Gravity

  "You tore it off and threw it on the floor in the...when you were...before," Theo stuttered, wiping tears from her cheeks. "I couldn't find it. I got all of the other supplies together, though. I figured you would want them."

  She held up my stuffed purse.

  "Are you sure you're all right?" Henry asked quietly, his eyes staring intensely into mine. I remembered my earlier urge to kiss him, and licked my lips without thinking. I wanted to eat him alive.

  "Let's go," I said, and the words had a double meaning.

  "Do you want to go back and get your necklace?" he asked, not noticing how I'd started leering, or how I was tilting my chest up towards him.

  I shook my head vehemently, surprising myself.

  "No. Let's get out of here." The euphoric cloud in my head began to dissipate, replaced by faint anxiety.

  As if on cue, police sirens started up in the distance. Whether they were coming for us or not didn't matter. We ran off the lawn, the front gate slamming behind us loudly. If we hadn't been found out before, that would have done it.

  Hopping into the Jeep, Alex gunned the engine before we'd had a chance to put on seat belts. Tires squealing, it tore away from the curb.

  I watched through the grimy rear window as the orphanage became a small dot in the distance, then disappeared as the road curved. The earlier elation I'd felt was gone, leaving a deep feeling of unease. I never wanted to go back there.

  There was something dwelling in the orphanage, but it was no friend of mine.

  ###

  Claire and Hugh arrived home safely on Sunday, both cheerful and tired from their trip.

  "How was the wedding?" I asked, helping them inside with their luggage.

  "Just fine," Claire said. Her skin looked more tan than usual, even though they had headed east. "The bride looked beautiful. She lost twenty pounds to fit into her dress."

  "Typical wedding. A yawner," Hugh said. "The most noteworthy part was the best man putting one too many away before he gave the toast. I'm going to check my email and see if Steve posted the video." My father, ever the romantic.

  Corinne already had her minivan packed. She left, none the wiser. I had carefully returned her supplies back to the trunk the instant I got a chance. Thanks to Theo, nothing had been harmed. For the first time in my life, I was convinced Corinne had no psychic ability.

  Claire noticed the bump on my head as soon as we got back in the house, despite my attempts to disguise it with my hair.

  "How did you manage that?" she asked with concern, pushing the hair delicately away and gently prodding the scabby lump with her finger.

  "Bumped my head on one of the cupboard doors," I lied. It was a good lie, since I was always leaving the cupboards open when I unloaded the dishwasher.

  "You have got to stop doing that," she chided. "You really got yourself. Ouch."

  I had tried putting a bandage over it, but the split was in a terrible spot on my hairline. I hoped it wouldn't scar too noticeably.

  I wore long sleeves and turtlenecks for a week, since it was harder to explain the scuffs on my arm. Not to mention the rectangular burn mark I had found on my chest while examining it in the mirror.

  Even though I hadn't made contact with anything at the orphanage, and had gotten no answers for the trouble, calm settled over me. There was no way Jenna was there. It was crowded by some other, darker energy.

  Nothing could drag me back to that creepy house, anyway. Whatever had been tormenting me before finally left me alone. My wall stayed silent, and no phantom voices whispered behind doors.

  At least for now.

  ###

  Our seance members only briefly discussed what had happened at the orphanage. But somehow the experience seemed to bind us together. Instead of ignoring each other at school as we had done before, we all sat together in the commons. Alex and Henry began hanging out quite a bit, playing video games and having endless discussions about frags and head shots. Yet it was as though we all silently agreed to drop the subject that had caused our alliance. Alex still drove Theo and me nuts, of course; some things never change.

  Ambrose Slaughter never acknowledged his drunken harassment of me, and I was happy to ignore it, hoping it was just an intoxicated mistake.

  I found that I didn't think about Jenna as much, but I didn't necessarily feel good about that. She just slipped out of my thoughts more easily.

  A week after the seance, my parents and I went to a movie. I didn't pay much attention to the screen; it was a maudlin, tedious drama. The actors leaked perpetual Visine out of their eyes, talking in high-pitched tones only a dog could hear. I was suspicious that my parents were trying to make up for my shut-in summer by taking me there.

