Page 18 of Bookworm

"Right?" he said then put his hands on my shoulders. "But I completely understand now."

"You do?"

Chester nodded. "You've come to me seeking fashion advice, and I won't let you down. Between you and me, makeovers are one of my favorite things. And I've wanted to get my hands on you forever!"

"That's so nice," I mumbled.

"Never fear," he said, taking a step back. "You're obviously in need of help."

I tried not to take offense at that.

"Here, take one of my business cards."

I gripped the card he held out to me with numb fingers.

Chester shot me a wink. "You're a friend, Lottie Lott, so I'll do your first consult for free. Just call whenever you're ready."

With one last squeeze of my hands, Chester left, and I glanced down at his card.

"Nice choice of font," I murmured.

Pulling out my list, I marked through another name.

Number three was Harrison Klein.

Harrison and I had been in the same homeroom every year of high school. I'd never actually spoken to him. However, he had a friendly smile. He carried a book around wherever he went. He never took cuts in the lunch line. And he had a car sticker that saidGood People Don't Bend Book Pages.

"Third time's a charm," I said to myself then walked across the cafeteria to his lunch table.

Harrison was, as usual, reading.

A guy after my own heart.

He must've been very into his book too because he jumped when I put my tray down across from his.

"Hi Harrison," I said. "Mind if I sit with you?"

The guy blinked.

"Harrison?"

"Okay," he said. "Sure. It's not like I own this table or anything."

"Thank you," I said and took the seat across from him. Harrison's gaze had already gone back to his book. "What are you reading?"

Harrison said nothing but held up the book so I could see the cover.

"Ah, Stephen King. Nice."

He grunted in response.

I brought out my own book and placed it on the table, hoping it would further the conversation. But Harrison wasn't even looking.

"Must be good," I remarked.

Another grunt was my only reply.

"I brought this one from home. It's by one of my favorite authors," I said, tapping the book at my side.

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