Chapter 9: 08: DISTRACTION

Adam wiped a glob of ice treat off the display panel in the table in front of him, licking the cream off of his finger and biting a mouthful off of the white mound on his fruit cone. The treat chilled his lips and tongue as he read the rainbow lettering in the projection hovering in front of him—144 OUT OF THIS WORLD FLAVORS, ONLY AT ASTROS! An animated alien in a Union Galactic Alliance uniform zipped around a glowing Ipir, pausing every fifteen seconds to marvel at a pair of Harvest moons periodically rising above the planet.

Hanging wreaths of native flowers and floating cartoon ghosts adorned the popular dessert shop for the holiday. Electro-music, including a popular number from Blood Fang called Taste For Blood, thumped in steady streams at low volume beneath excited chatter. Jonah bopped his head to the beat and dug his spoon into the messy mountain of ice treat piled into his bowl.

“Best mix yet,” said Jonah, wiping raspberry cream from his chin. “Time to patent it. I’m a genius.”

“Fuck off,” said Ivan, tearing a mouthful off of his sour bar. “You say the same shit every time we’re in this pile of puke.”

“Because it’s true. You’re missing out.”

“Shut it.”

Adam glanced at the green-lit service counter at the front of the store and met the eye of Gracie Finnegan as she chatted with another staff member. Her shock of golden corkscrew curls were loose around her head like a lion’s mane and her headband, set with bouncing alien ears to match her Astros uniform, bobbled as she spoke. She broke her eye contact with Adam as soon as they’d made it—the fifth time since he took his seat—and disappeared into the rear.

“Finnegan’s checking you out,” said Jonah, lifting his head to peer at the service counter as well. “Hard. I know you’re hung up on Li but the daughter of a Peace Commissioner might be a good match for what you want. Crossing aisles and all that. Not bad to look at either—she’s got a body on her. Check her out in that stupid uniform. She’s all right.”

“Yeah,” replied Adam. “She’s all right. And I’ve been there. We hooked a few times in the past. More than a few, I guess.”

“Oh yeah?” Jonah almost choked on his dessert in surprise. “And you survived. When did that happen?”

“Last Mid-Year. She was…one of.”

“Why didn’t you mention it?”

“There were a few blondes back then.” Thoughts of the girls Adam had engaged in the past flashed through his mind in quick succession—including a particular sore subject. “You know—Gemara was blonde,” he said distantly. “Her hair was straight, though. And darker.”

“Fucking hell, mate. Let it go.”

“I have let it go but it doesn’t change the fact that she messed with my head. I thought she was all right. That was a mistake.”

Ivan laughed. “Gemmy was all right. Sure she was. All right with half the male senior class. Heard she hooked with almost every player on the rugby team. I warned you about her before you ever returned those eyes she gave you—”

“—So did I,” chimed in Jonah, grim.

"Girl was so fucked up she wanted to go for your friends, specifically, behind your back. Told you she came right to me and said she’d—”

“—Me too,” added Jonah. “Same day. What a gal. If we’d been standing side by side I doubt that would’ve stopped her.”

“Don’t fucking remind me,” grumbled Adam.

“You gotta deal with it,” said Ivan. “That’s why we remind you, over and over. Don’t be nice to types like that. Stripes don’t change. She’ll ruin someone else next.”

“Right. Great. It’s dealt with. Anyway. Grace—well.” Adam rubbed his forehead, summoning his memories of sneaking into Gracie’s quarter in her dorm and also into her bedroom at her family estate using the codes she’d provided. “I ran into her at the Green Stone party. We were drinking, got close, hooked that night right there at the Gellarton estate in one of their guest rooms. Deal went on for a couple months. But I told her from the start it wasn’t going anywhere. She’s pretty but I don’t want to try and handle her temper.”

“And you think the daughter of a bloody cultist and a concubine will be easier to handle. Ha.” Ivan grinned. “You’re corked. Her dad sacrificed children to the twin moon god and her mom tried to bite the face off the medic delivering their baby. I’d tell you all girls are the same but that one’s a ticking time bomb. She’s worse than most. I’m not understanding your fascination with that one.”

