Inertia (Gravity Series, 3.5) (The Gravity Series) (7 page)

“I don’t know about it. What happened?” Henry asked the messenger.

The boy explained the hows and wheres. Nobody knew the whys. “She probably disappeared before you got here,” he said.

“Yeah, but I knew about her,” Henry said. “Do they know—”

“The dumb bitch is dead,” Ambrose finally snapped. “So can we stop worrying about her?”

That shut up the messenger and Henry. Ambrose hunched over his desk with his hand pressed to his forehead.

Henry wondered if Ariel knew about it yet. She must be falling apart. He wished he could rush out of the desk and go and find her. He’d have next period with her. Maybe…

He couldn’t do that. It would be totally against the rules, tragedy or not. The foggy cloud from the night before descended again, leaving him mute and lethargic.

###

But that didn’t stop part of his mind from working the idea. He went to Ariel’s house after dark. Snow had begun to fall heavily with more in the forecast. He drove there in his mother’s car, and parked in the shadows at the end of the street. He walked the rest of the way up to the driveway.

Her parents were home. He almost went up to the front door, but instead, he trailed around the backyard. From his pocket, he pulled out his father’s backup cellphone, the one he usually kept in his desk. He’d get a fresh round of beatings if Phillip knew he took it. But he had to try something.

Dialing her number, he held the phone with his frozen, red hand up to his ear. The cold was beginning to settle in. He could make out the individual patterns of the snowflakes as they clung together in white clumps. He shifted deeper into his heavy coat.

The phone rang in his ear, sounding empty and lonesome. Then it went to voicemail. He shut it off, sighing.

He was in full view of the back of the Donovan’s house. Stalkery, yes, but safer that way. Then she came to the window, bundled up, rubbing her arms. She was framed in the frosty pane, her usually sparkling eyes looking dark and strained.

He hid behind a tall tree and watched her. She looked like she was on the verge of tears. The snow was getting high and heavy around him. He worried about leaving his footprints in the fresh snow, but realized that by the time she came out the snow would probably cover them.

He was about to try the phone again, but Ariel turned and disappeared. It was no use. He shouldn’t be here. He went off and walked the long walk back to his car, blinded by the snow.

5. LAINEY

“
WHAT EXACTLY DO
you want from me?” Lainey asked, pressing the phone tighter to her ear. She had been in the middle of a party, having a decent time, when she’d been interrupted. She didn’t even know who owned the house, but now she was standing in the person’s creepily cheerful bathroom, trying not to let anyone see or hear her. A knit toilet paper cozy with googly eyes stared at her and she turned towards the wall.

“I want you follow my orders and not sass me,” he father yelled over the line, making her wince.

“I’m sorry, daddy, I don’t get what I’m doing wrong. I showed Harlow around the school like you asked.”

“You’re still spending too much time with that Madison friend of yours. What have I told you about her family?”

“I don’t know, something about mice?” Lainey said, exasperated. She checked the door, making sure no one had found her and spied on her yet. That was just what she didn’t need. Only a matter of time before someone needed to puke and opened the door.

Cliff Ford growled at his daughter, making her anxious again. “Born from rats, stay a rat. Memorize it. I want it on your mind. Be on your guard.”

“But nothing’s going down for a while, right? I don’t really think Madison would be a spy—”

“You are such a little idiot! What’d I do to raise such a moron?”

Lainey cowered, pulling the phone away and wiping the tears that stung her eyes. He’d treated her that way for as long as she could remember, ever since she hit puberty. She just wanted to make him happy. If the girls from school could see her now, red-faced and childish, they wouldn’t recognize her.

“Okay, daddy, I’ll do whatever you say. Just please don’t yell at me anymore.”

“I wouldn’t have to if you’d listen. You better not be lying.”

“I’m not,” she pleaded, not thinking anymore about how loud she was being. “I promise!”

“That’s a good girl,” he said, and hung up on her.

She dropped to the floor with her chin beneath her knees, feeling like a sad little girl in time out. Why couldn’t he see that she’d do everything to make Thornhill successful? Anything to make him proud of her, just once?

Someone opened the door and leaned in. The light made her squint.

