s fair game. If you’re not man enough to keep her satisfied, well …” I held my hands out to let my reputation speak for itself.
Luke sprang from his seat, face flushed red. “You go near her and I’ll beat the shit out of you.”
Homecoming king probably never fought a day in his life. His body shook. I stayed seated, knowing my calmness would scare him more. “Bring it. I’ll kick your ass like I did in basketball. Only this time, no referee is going to save you.”
Luke slammed his chair into our table and stalked away. Beth and Isaiah broke out into laughter. I joined them until I noticed the horror on Echo’s face. Before I could move, she sprinted from the lunchroom. Dammit.
ECHO LIVED IN ONE OF THOSE nice neighborhoods. Not the rich fancy kind, but the ones with large trees in the front yard, amateur but nice landscaping, two-story brick fronts and porches with swings. I used to live in a place like this—before. I bet it looked real pretty in the spring. Probably smelled like daffodils and roses—like my house used to. Now, all I could smell was dirt and cold. February sucked.
The two-car garage door opened when we shut our car doors. Echo had parked her Dodge Neon on a narrow strip of concrete next to the house, leaving the red Corvette as the only car in the garage. From the driver’s side, one of Echo’s jean-clad legs dangled.
“I’ve got a hard-on just looking at her, man,” said Isaiah as we strolled up the drive.
“You’re ate up,” I replied, hoping he meant the car, not Echo. I’d hate to throw down with someone I considered family.
Beth squeezed between me and Isaiah. “Sick in the head, more like it.”
“Both. Jesus, are those the original fenders?” Isaiah slid his hand over the body of the car.
I walked into the garage and into a bubble of warmth. A heater hung from the rafters, along with several shop lights. The moment the three of us entered, the garage door closed behind us. Wooden tool benches lined the left and back walls. Tools hung on pegboards. Pictures of cars and people littered the cabinents.
“Maybe you’d keep a girl if you touched her like that.” Beth leaned against a bench.
Isaiah smirked while inspecting the pinstriping. “I meet a girl that could purr like this kitten, I’d caress her all night.”
“Are you guys high?” Echo’s voice drifted from the car. The hoarse catch in her tone swiped a claw at my heart.
Beth scowled in my direction. “Unfortunately, no. Your goody-two-shoes attitude is rubbing off on my boy.” I’d hear Beth complain for days over this. But she, Isaiah and I were more than loser stoners and I wanted to prove that to Echo.
She stayed in the driver’s seat and had yet to show her face. I kept my focus on the car, pretending I had the slightest clue what the hell Isaiah mumbled about. One shot. That’s what I’d bought myself. If I screwed today up, I’d be watching ape boy living life with Echo. Everything inside me wound tight. Shit. I was nervous over a girl.
Isaiah continued to slide his hand up the car toward the hood, mumbling incoherent nonsense. He threw out words like fenders, chrome, body and slants. “Can I take her to second base?” Isaiah’s eyes flickered into the car and then immediately to me. He tilted his head toward Echo before running his hand under the hood, waiting for her to pop it open.
Hell. Isaiah had never won awards for being observant. My stunt with Luke must have pissed her off. I wandered up to the driver’s side to translate for my dumb-ass best friend. “He wants you to pop the hood.”
Echo held a photo album in her lap, with her fingers touching an image. She had that lost look again. The same one she’d worn last semester when she walked into class seconds before the bell rang, pretending no one else existed. Only now I realized that she wasn’t pretending. In this moment, Echo lived in her own little world.
She’d said she had an appointment, but mentioned nothing else. Did something go wrong? I crouched next to her, lowering my voice so only she could hear my concern. “Echo.”
Awakening from her dreamworld, she took a deep breath. “Yeah. The hood.”
She slid her hand under the console and pulled the lever. Isaiah’s eyes sparkled when the latch released with a pop and the door to his magical world opened. “Beth, you’ve got to see this.”
“Your car obsession is unnatural.” She acted like she didn’t care, but Beth pushed off the bench toward Isaiah. “How on earth do you get girls to screw you?”
“Come on, you know the words big block V-8 make your panties wet.”
“Oh, baby,” Beth said dryly. “Take me now.”
Echo checked out my eyes. “Are you sure you guys aren’t high?”
Several sarcastic comments entered my mind, but I reminded myself—one shot. “This is your house and I wouldn’t disrespect you like that.”
The right side of her mouth turned up. “Thanks.” She closed the album. “You ready to delve into the world of physics?”
I glanced around the garage. “Where?”
“I typically study in here.”