“Talitha’s not her family,” replied Adam, a sullen hint to his tone. “It’s not right to bring that up every time her name’s mentioned. She didn’t ask to be born into that and there’s nothing wrong with her. If anyone should want to hate her it’d be me, with all those ties to the natives that butchered my father down to her bloodline. But I know it’s not her fault. It’s just…chance. Bad luck.”

“She did hard time in Quarantine, man. Eight years in solitary. That shit has an effect on you.”

“And she cleared Quarantine. Scored high marks in Asylum Prep, enough to qualify for Cloverland consideration. Not to mention she’s done nothing but promote Pender-Pal since she got here so others can have the same opportunities that she’s gotten.” Adam chewed off another chunk of his cone. “You’re always going after her. Always have something to say about where she came from. What’s the deal? I’d almost say it’s personal.”

“Nothing, man,” said Ivan. “She’s nobody. You’re the one stressing over her. If she rejects you then you’ll move on. I promise you.”

“…Fine. So stop trying to talk me out of this. Out of her.”

“Oh. Look at the show the senator’s putting on.” Jonah tapped his spoon against the side of his bowl, shaking his head. “I really do think our boy’s in love. This is unreal.”

“I told you I was. I’m in love with Li.” Adam glanced back at the service counter where Gracie had stood not too long ago. “I’m not changing my mind.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Sounds familiar. You don’t learn your lesson. Glutton for punishment. We get it.”

Bells that sounded like zipping laser beams chimed as the door to Astros slid open. Adam’s gaze narrowed as RedSect dogshit junkie Spencer Torrens entered, tall frame hunched over as he swerved through the crowds of students seated inside to head right for Adam’s table. Spencer’s hair was unkempt and dark circles ringed his eyes as if he hadn’t slept in a while.

Adam scoffed silently. Typical of the junkie. No need to wear a costume for Harvest.

“Rodinsky,” said Spencer without greeting anyone else. “Outside. Now.”

Ivan’s wry grin turned to Spencer. “Hello to you too, sweetheart,” he said. “How are you? How are the kids? Hope things are going well.”

Jonah’s gaze darted between the pair staring each other down with open hostility. He coughed sharply to break the tension. “Hey, Spence,” he said. “Everything all right?”

“Sure is.” Spencer nudged his jaw in Ivan’s direction. “You. Get up.”

“Get…up?” Ivan repeated slowly.

“You heard me, fuckface.”

“Fuckface?”

“Yeah. Fuckface.”

Ivan eased his way out of the booth with slow and deliberate movements, until he stood face to face with Spencer. He shoved the rest of his sour bar into his mouth and chewed, his glare unblinking until he’d swallowed the last of the treat.

“Don’t like being talked to that way,” he said. “Not in front of me mates. Or at all. Have some respect.” His grin waned to a faint smile. “Fuckface.”

“Don’t test me. I’ve got nothing to lose but you do. I’ll ruin everything for you.”

“Is that right? Think you can manage that?”

“Give it a try. See what happens. Test my resolve.”

“Ha.” Ivan laughed again, this time without humor. He held up his hands in mock surrender and turned to Adam and Jonah. “I’ll be back. I guess.”

“What’s going on?” asked Adam.

“Business related. Don’t worry about it.”

“Business,” Adam repeated. “Sure.”

His attention followed the boys to the front door. The laser chimes zipped again before they reached the exit and they paused when Kalum and Talitha entered, laughing with each other. The greetings were short before Spencer and Ivan continued outside, leaving the girls to make their way to the service counter. Gracie, who was mid-step back to her post, froze when she spotted Talitha. She spun around, returning to the rear of the shop, though Talitha didn’t seem to notice. Both she and Kalum were in good spirits when they approached Adam’s table with their treats.

“Hey guys,” said Talitha, cheeks glowing as she smiled. “Sorry we’re late. We stopped by Enzo’s and it was as pathetic as you might imagine.” Her speckled gaze fell on Adam. “Not much time before we have to get to the fundraiser. This’ll be more of a ‘hi and bye’ I guess.”

Adam nodded as Talitha and Kalum slid into their booth. He looked Talitha over quickly, scanning her bright red mane and freckled face, before studying the UGA alien projection as if it was the first time he’d seen it. “Hi,” he said. “And bye.”

