Gravity Brings Me Down (19 page)

“What happened in there?” Steve asks.

“I have no idea.”

“I guess we won’t be seeing Chocko for awhile.”

“Yeah, I guess not.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah … I’m all right.”

“I mean, about everything. You know, last night, your friend.”

“Yeah … I think so … I’m not really sure. How are your parents? I heard they were pretty pissed.”

“Oh, they’re okay. I just won’t be driving the Beemer this weekend.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

“I feel kind of responsible.”

“Honestly, it’s okay. I’ll be back in the saddle by next week. They can’t stay mad at me for long.”

He smiles the nicest smile. I have to laugh.

“So … uh … I was wondering if you want to go out again,” he says.

My heart starts to pound. “Out?”

“Yeah … after school or something.”

“You mean on a date?”

He laughs. “Well, yeah.”

“What about Biff?”

Steve scratches the back of his neck. “Oh, don’t worry about him. He’s a big boy.”

“Okay … well… then yes, that would be nice. But I have to ask my parents. They’re kind of on red alert, if you know what I mean.”

“Oh, yeah, of course.”

“I still have your shirt,” I say.

“Keep it… if you want.”

I look at him and our eyes connect. He has the greatest eyes. This gives me the courage to ask the question I’ve been wanting to ask.

“So … you know how I bumped into you in the bathroom …”

He gives a nervous laugh. “Yeah. I figured out why you were there …”

“So you were the one who erased it…”

“Yeah.”

“Thanks. That was pretty cool.”

“Yeah, no problem. So, we should meet here after school?”

“Sure. Wear your suit.”

Steve laughs again. “Okay, but only if you wear your dress.”

“Perfect.”

He waves, then trots up the stairs. I watch him go through the doors, then exhale as I turn to leave. There is no denying how cute he is.

I make my way down the stairs, past the stoners and the jocks. I give a nod to the PIBs as I hit the street. The weather is beautiful and warm and it feels so good to be outside. I walk through the square, past the naked fountain, past the benches and the fast-food places. I take my time, enjoying the sunshine, listening to the birds, watching people as they go about their days. You’d never know that Chocko was completely derailed back at school, or that Mabel was locked away in a nursing home. Yet, despite all of it, I feel okay. I’m sure most of it has to do with Steve. But I don’t bother trying to analyze it or draw any conclusions. For the first time in my life, I just enjoy the moment.

In a little while, I find myself walking toward the Rosewood where Mabel is staying. I know I’m not supposed to write or call or visit, but I can’t keep myself from walking past. Stopping in front of the building, I look up at the floor where Mabel’s room is. I wonder what she’s doing in there. I wonder if she’s thinking about me. I wish we could go for a walk together in the sunshine. I wish I could explain things
to her so that she would understand. I want to tell her that she hasn’t been forgotten and that she was right: there’s always a glimmer of hope, no matter how dark things seem. But I can’t tell her any of these things. Instead, I find her song, “Alfie,” on my MP3 player and I listen to it. I just stand there until the song is over, and then I say goodbye.

Thanks to my family and friends, especially Doug, Svetlana, Cath, Dom, Akka, George, Eva, and Chris and Richard, for their enduring love and support. Huge thanks and heartfelt gratitude to my agent, Marie Campbell, for her enthusiasm and incredible insight. Big thanks to the entire crew at Doubleday, especially my editor, Amy Black, whose boundless appreciation, encouragement and keen sense of humour kept the project fun and exciting throughout. Eternal love to Brian and Wes, who are always there for me, and to Michio for the specific gravity. Thanks to all the wonderful readers who have written letters over the years. And profound love to my kindred spirit, my heart sister, Naomi, whose unwavering belief in me and this project kept the soul fires burning, even in the darkest hours.

Copyright © 2009 Natale Ghent

All rights reserved. The use of any part of this publication, reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, or stored in a retrieval system without the prior written consent of the publisher—or in the case of photocopying or other reprographic copying, license from the Canadian Copyright Licensing agency—is an infringement of the copyright law.

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Library and Archives of Canada Cataloguing in Publication has been applied for

eISBN: 978-0-307-37234-5

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Published in Canada by Doubleday Canada, a division of Random House of Canada Limited

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