TheFallenStarBookSeries1 Read Free Page A

felt happy—and I mean ever —was when I’d been lying in my bed, staring out my window, watching the stars shine harmoniously with one another. The prickle had shown up, and I unexpectedly found myself smiling. All this warmth and happiness started welling up inside me.  The very next morning, when I entered the planetarium-style astronomy room, that same feeling of happiness filled me again. Ever since then, I always perk up when it is time to go to astronomy class.
    Today however, I felt completely out of it, and summoning up any happiness seemed like it was going to be a challenge. There was just too much going on inside my head.
    I arrived to astronomy with plenty of time to spare, which was totally typical for me since I had no one to talk to between classes. I made my way up the stairs, to the very top of the mini planetarium, and sat down at my usual table, the one in the very far back corner where most of the loner kids tend to sit. I took my book out of my black messenger bag and hung it on the back of my chair. To kill some time—and to attempt to focus on something else besides the new guy, who I hadn’t seen since he’d let the door bang me in the elbow—I did a quick skim through of today’s chapter. It turned out to be a lame attempt, though, since all I ended up thinking about was how gorgeous he was, how much hatred his bright green eyes had carried when he’d walked away from me, and the electricity humming against my skin when I’d been near him. I swear I could still feel the sparkling sensation lingering on my skin.
    The bell finally rang and class began. Mr. Sterling started off taking role. I barely paid attention, not even looking up when my name was called and I replied, “Here.”
    After he finished with role, Mr. Sterling moved on to the announcements. Typically, it was a tedious task, but today it took a turn for the surprising.
    “Alright everyone, I have a few things to discuss before we start class.” Mr. Sterling cleared his throat, trying to shush the whispering that had suddenly combusted amongst everyone. I still had my eyes glued to my book, only half listening as he continued, “First off, I’d like to announce that we have two new students joining us today.”
    Did he just say new students?
    My head whipped up. Mr. Sterling was standing behind his podium, sporting a wrinkly grey suit and red striped tie. And, holy crap, standing next to him was Mr. New Guy himself. He had a bored expression on his face, his arms folded across his chest, his bright green eyes sparkling beneath the florescent lighting.
    The sight of him made my heart skip a beat. I let out an unintentional gasp and quickly flung my hand over my mouth, wanting to smack myself in the forehead for reacting so ridiculously.
    Kelsey Merritt—aka the head cheerleader who sat at the table in front of me—turned around and shot me one of her infamous you’re-such-a-loser looks. Up until a couple of months ago, she hadn’t even known I was alive. And honestly, I kind of preferred the old way, because her knowing of my existence equaled getting thrown dirty looks and nasty comments. Luckily, I wasn’t much of a reactor. At least on the outside anyway. But today, I didn’t even react on the inside because my mind was fluttering with a billion different thoughts that I could scarcely process. Like why the sight of this guy was making me react this way? Because, right now, all I could think about was how beautiful his eyes were and how I had the strongest urge to run my fingers through his messy, yet perfect, dark brown hair. And how he—
    All of a sudden, he looked right at me, his eyes full of the same hatred I’d seen in them earlier. I blinked and sank back in my chair, the corners of my eyes burning with tears threatening to spill out. I sucked in a slow breath. I would not let some guy make me cry. I wouldn’t.
    “This is Aislin Avery,” Mr. Sterling gestured towards a girl I hadn’t noticed was standing