She chuckled. “What? Hi and bye already?”

“I’m just being efficient.”

“That sure is…efficient.”

“Yep. So, now that greetings are out of the way—” He dumped the end of his cone into his mouth and chewed twice before swallowing it in a single gulp, bracing as he choked on the lump in his throat. “H-how are you ladies doing? Stellar, cosmic, big bang—all the good stuff, I hope.”

“Not big bang. Not yet.” Kalum wrinkled her nose in disgust as she leaned over to peer at Jonah’s bowl of ice treat. “Ugh. You’re doing that again. What mess did you make this time? You’re the worst thing on this planet or any other.”

“Hm.” Jonah tossed his curls out of his eyes and studied his mess. “Mir Melon, Muttnik Mix, Globular Nut Cluster…maybe. I think I remember an almond in here somewhere. Blue Moon Blast for sure.”

“Gross.”

“And what do you two have? Boring shit, like always.”

“Black Body Berry for me,” said Kalum, nibbling on the purple mound on her spoon before pointing it at Talitha. “She's got Van Allen Nilla. Like always. Never changes.”

“That’s what I thought,” replied Jonah. “Boring.”

“Nothing wrong with vanilla.” Adam wiped his hands clean with a disposable wipe and tossed it down the table’s trash chute. “That’s what I got. I had a fruit cone though so that…changes things a little.”

Talitha nodded at Kalum in satisfaction. “Vanilla’s good enough for the senator so it’s good enough for me. Boring isn’t bad. I prefer boring over terrible.” She nudged her chin in Adam’s direction. “I like spice cones better. But this is a smoothie.”

“Spice cones. Okay.” Adam met her eye again. “The merchants down by the sea port sell spice cones. Smoothies too. They run projector shows down there that you can watch and…what do you think of those?”

“I like them. We went to a couple, me and Kala. The colorful ones are pretty nova.” She glanced at Kalum. “You thought they were nice too, right?”

“Aye.” Kalum nodded. “Nice.”

“Nice,” Adam agreed. “Yeah. They’re all right. Something to do with…someone sometime.”

Talitha settled back in her seat and swept a strand of hair off of her face, sipping from a bright green cup with animated yellow eyes. Lights mimicking twinkling stars sparkled as the fluid ran up the straw. Her attention fell back on Adam once she noticed he was still looking at her. He turned his head, absently wiping his hands on another cloth.

Focus, he chided himself.

Dipshit.

“You’ve got something on you.” Jonah eased away from Kalum with a scowl. “What’s that crap? Don’t get it on me—it’s moving. Like bugs or something. For…fuck’s sake.”

Kalum inspected herself and chuckled. “It’s holographic shimmer dust. Don’t tell me you’re really scared.”

“Not scared,” Jonah grumbled back. “Just don’t want that awful shit on me. Stay away.”

“Stay away?”

“Yeah. Don’t fucking touch me.”

“Oh. Okay. No problem, Jonah.”

Kalum leaned over and patted Jonah on the arm with her hand full of dust, making him curse as he heaved his body away from her in a dramatic way. Talitha laughed and joined in, leaning over the table to try and swipe at Jonah as well, though her smile faded once her attention turned aside. She plopped back down in her seat, abruptly covering her face.

“Oh no,” she groaned. “Gracie’s here. Of course.”

“It’s fine,” said Kalum.

“She’s looking right at me. Shit!”

“Let her look.” Kalum snatched a wipe to clean herself off. “She won’t do anything here.”

“Won’t do anything?” Adam lifted his head to look at the service counter, spotting Gracie’s wild curls in the distance. “What does that mean? What would she do?”

“Gracie—” started Kalum.

“Shut up, Kalum!” hissed Talitha.

“What?”

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“Stop fucking talking!”

“Li—”

“Stop!”

“What’s going on?” asked Adam, interjecting.

“Nothing.” Talitha sipped from her straw again. “Don’t listen to her.”

“Not really an answer, Li.”

“You wouldn’t need one if Kalum could shut her big fat fucking mouth about business that isn’t hers.”

