Page 3 of Starry Skies, Stolen Kisses, and My Best Friend's Brother

We’re sitting in the gazebo in the middle of the property, surrounded by poster boards and glitter.The air is filled with the sharp scent of craft glue and markers, along with the sweet fragrance of flowers and freshly cut grass, and the inviting smell of breakfast wafts from the nearby kitchen, making my stomach growl.Girls chatter as they work on their projects, occasionally squealing or giggling.

A few guests have gathered around as well, coffee cups in hand.Some of them have joined in the making of posters, but most just chat with each other.

“Excuse me, but do you work here?”

Mark and I both spin around.A young couple stands a few feet away from us, phones in hand.

“Sure do,” Mark says.“How can we help you?”

“Is there any place I can get service?”The woman holds her phone in the air.

Mark rubs the back of his neck.“You do know where you are, right?”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Where are you from?”

“Missouri.We’ve been driving through the mountains and enjoying the beauty.We got in late last night.”

“I see.We’re in the radio-free zone.It’s 13,000 square miles of no cell service and no radio waves.And you’re right in the middle of it.Most people come here to get away from it.You’ll need to drive two hours to get service.”

The man looks horrified.“Why so far?”

“Because of Green Bank.It’s less than a mile from here as the crow flies.It’s a complex of massive satellite dishes that are searching for life out there.”Mark points up at the sky.He’s not exactly right.Most of the scientists at the Green Bank Observatory just use the dish to study outer space.People just assume it’s all about aliens, but it’s only the scientists in the SETI lab who are looking for alien life.“The government controls the radio waves so there is no interference.”

The woman chuckles nervously.“Is there any way to get service?”

“My dad’s a bit of a luddite, so we don’t have many places with wifi, but the office building has it.”Mark points across the lawn to the campground office.“It’s not open yet, but you can still connect on the porch.It’s open.No password needed.”

A few benches sit on the porch for that very reason, with guests already sitting on them.

The office building has wifi, and so does the girls’ bunkhouse, but that’s it.They ran one line of fiber onto the property, so only buildings on that line were able to tap into it.Mark’s parents’ house has internet as well, but his dad refuses to put in a router, so they have to hardwire in.Cellphones don’t work there.

The couple both look a little shell-shocked, but they trudge across the lawn anyway.

Mark shakes his head.“You’d think people would know what they’re getting into when they come here.”

“You know they never do.”I’ve seen this scene play out many times.

Mark glances at the posters.“What are you doing anyway?”

“Seth’s gonna be here in a few minutes.We plan to embarrass him,” Abi says.

Mark chuckles, but there’s no humor there, and he seems to be warring with something in his head.Finally, he speaks.“You might want to grab a few bras to throw at him.”

Abi jerks her head up.“That’s brilliant.Mae, go get a few of yours.”

My face colors, but the idea of Seth holding my bra both excites and embarrasses me.Embarrassment wins out.

“Why me?You get yours.”

“Because Seth’s my brother, and that would be weird.”

“He’s my second best friend.Still weird.”I once called Seth my best friend, and Abi didn’t talk to me for a week because she said she was my best friend.I’m not really sure who knows me better—her or Seth.He actually listens more than she does, so probably him.

“Just go get one.Mark, will you film it?I want to post it on Instagram and tag him.”It’s amazing how we’ve all adapted to the lack of cell service here.We still have our phones out all the time, mostly for pictures, videos, and games, and then in the evenings, we find places with wifi and get our social media fix.

“You two are the worst.But of course I’ll film it for you.I can’t believe Sethy’s coming home.”Mark runs a hand through his hair and scowls.I’ve never actually heard him use the name Sethy, but Seth has mentioned a couple of times how he hated that his younger brothers called him that.

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