‹ Prequel: Freefall
Status: Complete
Plummet
03
A couple of minutes later, a girl showed up and walked straight to our table. There weren’t any seats left, but she didn’t seem to mind. She sat on Paul’s lap and gave me a polite smile. “Hi. I’m Lydia Gallagher.” I felt self-conscious just being around her. She was so pretty and seemed so confident. I envied her that.
“That’s a pretty name,” I said. She smiled a little wider and I realized I hadn’t introduced myself. No one had once called me socially apt. “My name is Remy. Remy Conroy.” I didn’t know whether I should shake hands with her or not, so I went back to my drinking and stared out the window.
Inwardly, I was yelling at myself, but old habits die hard. I didn’t know how to hold a conversation with so many people. Maybe this was why Mom didn’t want me around, I thought dejectedly.
“Hey, is something wrong, Remy?” Embry asked diffidently. I glanced over at him and was about to give a generic answer, but there was such concern on his face that I found the truth slipping out of my mouth.
“Yeah, you could say that.” Then I realized how pathetic that sounded, so I added, “But it’s nothing.” That part was a lie. “I’m glad to be here.” That part, strangely, was not.
“I’m glad you’re here, too.” Looking at him, I could tell he meant it.
Weird.
But I still tingled with pleasure. I never expected to be accepted so quickly.
Jacob suddenly pulled out his phone, though I hadn’t heard it ring, and answered. I tried not to stare and in order to keep from eavesdropping, I looked back at Embry and said, “So tell me about yourself.”
That was my foolproof statement that I whipped out whenever I didn’t know what to talk about with someone. People always, always enjoy talking about themselves. Just tap into that and making conversation is suddenly almost comically easy.
Embry flashed a small smile and said, “I’d rather hear about you.”
Again, I believed him. What was it about this guy? I wondered. Why was he so different than all of the other guys I’d met? I blinked a couple of times, trying to figure out something safe to tell him. “Well… today’s my eighteenth birthday. I used to have a pet turtle named Harriet... and I can’t eat anything that’s red.”
Embry laughed. “Really? Why?”
“It’s always freaked me out. I’m not really sure.” I felt a little embarrassed. But then, when didn’t I?
“If only I’d met you yesterday. Then I would have had time to get you a present.” I laughed, but he didn’t. What, he was serious?
“That’s very nice of you, but hardly necessary. I don’t like getting presents. Especially not after today,” I said.
There went my tongue again. Something about the eagerness in his face, the way I knew he was really listening to what I had to say, made me want to tell him things. His expression darkened. “What does that mean?”
“Don’t worry about it,” I mumbled, turning my head away again. He didn’t want to hear about what my mother had done.
I didn’t know whether I expected him to press the issue or not, but he didn’t get the chance. “I’ve got to get going,” Jacob said, standing and putting his phone back in his pocket. He shot a look at Paul and Lydia. Both of their expressions slid into sly amusement. They stood and said their goodbyes and left. I wondered briefly whether I’d be seeing them again anytime soon.
It hadn’t seemed like either had very much interest in talking to anyone but each other. At least they weren’t the sort of couple that made things terribly uncomfortable for those around them. They kept to themselves, but they weren’t being too… intimate.
I might have imagined it, but I could have sworn I saw Lydia wink at me.
I began to stand, too, but Jake turned around and said, “Embry, you can drive Remy home, can’t you?”
“Sure.” Embry looked like he was going to add something, but decided against it. Jake had a conniving look on his face, and I had a feeling that it hadn’t been a coincidence that I was left alone with him.
I smiled a little. This sort of situation was one I’d never been put in before. I’d read about it, but then I was always reading about situations I knew I would likely never experience.
I looked nervously at Embry and he waggled his brows suggestively. It was the most perfect move he could have made. I couldn’t help but burst out laughing and he joined in.
I’ve always loved music, so maybe it’s not so odd that I noticed how nicely our laughs harmonized.
I ever-so-slowly sipped the rest of my milkshake. I was consciously dragging out my time with Embry. After all, after we left I’d be stuck in an empty house.
I wasn’t looking forward to that. Not one bit.
