Page 36 of Only Some Stars Fall

Suddenly, I am so homesick it almost knocks the wind out of me. I miss my dad, my brother.

Alex walks up the dock, it slightly sways as she goes. When she gets to the end, she stops and looks over her shoulder.

“Hey, Ev?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t forget, riding the waves can be really fun.” She blows me a kiss and jogs up to the house.

“You really thinka house party is a good idea?” I ask as I browse one of the many vintage clothing racks. Alex and I finally have a day off together and wouldn’t you know, it’s raining. We haven’t really come into town much since arriving, so we decided to treat ourselves to lunch and what minimal shopping opportunities there are.

Over the last week, I have called my dad almost every day. We don’t talk for long, he’s tired from working long hours, but just hearing his voice and hearing that he’s proud of me for taking on this adventure and experiencing new things has helped ease my homesickness. Today is the first day in a while I actually feel optimistic again about being here.

“Ev, live a little, okay? My dad is gone for the next two weeks, and before we know it, we are going to be headed back to college, mere pen pals again, plus it’s like summer 101 to throw a house party, especially when that house is on a lake.”

“First, you and I have never written each other an actual letter before in our lives. Hell, we have never even exchanged an email. Second, this all sounds like a drowning hazard, or at the least a really good way to ruin the brand-new relationship you have been building with your dad.”

Alex pretends to fall asleep, collapsing dramatically into the sea of weathered clothing.

“Can you live a little, please? Pretty please?” Her arms are outstretched to me as she begs. “Let me worry about my dad, and the logistics… and any possible drownings, okay?”

I let out a loud sigh. “Fine, but you’re signing a statement making it clear you acted alone if we get caught, got it?”

“Got it.” And with that, she squeals loudly before devouring me into a bear hug. “Now, let’s find you something to wear that will ensure Hux never takes his eyes off you.”

I roll my eyes. “Not this again! Hux and I aren’t anything. There is no Hux and me. We shared a few—very few—moments, but that’s it. No different than how he treats any other woman around here. Plus, I’m inviting Nick.”

“Uh, Hux most definitely does not act like that with me, just so we are clear.” Alex laughs as she pulls out a sky-blue mini-dress. “Good old standby Nick, huh… I haven’t heard you mention him much lately.”

“Well, he’s been on a fishing trip with his dad for a few days, but he’s back, and though I may have had a temporary bout of insanity, that’s over now. Nick and I have so much in common, the same dreams, the same goals, on top of the fact that we go to school in the same city.”

The dress Alex is holding is stunning. I can’t stop looking at its color and it has a bit of shimmer that dances in the light. I have to admit, contrasted with the golden color my skin has turned, this dress would be fire.

“And just because Hux lives up here in the woods, you don’t think he could also share a lot of the same goals as you?”

“I never said that.”

I snatch the dress out of her hand and quickly make my way to the dressing room. I know I shouldn’t be excited about this party, but I am feeling a little more alive about it. Some of it might be the fact that I haven’t seen Hux other than in passing at work since the day in the laundry room, but I am choosing to put my energy back into Nick and getting to know him better.

I am trying for my heart’s sake to remind myself that everything that’s happened with Hux most definitely doesn’t mean anything… but my heart is a lying, cheating, betraying ball of blood. It really is too bad I need it to survive.

As expected, the dress fits perfectly, hugging my body in all the right places. It makes my eyes pop and I feel confident for maybe the first time since arriving here.

“Okay, I’ll get the dress,” I say as I come out of the dressing room with it slung over my arm, “But this still doesn’t mean Icondone this party.” I look Alex directly in the eye, trying to look as authoritative as possible.

“Settle down, Mom. I promise it will be fun.”

If I had a dollar for every time I have heard Alex tell me to “calm down, it will be fun” I would be rich and would have spent a lot less time being grounded when I was a kid. Like the time we decided to set up our own home spa, complete with mud baths in the backyard. Mud that was then tracked all throughout my house on our way to shower. Or the time we popped a tire driving as fast as we could one night over some train tracks, because we thought the bump was thrilling. I have not had good luck with her and mischief.

However, there is something about my best friend that makes my heart feel full, and my brain feel free. She is without a doubt my soulmate, and whether I ever find my other half when it comes to romantic love, our friendship will continue to be my anchor.

The bathroom floorpulses under my feet as I try to apply my eyeliner. I’m starting to wonder just how hard Alex partied out in Los Angeles this last year. To be honest, back in high school she was so focused on drama club that she rarely showed up at parties. You wouldn’t know that now, from the playlist she has blaring, the two kegs she lugged under the pergola, and the people pouring into the house.

I’ve been watching the passing headlights illuminate the woods out our bathroom window for the last twenty minutes, and to see it, you’d think her dad’s house was Gillette Stadium before a Kenny Chesney concert.

Yesterday, I spent the day with Nick again, on his boat with some of his friends, the “richies” as Alex and Elle call them. Wespent the day tubing and cruising around the lake from one end to the other. Being with Nick is effortless, the conversation flows, there is no tension, no attitude, and it is nice to feel comfortable in my own skin around him.

I look at myself in the full-length mirror on the back of the bathroom door. The dress Alex picked out looks even better with the tan I got on the boat yesterday. My hair is swept to one side, with a few small braids that Alex wove into it while I fidgeted with the clasps on my bracelets earlier.

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