A few minutes later, I sit across from Josh in a tiny metallic booth surrounded by neon-blue antigraffiti-lacquered tiles, so close our knees are almost touching. The smell of lavender, piped in through the vents, wafts around us like a cloud of incense. I run my fingers over the velvety-soft textile seats and stare at the red thermal cup. On Josh’s advice, I ordered the standard freeze, a vanilla-flavored substance that is supposed to contain twelve grams of protein and a whopping six hundred calories. But it looks a little . . . gray. I hope that the color is due to the dim lighting in this place.
I glance at Josh, who gives me an encouraging nod, and take a sip. It’s cold and creamy, and the taste is quite delicious, like it came from a real vanilla bean. But the consistency is a little too thick, like a big glob of Greek yogurt, so I have a hard time getting the first gulp down my throat.
Josh grins. “That bad, huh?”
I give him the okay sign with my right hand, and finally the MealFreeze makes it beyond my tonsils.
He picks up his drink and takes a long sip, then wipes his mouth with his napkin. “I guess this stuff is an acquired taste.”
“No, it’s really good,” I insist. “After you finally swallow.”
Josh laughs. It’s deep and hearty and contagious, and soon I’m giggling right along with him. Once our laughter dies, I smile and look down at the half dozen colored badges neatly pinned on the breast of his academy jacket, which is still wrapped tightly around me.
“So what did you have to do for the black one?” I ask.
“That’s for combat skills.”
“Really?”
“Everyone at the academy has to apply for that badge. No exceptions, no excuses.” His eyes suddenly cloud over, like he’s remembering something he’d rather not. It’s a look I’m sure I’ve perfected by now.
“Wow, it’s hard to imagine being required to physically fight someone at school.”
Josh doesn’t say anything. He just mindlessly runs one of his hands over the top of his head, like he’s expecting to find some hair there.
“What about the others?” I motion toward the orange and blue badges below the black one.
“Orange is for survival skills.”
“What did they do for that? Drop you on a desert island or something?”
“No,” he says with a chuckle. “It was a written exam. There aren’t many remote spots in the world left for them to take us, I guess.”
“I know,” I say, my voice faltering a bit at the thought of how much my dad did to find a way back to the wilderness.
Josh leans over the table and points to the left side of his jacket. “The light green one. That’s my favorite.”
“Which skill is it for?”
“Computer science,” he says proudly. “I officially reached master level.”
“Sounds like Patrick has some competition, then,” I say, raising my eyebrows.
Josh bows his head for a second, biting his lip, and I realize how suggestive that may have sounded. He glances back up at me and there’s a beat of silence as we look at each other. I want to say something else, but I’m not sure what. Thankfully, he speaks up and saves me from gawking at him.
“So how did you meet Patrick?” he asks.
I twist a strand of hair around my finger until it turns a dark shade of pink. This question could lead us into touchy territory, but I don’t want seem evasive.
“Our parents worked together at Orexis for years, so we’ve known each other since we were kids.”
“Right. He used to talk about your dad a lot when we were at camp. David, was it?”
“Yeah, they were pretty close.”
“I had no idea he had anything to do with Elusion. I thought it was Patrick’s invention.”
I glance away and look across the aisle at the twentysomething couple sitting a few feet from us. They’re nestled on the same side of the booth, their hands touching as their heads slump backward, eyes closed, Equips on. There’s a moment where I wish we could trade places with them, so we wouldn’t have to talk about uncomfortable things, so we could be free from all our feelings, good or bad, and just . . . be.
When I shift my eyes back to Josh, he’s staring at his drink, a shadow of remorse passing over his face. “I was eavesdropping. When you and Patrick were talking at his house. I’m sorry.”
“I suppose there is a badge for that?” I joke.
He tries not to laugh, but he can’t contain himself. “No, I don’t think so.”
“What a shame.” I smirk a little.
“I just want you to know that”—he hesitates—“I think it was nice of you to come tonight, considering your dad and everything.”
I instinctively reach for the ring on my finger, a white gold heirloom given to my mother by her grandmother, a golden topaz surrounded by tiny diamonds. I’m not used to wearing jewelry, and it feels kind of heavy, so I tug it off and slip it on my other hand, as if that might help.
“I couldn’t miss Cathryn’s birthday,” I reply.
“It was her birthday?” Josh squints with confusion. “I thought we were celebrating Elusion’s world domination.”
“World domination?” I push aside my cup and lean forward a bit. “That sounds like one of Avery Leavenworth’s lines.”
“Avery,” he says plainly.
At first I roll my eyes, wondering how he couldn’t know Avery and her loud, obnoxious mouth, but then I realize that he might not have much access to the media inside the academy.
“She’s this girl at my school who’s famous for her ridiculous, indignant, so-called activist vlog.” I shake my head and say, “She’s obsessed with discrediting Orexis and saying Elusion is addictive. She even attacked Patrick personally at his press conference yesterday.”
Josh straightens in his chair. “Why?”
“Maybe she is just trying to get more followers or viewers; maybe she just wants more exposure and to promote her agenda. Honestly, I don’t really care. I just want her to leave Patrick and Elusion alone.”
The muscles in his jaws seem to tighten. Did I say something wrong?
“Look around. We’re the only people who aren’t zoned out in Elusion. Don’t you think she might have a point?”
I do a quick scan of the room and notice he’s right. It’s not like the “restaurant” is packed, but out of the handful of Meal-Freeze customers here, Josh and I are the only two who are awake. Still, that doesn’t mean that Avery has a leg to stand on.
“Okay, if what she said was true, why am I not addicted? Why isn’t Patrick? We’ve gone to Elusion more than anyone in the test market and we’re just fine. How do you explain that?”
Josh flicks his straw across the room and directly into the open recycling chute built into the wall. “I don’t know.”