Crossings: A Sovereign Guardians Novel by Susan Collins Read Free Book Online Page A

Jane Eyre several times and even watched both the black and white and the more recent version of the screen adaptation, but Mr. Rochester is no Mr. Darcy."
    I turned my body, so I could see him better. "Really, Granger, don't you think some things should not be secrets? Say for example, the fact that he had a wife hidden in his house? Wasn't that a pretty important piece of information to tell the second woman he was planning to marry? You know, keeping secrets from other people is usually quite selfish and done to protect the person keeping the secret and not the other way around. Of course, I'm not talking about things like not telling someone what their birthday present is. I'm talking about the bigger, untold lies people choose to hide. I think keeping secrets is rarely a good thing."
    Mrs. Holmes started to call roll, and as I turned around to face the front of the room, I couldn't be sure, but I could have sworn I heard Granger whisper, "Some secrets can't always be shared."
    By the time class was over, I'd become fully immersed in the ending chapters of the class novel despite having read the book before. Mrs. Holmes was actually a very good teacher, and her lesson held my attention so that after three pages of notes and only a few doodles in the margins of my paper, I was surprised to see the hour was up.
    The other students began gathering up their things, and I started to do the same. I had just put my notebook and pen in my bag when the bell rang to dismiss the class. I stood and pulled out my schedule from my pocket and was looking at where I had to go for my final class of the day when I felt Granger's hand on the small of my back. He was looking over my shoulder at the paper I had spread out on top of my notebook.
    I didn't always like the feeling of someone in my personal space, but Granger's touch was anything but offensive. I stood perfectly still and admitted to myself I didn't want to move because I didn't want him to take his hand away. Common sense though said I had to walk. Mrs. Holmes next group was already pouring into the room, and after a quick glance at the map printed at the bottom of the page, it looked like I was going to have to hike across the campus to get to the last class on my schedule which was at the back of the school.
    Granger's hand fell away, but he moved in beside me as we stepped into the crowded hall. He kept pace with me as we continued to walk.
    "Do you think you can find the gym?" he questioned me, motioning to my schedule. "It looks like your day ends there."
    "Oversized room, bleachers, basketball goals, not so pleasant smells wafting from the dressing rooms? Yep," I teased, "I think I can find that one by myself."
    "Sorry, that sounded like I thought you were an idiot. I didn't mean it like that. I, just, well, ya know, I'm taking my job as the welcome host seriously in Faith's absence."
    He grinned at me then, and as much as I wished at that moment that we had at least one more class together, I was glad he wasn't coming with me.
    Me and anything that involved objects being thrown towards my body, well, it wasn't pretty. I tried to be tough on the outside, but I tended to turn into a bit of a wimp when flying objects with great speed behind them were aimed at my head. I was quite sure ducking and screaming in my gym outfit wouldn't be an image that would encourage the attention of someone like Granger Panera, not that I necessarily wanted to encourage his attention, I hastily told myself.
    "I guess I'll see you around then."
    Granger said the words more like a question than a statement, so I answered reassuringly, "Absolutely."
    I had just turned to start my trek down the hall and away from the English class when I heard him come back up behind me.
    "Did you forget something?" I stopped, puzzled.
    "Yeah," Granger said slowly. "Your number."
    "Excuse me?"
    "I was hoping to get your number so I could maybe text you later, you know, in case you had questions about anything that