My chest tightens, and I try to ignore it. I glance over her shoulder to where some people are throwing rocks at the Compound wall, creating a ripple in the mountain illusion. “No. Lots of movies and books end that way. The plot point is obviously based on some sort of reality.”
“Your parents aren’t getting back together. And you read entirely too much. It’s not good for your brain. I hereby ban you from all books.”
I look down to hide my stinging eyes.
“Oh no,” Laila says, her voice now serious. “You really thought your parents might get back together?”
“No, of course not.” I’d been holding out hope, but she was right, there’s no chance. A guy dancing slams into Laila’s back and she growls at him, then takes my hand and pulls me away from the crowd and behind some trees.
She wraps her arms around me. “I’m so sorry, Addie.”
The words make me realize just how final the situation is. My heart aches, and my throat is sore. “It’s good for you,” she says, rubbing my back. “Just let it out.”
I can’t. My emotions feel lodged in my chest and push against my lungs, making it hard to breathe. “I’m fine, really.”
“You’ll get through this,” she says. “I’m so glad you stayed with your mom. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
A deep voice behind me says, “Am I interrupting something?”
I look over to see Bobby standing by a group of trees, staring between the two of us. He has a satisfied look on his face as though he just solved some mystery. “Had I known, I would’ve never asked you to the dance. You should’ve just told me you were already taken.” He nods his head toward Laila. “Mind if I watch?”
Laila’s face hardens, and she whips around to face him. “Listen, we already know you’re a perv, no need to prove it again. Get out of here.”
He raises his hands in surrender. “Fine. Fine. I’m leaving.” He walks backward through a tree trunk.
Laila walks over and hits the tree as if that will somehow hurt him. “Idiot.”
“You don’t think he really thinks …” I trail off, and let my finger float back and forth between Laila and me.
“Please. He’s just trying to soften the blow of your rejection. Come on. Let’s go back to the party.”
CHAPTER 6
NOR-Mal-i-za-tion: v. reduced to a normal state My dad walks in the house after five on Friday afternoon. “I’m so sorry, Addie.”
I melt off my chair and land in a pile on the floor.
“That bad?”
I roll onto my back. “I know no one, I have no car, and you’ve abandoned me.”
“You didn’t want to watch the movie I rented?” He points to the TV and this huge, boxy player he set up the night before.
“I couldn’t figure out how to work that stupid thing. There’s just a bunch of buttons with triangles and squares.”
He laughs. “No voice activation here. I’ll teach you how to use it later. It’s not that hard. But right now I have a peace offering.” Out of his back pocket he pulls two strips of paper.
I sit up. “What are those?”
“Tickets. Your new high school has a football game tonight.”
At this point even football sounds decent. “What time?”
“Kickoff’s at seven.” He sits on the couch.
I plop down next to him, sideways, one of my feet nudging my dad’s leg as it settles on the cushion.
He pulls on the toe of my sock, causing it to form a loose pucker above my big toe. Then he stares at me, waiting to see how long I’ll leave it like that. I count to twenty to prove that it doesn’t bother me at all.
“You’re a nuisance,” I say, fixing my sock.
He laughs, then pats my ankle. “So, how is your cover story going? Are you going to be okay for school on Monday?”
“I think I’m good.”
“Need me to quiz you?”
“Sure.”
He squares his shoulders and raises his chin, assuming what I guess he thinks is a teacher’s pose. “Welcome to class, Addie Coleman. Where did you move from?”
“Jackson, Texas. It’s about five hours southeast of here. Half an hour from San Antonio. If you went there you’d find a tiny town surrounded by a mountain range. That mountain range is actually just an illusion though. It’s really a sprawling city full of people with mind powers.” I laugh. “How’s that?”
He doesn’t crack a smile.
“Oh, come on. It was a joke.”
“Addie. That’s not something to joke about. You can’t tell anyone about the Compound or your powers. Not anyone. The Compound Containment Committee works very hard to keep the psychologically advanced a secret. And if they ever found out you told someone …”
“Yeah. I know.” Of course I did. We had a major debriefing in the Tower before we were allowed to leave. But in a way I thought it was more talk than action. I didn’t think my dad would be so strict. Of course I’m not going to announce my ability at school, but realizing I can never tell anyone … ever … is hard. I’ve never had to lie about who I am before.
My dad still has his stern look on. I nudge his leg with my foot. “Loosen up. I’m not going to tell anyone. Finish the quiz. Ask me another question.”
“Okay. Why did you move here?”