When the Stars Lead to You Read online

  “That’s because you have better things to focus on. Like becoming Dr. Devon Kearney.”

  “God. It seems so far off.”

  “Will you be sitting on a beach like this, studying your stars?”

  “Yes. Or maybe a lab. Hopefully in Paris.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Why Paris?”

  “They have one of the best observatories in the world.”

  “When you’re there I’ll have to call you Docteur Devon Kearney.”

  I loved how he talked like he was still going to be in my life all those years from now. I poked his shoulder. “Tell me your dreams.”

  “My dreams.” He thought while the wind whipped our hair. Then he gazed at me in his soft, special way. “Feels like I’m living them right now.”

  “Yeah?”

  “It’s summer. I’m on the beach.” He paused. “I’m here with you.”

  “Me?” I looked down. “Never thought I’d be part of someone’s dreams.”

  “Well, I don’t know if you noticed, but we’ve been spending a lot of time together.” His voice was light, but the way my heart sped up showed me there was something serious under his joking tone.

  Thunder rumbled in the distance. “Yeah. We have.”

  “I don’t want to spend time with anyone but you,” he said.

  I sat up and stared at him. “So you mean…”

  His gaze was fully focused on me. Steady. Sure. “I want to make this a thing. Me and you.”

  “Us.” Breathless. This boy was constantly taking my breath away.

  “Yeah.” His lips curved slightly. “Us. I want to officially watch Netflix with you.”

  The laughter burst out of me. “What?”

  He brushed a golden spiral from my forehead. “I want you to be my girlfriend.”

  The storm was coming. And I should have been cautious.

  But that went out the window a long time ago.

  “I’m in.”

  -Then-

  “I HAVE SOMETHING FOR YOU.”

  “Really?” I grinned at Ashton and clapped my hands. I loved getting presents.

  “Close your eyes.”

  I let my eyelids flutter shut, the impression of the night sky still swirling in my mind. Some nights, the stars were shy, hiding behind fluffy clouds. Tonight, they’d put on a show. There were so many of them, some so densely packed together they looked like blobs of smoke.

  Absolutely breathtaking.

  I felt Ashton move behind me, then lift my hair.

  I shivered all over. “That tickles.”

  He laughed softly in my ear. “Stand still. I’ll be done in a second.”

  A deep breath. “Okay.”

  His fingers trembled as he fixed a clasp at the back of my neck. At the same time, I felt the weight of a pendant settle on my chest. “Now you can open them.”

  I gasped as I lifted the silver key. Smooth and shiny. The top a hollow heart, the shaft a thin cylinder, with a T perpendicular to the tip. “Oh my God, Ashton.”

  “I know we only became official yesterday,” he said. “But I wanted to get you something to show you how much I like you. I guess it’s like a key to my heart.”

  A pause. Then we burst out laughing. “I’m sorry—that was so cheesy,” he said.

  “So cheesy.”

  “But true,” he said, growing serious. “It’s yours, Dev. I’m yours.”

  “You are a romantic.”

  “Only with you. And I don’t care if it is cheesy.”

  “I love it, Ash.” I stroked his cheek. “I won’t ever take it off.”

  -Then-

  THE LAST DAYS OF SUMMER ALWAYS CHURNED MY EMOTIONS. I loved playing in the ocean, burying my feet in the sand, gazing at the sky every night. But the long lazy days eventually got to me, and I became eager to get back into my routine of school and hanging with my best friend and sleeping in my own bed.

  Still. I was going to miss my morning yoga routine on the beach, inhaling the sea’s briny scent with every deep breath. I was going to miss the oceanfront view out my bedroom window. I’d miss Stephanie and her schemes to draw me out of my shell.

  Most of all, I was going to miss the adorable boy who’d managed to sneak away with my heart this summer. Thank God for this one last day with him.

