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So, friend, tell me. How do you know so much about astrology? I feel like this is some secret side of you I hadn’t expected. Could you show me my sign in the sky if I asked? I’ve never been able to make out any of them, except for maybe the Big Dipper, but always thought that was cool.
I could absolutely show you. Stars are kinda my thing,I wrote. I hesitated with my pencil on the paper, unsure of whether I should open up more, tell her how I truly came to be so interested in the galaxy and all her stars. Or maybe I should ask her to go star gazing sometime? But my nerves rioted in my chest, and I sent the note flying onto her desk before I could.
When she returned it back to me a minute later, it read:So is it a deal breaker if your sign doesn’t align with a girl you like?
The question was irrelevant seeing as she already told me her sign and we were a perfect match, but I assumed she was thinking of her sister. Though my love for astrology was strong enough to ask Mia’s sign out of curiosity’s sake, the last thing I wanted was to look like I cared and send Ella the wrong message. So instead, I decided to meet her with a question of my own.
Not necessarily, but speaking of love interests, what are you looking for? I can’t quite figure it out.
A truer statement if there ever was one. By now, any other girl would already have been claimed by Luca, but not Ella. Which made me all the more curious as to why. What was she waiting for? Was I crazy to think I might have a chance?
I tried not to stare at her out of the corner of my eye as she bit her lip, mulling over her answer as she placed pen to paper. It took her longer than usual to respond, but once I had the note back in my hands, I opened it and exhaled.
Maybe I’m just looking for my Prince Charming. I want a movie-worthy romance, complete with a swoon-worthy hero to sweep me off my feet.
I was far from Prince Charming, but for some reason, this gave me hope.
Is that all?I wrote.
A moment later a fresh note landed on my desk, and I opened it.
At the end of the day, isn’t that what every girl wants? Not a literal prince, but to feel so desired and wanted, someone goes above and beyond for her? Someone who would move mountains?
Once again, I thought of Luca and his little display at the baseball game and I deflated, because he was already two steps ahead. Then I thought of my mom and how she met Bat Man. They’d been in the same line at the home improvement store, and when he saw her struggling to get her purchases into the back of her SUV, he’d offered to help. Afterward, he asked for her number, and several days later, the biggest bouquet of flowers I’d ever seen showed up on our doorstep.
Maybe it wasn’t quite movie-worthy or Prince Charming level heroic, but for a single mom who hadn’t dated in a long time, those two kind gestures had easily won her over.
So that was the key to Ella’s heart. Charm her like a prince and move mountains.
No big deal.
Chapter 10
ELLA
Ienteredthecafeteriawith Luca by my side. I’d promised to have lunch with him, but the moment we walked inside, my gaze immediately found Barry. He sat at his normal spot at the end of a table, alone, his head in a book as he ate, and I fought the urge to go to him. After detention yesterday, I couldn’t get my mind off our conversation. For some reason, talking to him through those silly notes made me see him in a different light, and later that night, I’d found myself stepping out onto our back porch into the balmy evening and lifting my face to the stars.
I’d searched endlessly for Pisces. By his admittance, it was his sign, and I’d desperately wanted to find it. My eyes ached as I stared into the glittery night sky, but despite my efforts, the Big Dipper was the only thing I could distinguish from the rest, followed by the fainter Little Dipper, with Polaris marking its handle. After that, I was lost, and I found myself wishing he were there beside me, pointing out the stars. Would he be able to find them all? What could he tell me about them?
I’d gone to bed, nearly drunk with the desire to know more about him, though I told myself it was only the stars I cared to learn more about. So when Luca guided me toward the lounge and we neared his table, I smiled as he raised his head and caught my eye. Tugging on Luca’s arm, I steered him closer to Barry at the same time someone cut me off and stepped in front of us, obscuring him from view.
“What are you staring at, Casper?” Mikey asked.
When he said nothing, JT snickered. “What, are you mute now?” His hand shot out and grabbed the sandwich from Barry’s tray. He crammed half of it in his mouth before I could even fully process what was happening.
My mouth opened in outrage as JT grimaced, then spit a massive bullous of chewed food back onto his tray. “I hate tomatoes,” he said, by way of explanation, then he chucked the remaining sandwich to the floor. Swiping at Barry’s water bottle next, he knocked it over, spilling the contents all over the table, including Barry’s lap and the floor.
On instinct, Barry shot to his feet, hands fluttering to snatch the bottle up before it drenched him even further.
“Oops. You really should keep the lid on it, you know,” JT mocked while Mikey laughed.
Beside me, Luca remained silent. But that didn’t stop me from glancing up at him with enough fury burning in my eyes to light the school on fire. “Aren’t you going to do anything?”
Luca glanced helplessly from me to Barry and JT and back, then shrugged.
Outraged, I stomped the remaining feet between JT and myself. Anger burned in my cheeks. I clenched my hands so hard, my nails dug into my palm. “What exactly is your problem?”
JT’s head whipped to me, his smile faltering for only a moment as Barry muttered, “It’s okay.”
