Gravity - By Abigail Boyd Page 0,79

and Claire squeezed me in a tight hug. It was a rare show of affection, for her. I patted her back through her jacket for comfort.

Pulling back, she inspected my face like Hugh had; only her hands were on my cheeks. Exchanging one of her glances with Hugh, sharing their worries silently.

"I wanted to come to the hospital," Claire said, apologetic. "I couldn't get off of work, and your father said it was alright. She looks awful, Hugh."

"Thanks so much," I said.

"She's fine, Claire. The doctor checked her out, he ran a head scan, and he didn't find anything to concern him. Her nose will heal. She's going to be okay."

He preached all of this as if trying to convince himself. He couldn't stand still in the kitchen, tossing his keys on the counter and drumming his knuckles, then pacing over to the fridge and back. Unspent anger colored his cheeks.

"Honey, why don't you go take a shower?" Claire said to me. That meant they wanted me out of the way so that they could argue. "The steam will probably make you feel better," she finished.

The suggestion did sound heavenly. My back was sore from both falling on the floor and lying in the hospital bed. Falling through the floor my thoughts whispered. You fell through the floor and you saw...

"Yeah, I think I'll do that," I said, willing my thoughts away. It was just a dream, no different than when I had dreamed she was at the orphanage. So what if I had seen the ghost of a little girl merely a few days ago. That was a totally different experience. A person had to be dead to be a ghost. Jenna had run off, like everyone said, and was now living it up, and had totally forgotten the small town she came from. But her eyes were black...the same little voice of my thoughts whispered. I shook my head.

I went into the downstairs shower. Hugh and Claire talked in hushed voices, but I could still make out a few words."

"Is it dangerous for her to be at that school?" Claire asked.

"I don't know," Hugh said after a moment.

I paused, shivering in the bathroom even though it was warm. I hadn't thought about it like that. I turned the shower on hot, letting the steam fill the bathroom and fog up the mirror.

"There's definitely favoritism," Hugh said. "The Thornhill reach extends all the way into the classrooms."

"You really think it has to do with that silly committee?" Claired wondered aloud.

Hugh didn't respond.

I undressed and stepped into the shower. The sharpness was beginning to return to the pain in my face, meaning the painkillers were wearing off on schedule. I shampooed quickly, then just stood in the hot water. It felt good on my aching face.

I got out eventually, fully expecting Claire and Hugh to be yelling. But there was silence. The kitchen was empty by the time I had gotten dressed. It must have meant they had retreated to their individual corners.

A few pieces of baked chicken sat on a cookie sheet on the stovetop. I made myself a small plate, and while I didn't usually take food to my room, I figured this time would be alright. I trudged down the stairs with my tabloids and my food.

It didn't take long after eating and taking my pills to fall asleep.

The next morning I woke up to find Hugh had already called in, for both of us.

"What if Gwen needs you there?" I protested.

"Gwen runs the place better than I do. Have a seat," was his reply.

He slid two pieces of French toast from a skillet onto my plate. My favorite breakfast food since I was a little girl. I couldn't taste anything very well because of my nose, but it was still a nice change from plain cereal.

I spent the day lazing about the house, watching daytime TV and putting together an old puzzle I found underneath the couch. I wondered what Theo was doing, hoping she was keeping her anger to herself. And I wondered if Henry had heard about me getting hurt.

Around 3:30, I heard a knock on the front door. I got off the couch were I had been watching courtroom shows and answered it.

Theo stood on the porch. She smiled sympathetically when she saw me. The world behind her looked inviting after being cooped up all day. I didn't know how I'd lasted so long over the summer inside.

"How are you?" she asked.

"Bored," I