Inheritance

touch, Reese glanced at her phone to check the time. The show was almost over; there were only ten more minutes. Maybe, Reese thought hopefully, Sophia wasn’t going to get into her relationship with David after all. Another text message from Julian made her phone buzz.

I don’t buy that guy’s theory. Aliens wouldn’t fly all the way here todestroy us.

She texted back: You trust the Imria?

On television, David’s father was talking to Sophia Curtis about setting up an academic review board to test David’s and Reese’s abilities. Her phone vibrated again.

If they’re advanced enough to get here, why would they kill us?

David nudged her. What are you doing?

She showed him Julian’s text messages and saw a skeptical expression cross David’s face.

Why does he have such faith in the Imria? David thought.

He’s an optimist. Although he does think the government is shady.

They’re all shady.

Reese heard Chloe catch her breath, swallowing a giggle. Reese glanced at David’s sister and then at the television. She froze. The scene had changed to Mr. Chapman’s old classroom. She and David were looking at each other as Sophia Curtis said, “… would bring a lot of friends closer together. What about you two?”

The tension in Reese’s face that had made her look angry was gone. Now she looked shy, and her cheeks were tinged pink.

Sitting on David’s parents’ couch, Reese felt the air drain from her lungs. She could barely watch the screen as David reached for her hand and said, “We’re together now.” All she could think about was how the students at school on Monday morning would react. Her internal organs seemed to shrivel up in anticipation.

“Aw, you look cute,” her mom said from across the room.

Reese was mortified. She slouched down on the sofa, wishing she could hide somewhere. What had made her think it would be a good idea to watch this with her parents?

“You both look very sweet,” David’s mom said.

And David’s parents! Maybe she could skip the first day of school. Or the first month.

Thankfully, the show was ending, and Sophia Curtis was delivering a closing statement that Reese couldn’t hear because of the buzzing sound in her ears. All the blood must be rushing to her head in embarrassment. Her phone vibrated again. She looked down to find a short message from Julian.

LOL LOL

CHAPTER 16

Several television vans were parked outside Kennedy High School when Reese’s mom dropped her off Monday morning. The front steps were crowded with students hanging out before the first bell, and some of them were being interviewed by reporters. Photographers were waiting on the sidewalk as well, long-lensed cameras in hand.

“The reporters can’t follow you inside,” her mom said, reaching out to squeeze Reese’s knee. A flash of encouragement came from her touch, but the knowledge that the reporters weren’t allowed in didn’t make Reese feel better. She knew they’d simply be lurking outside.

“Your dad’s going to pick you up after school,” her mom said. “Wait for him inside, and he’ll call you when he gets here.”

“He doesn’t have to pick me up. I can walk home like usual.”

“Not today. We don’t know whether those protesters will be back, and I want you to be safe.”

“How long is Dad going to be here?” Reese had thought he would go back to Seattle after the Sophia Curtis interview. “In San Francisco, I mean.”

“We haven’t decided yet,” her mom said, pulling her hand away, but not before Reese glimpsed the reluctance within her.

Reese gave her mom a sharp glance. “Is something going on?”

The expression on her mom’s face was closed off. “Nothing you need to worry about, honey. You’d better get inside. I don’t want you to be late.”

Reese could tell her mom was being cagey, but it was clear she wasn’t going to talk about it now. Irritation flared inside her. She hated it when her mom treated her like a kid. “Fine,” she said, and opened the door.

“Reese—”

“I’ll see you tonight, Mom.” She stepped outside.

She had intended to put up her mental walls, but the last-minute conversation with her mom had distracted her. She wasn’t prepared for the force of interest that slammed into her as the reporters and students thronging the steps noticed her. Snatches of thought seemed to strike her like a rain of pebbles, and once it started, she couldn’t find the mental focus necessary to shield herself.

Here—she’s here—Reese—interview—Reese Holloway—

All she could do was put her head down and ignore as much as she could, keeping her gaze on the ground as she ran up the steps. When she pulled open the heavy metal door and went inside, the lobby was full of students and teachers, but she didn’t see David. They had talked the night before, and he said he’d meet her in the lobby first thing.

The door slammed shut behind her. Everyone seemed to turn toward her at once, and the volume of conversation dropped to a sudden hush. She took a deep breath, trying to calm the racing of her heart. Where was David?

Across the mosaic-tiled lobby, Reese recognized Madison squeezing her way through a clump of cheerleaders. Behind her were Bri and Robbie, and all the way in the back Reese spotted Julian’s curly-haired head bobbing above the others. On the other side of the space, a knot of senior guys was standing by the trophy case near the front office, and she thought she recognized a couple of them from Eric Chung’s party. But no David. She began to cross the lobby alone, deciding to go directly to her assigned locker. The students swirled around her as she walked, silent but curious. She felt the intensity of their interest in waves of heat on her skin.

She was halfway across the lobby when someone grabbed her arm. “Reese,” David said.

She jerked in surprise. His hand slid down to hers. Snap. The connection between them was sharp and bright, like a lifeline to a drowning person. “Hey,” she said. As she looked at him everyone else’s emotions rolled back. Breathing room.

David was wearing a gray-and-white-striped oxford shirt with the sleeves pushed up, his shirttail hanging out of his dark jeans. He had done his hair the same way the stylist did the day of the TV shoot. He smiled at her, and she felt a little woozy inside.

What’s the rush? he asked her.

I didn’t see you.

I’m here.

The night before she had lain awake for hours, anxiety making her sweat as she thought about the scrutiny she would face when she walked into Kennedy. Those who had been at Eric Chung’s party on Friday night knew about her and David already, but after the Sophia Curtis interview, the whole world knew. The whole world.

David had tried to reassure her over the phone, but he didn’t entirely get it. She wasn’t upset that her relationship with David was in the open. She was happy that she was with him, and she was happy that he wanted to be with her. It was the fact that people might now be thinking about her that made her feel sick. She had always thought celebrities who said things like “I’m a private person” were protesting too