  The sun wasn’t up yet, but the heat was already heavy and thick. I sat on the porch in my light, pink sundress and straw sun hat, staring at the walkway to Stephanie’s house. Listening for the jingle of keys or coins that signaled Ashton’s appearance. He should’ve been here fifteen minutes ago. It wasn’t like him to be late. The sun was coming up soon, and I didn’t want to watch it without him. We’d been talking all summer about catching the sunrise together, but with us both leaving tomorrow, this was our last chance.

  Our plans were literally from dawn until dusk, and then beyond. I couldn’t wait for our day to start, even though I’d hate when it ended.

  Where was he?

  -Then-

  THE SUN ROSE IN A SWIRL OF PINK AND YELLOW COTTON candy clouds.

  I watched it alone.

  -Then-

  I TEXTED HIM.

  I called him.

  I left messages.

  Then I started all over again.

  -Then-

  MY SKIN TURNED HOT AND RED. GNATS HOVERED AROUND my forehead, but I couldn’t find the strength to brush them away.

  He and I should’ve been sitting down for lunch now. Instead, I was staring at my phone. Where my texts remained unread.

  -Then-

  EVERY TIME MY PHONE BUZZED, I JUMPED. BUT IT WAS always something else. An email from my school. A reminder to drink water. A text from my mom, finalizing details for my trip home tomorrow.

  It was never him.

  -Then-

  I LEFT VOICE MAILS UNTIL THE BOX WAS FULL.

  I sent more texts.

  They stayed unread.

  What the hell?

  -Then-

  MOSQUITOES FEASTED ON MY ANKLES, AND STILL, I couldn’t… wouldn’t move from the porch. I just sat there. Even as the moon rose and the stars began to shine, twinkling at me like so much laughter.

  We were supposed to be kissing under those stars. Right now. Letting the night take us wherever. Giving in to doing… whatever.

  “Oh my God, Devon. Are you okay?” Stephanie asked.

  I blinked cobwebs from my eyes. “I’m fine. Go have fun with your friends.”

  “Devon—”

  I hid my face so she couldn’t see I was about to lose it. “No. Really!”

  Still, she hesitated. “Should I stay with you?”

  “Your friends are waiting. Get out of here.”

  I must have sounded convincing enough, because eventually, she did leave.

  Why was I still here?

  I needed to go. Now.

  I grabbed a bike and headed to his beach house.

  -Then-

  THERE WERE NO CARS IN THE DRIVEWAY.

  There were no lights in the enormous dining room.

  There was no sign of life anywhere.

  He was gone.

  And he’d never said good-bye.

  SUPERNOVA

  Chapter 1

  I TOOK A DEEP BREATH, INHALING THE RICH LEATHER SCENT of Blair’s cherry-red Mercedes. I clutched my pendant as Bishop Hall—Preston Academy’s main building—loomed ahead. Ready or not, there was no turning back once I stepped through those tall wooden doors.

  I couldn’t see the stars right now, but I still made a wish: to have the perfect senior year.

  Then I turned to my best friend. “It’s bittersweet, isn’t it?”

  “Sure.” Blair switched off the ignition. “Just take away the bitter part.”

  The sudden absence of Léo Delibes’s “Sylvia, Act III: Cortege de Bacchus” made my ears ring. Something about blasting those violins and flutes usually fortified me for the day better than caffeine ever could. But today, the music only made me shaky and anxious.

>   Blair’s forehead wrinkled. “Are you okay?”

  I wiped my palms on my green plaid skirt. “I’m nervous. Why am I so nervous?”

  “Girl,” she said, wrinkles gone, sapphire eyes dancing. “It’s the first day of senior year. And you, in all your nerdilicious glory, are already freaking out about getting into your dream college. Aren’t you?”

  The corner of my mouth lifted in a small smile. “Pretty much.”

  “Devon,” she said, turning serious. “You got this. You know that, right?”

  I didn’t, really. But she looked so hopeful, I didn’t want to let her down. We hooked pinkies. “Let’s do this.”

