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Miss Ames leaned slightly forward, waiti
ng. Every student turned to look at Katie.
She felt Savannah's hand on her bent elbow and knew her sister was trying to comfort her. But it wasn't working; not now. She was too cold to feel even the meager warmth of Savannah's touch.
She swallowed thickly and forced her gaze downward.
The yellowed pages blurred before her eyes. She blinked rapidly, swiped the moisture from her eyes.
You can do it this time. You can.
She stared hard at the first word: h-T-e.
Panic sucked at her, made her heartbeat thud in her ears. h-T-e m-n-a h-a-s a n-e-p.
She mouthed the first word, but knew before the effort that it was no word at all. She tried again, focusing on each letter.
Kids started whispering. The sound of laughter penetrated her concentration. She knew it was probably all in her imagination?Savannah had told her that a dozen times?but she could never make herself believe it. The giggling sounded so real. So close.
She jerked her head up and stared wildly around. Countless eyes stared back at her. Sally Burman's skinny lips were curved in a triumphant smile.
Katie lurched unsteadily to her feet and whirled away from the wobbly desk. Tears of shame and frustration coursed down her face and burrowed into her mouth. They felt warm and wet and salty. Like failure. "Katie!"
She ignored her sister's call and ran as fast as she could. Blasting through the door, she hurtled down the creaking steps and kept running.
Savannah scooped up the books strewn across her desk and stood up. "I'll go get her, Miss Ames."
"Me, too!"
Before Savannah could respond, Jeffie Peters was standing beside her.
She looked at him. He looked at her. A confusing rush of emotions hurtled through Savannah, sparking a flood of heat across her cheeks.
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"Y-Yuh want me t' carry them books for yah?" he stammered.
Savannah felt every eye in the room on her. Mumbling, "No thanks," she clutched the books to her chest and ran for the door. Barreling through, she thundered down the sagging steps and came to a shuddering, breathless stop by the fence. The books slid out of her hands and hit the dirt.
Behind her, the door banged shut again. "Hey, Savannah?wait up!"
She wanted to run away and find a nice quiet place to be alone, but her feet wouldn't move.
"Why'dya run like that?" Jeffie said, coming up beside
her.
Savannah pinned her gaze on the water pump. It took a wagonload of willpower not to twist her fingers together, but she remained perfectly still, her chin tilted high, her eyes straight ahead. "I was worried about Katie." "Yep. Seems she ain't the best reader." "No," she said stiffly, "she ain't." Savannah waited uneasily for him to say something else. He waited for the same thing. Then, in a rush of awkwardness, they both dropped to their knees and dove for the fallen books.
Their fingers brushed. Savannah jerked her hand back and buried it in her lap. Jeffie turned to look at her.
They were close, closer than they'd ever been. Savannah could see the smattering of freckles across his brow. Intelligent, caring brown eyes stared intently into her own. He leaned infinitesimally forward, as if he were about to say something.
Fear made her heart race. She warned herself to sit perfectly still. But then?somehow?she was leaning just the tiniest bit toward him.