  The darkened auditorium made my eyelids droop, and an elderly man snored loudly in the front row. I excused myself and shuffled out past my seated parents to go buy snacks. In the well-lit red and gold lobby, I got in the back of the concession line.

  A group of semi-popular girls from school chatted ahead of me in grating, nasal voices. I shifted uncomfortably, hoping the line would move faster. I would have just gone back to the yawnfest movie, but I was grimly determined to secure some gummy bears.

  "Her purse is totally a Vuitton," a red-haired girl in skinny jeans said.

  "It looks like a knock off to me," said another girl, who was wearing ridiculously oversized black sunglasses.

  The redhead scolded her. "Why would she need to buy a knock off? Do you know how much her dad made last year? He owns seven businesses."

  Of course. They were talking about Lainey, their idol.

  "I know," Sunglasses shot back defensively. "I have a membership at Desert Star."

  I tried not to pay attention to them, but it was hard since they were right in front of me. The line sluggishly moved along. A red-faced father wrangling two sticky fingered children got his turn. The kids kept touching the glass on the display case as he fired off a list of snacks.

  "Did you guys hear?" chimed in another girl with an ear-splitting high voice. "Henry Rhodes asked Lainey out yesterday."

  All the breath was sucked out of me, and the details of my surroundings came into vivid focus. What were they talking about?

  "That's old news," said the redhead. "It's not like it's surprising. Of course he asked her out."

  "It was only a matter of time," Sunglasses agreed. "They, like, belong together."

  All of a sudden I felt like the time Jenna tried to pierce my naval. Like I was going to pass out and throw up at the same time. The girls quickly ordered a small box of popcorn between the four of them and departed.

  As I mumbled my order to the concession clerk, images rushed through my head, too fast for me to catch and identify them. I paid for the snacks, barely aware of what I had ordered, and headed back to the theater.

  I zoned out for the rest of the movie, unaware of the screen. I'd seen Henry a bunch of times this week, and he'd acted normally, his semi-flirting routine. He'd sat at my table, smiled at me. He hadn't said a word about Lainey, and I didn't even remember seeing them together.

  I shoved the unopened box of gummy bears deep into the folded seat, the idea of eating them making me sick.

  ###

  My phone rested snugly beneath my pillow, where I was trying to smother it. I kept pulling it out, wanting to text Henry, to ask him directly. But then I'd shove the phone away, too afraid of the truth. I hadn't been this nervous in months, and I had no idea how to approach the subject so boldly.

  I took a shower and brushed out my hair for longer than necessary, trying to keep myself busy. But Henry filled up every space in my rogue thoughts. Why would he date Lainey when he'd said she wasn't his type? Why wouldn't he tell me?

  I finally fell into bed, hoping for a dream to push Henry out. But my sleep was empty, and doubts instantly plagued me when I woke up.

  "They said he asked her out," I reported to Theo when we were in the commons waiting fo
r the first bell. "Not just that they were dating. But that he initiated it, he chased after her."

  "Was the verb "chased" actually used?" she asked, biting the glittery blue polish flaking off her tiny fingernails.

  "I don't remember," I flopped my head down on my arms, feeling seasick, like the table was moving. I gritted my teeth, my jaw locking. "Obviously he enjoys going after girls, though; it's his m.o. Typical male with their stupid hard-to-get crap."

  When I peered up at her, Theo's bottom lip had disappeared under her teeth. Trying to think of something to say, perhaps.

  "Don't get too upset about it," she said gently. "Even if it is true, and you don't know that yet, he's not that special. Plenty of boys in this school are just as cute. And some might be less full of themselves."

  "You think he's full of himself?" I asked, sitting up. The thought had occurred to me, of course, but I didn't often consider what other people thought of Henry.

  She shrugged, picking lint off of her rainbow leggings. "All guys like that are. Look at Alex. Just don't think he's irreplaceable."

  "Thanks." But I didn't think that anyone else like Henry existed. He was the only one of his kind. And true to what she'd said that first day, Lainey had snatched him up.

