Luminosity (Gravity Series #3) (The Gravity Series) (27 page)

Claire spoke around her mouth full of hardware. “I’ve always trusted you not to take advantage of your freedoms. But then I come and find out you’ve been doing it anyway.”

She gestured down to the floor. There were two faded, dirty shoe prints, obviously larger than either of our feet, on the carpet. I recognized the distinctive pattern from Henry’s Adidas.

“I can explain—” I began frantically, but she cut me off.

“I don’t want to hear whatever lies you’re going to concoct. I know you’ve been sneaking some boy over, between that sweatshirt I found and the fact that I thought I heard a male voice downstairs. I’ve been too busy to put two and two together, which I’m sure you took advantage of.”

I resented the implication, and I crossed my arms tightly as she finished hammering the new lock. “You can’t just do this.”

She turned and glared at me, her eyes full of smug contempt. “Oh, can’t I? This is my house now, Ariel. I can do whatever I please. I’m going to keep the only key to this lock, but if I find out you’ve somehow sneaked him over anyway I’ll take away the car, too. Do you understand me?” Her voice was conversational and bittersweet. She was picking up quite a few tricks from Deana Ford, it seemed.

“You have no right to do this to me,” I said, glaring and her and struggling hard against the tears that were trying to force themselves out. I’d never had her be quite this mean and controlling before.

“I have every right,” she said. “You’ll learn that soon enough.” Then she was rushing back up the stairs. I stared at the lock, reconsidering Hugh’s offer. I didn’t know how much longer I could live like this.

###

The social impact of my friends’ breakup was bigger than I’d imagined. Alex didn’t seem to think he could talk to me anymore. He went back to sitting with Henry in the popular wing of the commons. Having been our class clown the entire time he was in school, it was a big change when he now clammed up in class and sat quietly by himself. Theo’s wounds began to heal, but slowly. She was every bit as distraught as Alex, bringing on tears occasionally when the conversation would come around to something related to him.

At the same time, not being able to use the necklace was driving me crazy. I wanted to spy on McPherson, but I was so swamped with homework and distracted by all the little fires I was stomping out that I felt as though I had no time. Besides, Jenna kept a pretty close watch on me.

“Did I ever tell you I’m really glad you got your car?” Theo told me the next week in Hawthorne’s parking lot. We were taking turns, splitting the short drive every week.

“A few times,” I said, smiling.

“I have to take the Toyota up to the shop, again. It’s making this really weird grinding noise. Work is too far away to walk, so I can’t have it go out on me. So much for all this extra money I was going to make.”

“You haven’t been loaning your dad any more, have you?” I asked.

She looked dodgy, like she was avoiding my gaze. A beaten-up convertible rolled up beside us, exhaust sputtering. I tried to ignore the car and keep walking.

“Who puts the top down when it’s forty degrees and cloudy out? Jokers,” I muttered to Theo. But she ducked her head and started giggling in a very un-Theo-like manner.

The driver of the car braked right next to us and beeped the horn. Theo giggled harder.

“What’s so funny?” I asked.

We stopped and she walked towards the driver, an unattractive, greasy looking dude in a dirty hoodie.

“What’s happenin’, baby?” he asked, nodding his head at her. The car smelled suspiciously of skunk and cheap air freshener and there were mardi gras beads hanging from the rearview mirror.

“Not much. You guys are such goofballs,” she said. To my surprise, she leaned flirtatiously towards him, hands on her knees. “I like your car. I’ve always wanted a convertible.”

Both of them were pimply-faced dorks who wore their hats backwards. Their manners were kind of like Alex’s when we’d first met him but they were completely lacking in the slightest hint of charm. I looked at Theo in shock.

“What are you guys up to?” Theo asked.

“The usual, not shit,” the driver said. “I had to stop when I saw two attractive females out for the taking. I got room in my backseat if you want to tag along.”

I gagged a little in my throat, glaring at them. The boys seemed unfazed.

“Ariel, these are two guys from my desktop publishing class,” Theo explained. “Kenny and Ron.” Kenny was the one behind the wheel and Ron was his red-eyed friend. “They’re crackups.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” I said, rolling my eyes.

I glanced away from the offending car and saw Alex and Henry were standing by the Creep, down a few rows of cars. They had been in the middle of a conversation, but both of them were frozen, watching us intently. Henry raised an eyebrow in my direction. I shrugged lightly, not knowing myself why my friend had been replaced by a sex kitten.

“So, you and your hot friend have anything going on this weekend?” Kenny asked.

“Depends. What were you thinking?” Theo asked. I wanted to protest but I was too shocked.

“How about we take you females out for dinner? Blind Devil?”

“Fe.Males,” I repeated through gritted teeth.

“Sounds good,” Theo said.

“What the….” I protested, but no one was listening to me.

“‘K, I’ll text you with the details.” Kenny pressed the gas, then the brake, making the car lurch and the rear end scratch against the blacktop with a grating metal sound. Kenny hit the gas again and the car rumbled away.

I smacked Theo gently on the shoulder. “Why did you agree to go with them? Have you lost your mind?”

“What else are we gonna do?” Theo said, shrugging.

“I know you’re in pain and unhappy, but this is not the answer.”

“It’s not just about me,” Theo protested. “You have been out of commission long enough and I need to get my mind off of things. This’ll just be for fun. Don’t worry, I know they’re douches, but they’re harmless.”

“Those guys looked like they had more on their mind than regular fun. I think they want half-naked, possibly fully naked, fun.”

“They’re just nerds,” Theo argued as we got into my car.

“Nerds are the biggest perverts of all. Have you ever heard of this thing called the internet?”