“You’re kidding.” The serious look in her green eyes told me she wasn’t, as did her backpack sitting on the passenger side. “You know, most people use tables and chairs.”
Echo shrugged, taking her physics book out of her pack and then placing the pack on the floor next to me. She lowered her voice. “Most people don’t have scars running up their arms or go to ‘strongly encouraged by Child Protective Services’ therapy once a week either. Are we studying or not?”
I opened the door to the passenger side and took a seat. Taped to the dashboard was a picture of Echo with her arms wrapped around a taller guy with brown hair. Appeared Beth had left out a boyfriend in her history of Echo lesson. Imagine that—a stoner who forgot something. “Who’s that?”
A soft smile touched her lips, but not her eyes. Those eyes held so much pain that I felt a knife slash through my gut. “That’s my brother, Aires. It’s our last picture together.” Her hand absently stroked the album in her lap.
Isaiah and Beth were bantering back and forth, giving our conversation some privacy. “You’re lucky. Everything that meant a thing to me burnt up in the fire. Everything but my brothers. I don’t have a single picture of my parents. Sometimes I’m terrified I’m going to forget what they looked like.” And the sound of their voices. My father’s deep laughter and my mom’s hearty giggles. The fragrance of my mom’s perfume when she got ready for work. The smell of my dad’s aftershave. The sound of them cheering from the stands when I made a shot. God, I missed them.
I had no idea I’d traveled into my own universe until Echo’s cold fingers squeezed mine. “Want to do normal?”
And my heart clenched in pain and joy at the same time. I missed my parents beyond words and this beautiful nymph understood. “I’m all over normal.” I opened my physics book.
THE SLAMMING OF THE HOOD startled me and Echo. We’d spent two hours reviewing for our physics test. If I didn’t pass the son of a bitch tomorrow, I’d never pass a test.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say Isaiah was on the best trip of his life with that crazy smile on his face. “I know how to get her going.”
Echo brightened to the level of supernova. “Really?” She dropped her physics book and hopped out of the car.
I fought the urge to stand behind Echo and wrap my arms around her as she bounced in front of Isaiah in delight. For a second, it appeared Isaiah would join in the happy dance. “Just a few parts, minor really. I’ll find them at the junkyard. It’ll take me some time and probably cost up to two hundred.”
Echo’s eyes widened and my heart sank. She didn’t have the money. How much could she make tutoring a loser like me? I had the money. I saved every dime to move into my own place after graduation and rescue my brothers. I could loan it to her and we could increase our tutoring sessions until she made enough to pay me back. “Echo …”
She threw herself at Isaiah, tackling him in a hug. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Do you need the money now or later? I’ve got cash, if that’s okay.”
Isaiah paled and stared at me with his arms held out to his sides. “I swear to God, I’m not touching her, man.”
“Yeah, but she’s touching you.” The dark shadows in Beth’s eyes prompted me to take action.
Oblivious to the black-haired threat behind her, Echo released Isaiah, glowing as if Jesus had appeared and turned water into wine. A pang of jealousy nagged at my gut. To keep Beth from tearing Echo to pieces, I stepped between the two. “Told you I could help.” Shitty of me to attempt to take the credit, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted to be her champion.
Her cheeks filled with color and her eyes lit like sparklers. “Noah.” She gasped, out of breath. “We did it. We’re going to fix his car. Oh, God, Noah …” She threw her arms around my neck and pressed her head into my shoulder.
Everything within me stilled. I wrapped my arms around her warmth and softness, closing my eyes to savor the peace Echo’s presence brought to me. Life would almost be enjoyable if I could feel this way all the time. I nuzzled the top of her hair with my chin, sending Isaiah a glance of gratitude. He nodded once and shifted his footing as he caught a glimpse of Beth.
She had a hand on her throat, disbelief draining her face of color. “Isaiah, I …” She took two steps backward before turning and bolting.
“Beth!” Isaiah raced after her. The door to the garage slammed shut behind him.
Using my arms as chains, I kept Echo locked against me when she pulled her head off my shoulder. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
My messed-up friends are ruining my moment. “Isaiah’s into Beth and doesn’t want to admit it and Beth doesn’t want to be into anyone. At least not the guy she considers her best friend. But your hugging him got her riled up.”
“Oh.” She unlocked her hands from my neck and pushed her body against my arms, but I wasn’t ready to let her go—not yet. “Noah?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m kind of done hugging you.”
Reluctantly, I let go. One shot. One fucking shot. What the hell do I do now? What the hell do I want? Echo. To feel her body wrapped around mine, to smell her enticing scent, to let her deliver me to that place where I would forget everything but her.
