Pretty Peg by Skye Allen

Author:Skye Allen [Allen, Skye]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Chapter 9

WHEN I woke up the next morning, we were holding hands under my quilt. Nicky’s head leaned away from mine so I couldn’t see her face. With my free hand, I slapped myself lightly on the leg. My skin felt like custard. Like it belonged to someone else. A hum still buzzed through me, like every blood cell was crowing “I’m awake! I’m awake!” I hadn’t had a good night’s sleep since I got the news about Margaret, almost six months ago. I could feel the nourishment in my cells now that I had actually been asleep for more than five hours in a row.

Nicky was not awake. I raised myself up to look at her. In sleep she looked like a little girl, all the guile rolled away, only vulnerable round cheeks and black lashes. Her eyebrows hunched for a second, and I was afraid I’d get caught watching her. The way you’d watch someone if you were in love. Was I in love?

If I was, I wouldn’t say it. I’d be cool. I’d make banana waffles, and she’d blink her way into the kitchen wearing my XXL Gits T-shirt, which would come down to her knees, and I’d swing out of the house to go to school before I could say anything dumb like I’m a whole new person now. I never knew I could feel like that.

I slid out of bed into the chill air, marveling at being naked. I never slept naked. Oh, beautiful girl still lying there. But I had to get up. I extracted clean underwear and leggings from the dresser, careful to lift the drawer where the wood would stick and scream if I tugged on it too fast. Nicky remained motionless. Good. My hand hesitated over a dark orange Frankengown in my closet. Why not wear a Josy Grant original? Today was a special day. I bundled everything in front of me and eased the door open to make my way to the bathroom.

Laura’s bedroom door was still closed. I eased it open: closet full of tops and dresses ranked from baby pink to raspberry, white bookcase crammed with dead European composers, frilly bed with no pianist in it. I knew she was at her friend Saori’s, but I still needed to call her again. I felt a passing pang that Laura and I were not the best-friend kind of sisters, that if I called her now, at seven in the morning, it would just be to make sure she was still alive. Not to talk about exactly who was asleep in my bed right now.

Neil would be up. But the last he heard, I wasn’t speaking to Nicky. That was going to take some explaining.

I ran my hands over my legs in the shower, made circles with the scrubby ball on my shoulders, thinking all the time my whole skin is different. It turned out I was a goddess. Who knew? I pulled my towel to my chest and breathed

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