Cornerstone by Misty Provencher Page B

sleepover at his house. Like how he totally lost his head and almost kissed me.
    “What I was going to say is that it’d be a good idea for us to stay close for a while. Until we...I mean, until the cops find this guy that keeps following you around, I think we should stick together.” he says.
    I light up inside and twirl.
    “Okay.” I say. He smiles and all of a sudden, I can’t wait for school tomorrow.

Chapter 8
     
     
    I remember sitting with Garrett and talking to him about music and letting him quiz me and then I’m totally embarrassed because I don’t even remember falling asleep when I wake up the next morning, to the smell of coffee. My mom is sleeping on the recliner across the room, snoring softly, and I want to put a pillow over her face so no one will hear it. Instead, I just get up and try not to trip over all of our bags as I go into the kitchen.
    The minute I hit the doorway, I know it was a mistake to come into the fluorescent light. No one is in the kitchen except Garrett and he looks clean and perfect, ready to walk out the door to school, two hours before the first bell will ring. My hair might be plastered to my cheek.
    He’s got one hip leaning against the counter, absorbed with reading over one of my mom’s pages, so he doesn’t notice me right away. I think of backing away, but as I lift a foot to do it, the tiny movement catches Garrett’s attention.
    His body instantly drops into a stance of attack. The sharpened, predatory look in his eyes stops me dead.
    I see a Garrett I do not know. A cold vein of fear darts through my chest and the first mumble of a whir begins inside me. He blinks at me and with the second blink, the warrior in him vanishes, leaving the relaxed and grinning, familiar Garrett. The spinning in my chest jerks to a halt, like a rubber plug wedged between whirling gears. Although I’m sure I look harmless, aside from a raging case of bed head, I stay rooted to my spot until Garrett speaks.
    “Good morning.” he says and his chuckle unglues my feet.
    “Good morning.” I say and then I’m not sure which apology to offer him first. For having startled him into looking murderous just now, for having fallen asleep on him last night, or for still being here at all this morning. And then there are the apologies for plugging up his living room with all of my and my mom’s junk and for the brick of my mom’s writing, already spiraling in a pile on the Reese’s otherwise spotless kitchen counter.
    Garrett makes my next move for me by taking down a mug from one of the cupboards. I catch the tiniest scent of his cologne and it fills my head with all sorts of images that make me feel like I’m standing in front of him naked.
    “I made coffee.” he says. His eyes linger a second on my cheeks and then he looks away and I have no idea if I’ve fooled him or not.
    “I don’t drink coffee.” I say and add quickly, “But thanks.”
    “Not a coffee girl, huh? We’ve got tea, if you want. Are you a tea girl?”
    “Sure.” I say. I don’t drink either, but I’m not going to play guess-what-I’ll-drink with him in his own kitchen. Especially since I’m still wearing yesterday’s clothes and my mascara might be smeared on his couch.
    Garrett microwaves the mug of water and pulls out five different boxes of tea for me to choose from. I put my finger on one, a green tea with a bear on the box, even though I have no idea if I will like it at all.
    “My family’s into tea.” he says, taking out a bag for me. “If Sean was up, he’d rip open the tea bag when you were done and read your leaves for you.”
    “Read...like as in fortune telling?”
    “Yeah.” Garrett nods. “He’s pretty good, actually. He can tell me daily if I’ll want to eat in the cafeteria or if I’ll have to go out for lunch.”
    “Wait. Does anyone ever want to eat in the cafeteria?”
    Garrett laughs.
    “Who’s doubting my psychic ability?” Sean asks as he walks into the kitchen. He