She Dims the Stars(5)

“We’ll call her Kelsey. I hated a girl with that name once.”

My eyes are filmy when I blink them open to look at the delight on her face.

“Like a code name. That Kelsey Bitch. Ugh. She’s such a Kelsey.”

“You’re crazy.” I laugh and close my eyes again.

She responds almost too softly for me to hear, “Yeah. Maybe.” Then she elbows me. Hard. The car veers a little into the other lane, and I grab the oh shit handle and press my foot to the dash.

“You’re a terrible driver.”

“You’re a bad pick-up artist.”

“What?” I straighten up and face her profile. “I have amazing pick-up lines.”

She makes a face. “Is that why so many girls were into you last night? Because all I heard was a bunch of stuff about boobs and dragons.”

“‘Do you like dragons’ is one of the greatest pick-up lines on the planet.”

“You’re delusional. There are a million better ones than that.” She rolls her eyes and turns on her blinker to take the exit off the freeway.

“Sure, there are. Like last week when some chick said she couldn’t feel her lips, and then asked me if I could. Then she kissed me.”

The car jerks as her foot hits the brake and she turns to stare at me as she slows to a stop at a red light. “No way.”

“Awful, right? So the dragon line is a thousand times better than that.”

Audrey’s cheeks light up pale pink and she averts her eyes. “Oh, yes. Telling a girl you’ll be dragon your balls across her face later is probably the better of the two. But I suggest maybe you work on your game a little bit harder if you want to get over Kelsey.”



Cline is acting as if I killed his childhood pet and mailed him the head. He’s barely spoken a word to me since Audrey dropped me off at the house. Just grunts and an occasional sarcastic remark every time I try to engage him in conversation.

The ride back to campus should be fun.

We have everything packed and ready to go when he finally addresses me. “Let’s get outta here.” He shoves his ugly-ass fedora on his head and swings the front door open as though it has offended his mom and he’s exacting his revenge.

I figure it best not to bring up Audrey anymore until I can figure out just exactly what the hell his problem is. But I don’t have to mention her at all.

She's standing outside, leaning against her car with a huge pair of sunglasses on her face. In her left hand is a purple Popsicle, and she has it pressed between her lips as she watches us load the car.

"Hey, Cline!"

He turns and regards her with a scowl on his face. "What?"

"I like your hat!"

He angles his neck like he's not quite sure if she's offering him a compliment, but he raises his hand and runs his fingers along the brim of the thing on his head. “Really?" It’s sad that he seems a little hopeful that she means it.

She laughs and shakes her head. "No. It's awful. You look like an idiot."

He opens his eyes wide, and his mouth follows as he pretends to reach into his shirt pocket. His hand emerges, and he's holding up his middle finger, looking surprised by what he's found. “ You’re an idiot,” he mumbles and turns back around.

I can hear her chuckle clear across the street. She motions for me to cross over to her, so I do, my hands shoved into my pockets, because she makes me a little nervous.

Audrey tips the melting dessert in my direction. "Tell him the fedora isn't working. Save him some embarrassment. "

"I've tried."

“It’s a shame. All that male ego … You, on the other hand." She rolls her head to the side, and I wish I could see her eyes as she looks me up and down. "I like those glasses on you."

"My contacts are ruined. I don't wear these glasses much.” The weight of them on the bridge of my nose causes my nostrils to flare.

"You should. But lake water will do that to contacts. I should have warned you. I mean, I would have if I had known you were going to get trashed and try to swim at two o’clock in the morning. But I’m not a fortune teller or anything.”

I kinda think ruining my contacts was worth her compliment, but I don't tell her that.

She holds out the Popsicle in offering. "Want a bite?" If she's asking, then I'm not going to say no, so I dip my head and bite into it, pulling away to smile, grape sugar coating my tongue.

I press my thumb to the side of my mouth and clean off the bit that has escaped. Her eyes are staring as I do, and I'm quiet for a second, lost in thought before she laughs and finishes the rest of the Popsicle off.

"What are you thinking about?"

I grin, and I'm brave looking at her. "I'm thinking that right now, at this very moment, I know what your mouth tastes like.”

If electricity could crackle between two people, there might have been a sound. But all I hear is the hush of her soft exhale followed by a sticky-lipped whistle. “Best one, yet, Elliot. You should invent something to carry around with you so you can have these on hand at all times just so you can use that line. Like some kind of insulated fanny pack for frozen treats.” She waves the stained stick in front of my face.

The moment loses its magic, and I find myself laughing at the idea of her invention. “Yeah, maybe. That would definitely get my mind off Kelsey.” I say it just to see her smile. She doesn’t disappoint.