Our Hill of Stars

Chapter 3

“Time to get up” Kat says waking me from a deep sleep

I groan as Kat jumps on the bed disturbing me from my slumber. “What time is it?”

“10am” she remarks

“I want more sleep.”

“You need to get up. We get to go shopping!”

“Fine, give me a few minutes.”

“Okay” Kat says as she practically skips out of the room.

As I crawl out of bed, the bed begs me to stay. Last nights dream felt as if I could see and hear mom. I know she is gone, but I don’t want to believe that. I want her to be back. Today I need to not think about her for Kat’s sake. Shopping and laughing should be the only thing on our minds. I pull out a black tank top and Jean shorts. This ought to do. Maine seems to feel muggy this time of year. July is filled with hot days that makes one feel like they can’t cool off.

I walk to the kitchen and see that Kat is drinking a coffee. Her white t-shirt if flawless. If I wore white, surely I would spill something on it. White clothing ends up covered in stains when it is under my care. I make eye contact with Kat and say “coffee?”

“Help yourself. Mugs are in the cupboard.”

Maybe coffee will be enough to energize me. Today will either be a blast or it will drag on. Happiness fills my body as the first taste of coffee hits my tongue.

Kat and I get into the car and drive to the mall. She turns on some pop and starts singing along. I stare out the window and wonder what life will be like here. My friends back home don’t even know I am gone. Have they seen my mom’s obituary? If they have, why haven’t they reached out? Life here has to be better.

Three months before my mom passed, I had what I thought was the worst day of my life. Sadie and I used to hang out all of the time. Needless to say she was my best friend. I talked to her about everything. One day I just needed to talk to her. Mom was busy and couldn’t drive me, so I rode my bike there. Quickly I went inside and ran up to Sadie’s room. As I opened the door my jaw dropped. She assured me Chad wouldn’t hurt me. They both were liars. Chad and Sadie betrayed me. That day I lost a friend and a boyfriend. At least I don’t have to worry about my friend and boyfriend sleeping together here.

Starting from scratch might now be a bad thing. No one knows me. Here I can be anyone I want to be. I won’t just be the girl who lost her mom. Time to enter my bad b***h era. Here I will be unstoppable and no one will mess with me. Insecurities can be thrown away as confidence takes over.

The car comes to a halt in front of Target. I follow Kat out and we head inside. “Mom gave me her card so we can get whatever you need or want”

“That’s sweet of her, but I don’t even know what I need.” I say.

“Get yourself some new bedding, toiletries, and anything else you need that you can get at target. Then we can go to the mall and buy some clothes. Some of the guys are gonna meet us there. Macy won’t commit to whether she can show up or not. Regardless it will be fun.”

“Can you tell me about everyone so I can have an idea on what they are like? That way I’m not shocked.”

“Of course.” Kat says as she grabs a cart. “You are gonna feel like your surrounded by giants. Macy is the shortest of the group and she is still at least 6 inches taller than you are. Everyone calls Beckett Beck. He is funny and able to fix anything. Griffen is like everyone’s older brother. Jax is the biggest goof ball. Without us, he’d probably wear SpongeBob pajama pants everywhere. You can thank Macy and I for teaching him a sense of style. I think you’ll like them.”

“Okay.” I say as I follow Kat into the bedding aisle.

We pick out a new bed set and grab a few other things. After we check out we head towards the mall. As we walk towards the mall entrance I see a tall blonde girl leaning against the wall laughing at something the dark hair giant beside her said. My eyes feel as if they are glued to his muscular arms. There is no way he is our age. I follow Kat towards them. She smiles and says “Hey Macy and Beck. This is my cousin Ada. She is gonna be staying with us for awhile.”

Macy wraps her arms around me and giggles. My face smooshed into her breasts as she holds me tight. I continue to hug her until she finally releases me. “Welcome to Maine. Your gonna have fun.” Macy says.

Beck looks at me and tips his head. Confidences oozes out of his body as he says “hey.”

I smile at them and say, “thank you for including me.”

“It’s nothing. Didn’t realize Kat was bringing over a middle schooler though.” Beck says.

“Despite my size, I can assure you that I am not a middle schooler. I am seventeen.”

He chuckles at my comment. In this moment I realize he is easily over a foot taller than me. What do they feed these people to make them so tall. Macy chirps in and says, “Just ignore Beck, we all do.”

“Maybe if you listened to me you would have less speeding tickets.” Beck says

“I’ve only had two speeding tickets. It’s not that big of a deal.” Macy whines.

“And you’ve been pulled over how many times…” Beck teases

“Doesn’t matter. So Ada, tell us about you.” Macy says.

“I’m living with my Aunt Stella and Kat. I like to draw and go for walks. Honestly I don’t know what to say.”

“So why are you staying with them?” Macy asks.

I look to the ground and wonder what will they think if I tell them my mom is dead. My personality will not be defined by the girl with a dead mom. “Just staying with them in hopes to find myself I guess.”

“But where are your parents?” Macy inquires

“My dad has never been in the picture. I don’t know if he is alive or not. My mom never spoke about him.”

We start walking around the mall and Macy asks, “Is your mom in jail?”

Kat slaps her and says, “Mace, that is not appropriate.”

“I just want to know…” Macy whines.

Either I look like a b***h or I look like I am seeking attention. No chance winning this one. I take a deep breath and say, “She’s dead.”

Macy looks to the ground and says “oh.”

Kat then says, “you don’t need to know everything Macy.

“I’m sorry Ada. I didn’t know. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked.” Macy said.

“It’s okay. News always gets out and I guess it’s better you know the truth.” I say.

As we shop I notice Beck keeps looking in my direction. Is he looking at me because I keep looking at him or does he think I am cute? Am I looking at him too much? He probably thinks I am a weirdo. This is not the time to find a guy. My cousins friend shouldn’t be who I go after anyways. His jet black hair complements his tan complexion. It is obvious he spends a lot of time outside. My mind is helpless as I start to imagine him fixing cars or chopping wood. Stereotypical masculine activities run through my mind with Beck as the main character.

Kat points out everything she finds that is adorable in hopes I will want to buy it. Shopping can be fun, but I’m just not in the mood to shop. She grabs a few things that she insists I get. To make things easier I agree. My stomach rumbles signaling I need something to eat. “Let’s go to the food court.” I suggest.

“Food sounds good.” Beck says as he leads the way.

As we walk to the food court, Kat asks, “are you having fun?”

“Of course I am. This mall is bigger than I remember. It feels a little overwhelming.”

She laughs and says, “you’ll get used to it.”

As we enter the food court, the aroma only make me hungrier. So many options. Macy must pick up on my feeling of being overwhelmed with the food choices. She says, “Kat and I will go grab some stuff from Panda Express while you and Beck find a table.”

“Okay.” I say as Kat and Macy take off.

We look around and quickly find a table. Beck sits across from me and hands me his phone. He then says, “if we are gonna be hanging out more, I’d like your number. Plus Kat is always losing her phone.”

I blush as I type in my phone number. I then send a text from his phone to mine so that I have his number. “Sweet, we both have each other’s number now.” I say.

“Are you cool if I text you later?” He asks