Gravity, a young adult paranormal romance by Abigail Boyd Page B

to finish getting ready. I dressed quickly in my
favorite shirt, dark violet with lace-trimmed sleeves, and rushed
upstairs. Grabbing my backpack, I slipped outside and started off
on my first walk.  
    Fog hung low to the ground, obscuring
the landscape. The sky a flat, dull gray, preceding dawn. Despite
the early morning chill, I felt happy to be breathing in the fresh
air. I sucked in a lungful, until I couldn't inhale anymore. The
walk, as I suspected, only took about fifteen minutes. I had opted
not to use my bike; I didn't have a bike lock and it was clunky
besides. Plus I'd feel like a dork on my bike, when in my
not-so-distant future I would hopefully have a car. 
 
    I felt only a little out of breath
when I arrived at school, and more energized and awake then I
normally did. I'm not normally a morning person, but it felt as
though I'd drank an entire pop and caffeine rushed through me. I
walked into the commons in a more uplifted mood that I hadn't
expected. There were ten minutes until school started, so the
commons was packed and loud as everyone carried on discussions. But
it wasn't as jarring as it had been yesterday. I didn't have the
immediate urge to run anymore.  
    Sitting together at one of the
rectangular tables were a couple of girls I'd been friends with for
years, Becky Long and Sarah Abbot. We had often occupied the same
lunch table, although it seemed like a different life
now.
    "Ariel!" Becky called out. I didn't
know what she wanted, but I wandered over to their table. 
 
    "Hey, do you want to sit with us?"
Becky asked amiably, gesturing to the unfilled seat across from
her. The offer surprised me, but I was more than willing to comply.
I couldn't stand feeling singled out anymore.  
    Pulling out the chair I sat down. The
only spot for my backpack was in my lap, as the entire table was
filled with girls I couldn't remember if I knew, and there wasn't a
lot of room. It felt awkward, but I didn't want to protest.
 
    "How are you?" Becky asked, clasping
her hands together on the tabletop and tucking her pointy chin on
top.  
    "I'm fine," I replied lamely, for lack
of a better adjective.
    "That's good," she said, smiling
tightly. "I'm glad to see you. I've been wondering how you were
doing. We heard rumors that you weren't coming back. Someone said
your dad was going to homeschool you this year."
    "No, of course not," I said, trying to
play it off lightly and attempt a smile. I hoped it didn't look
like a grimace, as my smiles lately too often did.
 
    Awkward silence followed, in which the
other girls avoided my gaze. It seemed like they didn't know what
to say to me. But I was glad to be sitting there, even as I
searched my thoughts for a suitable topic and came up
short.
    "Did you hear they're
playing Loveless at the theater?" Sarah piped up, and the other girls jumped
on the topic as if it was food and they'd been up in the mountains
for days.  
    The girls started chattering away
about the movie, which was apparently my least favorite kind, a
romantic comedy. I didn't have much to say; I'd never heard of it.
Even as they moved onto school gossip, I remained oblivious. Mostly
I just hunched behind the backpack. I became a little irritated
with myself, but I didn't have it in me to make the effort. What if
I said something that came out wrong?  
    The day went faster than the first,
and rather uneventfully. Lainey and Madison pretended I didn't
exist in gym, which I greatly preferred to being teased or almost
knocked over. I sat at Becky's table again at lunch, still only
listening to what the other girls had to say. I'd lost my opinions
somewhere along the way. They didn't seem to mind. It was easier
for everyone to pretend I was wallpaper.
    As far as classes themselves, I
enjoyed Warwick's the most and not because he was Hugh's buddy. I
knew I wouldn't just get a good grade because of that fact. But
listening to him embellish the events that happened in our country
with outlandish tales made