“Hey, Lainey, aren’t you going to come help us with the car?” the girl asked.

“I’m getting out of here.” Lainey pushed past her and out as she gathered her insides together.

###

She tried to keep both her father and her friend happy. She spent as much time as she could with Thornhill matters, while still trying to maintain her friendship with Madison. The problem was that Maddie kept asking too many questions. The girl had never cared much before about anything that wasn’t fashion or boys, living in her own cotton candy cloud of delusion.

But she was awake now. The starting incident had been stupid, slutty Ariel Donovan finding Jenna’s necklace at her party. The fact that Ariel had crashed in the first place had infuriated her.

When Harlow arrived in town, shoving Madison even further into the background than she already was, it sent her into a downward spiral. But Lainey didn’t know how to talk to her about that. They’d never shared deep feelings except when Ambrose died. And that had been too painful and uncomfortable to revisit.

Madison started to bug her with questions. Once, when they were getting high on some pot she’d found in her all-star brother’s gym bag, she seemed especially thoughtful. They were sitting on Lainey’s canopy bed, joking about things one minute. Then the mood completely shifted.

“What if somebody else helped Warwick kill Jenna? What if it was somebody we knew?” Madison asked.

She knew her friend was smarter than she looked and hid it on purpose. That she dumbed down herself—even getting C’s when she could have accomplished A’s—because she didn’t want to be seen as a brain.

Still, she tried to play it off. “You know what? This is why I don’t get high with you anymore. You’re always so deep. I just want Oreos.”

She started to slide off the bed, but Madison stopped her, putting her hand firmly on her shoulder.

“I’m serious,” Madison said, and her eyes didn’t look affected at all anymore. She looked sharp, like the pieces in her mind that had been floating around had finally settled into place. “I’ve got this feeling that Warwick definitely didn’t act alone. And if he put her in the water by your house, was he trying to set you up? Because of Jenna and Ambrose?”

“There
was
no Jenna and Ambrose,” Lainey said through gritted teeth, crashing down hard. “They were just being stupid and drunk.”

“I saw them kiss,” Madison said softly, playing with the golden coverlet on Lainey’s bed.

“What?” Lainey nearly shouted, jumping up to her feet and nearly stumbling over. The loose pot that had been on her notebook was knocked to the floor along with her glass piece, which shattered into a million shards. “When did this happen? Why didn’t you tell me about it?”

“I’m sorry, I just didn’t know how. I knew you’d spazz out and not be able to deal with it.”

Ever since that day, she’d felt like her world was topsy-turvy. Had she grieved for a murderer? Of course, she had suspected that Ambrose and Jenna had maybe been messing around. But to have it confirmed was too much, especially since Henry had rejected her.

Was Ambrose really involved in her death?

###

Too fat. Skinny legs, huge hips. What is wrong with her face?
In her mind ran a constant ticker, pointing out the negative traits of those around her. As she went down the hall with Harlow, she judged the others up against herself and determined herself to pretty much be the fairest of them all. Any girls getting close must have had work done. All was right with the universe.

Harlow was chatting, telling her about her life before she moved to Hell. Her confidence impressed Lainey a lot, and she wasn’t easily impressed by anything. Although she appeared put together to everyone else, she was constantly feeling like she wasn’t good enough. She felt like the cracks in her facade showed.

They went into the restroom to freshen up. Lainey was in the middle of fixing her hair when Madison rushed in. The smile fell off of Lainey’s face, her good mood evaporating, replaced by anxiety.

“There you are,” Madison said. “I’ve been looking all over for you. Did you think more about what we talked about?”

Harlow remained silent, but she watched Madison carefully, her dark eyes narrowed. Lainey felt embarrassed that Madison would bring it up, right in front of the one person she most wanted to impress.

“Can we not talk about that here?” she hissed. She set her flat iron down on the counter and yanked the cord out of the wall.

“I’m not waiting anymore,” Madison said eagerly. She was barely wearing any makeup and it looked like she’d just thrown her outfit together. Not normal. “I think I’m going to go talk to the police.”

“Police? What happened?” Harlow asked, in her usual tone that suggested she didn’t really care.