  I climbed out of the car and stared at what had been my second home for the past three years. People gathered on the stairs, scrolling through their phones or embracing one another, squealing choruses of “How was your summer?” and “Oh my God, you look great!” People called to us, and I waved back, feeling more and more at home with every step. A light breeze rustled oak and maple leaves as Blair and I crossed the courtyard, but it didn’t do anything to break up the humidity in the air.

  Bishop Hall looked like a medieval cathedral, with sweeping arches and twisting chimeras, its focal point an impressive clock tower of gray stone rising to the sky. As the bells struck eight, the sound resonated throughout the grounds, echoing off classroom buildings and dormitories. Three years ago, this place had been intimidating. Now it felt majestic. Powerful. Blair and I were silent, almost reverent, until the last bong.

  That never got old.

  “We need to go in,” I said. “Don’t want to be late for Assembly.”

  “Only”—she tilted her head—“thirty-three more left.”

  My mouth fell open. “You actually counted how many Assemblies we have left?”

  “Sure did. Because now the end to this oppressive high school regime is in sight. And we only have to sing that dreadful school song thirty-three more times.”

  Only she would consider a cushy private school oppressive. But then, she’d been at Preston since kindergarten, while I didn’t start until my freshman year. I loved it here. The uniforms. The way our teachers were called professors. The way everyone took their studies seriously. I even liked the food in the dining hall.

  Preston Academy: a school nestled in the midst of golf courses and polo fields. A school where I got graded for things like properly riding a horse. A school full of kids whose parents were Fortune 500 CEOs, international luminaries, Broadway actors. I’ve heard more than my fair share of talk about inner-city kids being thugs, but I’d seen a politician’s kid start a fight on the third day of sophomore year. And who would give a sixteen-year-old a Lamborghini (that he crashed a week later)? A movie star would, that was who.

  Every single day I wondered how the hell I’d gotten here.

  I mean, I knew how it came to be. My grades were extraordinarily good, and it was no secret that the private schools in the area had been recruiting for diversity. Apparently, I was the perfect match: diversity points for being both Black and white, academic points for being hardworking and smart. The application fees had been waived. I got accepted to four schools, but Preston was the only one that offered a full scholarship.

  So here I was.

  I pulled open the heavy auditorium door and a blast of cold air whipped my hair, tossing coppery-blond spirals all over. I shivered and drew my dark-green blazer tight.

  “Let’s sit in the back,” Blair said. As we got comfortable, I scanned the rows, taking in my fellow students for the year. Most of the freshmen looked terrified, but some of the girls gaped at Blair in awe. I bit back a smile. I’d looked at her the exact same way my first day. Who wouldn’t? With her cool ivory skin and sleek mahogany locks, Blair Montgomery was a glamorous and preppy Snow White come to life.

  My own first day was still clear in my head. I’d been scared out of my mind, surrounded by all those pretty people with their designer bags, expensive shoes, and sparkling jewelry that winked and gleamed. A sea of creamy white faces and straight, shiny hair.

  What would they think of my wild curls, light golden-brown skin, and silvery-gray eyes? Did my Fjällräven bag or Aldo shoes scream “scholarship student”? And would anyone think less of me because they did?

  It wasn’t so scary now that I was a senior and everyone knew who I was: Devon Kearney, top student and aspiring astrophysicist. And if they’d figured out that I was a scholarship student? So what? I was proud of that, too.

  The seniors spread throughout the auditorium, some of them acting too cool to be here, not even sparing their classmates a glance.

  Auden Cooper was not one of them. She stared right at me, flipping her Pantene-shiny strawberry-blond hair and sending me her smug grin. Like she knew she was going to knock me from the top of the class and nab Preston’s college scholarship, awarded to every valedictorian. Like she was going to take everything and rock it better than I ever could. My skin burned when she looked at me like that, and she always looked at me like that.

  “Ignore her,” Blair said.

  “Can’t. Remember that saying about keeping your enemies close?”

  “But she’s annoying, like a bug. Someone needs to squish her.” Blair’s eyes narrowed. “Maybe that someone is me.”

