Night Sky Read Free Page B

of us.
    “Here.” I hand over a sweatshirt.
    “Very decent of you.” She smiles and slides
it over her head. It’s huge on her, but she looks squeezable in all
the extra fabric. And there’s something about her wearing my shirt
that makes me feel…warm…helpful. I don’t know what it is, but the
feeling’s good.
    I shiver once with goose bumps and slide the
other sweatshirt over my head.
    “You’re gonna walk me
home, right?” How does she look fluid,
even while standing still?
    I slide on my flip-flops. “Yep.”
    “I’m glad I ran into you.” She walks to the
gate at the side of the house with these gliding movements that
make me want to sit and watch.
    “Me, too.”
    “Maybe it’ll happen again.”
    “It’ll happen again.” I’ll make sure it
does.
    “See? Look at all this honesty. It’s
practically pouring out of you,” she says looking over her
shoulder.
    “Practically.” I reach out and take her
hand. Then stare at the cement sidewalk like it’s no big deal.
    “I’m only letting you get away with this
because of your friend.” But her hand squeezes mine.
    “I’m okay with that.” It’s like her being so
forward, makes it okay for me to be the same way. I should be this
way with Sarah, but I’m not, and I have no idea why that is.
    Sky laughs.
    Maybe honesty really does work. We stop at
the end of her driveway.
    “Thanks, Jay.”
    “Thanks, Sky.” Do I dare? “How about my
non-pity kiss?”
    She laughs. “Nice try.
That one you have to earn .”
    And earn it I will. But as soon as she goes
inside, the little bubble of happiness surrounding her disappears,
and my chest feels heavy again. I turn for home. What’s going to
change between Sarah and I? Is she going to be dating Eric the
Monday after spring break? Will I even see her over spring break?
Will she call me tomorrow and give me details about her night with
Eric that I don’t want to hear?
    I’m not sure. I’m only sure that it sucks to
ask myself these questions.

THREE
     
     
     
     
     
    Why won’t anyone stop the buzzing? That
horrible…vibrating…
    It’s my damn phone.
    I roll over in bed and reach for the table.
One word lights up the screen.
    SARAH.
    Am I ready for
this? No, and I probably never will
be.
    “Hey,” I answer.
    “You sound terrible.” She laughs. “You know
it’s like one in the afternoon, right?” I love her voice, all
childish sweetness, mixed with something older, something
indefinable.
    “No, I was sleeping, Sarah.”
    “Your family, I swear. My dad still has his
‘up by nine o’clock, no matter what’ rule.”
    I can picture her perfectly. Her small round
face is pulled into the annoyed scowl that makes me want to smooth
out her forehead with my fingertips. Her lower lip is probably
pushed out in a bit of a pout and her freckly cheeks still hold the
hint of a smile.
    “Yeah, how could I forget?”
    I’m wide-awake now and wish I wasn’t. My
chest still feels hollowed out and raw, and talking to Sarah isn’t
helping.
    “Wow, you’re talkative this morning.”
    “That’s what happens when
you wake me up.” I know she wants me to
ask about her night, but I can’t do it.
    “Aren’t you gonna ask me about my night?”
The edge of excitement is there—the edge that makes me
nauseous.
    “Why don’t you just tell me?” I let the
words out with a sigh.
    “Geez, you’re a ray of sunshine this
morning.”
    I bet she’s pulling down the corners of her
mouth while trying to make her eyebrows look mean—when all it does
is make her look even cuter.
    I’m being a jerk. No matter what happened, I
can’t stop being her friend.
    “Sorry, Sarah. Tell me
everything.” I just hope it doesn’t kill
me.
    “It’s official!” She
squeals and I pull the phone away from my ear. It doesn’t
help. Her squeal sears another jagged
wound into my chest. “We kissed and then we stayed up all night
talking. He drove me home…and he was so nice,” she says breathing
out the happiest