the graceless

[instar]

Bella sits out, this year as every year, from gym class. It's just asking for a lawsuit. She does stretches and crunches and push-ups in the corner.

Comments

[instar]

"Yeah."

[pandion]

"Maybe it's a cult. But all their press says they're secular and nondenominational 'except insofar as indviduals among us feel moved to act for the common good by their faith'."

[instar]

"I don't think they're a religious cult. Is there even such a thing as a secular cult?"

[aeskhyne]

"Maybe they're secretly a cult," says Trouble. "You join up and it's all corn on the cob and community shit and then once you're in deep they're like 'by the way, have some kool-aid'."

[instar]

"They have a disturbingly high retention rate."

[aeskhyne]

"So they're a nice secret cult. Or a really, really nasty one."

[instar]

"Anyway," says Bella, shaking her head, "I'm just hoping Charlie doesn't make an enormous fuss about it when we're actually at his house this summer. It's one thing when I can theoretically just hang up on him."

[pandion]

"Worst case scenario, we go eat some corn," shrugs Andi. "It's boring, but we just turn down all the neon-color liquids, yeah?"

[instar]

Bella shakes her head. "I don't want to. It's not a bowl of salad, and I don't want to, and that used to matter more than it currently seems to to Charlie."

[aeskhyne]

"Is there some kind of special exception for bowls of salad?" wonders Trouble.

[instar]

"Renée is sincerely motivated by concern for our health when she makes us eat salad," says Bella. "Also, it is not a suspicious, new behavior that she developed after converting to Scientology or something."

[pandion]

"Also, everyone's parents make them eat vegetables," says Andi.

[aeskhyne]

"Not so much," he says to Andi.

[pandion]

"What, do you just eat whatever you want at home?"

[aeskhyne]

"Actually, I was thinking of Ethan."

[pandion]

"He eats whatever he wants?"

[aeskhyne]

"Eats whatever he wants, does whatever he wants. His parents couldn't give a shit."

[pandion]

"That sounds conveniently depressing. Depressingly convenient? Convenient and also depressing?"

[aeskhyne]

"Could be worse."

[pandion]

"I guess, it could be depressing and inconvenient."

[aeskhyne]

He laughs. "Yeah, that."

[instar]

"You're over at his place a lot?"

[aeskhyne]

"Yep," says Trouble.

[pandion]

"Bella thinks you're either sleeping with him or implying to people that you are for some reason," Andi says.

[aeskhyne]

"I sure implied it to her," says Trouble. "Not to most people, but if you're after him I figure you should know."