Under The Stars

3

Alina

Fourteen Years Old

A new boy moved into the house behind us. I haven’t seen him much, but there’s a small hole in the fence that separates our back yards, and I’m not proud to admit that sometimes I go out there and sneak a peek. He’s got shaggy blond hair, and he’s always hunkering underneath the hood of a car. Today, Mama caught me looking, and told me to stop being a peeping Tammy or she’d tan my hide. Then, she plopped her famous banana bread in my hands and shooed me on over to introduce myself, telling me it’s the neighborly thing to do. I figure it’s as good an idea as any, seeing as how we’ll be going to school together at Sugarlake High this year.

I don’t want to go alone, but Chase and Lily are on vacation in Florida, so here I am walking onto his porch. I raise my fist to knock, but it swings open before my knuckles hit, and out he walks. He leans against the front porch ledge, taking up an air of nonchalance.

I’m stunned a little stupid when I get a good look at him. I’ve never seen a guy with hair long enough to be pulled in a bun, but somehow it looks better on him than it ever has on me. His hair isn’t what keeps my attention, though. It’s that gaze of his. The strangest green, like God couldn’t decide what shade to pick, so instead, he swirled around all the colors of the forest and placed them in his eyes.

“Hi there. I’m Alina May.” I force the banana bread into his hands, stepping back, plastering a smile on my face. “I’m your back yard neighbor, and figured it’s well past time for introductions, so here I am… you know, introducin’ myself.”

He tips his head down. “What’s this?” He lifts it to his nose, taking a sniff.

“That right there is the best chocolate chip banana bread this side of the Mason Dixon line,” I say it proudly because it’s true. No one can out bake my mama, I dare them to try.

“Oh yeah?” He smiles and it draws my eyes to his perfectly straight, white as snow, teeth.

“Are those your real teeth?” I spout off before I can stop myself.

His smile widens. “You think I have fake teeth?”

“I mean… maybe?” I shrug my shoulders.

He doesn’t say anything, just stands there with banana bread in his hands, and a grin on his face.

“Gah, forget I asked that.” I run my hands through my hair, cheeks flushing. “What’s your name, anyway?”

He breathes out a chuckle. “Man, are all the girls as cute as you around here?”

“Matter of perspective, I guess.” I shrug again, waiting for him to tell me his name. He doesn’t. “You know, some say it’s mighty rude to not return the favor when a person introduces themselves.”

“Some say, huh?” He places the banana bread on the ground, stepping over to me. My head is level to his chest, and he’s close enough that I have to crane my neck to maintain eye contact.

“My apologies, Alina May.” He picks up my left hand. “My name’s Jackson Rhoades, and believe me when I say it is my absolute pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

I expect him to shake my hand, but instead, he brings it to his mouth, lightly brushing his lips across my knuckles in a whisper of a kiss.

I jerk my hand back, laughing with disbelief. “I think you may be what the old biddies in this town call a shameless flirt, Jackson.”

I take a few steps back, regaining my personal space. “That may work on girls wherever you come from, but you really shouldn’t waste your time on me. I don’t fall for empty words and pretty smiles.”

He nods, rocking back on his heels. “Noted.”

“But if you’re lookin’ for a friend, I can be that all day long. I don’t mean to brag, but I’m pretty great at the whole friendship thing, so I recommend you take me up on my offer.”

“In that case, how can I refuse?” He smirks.

I widen my eyes. “Well, I don’t think you can. And since we’re friends now, I suppose you can call me Lee.”

“Alright, Lee. Then I suppose you can call me Jax.”

“Jax.” I test the nickname out loud, nodding my head in satisfaction.

“Do you always make friends like you’re doing a business transaction?”

“A what?”

He chuckles. “Never mind. You in high school yet?”

“I’ll be a freshman when the semester starts. How about you?”

“Supposed to be a junior, but got held back last year when my dad got sick.” He plays with a chain around his neck, his eyes flashing with grief.

“Is he better now?” I watch as the chain rolls between his fingers.

Both his face and his voice flatline. “He’s dead.”

“Oh,” I whisper. “I’m so sorry.” I cringe as the words leave my mouth. I don’t think he appreciates the apology, but it’s all I can think to give him.

“It is what it is.” He shrugs. “Anyway, thanks for the banana bread, I’m sure my mom will love it.” We both stand there, the air filling with awkward tension. I wish I could rewind time and bring back the Jackson from five minutes earlier.

“I’d introduce you to my brother, but he’s always tied up with basketball.” I roll my eyes. “But, one of my best friends, Chase, lives around here. I’ll send him over to say hi, although I don’t think your charm will work on him,” I tease.

He clears his throat. “Sure. Listen, as much as I’d like to stand around and chat all day, I really have better things to do, so if you’re done with the twenty questions...” He turns his face to the side.

I inhale sharply, dizzy from the complete one-eighty of his personality.

