Glass Girl (A Young Adult Novel) by Laura Anderson Kurk Page B

safely. I get the feeling most everybody here plans to stay the night. How would your folks feel about that? I could sleep next to you to make sure no one bothers you. Since it’s my cabin, I get an actual bed in the back.”
    “Are you kidding? My dad will put out an Amber Alert on me any minute now. And if he knew that you used the word ‘sleep’ in the same sentence as me, he’d rearrange your pretty face.”
    Luke grinned and laughed under his breath. “You think I’m pretty?” He attempted to stand, but it took him several tries. “Your dad’s right, by the way. Remind me to shake his hand one day. I’d give you the keys to my truck, but you’d get lost trying to get back to town. I know somebody that’d flog me like a mad rooster and it
ain’t
your daddy.”
    Luke stumbled through the room, slapping guys on the back and hugging girls. He was a sloppy drunk, but at least he was nice. He disappeared outside, but ten minutes later he leaned through the open window, talking on his cell.
    He caught my eye and held up his finger to tell me to wait a minute. He mouthed, “This is so worth it,” to me. Or to himself. Or to an alcohol-inspired vision behind me. Pointing at his cell, he said, “Thanet.” So Thanet’s “eyes” at the party were Luke’s.
    I started flipping channels again and found a show to watch. I grabbed the blanket thrown over the back of the couch and covered up. I must have dozed off because I dreamed someone rubbed the back of my hand.
    “Wake up, sleeping beauty,” Henry whispered. “I heard you could use a ride home.” He spoke low in my ear and his warm breath sent a chill down that side of my body.
Not a dream
.
    I sat up quickly, rubbing my eyes clear. Henry sat on the floor next to my chair. He laughed at my confusion, and probably at my hair, which I tried to smooth back out of my face.
    “Hi,” he said.
    “Hi.”
    “How in the heck can you sleep through this?”
    “Through what?” I raised my eyebrows. “You mean Jim Morrison screaming ‘Light My Fire’?”
    He smiled so I smiled.
    “No, I mean the normal party mingling. Of course, I mean Morrison. And I mean the choking air and the…well, this…did this not wake you?” He pushed at the couple making out next to my chair with his boot. “And this
…
was this not a problem?”
    He pointed to the small smoke alarm above me that was, at that moment, warning anyone who would listen about the hazardous air quality in the room. No one even heard it above the yelling and The Doors’ first album set to repeat.
    “And this?” He motioned toward the crowd that had tripled since we’d arrived.
    “I can sleep.” I shrugged. “It’s my gift.”
    “Lucky girl.” He managed to stand up using the miniscule amount of space around his long frame.
    “Have you been here long?” I said.
    “Just arrived and now I’m ready to leave. Let’s get you some fresh air.”
    I couldn’t even describe how relieved I was to see him. He took the blanket off, folded it up, and laid it on the back of the chair, then pulled me up. I followed him through the cabin. He paused to thank Luke before tugging me gently through the kitchen and out the door.
    I took a huge breath of clean, pine-scented air. How many years had I cut from my life from inhaling smoke in that cabin? The lights of his truck were on and the engine rumbled, promising warmth and escape. He opened the passenger door for me and then walked around to get in the driver’s side.
    He drove for five minutes without saying a word. I could see the muscle in his jaw tensing and releasing over and over. Wyatt always did that when he was worried about something. Finally, I broke the silence.
    “Okay, I give up. How’d you know I needed a ride?”
    He took his sweet time answering. “Thanet called me. Luke texted him wondering why you were there. They couldn’t find anyone who was in any shape to get behind the wheel and Thanet had a feeling I might be willing to help