Read Online She Died Too Young by Lurlene McDaniel - Free Book Online
Authors: Lurlene McDaniel
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your life, Katie?”
Katie felt color creep up her neck and a hot wave of embarrassment roll over her. Was she so transparent that Lacey had seen through her so quickly? “Um—not exactly.” The image of Garrison intruded into her thoughts. “There
is
a guy in my English class. We’ve been working on a paper together—a very important paper. It’ll count for half of our semester grade. Anyway, I spend a lot of time with him because of the paper, and Josh isn’t very happy about it.”
She stopped her story, but the silence seemed deafening. Lacey studied her, her gaze full of speculation. “What are you leaving out, Katie? I feel as if I’m only hearing part of a play and have to figure out for myself what’s going on.”
“Well, the guy—his name’s Garrison—is attractive to me,” Katie explained almost apologetically. “But I’m having trouble deciding what he wants from me.”
Lacey arched an eyebrow. “I’m certainly no authority on boys. But I know what most of them want.”
Katie ignored Lacey’s barb. “I remember how you handled Jeff this summer. You were in total control.”
“I avoided Jeff,” Lacey corrected. “I couldn’t mess with him once I knew how Amanda felt about him.”
“But you admitted he caused fireworks when he kissed you.”
Lacey hopped down off the table and straddled the bench so that she was directly in front of Katie.“Are you telling me you’ve been kissing this guy behind Josh’s back?”
Katie leapt up. “Absolutely not! I never have—”
“But you would like to,” Lacey finished matter-of-factly.
Katie’s face flushed crimson again. Why couldn’t she admit that Lacey was right? She’d wanted Garrison to kiss her more than once, but so far, he’d kept his distance. All he did was ask cryptic questions and drive wedges of doubt through her mind about her feelings for Josh.
Lacey reached up and took Katie’s arm, forcing her back down onto the bench. “Why don’t you start at the very beginning and tell little Lacey the whole story,” she said.
Katie did. She left nothing out, including the night in the student union and the question Garrison had asked that had haunted her for weeks.
“Is it love or gratitude?”
By the time she finished her story, a wind had risen and whipped leaves around their ankles. She shivered, but Lacey, who earlier had been so cold, seemed oblivious to the wind’s chill. “Now you’ve heard everything,” Katie declared. “What do you think?”
“I think this guy is a snake. I think he’s just messing with your head. Some guys like to mess with a girl’s brain. They like the feeling of being in control. Of having power. What
you’re
feeling toward him is only hormones.”
Katie gritted her teeth. She’d poured out her confused emotions, and Lacey had reduced it all to body chemistry. She’d hoped for a more illuminatingappraisal. “Thanks a lot,” she replied unkindly. “I could have gotten that much if I’d told my mother!”
“What do you want to hear? That it’s all right for you to dump Josh and go hot and heavy into a thing with this guy? I won’t tell you that, Katie. Josh and you have a history. He’s been there for you through good and bad. You were nuts about him, and not just because of his brother’s heart. You told us how he helped you train for those Transplant Games and how he gave you the locket you wear.”
Self-consciously, Katie fingered the gold heart and chain that lay in the hollow of her throat beneath her thick turtleneck sweater, and recalled the night Josh had given it to her. He’d kissed her tenderly. Now, her heart thumped uncontrollably when Garrison was close to her too. Whenever he looked at her with his soul-melting brown eyes. Maybe Lacey was right. Maybe it was only hormones.
Katie buried her face in her hands. “I’m all mixed up, Lacey. I don’t know what I’m feeling. I don’t think I can even trust my feelings anymore.”
Lacey put her arm around
Katie felt color creep up her neck and a hot wave of embarrassment roll over her. Was she so transparent that Lacey had seen through her so quickly? “Um—not exactly.” The image of Garrison intruded into her thoughts. “There
is
a guy in my English class. We’ve been working on a paper together—a very important paper. It’ll count for half of our semester grade. Anyway, I spend a lot of time with him because of the paper, and Josh isn’t very happy about it.”
She stopped her story, but the silence seemed deafening. Lacey studied her, her gaze full of speculation. “What are you leaving out, Katie? I feel as if I’m only hearing part of a play and have to figure out for myself what’s going on.”
“Well, the guy—his name’s Garrison—is attractive to me,” Katie explained almost apologetically. “But I’m having trouble deciding what he wants from me.”
Lacey arched an eyebrow. “I’m certainly no authority on boys. But I know what most of them want.”
Katie ignored Lacey’s barb. “I remember how you handled Jeff this summer. You were in total control.”
“I avoided Jeff,” Lacey corrected. “I couldn’t mess with him once I knew how Amanda felt about him.”
“But you admitted he caused fireworks when he kissed you.”
Lacey hopped down off the table and straddled the bench so that she was directly in front of Katie.“Are you telling me you’ve been kissing this guy behind Josh’s back?”
Katie leapt up. “Absolutely not! I never have—”
“But you would like to,” Lacey finished matter-of-factly.
Katie’s face flushed crimson again. Why couldn’t she admit that Lacey was right? She’d wanted Garrison to kiss her more than once, but so far, he’d kept his distance. All he did was ask cryptic questions and drive wedges of doubt through her mind about her feelings for Josh.
Lacey reached up and took Katie’s arm, forcing her back down onto the bench. “Why don’t you start at the very beginning and tell little Lacey the whole story,” she said.
Katie did. She left nothing out, including the night in the student union and the question Garrison had asked that had haunted her for weeks.
“Is it love or gratitude?”
By the time she finished her story, a wind had risen and whipped leaves around their ankles. She shivered, but Lacey, who earlier had been so cold, seemed oblivious to the wind’s chill. “Now you’ve heard everything,” Katie declared. “What do you think?”
“I think this guy is a snake. I think he’s just messing with your head. Some guys like to mess with a girl’s brain. They like the feeling of being in control. Of having power. What
you’re
feeling toward him is only hormones.”
Katie gritted her teeth. She’d poured out her confused emotions, and Lacey had reduced it all to body chemistry. She’d hoped for a more illuminatingappraisal. “Thanks a lot,” she replied unkindly. “I could have gotten that much if I’d told my mother!”
“What do you want to hear? That it’s all right for you to dump Josh and go hot and heavy into a thing with this guy? I won’t tell you that, Katie. Josh and you have a history. He’s been there for you through good and bad. You were nuts about him, and not just because of his brother’s heart. You told us how he helped you train for those Transplant Games and how he gave you the locket you wear.”
Self-consciously, Katie fingered the gold heart and chain that lay in the hollow of her throat beneath her thick turtleneck sweater, and recalled the night Josh had given it to her. He’d kissed her tenderly. Now, her heart thumped uncontrollably when Garrison was close to her too. Whenever he looked at her with his soul-melting brown eyes. Maybe Lacey was right. Maybe it was only hormones.
Katie buried her face in her hands. “I’m all mixed up, Lacey. I don’t know what I’m feeling. I don’t think I can even trust my feelings anymore.”
Lacey put her arm around
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