Suspending Reality by Chrissy Peebles Read Free Book Online Page A

lunch, Walter called me over. He delivered supplies from the surface and did lots of repair jobs for our city. He lived on the surface already and only submerged about once a month, and whenever he did, he made it a point to chitchat with me. Walter was a nice, sweet guy, and both Rachel and I could clearly see that he had a crush on me. His cheeks always turned red when he talked to me, and he stuttered and wrung his hands. I thought of him as nothing more than a friend, but it was cute and a bit flattering that he liked me that way. He was big and buff, like a wrestler, and he had black, curly hair and dark eyes. “Hi, Sky,” he said.
    “Hello, Walter,” I answered. “You’re still here, huh?”
    “Yeah. Took all day to fix that stupid thing.” He handed me a wrapped present in blue, floral wrapping paper. “Here. This is for you.”
    I smiled at the sweet gesture, but I felt awkward accepting a gift from him; I didn’t want to lead him on.
    “Happy birthday,” he said. “I hope you like it.”
    I smiled and slowly unwrapped the present. My jaw dropped at the pair of small diamond stud earrings. “Wow, Walter,” I said, glancing up at him. “This is very sweet of you, but—”
    “I was hoping to make…a glittering statement,” he said. “Do you like it?”
    “It’s very beautiful, but I…” I trailed off and looked down at the jewelry. It was too much. I hardly knew the guy, and Brett would have a fit if he found out that another man was giving me presents like that. Walter knew I was dating Brett, but he didn’t seem to take that too seriously. Awkward . Just a little while ago, I’d given Rachel a firm warning about not accepting apples from Melvin, and now Walter was giving me diamonds. I didn’t want him to have any expectations when I arrived on the surface; even if I would be a legal adult by then, I didn’t want to date him and certainly had no intention of marrying him. He had previously mentioned finding his special woman and settling down, and I sure hoped he wasn’t talking about me.
    I smiled and tried to be polite. “Thank you, Walter. Really. It’s just lovely, but I’m afraid…well, I can’t accept it.”
    He frowned. “It’s just a token of my friendship. Nothing more. I won them in a raffle held by Dante. What am I going to do with them? They don’t look good on me.”
    I chuckled.
    “It sure is pretty, Walter, but like I said, I just can’t accept it.”
    “Shoot. I knew it was too much. I shoulda stuck with something simpler.”
    “Save these diamond studs for that special somebody.”
    “I know the perfect girl. She smiles at me a lot. I’ll be sure to save it for her,” he said, trying not to sound too embarrassed, but his cheeks had turned even darker red, and his eyes looked sad—like a punished puppy’s.
    “She won’t be disappointed.”
    “But now I don’t have anything to give you for your birthday.”
    “I know the perfect present.”
    “Yeah? What?”
    “Info,” I said, smiling slyly. I figured if Walter liked me enough to buy me an expensive and rare gift like that (it wasn’t like there were still jewelry stores on every corner in the new upper world), maybe he’d be willing to flap his lips, even if he wasn’t supposed to.
    “Info?”
    “Yeah. Tell me what it’s like up there, Walter.”
    “What do you want to know?”
    “Is the sky really blue?” I asked, wondering if he’d lie to me like all the other talking heads on Dante’s payroll.
    “It is. In fact, it’s the prettiest shade of blue I’ve ever seen. Today, it’s especially gorgeous, with white, fluffy clouds floating by. You couldn’t ask for a prettier day on your birthday.”
    Whew ! I thought, glad he was telling me the truth. I knew, because I’d seen it for myself. “It sounds lovely. What’s the city like?”
    “Dante made sure to build Viti in the best part of Miami, the least-damaged area. We’re all working together to build a strong, beautiful