Freak by Francine Pascal

Gaia.
    The Usual Angst
    GAIA LOOKED DOWN AT THE BEEFY, outstretched hand of the human boulder sitting by the door at CB’s Gallery and frowned. He grunted at her.
    â€œWhat?” she asked.
    â€œYou gonna pay the cover?” the guy asked, his voice a low rumble. “Ten bucks.”
    â€œOh!” Gaia said, her face heating up instantly. She fumbled in her bag, feeling completely unsophisticated and stupid—a sensation only exacerbated when two Spider-Man lollipops fell out onto the floor. She’d never actually been inside one of these places before. How was she supposed to know what it meant when some freaky tattoo-covered bouncer grunted in her direction?
    â€œI got it,” Jake said as Gaia crouched to retrieve her candy. He’d slapped a twenty into the guy’s palm before Gaia had located her wallet.
    Damn, she thought as he tugged at her arm and dove into the thick crowd. He paid again. She was really going to have to get a handle on this stuff. Gaia’s brain was brimming with street smarts, but certain way-of-the-world logic completely mystified her.
    Jake made his way toward the bar and Gaia followed. Suddenly, he stopped, blocked by a tight crowd of people, and Gaia took the opportunity to get a look around. The back part of the club, by the door, was an open area with couches and tables pushed up against the walls. The room was painted white, and there was actual artwork hanging on the walls. All the little tables had votive candles flickering inside white cups.
    Gaia was just noticing this when she saw a booted foot flying toward one of the candles and she instinctively went to shout a warning. But before she could get the words out, she looked up and saw that the bootbelonged to that Kai girl she’d seen Ed hanging around with. And the reason it was flying toward the candle was because she was crawling all over Ed himself on a love seat near the wall.
    You have to be kidding me, Gaia thought, instantly turning her face away. He hadn’t seen her yet and maybe he wouldn’t recognize the back of her head, what with all the uncharacteristic waves in her hair. Of all the bars and clubs in this town, why did he have to be here?
    Suddenly, her unusual night of fun was infused with a bit more of her usual angst.
    Jake finally broke through and made it to the bar and Gaia stepped up next to him, putting more bodies between herself and her ex. There was a red Dust Magnets flyer plastered to a support beam and suddenly Gaia remembered where she’d seen it before.
    â€œThese things were all over school yesterday,” she said as Jake tried to get the bartender’s attention.
    â€œYeah, like I said, they’re everywhere. I think a lot of people are coming,” Jake said.
    You said they were everywhere in Brooklyn, Gaia thought, irritated by the triangular situation she suddenly found herself in. All she wanted to do was get the heck out of there.
    Then, as the people down at the other end of the bar got their drinks and moved away, Gaia saw something that really made her want to get the heck out ofthere. Sam Moon was sitting a few yards away, staring off into space.
    â€œOh, come on,” Gaia said out loud, her heart turning.
    â€œI know. This guy’s not giving me the time of day,” Jake replied, motioning at the frazzled bartender. “What do you want, anyway?” he asked Gaia.
    â€œNothing,” Gaia said, her pulse racing. Sam was going to turn around any second and see her here with Jake. Or Ed was going to come over to get a drink. And she really wasn’t sure she could handle either of those scenarios.
    What had made her think that she could get away with one normal, fun night? Didn’t she know the fates were working against her here? This couldn’t be a coincidence. It was too coincidental. Someone was definitely pulling the strings up there and he or she had a sadistic sense of humor.
    â€œHey, Jake? Do you think we