Besides, I liked being around him. Kind of like with Jake, I felt like we could be friends. But this was… different. There was something about him that drew me in. I wasn’t sure whether I liked the feeling or hated it.
“That’s a pretty name,” I said. She smiled a little wider and I realized I hadn’t introduced myself. No one had once called me socially apt. “My name is Remy. Remy Conroy.” I didn’t know whether I should shake hands with her or not, so I went back to my drinking and stared out the window.
Inwardly, I was yelling at myself, but old habits die hard. I didn’t know how to hold a conversation with so many people. Maybe this was why Mom didn’t want me around, I thought dejectedly.
“Hey, is something wrong, Remy?” Embry asked diffidently. I glanced over at him and was about to give a generic answer, but there was such concern on his face that I found the truth slipping out of my mouth.
“Yeah, you could say that.” Then I realized how pathetic that sounded, so I added, “But it’s nothing.” That part was a lie. “I’m glad to be here.” That part, strangely, was not.
“I’m glad you’re here, too.” Looking at him, I could tell he meant it.
Weird.
But I still tingled with pleasure. I never expected to be accepted so quickly.
Jacob suddenly pulled out his phone, though I hadn’t heard it ring, and answered. I tried not to stare and in order to keep from eavesdropping, I looked back at Embry and said, “So tell me about yourself.”
That was my foolproof statement that I whipped out whenever I didn’t know what to talk about with someone. People always, always enjoy talking about themselves. Just tap into that and making conversation is suddenly almost comically easy.
Embry flashed a small smile and said, “I’d rather hear about you.”
Again, I believed him. What was it about this guy? I wondered. Why was he so different than all of the other guys I’d met? I blinked a couple of times, trying to figure out something safe to tell him. “Well… today’s my eighteenth birthday. I used to have a pet turtle named Harriet... and I can’t eat anything that’s red.”
Embry laughed. “Really? Why?”
“It’s always freaked me out. I’m not really sure.” I felt a little embarrassed. But then, when didn’t I?
“If only I’d met you yesterday. Then I would have had time to get you a present.” I laughed, but he didn’t. What, he was serious?
“That’s very nice of you, but hardly necessary. I don’t like getting presents. Especially not after today,” I said.
There went my tongue again. Something about the eagerness in his face, the way I knew he was really listening to what I had to say, made me want to tell him things. His expression darkened. “What does that mean?”
“Don’t worry about it,” I mumbled, turning my head away again. He didn’t want to hear about what my mother had done.
I didn’t know whether I expected him to press the issue or not, but he didn’t get the chance. “I’ve got to get going,” Jacob said, standing and putting his phone back in his pocket. He shot a look at Paul and Lydia. Both of their expressions slid into sly amusement. They stood and said their goodbyes and left. I wondered briefly whether I’d be seeing them again anytime soon.
It hadn’t seemed like either had very much interest in talking to anyone but each other. At least they weren’t the sort of couple that made things terribly uncomfortable for those around them. They kept to themselves, but they weren’t being too… intimate.
I might have imagined it, but I could have sworn I saw Lydia wink at me.
I began to stand, too, but Jake turned around and said, “Embry, you can drive Remy home, can’t you?”
“Sure.” Embry looked like he was going to add something, but decided against it. Jake had a conniving look on his face, and I had a feeling that it hadn’t been a coincidence that I was left alone with him.
I smiled a little. This sort of situation was one I’d never been put in before. I’d read about it, but then I was always reading about situations I knew I would likely never experience.
I looked nervously at Embry and he waggled his brows suggestively. It was the most perfect move he could have made. I couldn’t help but burst out laughing and he joined in.
I’ve always loved music, so maybe it’s not so odd that I noticed how nicely our laughs harmonized.
I ever-so-slowly sipped the rest of my milkshake. I was consciously dragging out my time with Embry. After all, after we left I’d be stuck in an empty house.
I wasn’t looking forward to that. Not one bit.
Besides, I liked being around him. Kind of like with Jake, I felt like we could be friends. But this was… different. There was something about him that drew me in. I wasn’t sure whether I liked the feeling or hated it.