Daybreak by Keira Andrews Page A

but if I had to pick one again, it would be you.” Sam was slurring his words badly.
    “Thanks. That’s…nice.”
    “It’s really cool that you’re living with my brother now. You know, he seems way happier than he used to. I mean, you didn’t know him before, but he barely ever talked or anything.”
    Lucas wasn’t sure how to respond, and he hoped Nate would be back soon. “So, how are you feeling?” Steering the topic back to Sam was usually a very successful tactic, since there were few subjects Sam enjoyed discussing more.
    “I’m starting to feel a bit…woozy. My stomach --” Suddenly he vomited all over himself.
    His own gorge rising, Lucas turned away and yanked the curtain closed behind him. A moment later, the Kramer family bustled into the large, open room, Mrs. Kramer in the lead. Lucas pointed behind the curtain, and he and an angry Nate left Sam in capable hands.

Chapter Six
     
    Glancing at the clock on the DVD player again, Lucas turned back to his textbook and attempted to focus. After rereading the same paragraph for the fifth time, he slammed the book shut and looked at the clock again.
    It was ten minutes after ten, and the dinner Lucas had made hours ago was packed up in the fridge. He’d given in and eaten his portion at nine o’clock. Nate was usually home by seven thirty on Tuesdays, but he was nowhere to be found and his cell phone was turned off.
    By ten thirty, Lucas started to worry in earnest. What if there’d been an accident? How would he find out? Surely the Kramers would call him. Lucas had listed Nate in his cell phone under emergency contact, but he didn’t know what was in Nate’s phone, if anything.
    At ten forty-five, he paced restlessly, pausing only to check and recheck that his phone was on and functional. He toyed with the idea of calling Nate’s parents, but if everything was okay, Nate would get an earful from his mother, which he certainly wouldn’t be happy about.
    It was five minutes to eleven o’clock when Lucas heard the jingle of keys from the hallway. He exhaled, his shoulders dropping in relief as Nate walked in. The relief was quickly followed by irritation.
    “Where were you?”
    Nate blinked in surprise as he dropped his bag on the floor and took his jacket off. “Whoa. What’s with you?”
    “What’s with me? I thought you were dead in a ditch somewhere.” Lucas cringed at his strident tone. He hadn’t called Mrs. Kramer, but he was channeling her now.
    Nate regarded him with a mixture of disbelief and amusement. “Lucas, I was out. I ran into Jamie and we went to meet the boys. Sorry, I lost track of time.”
    “You could have called.”
    “I forgot to recharge my cell battery yesterday.”
    “You couldn’t have borrowed someone else’s phone?” Lucas crossed his arms over his chest.
    “I didn’t think it was a big deal.”
    “Well, it was.”
    “I didn’t realize we were out for so long.” Nate untied his retro Adidas sneakers and kicked them off. “Did we have plans? I thought you were studying for your test tonight.”
    “I was.”
    “Okay. So we didn’t have plans?”
    “No.” Lucas knew he was pouting like a child, but he couldn’t help himself.
    “Look, I’m sorry I worried you. I went out for a few drinks and I didn’t think you’d be here waiting for me with bated breath.”
    “I wasn’t!”
    Nate arched an eyebrow. “Then why are you so pissed?”
    Lucas wasn’t sure he knew the answer. “I thought something happened to you!”
    “It’s barely eleven o’clock. I’m sorry I didn’t call, and I’m sorry you were worried. But it’s not as if we have a curfew. We’re adults, Lucas.”
    “I know that.”
    “We don’t have to be together every minute of every day.”
    “I didn’t say we did!” Still, it was Nate who had a circle of friends that Lucas didn’t know that well. Without Nate, Lucas’s only friend was Casey, and they’d just met.
    “Sometimes it feels that way.”
    “Sorry. I