LOVING YOU LIKE THE STARS (Starlight series # book 1)

Ruth “The stars are never really gone; they wait for the right moment to shine.” That’s what my mother used to say. I lean on the cold metal railing, my face hit by the sharp wind from the balcony. No wonder the moon waits for the darkness to shine. “What if the moon is a constellation of stars?” Silly, right? That’s what young me used to ask my mother. Now, this is my nightly routine. Standing on the balcony every windy, rainy, and cold night — my version of meditation since Mom left this world. The summer’s almost over, and soon I’ll be heading back to school. Either I get into that boarding school or stay at my old one. Since Dad teaches there, I know my access will boost my chances of getting in. I glance up at the stars again. Maybe my mother is like the stars in the daytime, still there, just not shining. “Get your ass over here, Ruth. Dad said you got the letter!” I hear Daniel’s voice, my older brother by six years. I swing my head back to see him standing in the doorway. “Really?” I ask. He nods. I rush to the living room, and there’s Dad, sitting on the couch, waving a letter. He chuckles, his mustache curling up at the edges. “Come here.” I glance at Daniel and then at Dad before jumping onto the couch beside him. “Are you ready, Ruth?” Dad asks, his eyes twinkling. “What could be worse than rejection? Open it.” Dani ruffles my hair like I’m a puppy; this is about as much affection as his ego will allow him to show. But it’s enough. “You got in!”