“I’ll make sure I get a few wrong.”

“Gee, thanks,” I responded.

I could hear my mother stirring down the hall. Within minutes she’d be padding softly in this direction to her shower and stop at my door along the way, urging me to wake up. She’s not aware that I’m usually up by this point, nor is she aware that Garreth is the one to wake me before she ever gets the chance to.

A dresser drawer scraped shut, usually Garreth’s clue for a silent, celestial exit, knowing twenty minutes from now he’d be knocking on the kitchen door to take me to school. I kissed him goodbye with one last chance to see the blue of his eyes sparkle like diamonds. Like clockwork, my mother’s knuckles rapped at my door.

Only twenty minutes longer.

That’s all I have to wait.

Twenty minutes.

Chapter Two

The aroma of singed black coffee filled the air as I stepped into the kitchen. I peered into the carafe, knowing instantly that Mom programmed the auto-start a little too early again. I shook my head and grabbed a juice and a yogurt from the fridge and leaned against the counter to chug my breakfast. My mother’s heels clicked forcefully above my head, pinging loudly on the wood; stopping, retreating, then clicking faster as they inched closer down the stairs.

“Don’t tell me I …” her shoulders slumped as she entered the kitchen, eyeing the thick goo now settling at the bottom of the carafe. The coffee maker gurgled loudly as if in pain.

“Yep. You burned the coffee again.” I shot a sideways glance at the six cups of sludge.

“Good thing you’re a librarian and not a barista ’cause I think Mr. Coffee is in cardiac arrest.”

My mom stood staring at the coffee maker, mug in hand, as if actually considering ingesting the liquid monstrosity.

“I wouldn’t if I were you,” I said, scraping the spoon around the inside of my little plastic yogurt container. Mmm. Key lime.