  Two energetic cheerleaders replaced McPherson on the morning announcements, startling me out of my gloomy daydreams.

  "It's October, Brianna!" said girl number one, her voice gratingly peppy. My eye twitched.

  "Yeah, it's that time of year! Do you know what that means, Ashley?" Girl number two sounded like she'd had a lobotomy. No one was that cheerful outside of a cartoon.

  "I dunno...oh yeah, Halloween!" Ashley replied.

  Wow. Did you come up with that all by yourself?

  "Not just Halloween," Brianna chided her. They were in a competition to out-pep one another. "The annual Hawthorne Halloween dance!"

  There were murmurs of excitement throughout the room. I groaned and dropped my face in my hands. Freshman hadn't been allowed to the dance, so this was the first year I was eligible. The Halloween dance was the second biggest dance of the year next to prom, combining Homecoming and a winter formal.

  "Attendees can wear full costume, or formal wear with or without costume accents," Brianna continued.

  "As long as they abide by the Hawthorne dress code," Ashley chimed in.

  Dances didn't usually bug me. I thought they were silly and the few I'd attended in middle school had been pretty pointless. The boys with sweaty hands and bathed in cologne, stepping on my toes during our group dates.

  But now that there was someone I would want to go with, I felt crushed. It didn't help that I saw Henry and Lainey together in the halls, her laughing and leaning on him, Henry grinning that painfully endearing grin. I dashed away so that he didn't notice me. Confusion ruled my brain and I couldn't focus on any of my classes that day, my thoughts scattering like fragments of broken glass.

  During history, I took up Warwick's request to take a few papers to the secretary. As I was exiting the office, I saw McPherson hurrying out the exit door. It was the middle of the day, just after lunch.

  What was he doing leaving during school hours? I stared after him, feeling myself frown. He didn't notice me, but it looked like he was late for an important date, like the white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland.

  In all of my classes with Henry, I tried to ignore him. When I felt him staring at me, I made sure to look away. It hurt to look at him, like barbed wire wrapped around my heart. I couldn't bring myself to ask him whether the gossip was true or not, and seeing them flirt in art, her rubbing her hand across his back, was the last straw.

  I decided it was time to give up on ever being with Henry Rhodes. It might hurt, but it would hurt worse if I allowed myself to think that there would ever be anything between us.

  CHAPTER 17

  "I'VE NEVER ACTUALLY been to a dance and I survived," Theo said. "No big deal."

  We were lounging in her living room after school. She was sitting with her back against the bottom of the worn couch, a mug of tea perched between her knees.

  "I have," I said grumpily. "I know they're nothing special, so I don't know why it's bothering me. They're never as fun as they're meant to be. I just wish people didn't talk about it all the time. "

  Theo leaned back, the fringe of her hair fanning out on the faint plaid cushion. "You're exaggerating."

  "Only a little. All day I've been hearing about dresses and whether limos are a worthwhile investment."

  "Anything to make them feel important," Theo said, then grinned at me. "But now we're talking about it."

  "Good point," I said, biting my nail. Her cats, Persephone and Pandora, strutted into the room. Pandora jumped onto the couch, nuzzling next to me as I petted her rabbit-like white fur. It came off in little puffs, like dandelion fluff.

  "I hope you're not allergic," Theo said, sipping her tea.

  "I would be sneezing," I assured her. "Hugh and Claire have just never had pets, they're both too busy to take care of one, and I killed my only goldfish by feeding him ten times in one day."

  Theo's eyebrows shot up to her hairline and she laughed, then blushed deeply. "Sorry, I don't mean to laugh at your unfortunate fish."

  "It's fine, I'm not broken up about it." I changed the subject. "Hey, here's something that doesn't require dancing shoes. I saw our nemesis McPherson fleeing school property all mysterious-like earlier today."

  "Maybe he had a board meeting," Theo suggested.

  "Maybe," I admitted sheepishly. I hadn't thought about anything normal like that, since my brain was wired to go to the wackiest possibility. "But maybe not. Maybe it has something to do with his mysterious locked room conversation."