“Alright then.” I squint my eyes, pursing my lips. “Look… Jax, I’m sorry if I upset you. I didn’t mean nothin’ by it.”

He doesn’t give me any indication he heard what I said, but he doesn’t need to. I know when I’ve outstayed my welcome.

My shoulders hunch. “I guess I’ll see you around

.”

I book it off his porch, each step allowing me to stew in my rising mortification. How the heck was I supposed to know about his daddy? I take deep breaths, trying to calm my nerves before I walk in my house. It doesn’t work, and Mama sees them plain as day on my face.

“What in the world happened to make you so flustered?” She places her novel down on the side table.

“I think I messed things up with the new boy. Everything was goin’ fine ‘til we started talkin’ about his dead daddy.” I chew on my bottom lip. “Then he got plain mean, and now I think he hates me when he was the one who brought him up in the first place!” My voice rises with indignation. I can’t stand when people think bad about me.

Mama walks over and smoothes my hair. “Oh baby, we have no clue what that boy must be goin’ through. The best thing you can do is be there for him and forgive his faults.”

“Fat chance of that. See if I’ll be his friend now,” I mutter, crossing my arms over my chest.

She kisses the top of my head. “Forgiveness is divine, Alina May.” She sits back down, picks up her book, and continues reading.

I’ve been staring in my room’s full-length mirror for the past ten minutes. I have on the new two-piece I bought last week, but I’m not sure I can pull it off. It looked great on the mannequin, so when Becca begged me to get it, I gave in to peer pressure. The problem is, no matter how I try to adjust the top, the dang thing is still like a bright red polka-dotted sign advertising my newly acquired cleavage. I swear, I went to bed one night and woke up the next morning with two giant melons on my chest.

I cup them in my hands and marvel at the weight. Who knew they would be so heavy?

“What are you doing?” The voice comes out of nowhere. I jump in shock, spinning toward it.

“Good Lord, Chase. Knock much?” I complain, my heart racing underneath the palm of my hand. “I didn’t think you were back in town.”

He looks me over slowly from tip to toe. I see the amusement drain from his eyes, and when he’s done with his leisurely perusal, his stare is heavy.

“Goddamn Goldi, the hell are you wearing?” His tongue peeks out and sweeps across his bottom lip, drawing my attention to the wetness left behind.

My breath hitches.

In moments like this, where the air is thick with unspoken emotion, I can almost convince myself he feels it, too. Whatever this is. Over the past three years, the vines of our friendship have grown and twisted, wrapping tightly around every single piece of me until I don’t know how to get untangled. It’s big and scary and I don’t know how to handle it, so I pretend things are the same as they’ve always been.

But they’re not.

I move my gaze from his lips, drinking him in. Gone is the gangly preteen with too short hair. In his place is a full-grown teenager that sparks a fire low in my belly. Sculpted muscles ripple under his shirt, his hair mussed from fingers that always find a home in the strands. His hazel eyes are so deep, I’m surprised anyone can find their way back again. I force my eyes away, moving to grab the robe that’s thrown haphazardly on the back of my desk chair.

“Don’t you worry your pretty little head over what I’m wearin’.” I wrap the robe around my body, looking up. His dimples are on full show, a rare occurrence in the world of Chase Adams.

“How you feeling today, Goldi?”

I pout. “A little too big, if I’m honest.”

He c***s his head, eyebrows drawing in. The last thing I want is to talk about my struggle with puberty, so I change the subject. “How was your vacation?”

He shrugs. “Sandy.”

I giggle at his answer. A conversationalist, Chase is not, that’s for dang sure.

“Well, there’s been a whole bunch goin’ on around here. Eli got offered a scholarship for basketball in Ohio, so naturally, Mama has lost her mind cryin’ every day. She’s dead set on tryin’ to convince him to pick a local school, instead.”

I roll my eyes. Eli’s always talked about getting out of our small town and making something of himself. No way he’ll stay local. He’s got big dreams of making it all the way to the NBA and I’ve half a mind to believe he will.

“No s**t? Good for him.”

I nod. “Oh, and there’s a new guy that moved into the neighborhood last week. I went over and met him today. Took him some of Mama’s banana bread and everything. I’m sure Becca will be thrilled to have fresh meat to chew up and spit out before school starts,” I laugh.

“Why do you say that?” Chase asks.

“Well, you know how Becca is with boys, and this one’s a looker.” I remember how he was weaving magic with his words the second we met. “I’m also pretty sure he could charm the knickers off a nun.”

Chase’s demeanor shifts, his jaw clenching. “Are you saying this new guy charmed you?”

I smile. “I definitely give him an A for effort, that’s for sure.”

He scoffs. “Is he even your age? What kind of a guy flirts with a girl he just met?”

“I imagine most of them, Chase.” My forehead crinkles as I answer him.