Wishing on a Blue Star (51 page)

“Yeah, I do.”

I really don’t have much choice in the matter because there are others besides myself who would be genuinely pleased to see me live a little longer, for
my
sake as well as their own, and it is in respect for them and myself that I
have
to do it.

Besides, *I* want to live longer, and what a novel change that is from last year when I simply, selfishly, just wanted the pain to end.

“Okay! I’ll get the admittance papers drawn up and you’ll come back here on Friday. (tomorrow) I’ve got a meeting on Friday but they’ll get you all set up.”

Do I detect a note of happiness in Doc’s voice? I think I do, beyond his usual cheerful self, and that decides me, right there.

What the hell, man. I’ve always had a high tolerance and threshold for pain, so I can do this. Maybe not easily, or not even easily as last year, (haha) but I’ll manage because I have to.

Better still, because I want to.

Patric

A Place to Belong

Taylor Lochland

I exited the restroom and looked around, but I didn’t see a single member of my astronomy club. I plopped down on a bench, and hissed as the metal burned the backs of my knees. I shifted in my seat and tugged on the legs of my shorts.

Several minutes passed with no sign of my compatriots.
They probably haven’t even noticed I’m not with them.
I’d only been in the group a couple months, and didn’t know any of them very well yet. I’d hoped to fix that by going along on their annual amusement park outing.
Yeah. That worked well.
As usual, Aiden was the only one who had said more than a dozen words to me. I reached into my pocket for my cell phone, but before I could pull up Aiden’s number, I heard a familiar voice.

“Hey, Neil. There you are.” Aiden sat down next to me. “Everyone else headed off to the miniature golf course, but I came back when I saw you weren’t with us.”

I slipped my phone back into my pocket. “Thanks for that. I’m glad somebody noticed.”

“Hey, no problem.” Aiden silently watched the passers-by for a moment. “I was the new guy not too long ago, so I know it can be tough. This group has been together for awhile, so they all have their own friendships and cliques already.”

“Yeah, I could see that.” A breeze kicked up and blew Aiden’s auburn hair into his face, and I had to exercise a large amount of self-control to avoid reaching over and pushing the strands back into place.

Aiden ran his fingers through his bangs and shot me a smile. “Don’t take it personally.”

“I’m trying not to. It’s probably just as much my fault. I don’t make friends very easily.”

“Well, you have me.”

My lips parted in a grin to match his. “I’m glad for that.”

“Who needs those stuffy old guys, anyway?” He turned his attention back to the park. “I have an idea. Are you up to experiencing physics in action?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Depends. What kind of physics?”

He nodded in the direction of the huge roller-coaster in the distance. “Ever ridden the Millennium Force before?”

“Nope.”

“Me neither. Want to give it a go?”

I stared at the tall, steep hills of the coaster and took a moment to gather my nerve. “Let’s do it.”

Aiden rose to his feet. “If you chicken out when you see it up close, just tell me. I won’t hold it against you.”

“Not going to happen.” I laughed and took off toward the ride.

As expected, the line was long. We made small talk as best we could over the blaring music coming from the nearby speakers, and before we knew it, an hour had passed and we were standing in front of the train.

My heart pounded as we climbed into the car and strapped ourselves in. Aiden looked at me from the corner of his eye.

“Scared?”

“Hell no.”

Amusement flickered across his face. “The death grip you already have on that handlebar says otherwise.”

I let go and shook out my hands. The park employee came by to check our lap bars, and then the cars began their journey along the track. Without realizing what I was doing, I grabbed onto the handlebar once again as the train climbed the hill, and my fingers tightened when we reached the top.

“Aren’t you going to put your hands in the air?” Aiden barely finished his sentence before we plummeted downward.

I held my breath as the ride continued its twists and turns, jerking my body around and occasionally lifting my ass off the seat. I kept my eyes glued on the car in front of mine. Aiden laughed, and I wasn’t sure if it was because of me or the ride.

Aiden patted my hand when the train rolled to a stop and the lap bars released. I unfastened my seatbelt, my skin still tingling where Aiden had touched. My body continued to shake as I climbed out of the car.

