Page 2 of When the Stars Rise
I remember the day we watchedBambi. We must have been around six. When the hunter shot Bambi’s mom, Hayley cried so hard she was inconsolable.
Then she got angry, her hands clenched into small fists. “We have to save all the deer, Noah. We have to make sure to keep them safe, okay?”
I nodded and solemnly vowed to protect the deer andallthe animals.
As the sirens get louder, the doe lifts her head on the alert, and I watch her cross the two-lane road with her fawn and leap over the guardrail to safety. They disappear into the woods just as the fire trucks arrive.
Humans are no different than animals.
Our survival skills are strong.
We’ll do whatever it takes to protect the ones we love.
Even if it means we have to lie.
CHAPTER ONE
Noah
“I think you need an intervention,”Gracie says. She’s lounging on my bed in running shorts and a T-shirt that says: If Dirt Ain’t Flyin’ You Ain’t Tryin’. She’s scrolling through her phone, no doubt admiring photos of herself in last week’s motocross race. “Your relationship issodysfunctional.”
My sister, the aspiring shrink. She’s fifteen. She knowsnothingabout relationships. But that’s never stopped her from sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong.
“So let me get this straight,” Levi says, grabbing the doorframe and flexing his biceps. He’s so proud of his newly minted muscles that he never misses an opportunity to flaunt them. “You just got home, but now you’re leaving to go on tour with Hayley? Talk about fucked up.”
If I didn’t know better, I would think my brother is disappointed. But I know better.
He averts his head to kiss his bicep.
Levi McCallister has one true love—himself.
So I don’t expect him to understand. Nor do I have any interest in explaining my actions to my younger siblings. Or anyone else, for that matter.
I throw the rest of my clothes into one of the duffel bags and pack my camera equipment and climbing gear in the other.
“As what?” Gracie asks. “I mean, are you going as her brother? Like a weird family flex or something?” She snort-laughs, and I grit my teeth.
I won’t give her the satisfaction of responding. She doesn’t need more ammunition. Neither do the tabloids or the paparazzi who can’t seem to get enough of Hayley Peterson (a.k.a. Hayley Saint James, her stage name), America’s sweetheart, and Noah McCallister, extreme athlete and habitual heartbreaker (their words, not mine).
“Maybe he’s going as her best friend. Or herboyfriend,” Levi speculates. “Oops. My bad. You’re not her boyfriend anymore, are you?”
“Maybe he’s going as herfakeboyfriend,” Gracie chimes in.
Gracie and Levi crack up like it’s the best joke they’ve ever heard. When they’re not thick as thieves, they’re at each other’s throats. Right now, I would prefer the latter.
Is my relationship with Hayley fucked up? Beyond a doubt. But it’sourfucked-up relationship. So it’s nobody else’s business if I’m playing the role of best friend, fake boyfriend, or stepbrother.
For the record, I’m going on tour as the videographer.
“Ugh. What are you doing here, horse breath?” Gracie says, and I don’t even have to look at the door to know that Zane has just entered the bedroom.
Why the fuck is everyone in my room?
Zane ignores Gracie and focuses on me. “Dad’s looking for you.”
“Mydad is looking for him, too,” Gracie pipes up.
I don’t know if that’s true or if she’s just trying to one-up Zane. She competes with everyone over every little thing, no matter how inconsequential.
