We stand in line to get tickets, playing with our phones and chatting.
“Why are you so into the planetarium all of a sudden?” I ask.
Max looks up from his screen with glittering eyes. “While you were in the escape room, I met a boy.”
“Shut up!” I bounce up and down on my tiptoes. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
Max’s freckled cheeks turn a rosy pink. “We exchanged numbers, but I wasn’t sure if he was for real or not. I mean, I wanted to see if he actually texted me first before I said anything.”
“Who is it?”
“He goes to Riverdale.”
“But they’re our rivals,” I say with mock-seriousness.
Max, tall and lean with stylish brown hair, spreads his arms out wide. “Does it look like I play sports? And I’ve never heard of rival yearbook photographers.”
“If there were, you’d kick everybody’s ass.”
“I know, right?”
“It sucks he goes to another school, though.”
“I’m kinda glad he does, to be honest.”
Max came out to his parents two years ago when he was thirteen, and while they weren’t surprised and fully supported him, they acknowledged that our town isn’t the most open-minded place in the world. Riverdale is in Murfreesboro, a more progressive town about half an hour away from us. Max’s parents had even talked about moving there to make things easier, where people and churches would be more welcoming, but they’d lived their whole lives in Manchester. It was important to their family to stand by who they are, even when other people are prejudiced jerks.
“What does the planetarium have to do with Riverdale boy?” I ask. “Does he have a name?”
Max leans closer to whisper. “Blake. He sent a text that he’s going to the planetarium and asked me to meet him there.”
“The planetarium is so romantic. I swear, you are so much better at flirting than I am.”
Max buys us tickets for the planetarium. As we are heading inside, Alex walks by with the baseball players. He gives me a little wave and I nod back.
Max watches this and declares, “Huh. He’s into you.”
“Do you really think so? I mean, we’ve been fighting this whole year.”
“Just calling it like I see it.”
Max and I go into the large, oval auditorium of the planetarium. A guy sitting near the back motions at us. Is that Blake? He’s cute. Only one seat is open beside him, so I let Max take it and choose a spot in the next row. Bored, I begin to braid a chunk of my hair.
Right then, Alex enters the planetarium and scans the space. I abandon my braid, slowly slipping down in my seat to hide, but he spots me anyhow. He jogs up the steps to take the seat next to me. I grip the armrests. Is this really happening?
The dim lights fade to black. Bright stars dot the curved ceiling and blink in mesmerizing swirls. I know this is meant to be educational, but I marvel at how much it feels like we’re camping under the stars. Light violin music plays over the speakers.
I should include a scene in my novel where my characters lie on the ground, staring at the billions of stars in the sky. Nera would curl up against Ander’s side and she’d inhale his scent…
I take a deep breath. Next to me, Alex smells fantastic, like soap and shampoo. My heart leaps into my stomach.
Then a booming godlike voice begins to speak. “In the beginning, there was the sky…both beautiful and mysterious.”
Someone mutters, “This is worse than church.”
Alex, however, leans his head back and gazes up at the twinkling stars. He rests his arm on our shared armrest. His hand brushes mine. Then his pinky.
The ceiling explodes into a swirl of bright oranges, pinks, and purples. The violin music crescendos. My heart goes supernova.
When he looks over at me, I don’t turn away.
Today
Freshman Class Trip
My stomach is still fluttering as we head back to the bus for lunch. In the darkness of the planetarium, it was easy to get caught up in the idea of romance with Alex under the twinkling stars. We kept catching each other’s eye during the show, but in the bright light of the museum hallway, reality is quick to set in.
As we exit the planetarium, Alex clears his throat. “I’d better go find Ryan.”
“Me too. I mean, I should find Max.”
“I’ll see you later?” he asks softly, and smiles when I nod.
He rejoins his friends, and I latch on to Max’s elbow to stay standing upright. Did Alex really touch my hand? What does it mean? I need to check my horoscope ASAP.
Max and I climb onto the bus, taking our same seats from earlier. He secures the camera bag between his legs.
“So, how’d it go with that guy?” I ask. “Blake?”
“He was cute…”
“But?”
“I asked if he wanted to go to dinner or on a date or whatever, and he said he’s looking for something more casual.” His voice cracks. “He wants to hook up and that’s it.”
“Ugh.” I squeeze my friend’s hand. “You’re better than that.”
A small smile forms on Max’s face. “We’re both better than that.”
“Hells yeah, we are. We’re like, royal family material.”
“Prince Max sounds great,” Max jokes. “But seriously? It sucks. Why is finding a boyfriend so hard?”
“You’re telling me.” It’s not every day that Max meets a guy he might be able to date. I feel for him.
Coach Rice blows his whistle. “Everybody sit down so we can go eat. It’s time for lunch.”
“Fooooooood. Foooooood,” the guys chant, making the girls laugh at how much they’re acting like cavemen.
“We have something special planned for you,” Coach Rice adds.
“Please tell me it’s Taco Bell,” Max says.
“We’re going to the mall food court?” Ryan calls out, and kids start whooping.
“Better,” Coach says. “We’re going on the Tennessee Riverboat for lunch.”
Everyone cheers even louder, because for some reason, boats make people lose their minds.
The bus drives through downtown Nashville to the riverfront beside 2nd Avenue. This area, the heart of Nashville, is filled with honky-tonk bars, a museum in honor of Johnny Cash, and the Country Music Hall of Fame. Across the river is where the Titans play football.