“You’re the one ready to run from Grace. Again. Don’t think I didn’t notice that. Stop playing dumb.” Adam leaned closer. “Something’s going on between you two and it’s not good. Probably related to what she did in Kalum’s quarter. Just spit it out. I hate the mysterious act, I’ve got no patience for it.”

The girls looked at each other. Talitha mouthed silent words and Kalum folded her arms over her chest. “No. Fuck that. Fuck him. He needs to stay away and you have to keep making that clear. Don’t let him back into your life. Not now. I won’t let you.” She turned back to Adam and spoke fast. “You know the blowup over my quarter? The paint?”

“Yeah. Grace's dogshit. She’s suspended. As she should be.”

“Yeah, well, she didn’t take too kindly to Li ratting her out. Or for getting in her face in front of the dean. So…she’s causing trouble. Again. This time with Li.”

Adam glanced at Talitha. “She vandalized your stuff too?”

“No,” replied Talitha glumly.

“What the hell is going on?”

“Gracie threatened to beat her up,” said Kalum. “Her little brat army’s in on it too. Li thinks it’ll blow over if she keeps running but I don’t think Gracie will quit.”

“Nah. Don’t worry about her.” Jonah slurped the last of his treat from his bowl. “She’s bluffing. Doing it to scare all of you and it’s working.”

“Maybe she’s bluffing. But what if she’s not?” Kalum glanced at Talitha. “Li can’t get involved in a fight. She’d get shipped back to Asylum for violence without a second thought. The board won’t care who started it and nothing will happen to Gracie.”

“Spencer said—” Talitha started.

Kalum cut her off. “Fuck Spencer! Enough! I’m sick of him!”

“Then I guess I’ll stay home for Harvest Eve.”

Adam drummed his fingers against the table, his mind racing. “Spencer's involved already?” he asked. “That’s not good. He’s a…criminal and not with you anymore. Maybe a different kind of intervention's better.”

“No intervention can help,” Talitha replied. “She won’t stop.”

“She will if I’m the one that tells her to quit the crap. If you really want to go to the show without issue I'll bury the problem before we even go.”

“We?” Talitha lit with surprise. “You’re going? Pender, it’s not your scene at all. I’m…impressed.”

“Impressed?” he repeated.

“Aye. Sort of. Guess you can’t get rid of all of your bad side no matter what you say.”

“My bad side. Ah…yeah. I can be bad, sometimes. But in a good way. Promise.” Adam shrugged, clearing his throat. “If this is the last time Blood Fang will be able to play inside of Union Borders it’ll be a special night. Plus—my father’s legacy is tied to Westmont. I should be part of what’s going on there.”

“That’s the spirit, mate,” said Jonah. “Time to be a legend.”

“Right. I’ve got an idea. Hold on.”

Adam flashed them a grin and waited until Gracie couldn’t help but look in his direction. He met her gaze and raised a hand, waving her over to their table.

“Don’t,” breathed Talitha, sinking low in her seat.

“This is stupid, Adam,” said Kalum.

“No,” he replied. “It’s not. I’ve got a plan so have some faith. I know exactly what I’m doing.”

Gracie froze at the acknowledgment. He waved her over again until she realized he was being serious and anticipation lit her face. She obliged, walking over at a swift pace, though her approach slowed once she was a meter away. Her blue painted mouth turned down at the corners with displeasure.

Talitha’s gaze rolled up to look at Gracie, who twisted a curl between her fingers and ignored Talitha in return. She walked closer, speaking only to Adam.

“What do you want?” she said.

“Hi Grace,” he replied. “How are you?”

“Fine.”

He gestured at the others at the table. “You know my friends. Ivan and Spencer are outside, Jonah’s over here, Kalum’s sitting across from me. Next to her is…Talitha.”

“Yeah. So?”

“Just making sure you know who my friends are. Don’t want to be rude.”

“Huh?”

“How’s work? You give up a lot of free time to be here, doing a job like this.”

Gracie shrugged. “Sure. It’s for all the trouble I get into. Ma and Pa get my record clear so I have to do this in return. They say it’ll build character or whatever. I use the money to buy shoes and flower water from Altirian Elite and save the rest.” She twirled the curl around her finger. “If I make it to the end of the school year doing this Pa will buy me a BlueBird. That’s what I really have my eye on.”