“Nothing,” Lainey assured her, then glared at Madison. “You have nothing to go to the police with.”

“Nothing but a theory, but that might be something,” she insisted.

“You need to drop it, Madison. You’re just going on a hunch and you could get a lot of people into trouble over an idea.”

She stormed out of the bathroom, forgetting that she’d only half-finished her hair, hoping her rejection of Maddie’s idea would be enough to kill it. She almost fell into that artist friend of Ariel’s, the twin that she’d so swiftly replaced Jenna with. The one she’d tripped at the mall back when life was simple.
Idiot
.

Madison followed her, right behind her heels.

“Why can’t you just leave it alone?” Lainey said, almost pleading. “I don’t know why you’re suddenly so worried.”

“I don’t know why you suddenly quite caring.”

She was shocked by her friend’s suddenly strong tone, like she’d developed a new voice. She wasn’t backing down. This new-found bravery scared the crap out of Lainey. How was she supposed to respond to it?

“You’ve changed so much,” Madison said. “You’re like a different person. Even on the outside, you’re colder.”

So she had noticed. Lainey had seen it herself, ever since the meeting with the flash-bang that made her forget. The more time she spent at Thornhill functions, the more she felt like a robot. When she looked in the mirror, she had a hard time recognizing her face as her own.

“I haven’t changed at all,” she lied, not meeting Madison’s eyes. “You’re just jealous that I’m having so much success with Thornhill. I knew this day would come.”

“I’m not jealous, at all. I have a right to ask questions.”

Lainey suddenly noticed the crowd of girls standing around them. They watched with mocking eyes, laughing about her right in front of her face. Her eyes widened in surprise and anger. All of these pathetic girls, all of them lesser and imperfect, laughing at
her
? It wasn’t possible. Yet there they were.

She felt like she was losing her grip on her whole image, the persona that she had lovingly crafted. That it would fall away and she’d be a crying girl in the closet again, after another of daddy’s late night visits that mommy knew nothing about.

Horrified, she realized that she was blushing. “Stop Maddie,” she muttered.

“Ever since your family hooked up with Thornhill, we’ve been pulled apart. I get that Ambrose’s death was hard on you…”

“You have no idea.” If she did, she never would have brought up the dead past with Ambrose and Jenna kissing. Despite Henry, she had still very much cared about Ambrose and he had rejected her on numerous occasions.

Just like her father.

Madison was still babbling about being her best friend. Lainey couldn’t even understand her words anymore.

“Enough!”

“I’ve been keeping this inside for months, Lain,” Maddie pleaded, on a roll and unable to slow down. “There’s—”

Lainey couldn’t control herself. She reached forward and slapped her hand over Madison’s mouth to shut her up. Whatever the truth was, the possibility of it coming out terrified her.

“I said enough!” she screamed, losing all control, shaking Madison’s head. “I don’t want you to speak to me again. I should have listened to my parents. They told me you’d never be loyal. Born from rats, stay a rat.”

She let go of Madison, who tumbled dramatically on the ground. As she looked around at the mocking faces, the room began to spin. Bright red bled over her vision, and images from the meetings tumbled through her mind. Blood dripping onto a seal, cutting, chanting…

She scrambled to regain control, smoothing out her messy hair. Had she said too much?

Standing over Madison, she glowered down at her. Her fists were scrunched tightly together, and she wanted to hit Madison for the first time in her life. “We’re not friends anymore. We never should have been.”

She turned and took off with Harlow. As soon as she’d made it a few yards away, the adrenaline melted off. She realized what had just happened.

“What did I do?”

“Just keep walking,” Harlow instructed quietly. “Don’t let them see you stop.”

###

“You need to discredit her,” Harlow told her later when they were over at her house. It was even bigger than Lainey’s, complete with an indoor swimming pool in the arboretum and a full sized theater downstairs. All of it seemed like it wasn’t even a big deal to Harlow.

“She was my best friend almost since birth.” Lainey said firmly, drying her tears off with a tissue. “Didn’t you ever had a best friend?”

Harlow looked different for a second. Like she felt something, that the ice princess was thawing a bit. “My mom.”