She packed her books in her bag, speaking the words on my mind. “What’s going on between us?”
I don’t know. I rubbed my hand over my face before glancing at Echo. A hint of her cleavage peeked from her shirt. Damn, she was sexy as hell. I wanted her, badly. Would one night be enough, even if she gave it to me? Echo already felt like a heavy drug. The kind I avoided on purpose—crack, heroin, meth. The ones that screwed with your mind, crept into your blood and left you powerless, helpless. If she gave her body to me, would I be able to let go or would I be sucked into that black veil, hooks embedded into my skin, sentenced to death by the emotion I reserved for my brothers—love? “I want you.”
Echo zipped up her pack and threw it at the door to the house. It smacked the wood with a bang and slid to the floor. “Do you? Really? Because these scars are sexy.”
How did she see herself? “I don’t give a fuck about your scars.”
She stalked toward me, hips swaying side to side, eyes hardened with anger. Echo pushed her body against mine, parts of her fitting perfectly into parts of me. I swore under my breath, fighting for control over my body.
“How are you going to react when we’re this close and you take off my shirt? Are you still going to want me when you see red and white lines? Are you going to flinch each time you accidentally touch my arms and feel the raised skin? How about when I touch you?”
She pulled away from me, leaving my body cold after experiencing her warmth. “Or will you forbid that? Will you tell me how to dress or what I’m allowed to take off?”
Her anger only fed mine. “For the last time, I don’t give a fuck about your scars.”
“Liar,” she spat. “Because the only way anyone will ever be okay with me is if they love me. Really love me enough to not care that I’m damaged. You don’t love people. You have sex with them. So how could you want to be with me?”
She’d summed me up perfectly. I didn’t love people—only my brothers. Echo deserved more. Better than me. One shot. Take it or go home. Kiss her and risk an attachment or leave her and watch some other guy enjoy what could have been mine.
Echo
When I graduated from high school I planned on painting a plaque for Mrs. Collins: Therapy Stinks. Pink and white with polka dots to match the curtains on the windows.
“Sorry I had to reschedule your session and take you out of business technology. The conference in Cincinnati was fabulous! Are you ready for the Valentine’s Dance tomorrow? When I was a teenager, we had dances on Fridays instead of a Saturday like you.” Mrs. Collins hunted through the growing stacks of papers and folders on her desk for my file. How could she misplace the thing? Thanks to her copious note taking, my three-inch file had grown to four.
She placed a folder off to the side and the name caught my eye—Noah Hutchins. We hadn’t talked in a week and a half. Okay—not totally true. Last week, he’d taken thirty seconds before calculus to download his latest plan of attack. He planned on disrupting my therapy session to ask Mrs. Collins for some type of form. He hoped she’d leave the office and I could gain access to our files. It didn’t happen. Noah stormed out of her office ten minutes before the end of his session and never returned.
I wanted to talk to him on Monday when he, Beth and Isaiah came over for the next tutoring/car repair session, but he kept our conversation exclusively on calculus. When we finished studying, he cut up with Beth and Isaiah, purposely keeping me out of their loop.
Not that I blamed Noah for avoiding me. I’d said some pretty horrible things to him in my garage. Things I had no idea how to take back. Besides, how would I even begin to explain why I’d been in such a foul mood?
Earlier that day, I’d learned that Ashley carried a boy in her precious little baby bump. Ashley had lain on the table, staring at the black-and-white swishing screen, and said, “Oh, Echo. You’ll have a brother again.” Again. Like I lost a puppy and she cooked me up another. I wasn’t interested in a replacement.
Noah had come over to my house that afternoon and rocked my world with Isaiah’s car knowledge. He didn’t have to bring Isaiah, or share memories of his family. Once again, he showed me what an incredibly awesome guy he really was and what did I do? I threw it in his face that he slept with every girl who offered herself up to him. I told him he didn’t know how to love because he couldn’t tell me what I wanted so badly to hear from him. That he wanted more than my body—that he wanted me.
“Yes. I’m ready for the dance,” I told Mrs. Collins, returning to reality.
“Fantastic. Ah, there it is.” She flipped open my file and rewarded herself with a sip of her new addiction, Diet Coke. “I’d like to discuss your mother today.”
“What?” No one discussed my mother.
“Your mom. I’d like to discuss your mom. Actually, there’s an exercise I’d like to try with you. Can you describe her in five words or less?”
Bipolar. Beautiful. Erratic. Talented. Unreliable. I chose the safe answer. “She loved Greek mythology.”
