Stars Aligned

Chapter 2

It was a hassle getting up in the morning. I heard my alarm blare "Stockholm Syndrome"by One Direction. I couldn't move out of my bed, my comforter and pillows felt too soft, as if I was on a cloud. I dreamed amorously about Sebastian and I didn't want to face bitter reality, face saddened society. Lannie shook me awake with her hair piled on top of her head. "Get your ass out of bed, you'll miss breakfast!" I made some incoherent noise. "I'll just skip my makeup," I grumbled into my pillow. "You know that's not happening," I heard her say. I grumbled into my pillow one more time and forced myself out of bed. I saw the whole house was already awake and active, running around looking for shoes and asking for advice on which shoe matched which shirt. I fixed myself in the bathroom and did my makeup in our room, using the eyebrow pencil, eyeliner, mascara, and concealer which laid in the middle of my dresser next to my phone. After getting dressed into my usual blazer and skirt and ruffled my hair to look voluminous, I grabbed my bag and caught up to Lannie waiting at the front iron doors. I was exhausted, my feet barely keeping up with the pace and I stumbled behind. Lannie recommended me to listen to a power song to energize me on the way to the Dining Hall which was a little journey from the Libra House. I plugged in my earbuds to my phone and scrolled through my list of music. I finally picked out the song, "Ray Of Light" by Madonna. I began singing the lyrics loudly and very off-key. Yallannie laughed very loudly and threatened to video tape me being ridiculous. We were passing by Virgo House which was next to Libra House and I noticed Sebastian walking out with his head high in the air, his eyes squinting still adjusting to the morning light. His hair was neatly combed and out of his face, his uniform neatly pressed, his trousers fell right below his ankles, his black boat shoes polished clean. I tried acting ferocious and outgoing, hoping he'd notice me. As I danced frantically, I didn't notice the ginormous pile of leaves in the middle of campus in which I fell in. Of course, I thought. I struggled getting out, there were people surrounding the scene which I had caused with my brainless act. I couldn't rise myself without exposing my briefs. Yallannie was in the distance absolutely losing it. She twirled in place as she bend over, holding her stomach and squinted her eyes from laughter. "Can someone help me, please?" I squeaked. I felt leaves everywhere; in my clothes, in my hair, even on my butt. I saw a fair, dark haired figure move through the crowd. As every one surrounded me, giggling and judging my poor course of action, I saw Sebastian press his lips together as he moved through the crowd. "Need some help?" he asked moving into the pile of leaves. I didn't answer, I felt my cheeks burn crimson red. I felt embarrassed and humiliated enough, my crush getting me out of a pile of leaves was not how I expected our first encounter to go. He stepped knee-deep into the residue and placed one hand around my back, gripping tight onto my blazer. "Press your skirt between your legs," he ordered. I obediently completed the task as he placed another hand onto the back of my thighs, gripping his fingers against my skin. On a count of three, he swept me from the pile of leaves and onto the pavement. I didn't feel my skirt rise up, exposing myself, and the crowd dispersed down the campus. I fixed myself, brushing the tiny bits of leaves out of my clothes and hair. Sebastian watched me, and as he towered over me I noticed his ever-stretched grin splattered across his face. Yallannie was nowhere to be in sight, she most likely left me to dwell in my embarrassment. "What?" I exclaimed, brushing the excess leaves off the back of my skirt. "What were you even listening to?" he asked quietly. His voice was deep and smooth as velvet, a magical sound. I calmed myself. Matching his tone, I replied Madonna. His reaction caused me to blush. He contained a laugh inside himself but a goofy smile emerged. "Why are you ruby red?" he emphasized. I didn't want to admit the causations of the blood rushing towards my cheeks. He continued smiling and reached into my hair. He pulled out a red leaf and examined it for a second. He showed it to me, placing the leaf very close in between my eyes. "You missed one," he said. I joined my friends twenty minutes before breakfast was dismissed. They were all finished with their food and a mountain of wrappers was stacked in the middle. Polina saved me a cranberry muffin and a protein bar with a juice-box of orange juice. I thanked her gratefully and quickly scarfed down my breakfast. I didn't notice what they were talking about, I was focused on my food and also replayed the previous moments in my head. As I was thinking of Sebastian's dark eyes, I noticed another scene has aroused. "Yo, what is up with people this morning?" Yallannie pondered. It was between a redhead and a fair, tall brunette boy, Ariel. I noticed Ariel's outfit was ruined; his black trousers had milk spilled all over them, cereal all around his feet. He looked baffled; he stared down at himself with his mouth slightly open. He took in the situation and glanced around the crowd. I felt foul for staring at him, watching the situation, having embarked a similarly humiliating one myself only moments earlier. Flustered, Ariel ran through the cafeteria, his face crimson red, no, ruby red, as Sebastian had identified it. Laura got up from her seat and approached the girl. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Laura yelled. "You look like a gorilla, you stupid ass looking bitch." She ran out of the cafeteria, following Ariel's direction. The whole cafeteria got really quiet, and as I looked around I saw that all eyes were fixed on her. I didn't see Sebastian around, but I'm sure he was there, staring at her as well. I took in her whole appearance; she wore tube socks and tan boat shoes as well as a navy tee with the Aries crest stitched over her right breast. She had terrible cystic acne around her jaw and her eyebrows were wild and unruly. She wore not a gram of makeup, which was a shame because she looked rather frightening. I thought of poor Ariel and whether Laura was helping him or not. Lannie and I had first hour Philosophy which I admired. It was a class where I felt really calm in. The subject soothed me as the teacher would help us concentrate on theories and observations on life, death, and nature. I prayed the hours would pass faster so I could see Sebastian yet again. I replayed the