Lost in Hollywood

Hurricane

"That's a cool tattoo," Devon said, glancing at Sky's forearm as they stepped out of the warehouse.

Sky had to admit that was a Hell of a lot better conversation opening than the last one they'd had, when Devon had blamed her for Cody's death, but still, Sky wasn't holding her breath. Devon had said she wanted to talk about Kyler, and any talk that concerned Kyler was by default a shitty one.

"Thanks," she replied silently, her fingertips brushing the now-healed skin, the black smooth lines drawn on it. Corsican stars. The hurt flashed through her heart, just like every time she laid her eyes on the tattoo, exactly as she had thought it would. Now his death and her guilt were inked on her skin, and she would never forget.

"It's— it's for Cody," she added an explanation.

"What does it mean?"

Sky shrugged, not wanting to go into details. The memories of the days she'd spent in Cody's room, reading Cloud Atlas to him, were private. The heavy scent of his blood, the soft strands of his hair as she brushed her fingers through it, the way his face softened as he drifted to sleep, his head in her lap. Those days belonged to the two of them only, and now that Cody was gone, they were hers alone.

"It's from a book," she sighed. "Something he quoted to me."

In a dream. Told by Kat. But Sky had no doubt it was real, that Kat had told it just as it had happened. She could almost see it - Cody smiling to Kat, his hair ruffled with the wind, stars in his eyes, saying those two words because he had known Sky would understand—

Corsican Stars.

Sky's throat went tight, and she drew in a fast, almost angry breath. She was not going to cry, not here, not in front of Devon who had been Cody's friend, but who knew nothing, nothing about Sky's shattered heart. She leaned her back on the wall of the warehouse, and inhaled the air that smelled like gasoline and iron, counting to four and holding her breath before releasing it. The sunshine fell on her face, hot and unapologetic, drying the sweat on her forehead, the tears in the corners of her eyes before they had a chance to fall.

"Look, I'm sorry about what I said the other day, okay?" Devon said, and surprised by her words Sky opened her eyes, turned to look at the girl who was leaning on the wall next to her. Devon, who was usually well put together, looked a bit disheveled. Some strands had escaped from her high ponytail and were glued to her neck and her cheeks were flushed, but Sky had no idea if it was because of the training or because of this conversation.

"It's just—" Devon continued, her words dropping fast from her lips. "When I joined the debate team, Cody was like the star of it. He was the best. And still, he was so nice to all of us new kids, even when he didn't have to be. I looked up to him, so much. Like— he wasn't just my friend. He was my mentor. Did you ever see him debate?"

Sky shook her head, a sudden weight squeezing her chest. They had only dated for a couple of months, and during that time, she'd been too wrapped up in her stupid issues to really take an interest in Cody's hobbies. Regret had a sharp taste on her lips. What wouldn't she give now, for a chance to see Cody on stage acting a play, on a podium throwing clever arguments in a debate, reading Shakespeare with his friends, laughing, writing articles for the school paper—

"Well, he was incredible," Devon stated, kicking the ground with the tip of her black sneaker. She had wrapped her arms around her body. "And when he died—"

"I know," Sky interrupted, the hollow ache spreading from her belly to her chest. "You should blame me for it. Everyone does. And God knows I do."

"That's not what I was gonna say," Devon's voice was sharp and strong, and it forced Sky to look up and meet her dark chocolate eyes. "I mean, I  did blame you, but— It's not really fair, is it? It's not like he did it just because you broke up. I blame Blatt a lot more than I blame you. But mostly, I blame Kyler."