“BlueBird, huh? Great pick. Lots of power. Speed. My brother had one of those cruisers in at the landing pad last time he was here and they’ve got to be loads better since then.”

“Aye. They are. Sleeker. Faster. New mods.” She shifted from one leg to the other, twirling her hair faster. “You can pilot with the top down in the XT-1.”

“Good,” said Adam. “I can see you in one of those with your…top down. Nice look. I wouldn’t mind one myself—or a BlackBolt.”

“I bet. And I like BlackBolts too.”

“Ace.”

“Yeah. Ace.”

“So…still ‘Peace Party Strong’? Wanna shoot a gun?”

“Yeah.” Gracie nodded. “Peace. And I already shot one.”

“Of course.” Adam smiled. “The commissioner’s gun.”

“I have my own.”

“Shocking.”

Her face fogged with slight confusion and he could tell she was wondering where their conversation was going. He made a point to look at no one except her.

“So. About Harvest Eve. That party in Westmont.”

She paused. “What about it?”

“You’re going, right? That’s why you asked me before what I was doing for the holiday.”

Gracie sparked but regained her composure fast. “Yeah. I’ll check it out. Friends, a little Dot. Dancing. Nothing major.”

“Want to go with me?”

All attention swerved to Adam. Gracie brightened then turned apprehensive.

“You never asked me anywhere before,” she said. “We’ve spent…time together but you never want to talk or anything. Just argue with me in class.”

“I just don’t understand you,” replied Adam. “I’d like to try. Let me take you to the show.”

“Well…”

“You won’t regret it. Promise.”

He let her knock down inner obstacles that warned her to stay away from guys like him, because she knew he should stay away from her too, save for the one thing they shared in common. Her gaze traveled over his face, his mouth, and briefly over his body before returning to his eyes, retracing memories of their past. She gave her hair a final tug and agreed.

“All right. I’ll go with you.”

“Perfect.” He smiled wider. “I’ll grab my bike, come pick you up. Take you to the station. We’ll ride the tube to East Central together. I’ll take you back too. What’s better, your dorm or the family estate?”

“I’ll get ready at school. Shorter trip.”

“All right. I remember your details, if they haven’t changed.”

“They haven’t.”

He smiled. She tossed her head.

“Okay, I’ve got to get back,” she said. “I’ll see you around, Pender.”

“See you around.”

Gracie skipped back to the service counter. Kalum shook her head, incredulous.

“You’re taking her out?”

“Just a distraction.” Adam removed a disposable cup from the dispenser on the table and poured himself a serving of clear water. “Doesn’t mean anything. One date and we can all have a good time at the party. I’ll end it with her after that.”

Talitha’s attention stayed on Gracie. “You don’t have to do this, Adam. It’s too much.”

“Not really.” He shrugged at her. “I’ve got history with her and I don’t mean just…personally. We were all in Elementary together and have a weird closeness. She won’t mess with you if she’s with me. Spencer can stay out of it so you can move on with your life. Feel better and turn a new page. Things will get better if you want them to, and really soon.”

“Yeah. I guess I should stay positive.” Talitha's gaze streaked toward Adam to meet his eye. “Thank you. What you did is…more than I expected. More than I can repay. It’s too much for a mate to do. I don’t know why you went so far to help me.”

“It’s not a problem, Li. Really. Don’t think of it. I’m happy to do this, as long it’s not that other stupid shit you keep talking about. I like making sure you’re all right. If you appreciate it, all the better.”

“Cosmic, Adam. I mean it.” She reached across the table, grasping his hand briefly. A slip of a smile flashed on her face. “Thank you. Thanks so much. Maybe…it’ll work. And I’ll figure out how to pay you back.”

He smiled too, his gaze passing quickly over her another time. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “We owe each other so much it’s hard to keep track. I’m sure we’ll figure something out. And this will work. Trust me.”

The zipping laser sound of the front door chimed as Ivan reentered alone, without Spencer. Ivan slid into the seat beside Talitha and poured himself a serving of water as well, remaining silent. They resumed idle chatter about everything except Spencer until it was time to leave.

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