Starstruck

Chapter 5b: Heavenly bodies (part 2)

Chapter 5

Heavenly bodies (part 2)

A bunch of cheerleaders--including Trina, of course--were gathered around the players, along with a whole lot of other people, both students and parents. Nobody paid any attention as I wormed my way through the crowd toward Rigel. Though I lost sight of him in the press of people, I could tell exactly which direction to go and then, suddenly, he was right in front of me.

He grinned down at me, his hair all tousled, his uniform dirty and sweaty . . . in other words, totally gorgeous.

"Hey, M!" he said, causing several heads to turn my way, their owners wearing various expressions of surprise. Trina was the only one who actually looked outraged, but I only got a fleeting glimpse of her face before I was completely caught in Rigel's gaze--again.

"Hey," I echoed. "Great game!" It was trite, but true.

His grin widened. "Thanks. Too bad we still lost."

A few people around him protested, repeating what Bri had said about the improvement over last year's game against Elm Grove, but Rigel didn't seem to be paying attention to them. He kept his eyes on me for a long moment, stealing my breath, and then turned to a man and woman just behind him.

"Mom, Dad," he said, "this is M. Um, Marsha Truitt."

I gulped--not visibly, I hoped. I definitely hadn't expected this.

Nor did I expect what I saw when I looked past Rigel to his parents, a polite smile on my lips. They were both nearly as gorgeous as Rigel. His mom looked more like a movie star than an obstetrician, with auburn hair and perfect skin. His dad was as tall and dark as Rigel, and way, way too handsome for a computer tech.

Though I desperately wanted to make a good impression, all I managed was a weak, "Hi."

They made up for my lack, coming forward to greet me with delighted smiles that warmed me even before they spoke.

"Marsha!" his mother exclaimed. "I'm so honored . . . I mean, I'm very pleased to meet you."

Honored? I blinked. Why would anyone, especially this beautiful, brilliant woman, be honored to meet me?

She looked a little embarrassed, which surprised me further, then she glanced at her husband, who quickly spoke up.

"We're both pleased to meet you," he said. His voice was deep and pleasant, though it didn't affect me the way Rigel's did. "It's nice to see Rigel making friends here already."

At that, Trina stepped up, practically shouldering me out of the way as she extended her hand. "Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Stuart, I'm Trina Squires. I was actually Rigel's very first friend here at Jewel High, wasn't I, Rigel?"

He hesitated for an instant but then nodded. "Yes, Trina was very helpful my first day here."

"Nice to meet you, Trina," Rigel's mother said with a cool, polite smile. Then she immediately turned back to me. "Marsha, can we offer you a ride home?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Trina's mouth fall open--literally fall open--but I resisted the urge to smirk at her.

"That's really nice of you, Dr. Stuart--" I stressed the "doctor" just a tiny bit, so Trina would know she'd screwed up there-- "but my uncle is here. In fact, he's probably waiting for me at the gate by now."