Mrs. Collins sat back in her seat, revealing jeans and a blue button-down shirt. “I think of chocolate chip cookies when I think of my mom.”
“I’m pretty sure you know my mom isn’t the cookie-baking type.” Or the mom type.
She chuckled. I didn’t mean it to be funny. “Did she teach you the myths?”
“Yes, but she focused on the constellations.”
“You’re smiling. I don’t see you do that in my office very often.”
My mom. My crazy, crazy mother. “When she was on, my mother was on. You know?”
“No. Explain.”
My foot began to rock. “She … um … I don’t know.”
“What do you mean by your mom being on?”
My mouth dried out as if I hadn’t drunk in days. I really hated talking about her. “I realize now that my favorite moments with my mom were her manic episodes. It kind of stinks because now the only good memories I have are tainted. The way she smiled at me made me feel so important. She painted the constellations on my ceiling with glow-in-the-dark paint. We’d lie in bed and she’d tell me the stories over and over again. Some nights she’d shake me to keep me awake.”
Mrs. Collins tapped her pen against her chin. “Constellations, huh? Think you could still pick them out?”
I shrugged, shifting in my seat. My foot clicked repeatedly against the floor. What temperature did she have the room set at? Ninety? “I guess. I haven’t looked at the stars in a while.”
“Why not?” Mrs. Collins’s demeanor changed from friendly Labrador to pure business.
Sweat crept along the back of my neck. I twisted my hair in a bun and held it up. “Um … I don’t know. Cloudy? I don’t go out at night very often?”
“Really?” she asked dryly.
Anger flashed in my bloodstream. I wished lasers would shoot out of my eyes. “I lost interest, I guess.”
“I want to show you some pictures that may trigger a memory. As long as that’s okay with you, Echo?”
Um … not really, but how could I say no? I nodded.
“Your art teacher gave me these smaller paintings you did your sophomore year. I could be wrong, but I believe they’re constellations.”
Mrs. Collins held up the first one. A first-grader could name it. “The little dipper, but in Greek mythology it would be Ursa Minor.”
The next painting was familiar to me, but maybe not to others. “Aquarius.”
The third one stumped me for one second. My mind wavered in that gray hazy area I detested. I snatched out the answer before the black hole could swallow it. Dizziness disoriented me, allowing me only to whisper, “Andromeda.”
My heart pounded and I let go of my hair to wipe the perspiration forming on my forehead. Nausea rolled in my stomach and up my throat. Good God, I was going to puke.
“Echo, breathe through your nose and try to lower your head.”
I barely heard Mrs. Collins over the ringing in my ears. The black hole grew, threatening to swallow me. I couldn’t let it. “No.” It couldn’t grow. The black hole was already too large and this had happened once before. That time I almost lost my mind.
“No to what, Echo?” Why did she sound so far away?
I squeezed my hands against my head, as if the motion could physically stop me from falling into that dark chasm. A bright light ripped through the blackness and for a brief few seconds I saw my mother. She lay next to me on the floor of her living room. Red curly hair falling from a gold clip. Her eyes wide—too wide. My heart raced faster. She reached toward me, whispering the words, “And Perseus saved Andromeda from her death. Aires was our Perseus. We’ll be with him soon.”
Raw fear—nerve-breaking, horror movie, chain-saw-carrying fear—pushed adrenaline through my body. “No!” I yelled, shoving my hands out to stop her from touching me.
“Echo! Open your eyes!” Mrs. Collins shouted, her warm breath hitting my face.
Every inch of me trembled and I reached out to steady myself, only to be caught by Mrs. Collins. I blinked rapidly and shook my head. This couldn’t be happening again. I had no memory of standing. Several of the stacks of files perched on the edge of her desk now cluttered the floor. I swallowed quickly to ease my dry mouth and calm my nerves. “I’m sorry.”
Mrs. Collins swept my hair away from my face, her expression a mixture of delighted and compassionate. If she had a tail, she would have wagged it. “Don’t be. You experienced a memory, didn’t you?”
I don’t know. Did I? I clutched Mrs. Collins’s arms. “She was telling me the story of Andromeda and Perseus.”
She took a deep breath, nodded and helped lower me to the floor, next to all the overturned files. “Yes. She did.”
The heat that had overwhelmed me earlier retreated, only to be replaced with cold and clammy goose bumps and uncontrollable shivering. Mrs. Collins handed me an unopened Diet Coke before returning to her desk. “Drink. The caffeine will help. I think we’ve done enough for today. In fact, I think you should probably go home. Your choice, of course.”
