Rewrite The Stars

Chapter 8

It was a Saturday morning and only a month and a half was left to my audition. Lauren and I were sitting on the grass on the campus, eating pizza while she was giving me tips for my audition.

    “You have to believe in yourself and use the right techniques and try to avoid any new movements but be artistry at the same time. Do everything properly.” And then she finally said, “I think you're stressing out too much. Being healthy is important. “

    “Easy for you to say.” I laid down on the grass on my back. “You were too good and you were sure they would've accepted you. I wish I had your confident.”

    “For God's sake, would you just believe in yourself?” She groaned. “Just like the saying; let them throw you through the wolves all they want. You're just gonna come back leading the pack– I love you!”

    I narrowed my eyes and turned my head, just to see that Lauren was now talking to her fries, completely forgetting about me. I shook my head in disbelief.

    Typical Lauren.

    “There's no one I would ever want to exchange with you.” She continued.

    “Hey! I'm offended!” I joked. “What about me?”

    “Who do you think you are? Pizza?”

    “Are you comparing pizza with me?”

    “No.” She shook her head with a grin. “I'm preferring pizza to you.”

    “A-hole.” I laughed, but it slowly faded as my mind drifted away to the memories of last night, to where Zach and I we had departed, to the feeling I had gotten by merely hugging him.

    “Zoe! Oi!” I was torn apart from my thoughts when Lauren threw an olive at me and hit my head, almost hitting me in the eye.

    “What?”

    “This is the third time you've dazed out today. Care to say what's up?”

    “Well... There's this guy–”

    “–Of course there is.” She sighed in disappointment.

    “I swear it's not like the last time!”

    “Se he's not gay?” she teased.

    “I actually hate you.” I shook my head.

    She blew me a kiss and winked. “So what does he look like?”

    “He's... amazing. He's this weird guy. So caring, so nice, so funny, so... weird!”

    “Let me be more specific with my question,” she cleared her throat before saying, “What does he look like?”

    “That was the exact thing you asked the first time.”

     “And yet you still haven't answered me.” She reasoned. “Let me repeat myself more clearly this time: what does he look–”

    “–Okay! Okay!” I laughed, cutting her off. “Brown hair. Green eyes. Thin. Same height as me.”

    “Ooh, nice. But I thought you liked tall and fit guys.”

    “Well, does it really matter how he looks like as long as you love the person?”

    “CRAP! You love this guy!?” her eyes widened in surprise, and so did mine at my own words.

    “I said love? No! I don't know... I mean I've never felt like this before. I don't know what this is. I've only seen Zach three times–”

    “His name is Zach? Zach and Zoe...” she sighed in a dreamy way. “I SHIP YOU GUYS ALREADY!”

    I rolled my eyes at her.

    “Where did you meet, anyway?” She asked.

    “On the train from New Jersey to here.”

    “When was last time you saw him?”

    “Last night.”

    “But last night you didn't go anywhere.” She narrowed her blue eyes at me.

    “Yeah... about that.” I started hesitantly. “You're slightly a heavier sleeper than you thought, my friend.”

    “Oh, my God! You sneaked out? What time was it?”

    “Three a.m., I guess?”

    “Wow, Zoe Coleman, breaking all her rules for one guy.”

    “Oh, honey, you have no idea.” I took a sip from my soda, thinking about the memory of breaking into the school's big theater; hundred percent illegal.

    And then I told her everything; from the first sentence he ever spoke to me and saying I had stars in my eyes, to what he was talking about at the coffee shop, to last night.

    “What's his full name?” asked Lauren.

    “Zach Walter.” I answered. “Why do you ask?”

    “It's just that something's eerie about him.” She shrugged. “He's too weird.”

    “Yeah. But in a good way.” I argued.

    “Aren't you worried that he might have a mental illness or something? Or what if he's a stalker?”

    “How can you say such thing?” I frowned.

    “Well, in that coffee shop he spoke as if he'd known you for years. And how the hell did he get through the night-securities and guards of the school?”

    “I don't know. I don't wanna know. I don't care.” I threw my hands of in the air defensively, pursing my lips together. “Look, after all I've been through I can use someone I feel this free with.”

    “Okay. Your choice.” She shrugged in defeat. “If you're happy, I'm happy. But let's focus on the audition and practicing. Yeah?”

    “Okay.”

***

We went back to Lauren's room and I performed the dance I was going to do for my solo performance for her so she could give me some advice on how I could make it better. By the time the clock showed five o'clock, we were both exhausted and so we laid down on our beds, going through our phones for a change.

     But I did the biggest mistake, checking my i********: page after a week. Because I was immediately drowned in a sea of pictures and hashtags of #comehomezoe or #comebackzoe. Turns out, my parents had spoken to police and my entire school to see if anyone had any ideas about my whereabouts. But I decided to keep that news to myself and not tell Lauren; because if she freaked out, I would freak out more.

     It actually made me laugh that I didn't know half of those kids who had tagged me and I'm pretty sure until yesterday they didn't even know my name. And those who did, I'm damn sure that they couldn't care less about me.

    Just then, I got another text from Zach, a quick smile appearing on my lips as my face lit up.

   Hey there. Last night was fun. Wanna do something tonight?

    I replied after a minute.

    Yeah. What do you wanna do?

     He was quick to text back,

     Is 8 okay? I'll take you somewhere I'm sure you'll like. It's a surprise.

     Typical Zach, I thought before texting:

    See you at 8.

     “Hey, Zoe?” Lauren spoke from the bed beside me, looking at her phone.

     “Yeah?”

     “Look what I found out about that Zach guy.”

    “And you call him a stalker?” I shook my head at her.

    “Hey, I'm just trying to look after my baby.” She said, walking toward me and laying down next to me.

    “Oh, in that case, thanks mom.” I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. “What is this, anyway?”

    “I didn't find anything about him directly, but,” she handed me her phone. “I found something about his dad, Zach Walter Senior. I mean, how many Zach Walters are there who live in New Jersey and have their 19-year-old son named after him?”

    “He's a phycologist?” I asked, skimming through the article Lauren had found.

    “The most famous one in the city.” She stated. “And he always gives a lecture to the college seniors at New York's University on Mondays; that's two days from now.”

    “What are you getting at?” I asked, even though I pretty much knew what the answer was going to be.

    “Well, you don't have much to do and it's not like you have homework or anything,” she reasoned, “So I was wondering maybe you could go to one of his lectures on Monday and see what's up. How's that?”

    “Oh, hell no! I'm not going to stalk him, okay?” I gave Lauren's phone back to her. “This is wrong in so many ways.”

    “It's better than staying here alone.” She reasoned.

    “Thanks for your concern Lau,” I said. “But I won't do crazy stuff to satisfy your curiosity. Besides, I have to keep practicing this dance.”

    “You're no fun.” She teased.

    “Oh yeah, cause being at a two-hours-lecture is a rollercoaster.”