“You okay?” Aiden caught my elbow. “You look like you’re about to fall on your ass.”

“I’m fine. I need something to drink, though.” I headed toward the nearest concession stand, but moved slowly, not wanting to lose the physical contact. “That was intense.”

“I think that was the point.” Aiden chuckled and dropped his hand. “Are you glad you rode it?”

“Hell yeah. Thanks for suggesting it.” My nerves had returned to normal by the time I reached the counter. “Did you want something, too, Aiden?”

Aiden waved his hand. “I can get it myself. Thanks, though.”

“Welcome.” I bought my Pepsi and waited for Aiden to buy his. “Think we should go to the miniature golf course and look for the rest of the group?”

“I don’t know. I’d rather hit a few more coasters with you.” One corner of his mouth curled up. “If you think you can handle it.”

“You’re on.”

We spent the rest of the day on the rides, alternating between the huge coasters and the smaller, gentler ones. By the time we met up with the rest of the group and boarded the bus, I was exhausted and sunburned, but happy.

Aiden sat next to me, and shortly after we hit the road, he fell asleep, his head dropping to my shoulder. My heart pounded, and against my better judgment, I brushed my thumb across his cheek while pretending to stretch. “Sorry,” I whispered, but he didn’t stir until the bus stopped in the library parking lot, everyone standing up and saying their “good nights.”

Aiden straightened and rubbed his eyes. “I didn’t drool on you, did I?”

“I don’t think so. Anyway, what’s a little drool between friends?”

He yawned and then flashed me that smile of his, which gave me the courage I needed to do what I’d wanted to do for much of the day.

Everyone filed out of the bus, and as soon as Aiden and I were out of the others’ earshot, I touched his arm. “Hey, Aiden?” When he turned around, I took a breath, the words coming out in a rush. “It’s supposed to be clear tomorrow night, so if you’re not doing anything, you could bring your telescope to my place and we could set up in my backyard. We could grill something to eat before it gets dark, and have our own private star party.” I paused and shoved my shaking hands in my pockets. “If you want to. No pressure.”

The corners of his eyes crinkled. “I’d love to. Sounds fun. What time?”

Able to breathe again, I took my phone from my pocket and opened my astronomy application. “Well, sunset’s at 9:13, so, how about dinner at eight?”

“That works. Email me your address.” Aiden opened his car door, sat down in the driver’s seat, and fastened his seatbelt. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“Okay. See you tomorrow.” I took a step back so he could close the door, and I grinned like an idiot when he waved at me as he drove away.

* * * *

As I set up the grill, I glared at the clouds threatening to take over the sky. A drop of rain hit my face. I cursed under my breath at the weather gods and waited for the deluge, but all that came was a light sprinkle.

A car pulled up in my driveway, the engine shut off. I cut through the house and came out the front door.

Aiden climbed from his car, pushed his seat forward, and dragged his telescope and tripod from the back seat.

“Is that a telescope in your hand, or are you happy to see me?”

Aiden grinned and slung his bag over his shoulder. “The answer is both A and B.”

I turned my head, hoping he didn’t notice the redness I knew was on my cheeks, and then I looked at the sky. “Looks like we might get rained on, or at least clouded out. Maybe we should have canceled.”

“It isn’t supposed to do more than sprinkle, and clouds can be fun to watch too, you know. Anyway, I’m here for the company. I can see the sky just fine from my own place.”

I let out a chuckle, giving up on trying to hide the blush. “Let’s go out back. I’ve got some hot dogs ready for the grill.” I picked up his tripod and led him to the patio.

While Aiden situated his gear, I opened the package of hot dogs and dropped a half dozen franks on the grill. “Do you have to work tomorrow morning?” I winced when I realized how the question could be interpreted.

“Nope. I’m free to hang out all night. Or at least until Jupiter gets high enough for us to see well. Unless you have to get up early.”

“I don’t. Having most of the summer free is one of the few benefits of being a teacher.”

We commiserated about the poor night sky visibility in the Great Lakes region as we grilled and enjoyed our dinners. As soon as we finished eating, Aiden got up and went for his telescope.

I glanced at the sky, where the clouds had staked their claim. “There may not be any point in doing that.”