I stared at the bottle, unsure I had enough strength to open the cap. “Why was she telling me stories? And why did she say we’d be with Aires soon? Did she forget he was dead?”
Mrs. Collins crouched in front of me. “Stop. You’ve had a huge breakthrough and you need to let your mind and your emotions rest. Echo?”
She waited until she had my full attention. “You didn’t lose your mind.”
I sucked in a breath. I hadn’t. I’d remembered something and I hadn’t lost my mind. Hope swelled within me. Maybe it was possible. Maybe I could remember and stay in one piece.
“Now, tell me, home or school?”
The Diet Coke shook in my hand. “I’m not sure I can do school.”
She gave me a soft smile. “All right. Is it okay if I step out and call your father and Ashley to tell them what happened and that you’re coming home?”
“Sure.”
“By the way,” she said, “I’m proud of you.”
Mrs. Collins shut the door behind her. Thank God. The last thing I needed was anyone in the office seeing me shaking like a leaf on her floor surrounded by a mess of files. Files. Files!
I scanned the floor and within seconds spotted Noah’s, but mine sat there on her desk—open. It was there—every moment, every secret, every answer. Noah’s first. But my eyes drifted back to mine. The need to fill the black hole pressed upon me. But Noah needed small things—fast things—last name, address, phone numbers, and … I’d yelled at him. His first, then mine.
Crawling on my hands and knees, I snatched his file and quickly scanned the pages, searching for any trace of the names Jacob and Tyler. The first page—nothing. Second page—nothing. Third, fourth, fifth. I stared at my file. God, I was running out of time. Sixth page, seventh, eight. Ninth—Tyler and Jacob Hutchins. Placed in foster care by the state of Kentucky after the death of their parents. Currently placed with Carrie and Joe …
The door clicked open and I threw the file to the floor. “Echo, are you okay?”
I sat back on my knees. “I tried to get up, but got a little dizzy.” I blinked three times in a row.
She rushed over to me, concern ravaging her tone. “I am so sorry. Am I the worst therapist on the planet or what? Leaving you in here as weak as a kitten. Your father would have my license for sure.” Mrs. Collins helped me to my feet. “Let’s get you to the nurse’s office and let you lie down for a while. The bed in there should be more comfortable than the floor.”
“NOAH!” HE IGNORED ME THE first time I yelled his name. The nurse had finally released me with only ten minutes left of lunch. When I entered the cafeteria, he, Isaiah and Beth pitched their trash and left.
He may not have heard me call to him in the cafeteria, but I knew for sure he heard me in the hallway. I barely had the energy to run after him as the three of them headed to the lockers on the lower level. Clutching the railing for support, I dragged myself down the stairs. “Noah, please.”
They kept walking, but he glanced quickly over his shoulder then stopped dead in his tracks. He dropped his books and doubled back toward me, catching me as I stumbled down the last step. “What happened? You look like hell.”
Weak kitten? Try comatose jellyfish. My legs gave and Noah helped me sink to the floor. He sat beside me, one strong hand stroking my face. “You’re scaring the shit out of me.”
“Peterson. Tyler and Jacob’s foster parents are Carrie and Joe Peterson. I’m sorry. Mrs. Collins walked back in before I could get any more information.” I rested my hot face against the cool cinder-block wall. Oh—that felt so good.
“No apologies. I could kiss you right now.” Judging by the look in his chocolate-brown eyes, he meant it.
“Don’t. I think I’m gonna puke.” I loved the way his lips turned up—part mischievous smile, part man of mystery.
“Noah,” Isaiah called out. He and Beth waited at the other end of the hall.
His hand fell from my face and I inhaled air. We weren’t friends anymore. Why did that hurt my heart? “Go ahead. I’m fine.”
“I’ll be there in a few.” His eyes never strayed from me. “You got into your file then?”
“Never got a crack at it. I went for yours first.”
Noah ran a hand over his face. “Why? Why did you read mine first?”
“It was closer.” Because I needed to do this—for him. “Besides, I had a flash from that night. Not much, but it was enough to scare the crap out of me.” And add fuel to my nightmares for weeks. Who needed more than three hours of sleep a night? Not me.
The bell rang, dismissing lunch. Noah stood and helped me to my feet. “Come on, I’ll get you to class.”
I held on to his warm hand simply because I wanted to. “I’m going home. My mind’s a little fried. Mrs. Collins called Ashley to tell her that I’m on my way and she’ll probably go postal if I don’t show soon. I didn’t know I’d have to chase you the length of a football field.”