I felt my phone buzz in my pocket and ignored it. I knew Henry would still be wondering what was going on. But I didn’t want to have to explain it yet.

CHAPTER 23

I TOOK PREVENTATIVE
measures for the date that wasn’t. I’d tried to look as frumpy as possible, in an oversized sweater and a long skirt over leggings. I didn’t wear any makeup, not even lip balm. I debated whether or not I should shower, but cleanliness won out.

At first, I was sure I’d be able to talk Theo out of it. But she wouldn’t budge. She just kept telling me it would be an entertaining experiment.

I didn’t know exactly how to explain it to Henry, so I just avoided his text messages. It felt weird to not tell him immediately, but I wanted to be there for Theo. After being the soggy shoulder for Alex, I knew he wouldn’t approve.

I finally sent him a text the night before the fated incident. I didn’t want to lie, after our conversation about being truthful, I wanted to make my best effort

So its a date?
he sent back immediately, like he had pounced on the phone.

No, definitely not a date. Well, technically you could use that title, but that’s absolutely not what it is. There will be no enjoyment involved.

U sure the idiots know that?

Not exactly. But I do. I’ll put a stop to any stupid come-ons. Theo is hell-bent on going I don’t want her there alone.

Why is she so adamant?

Beats me. She says it’s because of my dry spell, but I think she’s trying to convince herself
.

And if I asked you not to go? What then?

Are you asking me not to go?
I bit my lip and stared at my phone, waiting for his response.

No. You’re a free agent, you can do as you please. But that’s not answering my question.

If you asked me not to go, then I’d have to think about it. I don’t know that I can budge Theo.

Be there for your friend
, he sent, but I could sense tension even in his written words. He was mad. I hoped this wasn’t some kind of loyalty test. Those clowns Kenny and Ron were in no way worth it.

I hadn’t been to the Blind Devil in a while, but it hadn’t changed. The eccentric, overdone decor was the same. The boys had a casual idea of dressing for dinner; both of them were wearing backwards Detroit Pistons trucker hats and baggy clothes.

“You look really cute,” Ron said, pulling out my chair. Then he wiped his nose with the back of his hand. “That sweater sticks to you like a glove.”

“Gee, thanks,” I said, resisting the urge to roll my eyes and failing.

Theo looked pretty in a dress with her hair up. But I could sense that she was extremely nervous; her voice shook whenever she spoke and she kept fiddling with her napkin.

“You guys like video games?” Kenny asked as we were staring at our menus.

“Not really,” I said, shrugging.

“Sometimes,” Theo perked up.

“How do people not like video games? What-the-eff?” Ron asked.

I looked across the restaurant and noticed two guys sitting together alone. Menus were pulled up in front of their faces. I squinted, looking closer, as their menus dipped just enough to show their eyes and then bobbed up again. Weird. Weirdly
familiar
.

“How far do you go on the first date?” Kenny asked, hunched over his breadsticks. Ron snickered and punched him on the arm.

Now that we were out with them, Theo didn’t seem so amused. The flirtatious nature she’d had in the parking lot had all but disappeared. “How far…?”

“Yeah, like first base, second base. All the way,” Kenny clarified.

“We run no bases. Ever,” I said. “Not interested in games, of any kind.”

“Great, I got stuck with the ice princess,” Ron muttered under his breath. “Blue balls for dessert.”

“Where did you meet these two?” I asked Theo quietly while the idiots were staring at their menus again. They twisted the menus upside down, laughing like they’d invented the concept.

“Kenny sits at the computer across from me,” Theo said. “Sometimes his jokes are sort of funny. He threw M&Ms at me.”

“Oh my god, girl.”

“I thought maybe they were like Alex. Diamonds in the rough.”

“Not every lump of coal can be a diamond,” I said.

The mysterious boys hiding behind their menus across the restaurant were still spying on our table. I watched them out of the corner of my eye. Their menus dipped again, going down just enough to confirm my suspicions. It was Henry and Alex. Theo wasn’t aware, still trying to defend her choice to pick Kenny.

“Hey. Hey! What’re you ladies talking about so quietly over there?” Kenny spoke up.

I excused myself to go to the bathroom. Theo tugged on my sleeve with anxious, round eyes, but I was still watching Alex and Henry’s terrible attempt at spying.

“I’ll be right back,” I said.

I walked right past Henry and Alex’s booth, purposefully fast enough that I knew Henry would follow me. Alex was steadily glaring at the back of Kenny’s head. Sure enough, I heard the leather of the booth squeak as Henry slid out.

I waited by the bathroom and as soon as Henry came waltzing around the hall, I confronted him.

“What are you doing here?” I hissed. “I don’t need a babysitter.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Henry said in a maddeningly flat, calm voice. He started feeding quarters into a candy dispenser. “I am buying mints. One can never be too fresh.”

I grabbed him, in what I intended to be a rough gesture, by his collar. He looked defensive and amused at the same time.

“Where else would I be?” he relented, his voice low.

“Anywhere, doing anything else,” I said. “I told you that this was nothing.”

“That’s before I found out who these jerks are,” Henry shot back, his eyes darkening.

“You know it’s not like that, so don’t act like I’m sneaking around.” I had to suppress the urge to shout. “I was just trying to help Theo forget for a little while, but then you two have to come along and make it impossible.”

“You don’t need to be on a date with these assholes. Alex told me they brag about all their conquests. Not that it’s a long list.”

“You’re jealous,” I said.

“I’m not jealous. Although I think if you search your motives, you’ll see that you’re maybe trying to get back at me just a little for the Lainey thing.”

“The Lainey
thing
?” I burst. “That thing broke my heart and made me feel horrible about myself for a year.”