  I lifted my shoulder, then let it fall. “Eh, competition’s good for the soul.”

  She sat back and crossed her legs. “You know what else is good for the soul?”

  I sighed. I knew that tone, and I was not in the mood. “Not this again.”

  “Oh yes,” she said with a devilish grin, “this again.”

  “Do we have to talk about this now?”

  “If we’re going to make this year the best ever, it’s time for you to let go.” She started singing. “Let it go, let it goooooo…”

  “What makes you so sure I haven’t?” I stopped her before she embarrassed us both. Or worse, before people started singing along.

  “The fact that you’re still single despite going on how many dates?”

  I tapped my Preston Academy notebook. “Boys can wait.”

  She fixed her blue eyes on me, steady and determined. “Look, I get that you’re super focused, but you were a ball of stress last year, and we both know it was because of that boy.”

  I squirmed. “I’ll have you know that I hadn’t thought about him all morning, until you brought it up.”

  Her eyebrows shot up in disbelief. “All I’m saying is that it’s time you toss your hat back in the ring. My bubbe says the best way to get over a guy is by getting under another.”

  I gaped at her. “Your grandmother said that? To you.”

  She shrugged and nodded.

  “That explains so much.”

  “Good morning!” Our headmistress began Assembly with a big smile. “Welcome, everyone. I’m glad you’re all here. This morning marks the beginning of Preston Academy’s two hundred thirty-fifth year!”

  A cheer rose from the crowd and I flushed with pride. My school’s legacy was unparalleled. Preston had a long waitlist, and every single day I was grateful to be here. Even while freezing during Assembly.

  I pulled my blazer even tighter while Dr. Steelwood gave her speech about the upcoming school year. There was so much to look forward to, like competitions, activities, and the Harvest Ball. She pretty much gave the same speech every year, but there was something about starting a new school year that made me so optimistic. A clean slate, shiny and new, just like my fresh school uniforms and supplies.

  Blair was wrong. I didn’t need a boyfriend. My life was full enough: school, family, Blair. And right now, that was all I wanted.

  The creak of the door behind me barely registered; I was so focused on Dr. Steelwood’s speech. Then there was a presence beside me, one that came with a slight tinkling sound. One that filled the last empty seat in the auditorium, and filled my nose with the most familiar, amazing scent.

  Strange. Being late to Assembly = at least one demerit. A d
emerit went on your permanent record. I glanced over at this brave soul and

  Oh.

  My.

  God.

  My breath stopped. My mouth went dry. Dr. Steelwood’s speech ceased to exist. The auditorium ceased to exist. Everything ceased to exist, except the boy sitting next to me, frowning up at the lectern.

  Because now I knew why I recognized that scent, like waterfalls cascading over the side of a mountain. I knew that golden-brown hair with its slight curl—I’d buried my fingers in it more times than I could count. I knew the heart shape of those lips because I’d kissed them a million times. And when he turned to me, no doubt sensing my stunned stare, there was no denying that face. Because despite what I’d told Blair, this face had been on my mind all morning. And haunting my dreams every night.

  It was right next to me and I couldn’t breathe. I could not breathe.

  Breathe, Devon.

  His eyes widened. His cheeks tensed. His gaze seared into me, his deep-set brown eyes mirroring my shock.

  He was here. He was here.

  He was here.

  Yes, I wish on stars. And my biggest and most secret wish was that this boy, who I’d loved one summer, would come back to me. But wishes on stars didn’t really come true, so how could he be here? After disappearing that summer without a trace? After leaving without a good-bye? How could he be here, sitting right next to me?

  How dare he be here? After all this time?

  “Devon!” Blair’s voice sounded as if it were in a space vacuum. “Assembly’s over. Let’s go.” She paused. “Devon?”

  I yanked my eyes away from his and turned to Blair. But she was looking past me, her forehead wrinkled in confusion and rank suspicion. Then her glance flicked to me. Whatever my face showed her must have freaked her out, because her eyes widened as she grabbed my arm. “Let’s go. Now.”