Gravity - By Abigail Boyd Page 0,40

red horns on their heads, and had pointed triangle tails.

We were seated at a booth and the waitress handed out our menus, which had flames on the cover. As I skimmed down the list, I read off the Halloween-themed titles that were much like the offerings at Hawthorne. Broomstick Bruschetta sounded a little too heavy on the straw.

"How is school going, other than just art?" Claire asked, flicking her napkin open and laying it daintily on her lap. "I haven't had much of a chance to ask you." She seemed to be back from outer space.

"It's been alright," I said, eyes still glued to the menu, but mostly to avoid hers.

"For one thing, you've mastered the skill of the vague answer," Hugh said sardonically behind his own menu.

"I've heard great things about your new tutor from your father," Claire mentioned. The woman was not subtle.

"Henry is very helpful," I said.

"He hasn't tried to make a move, once," Hugh added. "That counts for a lot in a teenage boy."

"Yes, I would say it does," I said, glaring at him.

"I want to meet him the next time I get a chance," Claire said. "I'm glad it's working out for you. I hope to see those As coming home." I already had straight As in most of my other classes, but I knew it didn't matter.

"How is your new friend with the boy's name?" Hugh asked.

I had told him the basics about Theo, although he hadn't had a chance to meet her. I told them both about how talented she was, and how she wanted to visit Erasmus.

"That's a good idea," Hugh agreed brightly. "If she's as good as you say I'll definitely take a look at her work."

They both seemed happy that I wasn't as depressed anymore, and they didn't seem to be tiptoeing around conversation topics like usual.

The waitress brought our dinners. I had ordered fettuccini alfredo, one of my favorite splurges. Claire hated it due to the high calories. She had basically lived on water and parsley since I was born, and made occasional hints for me to do the same.

For a strange moment, it was almost as if the pendant on my necklace heated up, right when I had a forkful of food between my fingers. I reached up to my neck without thinking and spilled greasy cream sauce down the front of my dress.

"Crap," I muttered, dipping my napkin in my water glass and trying to pat it dry. I excused myself to go clean it off in the bathroom. Claire almost stood up to go with me, but I gave her a "no" look.

"I can handle going to the potty by myself, thank you," I said shortly. She sat back down.

I walked by a table of popular-wannabe girls, the barnacles that clung to Lainey's fame. I was sort of surprised they would be slumming it at the RD, but maybe they spent all of their money on clothes.

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

"It looks like a knock-off to me," said another girl, who was wearing huge black sunglasses in the restaurant.

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, you know."

I tried not to pay attention to them, but it was hard as they were talking so loudly. I knew they were talking about Lainey. A cluster of small, sticky-faced children scrambling around in front of me as their parents tried to get out of their booth, so I was stuck.

"Did you guys hear?" chimed in another girl with an ear-splittingly high, nasal voice. "That new guy Henry Rhodes asked Lainey out."

Even though the family in front of me had finally cleared off, I stopped where I stood and listened. My heart paused for a moment, waiting with me.

"That's old news," said the red-haired girl. "He asked her out yesterday. It's not like it's surprising."

"It was only a matter of time," said the one wearing sunglasses. "They, like, belong together."

All of a sudden I felt like the time Jenna tried to pierce my navel. Like I was going to pass out and throw up at the same time. I rushed to the restrooms, hearing the awful girls giggling behind me. I pushed open the door with a black cat in a witch's hat and went in.

Thankfully, the bathroom was empty. I grasped the sides of the sink basin. The nauseated feeling passed, replaced by a