  "Hmm. Well, I think it's definitely worth investigating." Theo's green eyes began to sparkle. She set her tea down and turned towards me, causing Pandora to get irritated and spring off of the couch over Theo's shoulder.

  "I just don't want him to get too suspicious," I said cautiously. "Especially when he already caught me following him."

  "From what you said, he just caught you in the hallway," Theo countered. "You're a student, what does he expect?"

  "Fair enough."

  Theo was deep in thought, and I wondered what kind of magical things went on inside her brain, what deep forests and sparkling rivers she saw.

  "Do you think he still lives with his mom?"she asked randomly, looking at me.

  "It's possible, I guess." I chuckled. "Why?"

  "When a dude is over thirty and still shacking up with mommy, it's always a sign of a homicidal maniac...according to the news," Theo added, tapping her temple with one ink-smudged finger. "We should go on a little fact-finding mission."

  "Are you suggesting we locate his house and spy?" I asked, pretending to be taken aback.

  "Nothing better to do. I'm bored," Theo said, shrugging.

  When one is in doubt, it's best to check the internet. Relocating to her computer (I had another short burst of jealousy at the fact that she even had her own computer, despite the fact that it was passe for most people) we sat down and tried to determine our game plan.

  "Where do we start?" I asked.

  "With the basics." Theo typed in the address for the school's website. It was pretty comprehensive, allowing parents to check our grades throughout the marking period so that it was impossible to lie and they knew when to berate us.

  A list of the entire staff's names and addresses were neatly compiled on one page, with McPherson at the top. We mapped his address and Theo printed directions, making a neat crease in the paper.

  Outside, the sun was beginning to dip low in the orangy sky. We retrieved our bikes, and crunched through dry leaves in the yard. Ms. Vore was apparently not keen on raking.

  McPherson's house was about ten minutes away, in the opposite direction from Hawthorne. We biked there in silence, the chilly, autumn-scented air blowing in our faces. Polka dot r
ibbons tied to the handlebars of Theo's bike fluttered gently. The leaves were falling faster now, the trees half-bare.

  The house itself was plain. I don't know what I had been expecting, possibly an iron fortress or at least a sign reading "evil lair." But instead, it had crisp white siding and a meticulously clipped lawn. A neat little orange wreath hung on the front door.

  Theo and I knelt behind the shrubs around his equally neat and tidy mailbox, laying our bikes flat on the grass.

  "All right, we're here. Now what?" I whispered. She was the one with the imaginary degree in espionage.

  Theo squinted, gazing at the house through the gaps in the shrub branches. The driveway was empty, and there was no sign that anyone was home—no lights on in any of the windows, no flickering TV.

  "Let's go up to the house," she insisted. We hid our bikes beneath the bushes and crept around the back, keeping parallel to a line of clipped, ugly crab apple trees. Theo boldly strode over to the back side of the house, to a line of low windows. She started peered inside, shielding from the glare with her cupped hand.

  "Now I know I'm doing too much trespassing," I muttered. Theo looked back at me quizzically.

  "What are you waiting for?" she asked. I shook my head and joined her at the window.

  Inside was sparse, plain furniture: a white couch, a few tables, and a TV. No photographs or pictures anywhere on the empty walls. No decorative touches whatsoever. It almost looked like he had just moved there.

  "I've heard of minimalist, but this is clinical," Theo said.

  "Yeah, not really much to see here," I agreed, glancing over my shoulder. I didn't feel like I was being watched, exactly, but I could see right into both of his neighbor's houses, and it would only take someone peering in at the right angle for us to be noticed.

  Theo had already crept over to the back door and was jiggling the knob.

  "Locked," she declared.

  "We should probably get going. He's bound to come back any minute, and I don't feel like getting caught in his house, or even on his property."

  "Why is it different than being at the orphanage?" Theo asked, looking genuinely confused.

  "Because this is our principal's private property," I said, sounding unbelievably nerdy. "It's wrong. We could get in a lot of trouble."

  "What about over there?" Theo asked, distracted, as she gestured towards a little shed set apart from the house. She meandered over and tried pulling at the shed's door handles, but they were locked, too.