Fighting Gravity

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Book: Fighting Gravity by Leah Petersen Read Free Book Online
Authors: Leah Petersen
Tags: Science-Fiction
so close together, our bodies. Leaving. Maybe forever.
    I don’t know who initiated it, but we were kissing. The more we kissed the more urgent it became. My hands were tangled in her hair and clutching her close to my body.
    My memories of the remainder of that night are hazy. Though I remember other sexual encounters since with almost perfect clarity, that one, my first, is just a jumble of impressions, emotions, sounds, and sensations. We clung to each other, frantic with our fears and needs until we slept, exhausted, in each other’s arms.

fg 9
    I woke up in the morning to the realization that I should be panicking. Kirti had been out of her room all night, which was one of the biggest infractions a student could commit. The repercussions were very serious. And yet lying there with her warm and soft against me, with all the other problems waiting for me just outside the door, I couldn’t make myself care.
    She woke not long after I did. I hadn’t moved and was still wrapped around her. She looked up at me and smiled, but a crease of sadness appeared in her forehead.
    “You’re leaving.”
    I nodded. There was nothing else to say. She watched my face for a long moment then pecked a kiss on my lips and got up to get dressed. I watched her from the bed, wanting to say something but not sure what. She scrambled into her clothes and kissed me once more.
    “See you at breakfast,” she said, and left.
    If I’d thought entering the dining hall the night before with the emperor had been uncomfortable, it was nothing compared to walking in for breakfast that morning. Four steps into the room, the sudden silence was palpable. It was like I had walked into a thick, sticky gunk that became more and more viscous with every step.
    I made it to my table and found Chuck there, but no Kirti. I took my usual spot beside him. I tried to ignore my tablemates but I didn’t miss the glares Chuck was giving out, daring them to say or do anything to me.
    The conversation in the room resumed, though at my table there was a horrid, stifling quiet. Kirti soon entered and sat beside me. She acted normal; normal as anything was that morning. No one looked at her any more than usual and I wondered if anyone knew she hadn’t slept in her room last night. Of course, whether our classmates did or didn’t realize wasn’t the problem. The dorm head wouldn’t have missed it and he was the one that mattered.
    She gave me a sad smile and watched as the members of the head table entered the room. Director Kagawa, of course, was not there. When crushing disappointment settled in my chest, I realized I had been holding out hope that he would be among them; that nothing would have changed. The administrators took their places, leaving the director’s chair empty. Mr. Harris, to the immediate right, spoke.
    “As you are all aware, Director Kagawa is no longer with us. I will be filling in for him until a permanent replacement can be selected.” He offered the blessing and we sat.
    When I thought about it later I concluded that Chuck must have threatened our tablemates before I’d arrived. No one said a word to me, contenting themselves with withering glares. I did my best to pretend I couldn’t see them.
    At the conclusion of breakfast I was summoned to the director’s office. I felt an irrational stab of panic, but reminded myself that the director’s office no longer belonged to Kagawa, which made me feel worse. I went, dragging my feet, and reported to the functionary outside the office. She looked daggers at me but sent me in.
    I opened the door with sweaty hands, more afraid to enter that office than I had ever been. Mr. Harris looked up from behind the big desk. “Come in, Mr. Dawes.” I took my place before the desk and waited. “You may have a seat if you’d like.”
    I stared at him, thrown off balance.
    “You’re not here for discipline, Mr. Dawes. Have a seat. We have a lot to talk about.”
    I dropped into the chair, stunned.

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