scenery in my head over and over and did not concentrate in class until it was Moonley's 4th hour Law Class. Moonley's class had a chill atmosphere to it. You could hear every footstep echo in the room and each desk was aligned properly with the one before it. The blackboard was freshly washed and fresh pieces of chalk laid on the ledge of the board. Moonley wore his usual outfit, prim and proper he always looked. He greeted his class with a very formal, "Good morning, students." I sometimes wondered if he ever addressed people by their first names. Today, we discussed the psychology of Roman officials who determined the branches of our modern law. Just like every other class, I was lost and decided to give up on life. Moonley grilled a few students in the front this morning, especially a very beautiful brunette Libra girl named Vanessa. She lived down the hall from me and although she could be quite arrogant, she was a lovely being to me and let me borrow her banana-scented topcoat for my nails a couple of times. The poor girl looked like she was on the verge of tears and when the bell dismissed us to go to Luncheon, a sigh of relief escaped my lips. I felt like one of those days Moonley was going to pick on me and embarrass me in front of the class. Unlike Vanessa, I actually didn't know what the lessons were on and I couldn't argue my way out of anything. Yallannie and I walked out together and as we were approaching the Sciences Building, I already noticed Sebastian across the street; sitting on the ground, book in hand. "You go ahead, I have to do something." I said. Yallannie looked back and noticed where I was heading. A smirk danced on her lips as she turned towards a groggy Laura. I walked steady and slowly, my stature confident. I fixed my posture and flipped my long hair. As I approached him, he noticed and closed his book. "And what brings you here on this fine afternoon?" Sebastian smiled with his lips pressed together. I cleared my throat and cowered behind the gigantic apple tree. "I just want to thank you," I said, "for this morning." Sebastian patted the grass next to him, motioning for me to join him. I quitted the tree and sat next to him. I mimicked his position; legs extended, ankles crossed. "It was my pleasure, actually. I've always wondered what it would be like to sweep you off your feet." Oh, honey, me too, I thought. I looked at the book that he was holding on his lap. It was a thick paperback and the title was in a language I did not understand. "What are you reading?" I asked, taking the book from his lap and examined it a little closer. "Uh, it's La Vita Nuova. It's in Italian." "Dante?" I asked as I turned my head to face him. I was a little startled because my head was a little too close to his face. I noticed how big and brown his eyes were. I noticed the multiple freckles on his cheekbones and his nose. I also noticed his lips; they were pink and plump and his cupid's bow was nice and arched. He grinned and nodded his head. "What's it about?" He explained how it's a romance between Dante and a maiden named Beatrice. "It's a series of chapters, sonnets, and commentaries," he explained. "I don't really know how it ends, but I'd love to tell you all about it when I finish." "It would be my pleasure." I whispered. "You may join your friends if you'd like." he said. I most certainly did not want to leave and Sebastian took notice of that. He looked down at himself and blushed. The campus looked abandoned—not a soul in sight. There was a light cool breeze and a few orange leaves blew around us. "Are you excited for the seasons to change?" Sebastian pondered quietly. "My favorite time is the spring. I can't wait to leave school to live in the south." He turned his head to me. "What about you?" "I don't know," I replied matching my tone with his, "I was thinking about inhabiting the northern mountains of Italy or possibly just living in London." "Would you inhabit in solitude?" asked he, his volume raised just a bit and I felt his body tense. "I wouldn't want to. All my friends dream to go to different places, and Yallannie plans on traveling her whole life." "That's unfortunate," he sighed, "to travel all the time. I would like to get steady in one place and just remain there for as long as I may." "You don't enjoy change?" "Change is healthy, but I would like to keep something in memory. I just want to live peacefully with a wife, whoever that will be." "No kids?" "Whatever I'm blessed with," he answered serenely. And there I was, spending my luncheon hour with Sebastian, talking about all that crossed my mind. I checked my phone and I noticed our time together was coming to an end. I longed to just stay under this tree for eternity and I longed to lean on his toned shoulder and feel his muscular arm wrap around my waist. I frowned at the fantasy and got up from the ground. I fixed my skirt and announced that I needed to get going. He said goodbye with a smile and a wave. I proceeded towards the Libra House because it was closer than the Dining Hall. Once in my room, I checked myself in the dresser mirror. My T-zone was shiny and my eyeliner was smudged. "Oh my god!" I exclaimed, grabbing the loose powder and fluffy brush on my dresser, "I look like a mess." Swirling the powder onto my brush, I dusted the product onto my face. I also grabbed my bottle of dry shampoo on the dresser and sprayed a little onto my roots to refresh my hair. When I looked acceptable, I hurried to my bedside table and reached for an unwrapped protein bar. Those were my go-to's when I was hungry for a snack, and since I didn't eat during my luncheon hour, I was starving. I grabbed a bottle of water from our light blue vintage mini fridge, and scarfed down the bar and grabbed the bottle to go. Outside, I already saw the students scurrying off to their 5th hour class. I ran south of the campus to go to my Music Theory class which I had with Lannie. "Hey!" she exclaimed, "We were wondering what happened to you. Juan wouldn't shut up the whole luncheon hour." She rolled her eyes at the recent chain of events. "Were you with Sebastian?" I nodded my head. "He wants to get married, Lannie." "To you?" She smirked. I was flabbergasted. Seeing my reaction, she squealed louder than I have ever heard her in our entire friendship. "Ohmigods, my parents are getting together, someone hold me!" I laughed and covered my mouth with my hands, concealing the hideous face I made. "Tell me everything!" She exclaimed. "From the moment you left Law with me to the moment you hauled ass over here." And thus began a blossoming relationship.