Page 54 of Wherever You Are

Garrison nods. “I was seven and nine. First one, my dad actually saw. Hunter was pretending to be some wrestler in the driveway, and he kept trying moves on me. I was screaming for him to stop, but he body-slammed me into concrete. My wrist broke, and the bone tore clean through the skin.”

I remove my glasses, the lenses misting. “And your dad just shrugged it off?”

“Boys will be boys,” Garrison says flatly.

“And your leg?”

“I was nine, and Davis thought it’d be funny to duct tape my mouth, legs, and hands and toss me in the pool. I sunk and struggled to reach the surface. I ended up blacking out at the bottom, and I was told that his friend dove in, pulled me out, and basically punched my stomach until I coughed up water.”

I don’t understand…how did he break his leg? And how couldanyonedo that to another person?

Garrison rubs his forehead like the memory hurts. “I stood up shaking, and Davis said,‘Why are you being such a wuss?’. He laughed and then struck my leg with a lacrosse stick. Bone fractured.”

Horrified, I shake my head over and over.

“To him and his friends, it was all a joke. They were older. I was younger. I told my mom what happened, and she thanked the boy for saving me more than she scolded Davis for nearly drowning me.”

I fit on my glasses, my pulse speeding at the thought of Garrison spending Thanksgiving with his brothers. Brothers that would do all of that and parents that would never acknowledge the harm.

Garrison looks over at me. “It’s in the past.”

Is it? I’m so scared for him. “I’d rather you…I…will you…” Why are words so difficult for me right now? I wipe beneath my eyes. “Maine is pretty, and my mom won’t mind extra company. Ellie will probably like you more than she likes me.”

He shakes his head like it’s not possible. “I’ll be fine here.”

“What if you tell Lo? He might help—”

“No. Please don’t tell him,” he says, panicked. “It’s not that bad anymore, Willow. Ever since they went to college, it’s been easier. Hell, ever since I coulddriveit’s been better.” Before I speak, he adds, “Why don’t you tell Loren about what happened today?”

“What do you mean?”

“The guys who broke your glasses,” he snaps, not at me but rather at their invisible presences.

For a moment, I’d forgotten all about that. “I can’t…” Lo will freak out. “I can’t make his life harder. He has so much to deal with already.”

Garrison twists his leather bracelet. “I’m scared for you,” he says exactly what I feel for him. “If those guys find out where you live, I’ll…” He pushes his hair out of his face. “You can spend the night here if you ever need to, you know.”

I’m speechless.

He recovers by explaining, “This is a gated neighborhood. No one can get in that shouldn’t be in here, and where you live, that apartment or dorm or whatever, it’s not like it has a lot of security.”

“I’ll be okay,” I say quietly, but the offer starts expelling the heavy tension. We acknowledge that we’re on each other’s side when other people aren’t or can’t be. I relax more than I did, and he leans against his own beanbag too.

“Sam and Dean?” he asks, remote braced in his hand. Ready to watch two hunters fight supernatural entities.

I agree with a nod, and he plays the episode. We’re more lighthearted, and we pause the show every now and then to check Tumblr.

We scoot closer and closer on our beanbags, and four-hours in, our arms are pressed together. I’m more lying down than sitting. He clicksplayafter we paused the show and makes funny commentary about Dean eating a hamburger.

Another hour passes, and my eyes droop. I yawn, the television screen blurring.

I only notice that I fell asleep when my eyes snap open. My cheek—my cheek is on his chest.

Oh. My.

God.

I fell asleep on Garrison. I’ve never ever been that comfortable around a guy to do that. I gently lift my head and first glance at the television.