In the six seconds it took Claire to cross the driveway, tiny beads of sweat had already sprung up on her forehead. She practically leapt into the cool interior of the car.
Matthew grinned and turned the air-conditioning up even farther. “It’s ridiculous out there, huh?”
“Oh my God, it’s insane.” Claire leaned forward into the stream of cool air and sighed. “So, hi.”
“Hi, yourself.” Matthew’s smile widened. “You hungry?”
“Always.” Claire leaned back in the seat, twisting around to look at her house. She didn’t see Lisbeth hovering behind any of the windows. So far so good.
“Yeah, I know that feeling.” Matthew turned out of the drive. “Is Louie’s okay?”
“Sure.” Her hunger faded at the mention of Louie’s. The diner was always full of people from school. Pretending that she was normal in front of Matthew wasn’t so hard, but the idea of being surrounded by people she knew, of having to hide what she was in the wide-open like that—it made her want to sink down into the car seat and disappear.
But I was already changing at my birthday party, and no one noticed anything. ’Course, it’s a lot easier to keep a secret if you don’t know what it is.
To hide her nerves, Claire flipped through the stack of CDs that Matthew had stuffed below the car stereo. She held up a disc. “You mind?”
Matthew glanced at it. “Are you kidding? That’s pretty much my favorite band right now.”
Claire smiled at him and put in the disc. When she sat back, Matthew reached over and slid his hand into hers like it was the most natural thing in the world. The tingly feeling that zipped through her made Claire catch her breath.
The third song had just started when they pulled into the parking lot. Claire took a deep breath.
“You okay?” Matthew stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.
“Just don’t want to get out of the air-conditioning,” she lied.
“I can help with that.” Matthew pulled up to the front door. “Go on inside. I’ll just go park and I’ll be right there.”
“Oh, uh, thanks.” Claire climbed out—he’d stopped so close to the diner’s glass entrance that she had to be careful not to bang it with the car door.
She stepped into Louie’s and shivered. It wasn’t the rush of cold air—it was because nearly every person in the restaurant turned to look at her. Everyone always looked when someone walked in to Louie’s, watching for people they knew, but the scrutiny sent panic clanging through Claire’s chest. The crowd at the rally hadn’t bothered her—after all, no one there had known who she was. Standing in front of a roomful of people who were rating her social status while she watched was totally different.
A couple of people waved and she forced herself to smile.
Matthew walked in behind her. Relief washed through her when he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and steered her toward a booth. Several people looked surprised to see the two of them together, which just increased Claire’s desire to slide underneath a table.
She’d never been wildly popular. Being the center of so much attention would have made her uncomfortable last year, too. But at least then I thought I was the same species as everyone else. She scowled at the menu.
The waitress appeared and tapped her pencil against her order pad. “You all ready?”
Once they’d ordered and were alone again, Matthew leaned back against the cushioned banquette and draped his arms across the top. He looked comfortable, familiar. He looked like he belonged.
Across the diner, a tableful of girls that Claire recognized from the show choir stared at her and Matthew. They looked horrified. With her pulse thudding in her fingertips, Claire reached up and touched the rims of her ears, checking for fur. Her skin was smooth.
Oh my God. They’re not looking at me because they know what I am. They’re acting like that because Matthew’s here with me.
Claire picked at her cuticles under the table and glanced around the diner. The show choirettes weren’t the only ones staring. Near the back of the room, Claire spotted Yolanda Adams. Claire hadn’t seen her since her birthday. Yolanda raised a hand and waved at Claire, grinning. Claire smiled back, feeling relieved and pathetic all at once.
“So, uh, how’s soccer going?” It was the only question Claire could think of. Lame, lame, lame! She fiddled with the paper from her straw, tearing it into tiny shreds.
Matthew shrugged. “It’s not, really. Coach cancelled our two-a-days. I guess the school board thinks we’re going to get heatstroke or something. I’m pretty worried about it, actually. If we don’t get some serious practice time in soon, we’re going to suck when the season starts.”
Claire winced. “Sorry, but I, um—when does the season start again, exactly?”