“Thanks for helping me study,” said Alex as he watched me pack up my satchel.
“That didn’t count as studying,” I told him with a laugh. “I need to spend at least another four hours on this.”
“You’re crazy,” Alex said as he handed me my notebook. “That was the most time I’ve spent on school, like, ever.”
“Then I’m glad I could help,” I said, offering him a smile. “See you tomorrow.”
“Night, Jackie,” he said as I turned to leave.
Cole was watching me from the doorway, his face blank. When I reached him, he didn’t move.
“Cole,” I said, raising an eyebrow. He stared at me for a moment longer before stepping aside and letting me leave. As I slipped out into the hallway, he slammed the door shut behind me.
***
The dream kept me up again. As I slipped downstairs toward the kitchen, I realized that I was addicted to Katherine’s warm-milk-and-honey remedy. Whenever I couldn’t sleep, I would make a cup and sit at the kitchen table, nursing the drink until my eyelids were heavy. I liked to linger downstairs with my mug instead of going back to my room, because there was always the chance that I would run into Danny.
My ability to creep down the messy stairs improved, but normally he heard me coming and would disappear before I got to the living room. I always knew when I’d scared him off. The TV would be turned on to some late-night crime show, and snack food would be sitting on the coffee table. When the TV wasn’t on, I knew he hadn’t come down and I would sit in the kitchen with the lights off, hoping to catch him if he appeared.
But tonight was different. When I tiptoed into the living room, Danny was still sitting on the couch, his hand in a bag of potato chips. I stood at the edge of the carpet, staring in disbelief. He glanced over at me for a moment, but his eyes quickly flicked back to the drama on the screen. Not wanting to spook him, I slowly backed into the kitchen before proceeding to make my milk and honey.
After the microwave dinged, I used the sleeve of my robe to pull out my steaming drink and headed in the direction of the TV. I knew that Danny would be gone by now, and I knew I would have to turn it off. To my surprise, he was still there watching his show.
“You going to sit down?” he asked, his eyes never leaving the screen as I hovered at the edge of the room.
“I—um, sure,” I stammered, completely caught off guard. I figured sitting next to him on the couch would push my luck, so I took a spot in the big armchair, folding my legs underneath myself as I settled down. We stayed like that for the next few episodes, quietly enjoying each other’s company while neither of us said a word.
It was almost four o’clock when I realized that I had dozed off. The TV was dark and Danny was gone, but he must have turned on the small reading lamp for me because the room was bathed in a soft yellow glow. Happy that I was making progress with Danny, I stayed there for a moment, smiling to myself before heading up to bed.
***
“New York!” Something poked my face. “If you don’t wake up, I’m not going to take you to school.”
Groaning, I cracked my eyes open. Cole’s blurry outline hovered over me, his finger ready to jab my face again.
“Go away,” I told him and rolled over, burying my face in my pillow. It was too early to deal with his crap. “Who said I wanted to go with you anyway?”
“Fine,” I heard him say, “but the guys already left, so if you miss your anatomy test, don’t blame me.”
“I know you think you’re so funny, Cole—” I started to say, opening my eyes again to glance at the clock. I’d set my alarm for six, leaving me plenty of time to iron my clothes and shower, but my heart jumped when I saw the neon green digits—7:26. “No, no, no!” I cried, throwing the covers off me.
“I told you,” Cole said, backing away as I started to rush around my room.
“This can’t be happening.” There was no way I would be able to get ready in time. My hair alone took half an hour to straighten.
“Chill, Jackie. Just throw on some sweats and let’s roll.”
“Throw on some sweats?” I hissed, swinging around to glare at him. “Have you ever seen me wear sweats?”
“Not really. You normally look like some kind of preppie going to a tea party.”
“That’s because I don’t own any! I’m never going to have enough time to iron an outfit.”
“Okay, okay,” said Cole, holding up his hands to calm me down. “Wait here. I have an idea.” He hurried back a few minutes later carrying a pair of jeans and a jersey. “Try this. It’s a pair of my mom’s old jeans. They might be a bit too big, but they should work.”
“I can’t wear this to school,” I said a minute later as I looked in the mirror. “I look like a slob.” The jersey swamped me, so large that it almost reached my knees. I tried tucking the fabric up, but it slipped down a second later. The jeans were even worse.