“I want to set it up while there’s still enough light for me to see what I’m doing, just in case it clears up.” He looked up and grinned, his bangs falling over his forehead. “Besides, what fun is brining over a ‘scope if I can’t show it off to you?”

“Good point.”

We turned our attention to setting up the telescope and tripod, and we finished just as dusk settled in. He connected his netbook and loaded up the control software. When he looked up from the computer, his eyes widened. “Holy shit.”

“What?” I scanned the area, but saw nothing except the trees, grass, and bugs. “You okay?”

“Yeah, but… the fireflies. There are so many of them.”

I watched the two dozen or so fireflies buzzing around, their bottoms flashing. “Oh, yeah. I’ve had a ton the past few days.” I shrugged and pulled out my phone to check if the weather forecast had been updated.

“I haven’t had many in my yard at all yet. Just a few so far.” He reached out, gently caught one, and watched it for a moment before letting it fly away.

I returned the phone to my pocket. Aiden’s child-like expression made me smile. “You really like those things, don’t you?”

“Of course I do. What’s not to like?”

“Don’t get me wrong. I do like them. It’s just that, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you’d never seen one before.”

“Don’t forget I’m from out west. We don’t have fireflies out there.”

“What? No fireflies? I thought they were everywhere.”

“No, they’re not everywhere. At least, not the kind like these.” Aiden chuckled when a firefly landed on his cheek, walked in a circle, then took off. “You don’t find these guys west of the Rockies.”

“I didn’t know that.” I sat down in a patio chair and swatted away a mosquito. “And here I’ve been taking them for granted.”

Aiden sat down next to me, the look of wonder still on his face. “I was going to try to hit one of the nature parks next weekend to watch for them, but this is better.”

“Feel free to come over to watch them anytime.”

“Thank you.” He turned to me briefly before returning his attention to the light show. “I’ll take you up on that.”

“Great.” My heart beat a little harder. I flicked another mosquito off my arm. “Just don’t forget your bug spray.”

The fireflies continued their aerial dance. The lights faded one by one over the next hour, as each insect found a mate.

When several moments had passed without any flashes, Aiden looked up at the sky. “Looks like the clouds are getting worse.”

I checked the weather on my phone one more time. “And it doesn’t look like they’re moving out of here anytime soon.”

“Oh, well, it’s not like I didn’t have anything fun to watch.” He shot me a glance from the corner of his eye.

I scratched the back of my neck and cleared my throat. “Yeah. The fireflies were pretty cool. Anyway, may as well pack it up and go inside. Unless you want to go home.”

“Didn’t we already cover this? I’m here to spend time with you.”

As we gathered up our things, pleasant tingles ran through my body. They returned every time Aiden’s eyes met mine, or our hands brushed.

We went inside, I made us a plate of cheese and crackers, and then we settled on the sofa in the living room. I turned on the television and found a rerun of “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” “This okay?”

“I’m an astronomy geek. Of course ‘Star Trek’ is okay.”

“Just making sure.” I set the remote down on the end table.

Aiden picked up a piece of cheese and popped it in his mouth. “Speaking of astronomy, what do you think of the club so far?”

I shrugged. “Everyone seems okay.”

“Yeah, but those guys live for astronomy. Doesn’t seem like you do. You don’t even have your own telescope.”

“You’re right. I like the night sky, but….” I shook my head. “I have almost nothing in common with the other teachers at my school. Joining that club was just another failed attempt to find a place to belong.”

Aiden studied me. “Is that important to you? Belonging?”

I shifted in my seat. “It didn’t use to be. But lately? I’ve been kinda lonely.”

Aiden placed his hand over mine and ran his thumb over my first knuckle. “And right now?”

“Not lonely at all.”

* * * *

The night breeze cooled my skin as I looked up to the sky. The clouds parted, allowing the moonlight to shine through just as the fireflies began their mating dance in my backyard. Since Aiden came over that night a couple weeks ago, I’d stood watch at my back door every evening at dusk, and gone outside at the first flash. I’d always liked fireflies, but once I hit adulthood, I’d forgotten how fascinating they were. Aiden reminded me.