Read Online Still Point by Katie Kacvinsky - Free Book Online Page B

sirens in the distance. I wanted him to stay more than anything else. He added texture to something flat, flavor and color to something dull, heat to something lukewarm, and movement to something fixed so that it all melted and blurred inside of me and around me.
    â€œBy the way, this was a very romantic gesture,” I told him. I closed my eyes and waited for him.
    His lips grazed mine, but it wasn’t a kiss. It was the teasing flitter of a kiss.
    â€œCome with me and I’ll promise to do a lot more,” he said, his voice low and raw. My heart tripped and clamored and I reached out for his shoulders, but he pulled away. He turned and walked down the street, leaving me with Baley and legs so wobbly I could hardly walk home.

Chapter Seven
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    I was done. I finished taking my last graduation exam to finish DS-4. A stadium of claps and whistles filled my room. Voices applauded me. A generic audience surrounded my walls, made up of friends and parents and teachers. They all waved and smiled and offered me digital high-fives. My pixelated image pumped her fists in the air.
    I sat at my bedroom desk and stared at the screen and waited for a feeling to take shape. Shouldn’t I be relieved? Excited? Proud? Instead, I was confused. What had I actually done? What memories had I made in this place, this school I had been a part of for more than ten years? Who were my friends? I could barely even remember one class from another. I’d never met one of my teachers. I’d never met a single student. I’d never gone to a real dance.
    All my social and professional profiles immediately switched to my new status. High School Graduate. A list of congrats flooded my screen. My yellow happiness meter shot straight up.
    Before I could second-guess myself, I was bombarded with advertisements.
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    Just out of curiosity, I clicked on the last advertisement.
    A sultry female voice oozed out of the speakers, cleansing the air.
    Take a virtual beach walk on our imagery sand belt. Exfoliate your feet with sand, pumice, and salt stones on our uniquely designed belt you simply attach to your walking machine. No people, no distractions, just peaceful radiance.
    I twisted a piece of pink hair around my finger and started to crack up. The voice continued to try to seduce me.
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    I watched an image of a woman lying peacefully on a beige mattress with the sea rolling in the background.
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    â€œWhat are you looking at?” My dad’s voice cut through the room and made me jump in my chair. I looked up to see him standing in the doorway.
    â€œSorry,” he said. “Didn’t mean to scare you.” He walked all the way in. “You looked a little frazzled,” he said.
    I glanced back at my wall screen. “I was stuck inside a virtual horror movie,” I said. “What is that?” I pointed to a piece of paper in his hands.
    â€œThis was just sent to