LOST STARS
The Jewel Project #3
And as he watched the grey sky, he wondered if this was it. If there was no way to ever bounce back. If there was no way they would ever be more than lost stars, trying to light up the dark left behind when their moon had disappeared.
Chapter 1
End of the Game
Chicago: Present Day
Clutch, shift, gas. Coordinate lift of clutch with press of gas and voila! The car cruised on peacefully without a jolt or hiccup. Because Tom was getting really good at this stick shift thing. He changed gears again, flawlessly. Hell yeah!
"Not bad, kiddo," Kyle said, from the passenger's seat. "You're really getting the hang of this."
"You did have a point. This feels so much better than automatic." Tom pulled up in front of their house and cut off the engine with a satisfied sigh. He then turned to Kyle. "Why are you doing this?"
"Teaching you to drive like a man?" Kyle asked, unbuckling his seatbelt.
Tom huffed. "No, that's pretty obvious. Why are you teaching me how to drive like a man on your birthday?"
"Because I have to stay out of the way while you plan my surprise party." Kyle hopped out of the car with a grin.
Tom's jaw dropped and he got out, too. "No, come on. Who told you?"
"You just did."
Damn. Damn, damn, damn. He should've seen it coming. Kyle just laughed and headed for the house. Tom slammed the car door shut, but didn't move away, resting his fingers on the hood of his brother's Range Rover. Because as he looked from the car he'd just climbed down from to the two story huge house in front of him, he found it hard to believe that he belonged there.
Two weeks. It had been two weeks of living in that house, being pampered by two strangers who claimed to be his parents, drove around in expensive cars and hung out with his four siblings. And there were still moments in which he couldn't believe all of this was real.
A new skill. Driving stick shift was a new skill and no one could take that away from him. And if that was real, then Kyle was real and this car and the rest of his family. Because they really were his family. The DNA test had proven that beyond any doubt. He was no longer an orphan and he could actually go to college.
Jimmy could go to college, too, even MIT like he'd always wanted. Sure, he'd missed this year, but he'd signed up for special science classes at the posh private school Sam went to, and would be applying the next year. Just like he would. Because him and Sam will be graduating together, sending out applications together... Tom's life had changed so much and it was perfect. Well, nearly perfect.
One huge part was missing: Angie. Where was she? How long did it take her to leave her stuff in order and move to Chicago? And why hadn't he thought to get her a phone before she left? He was so used to no phones that even now he kept forgetting he had one or where he actually put it. First order of business when she got back: cell phone, laptop and every other possible device that would make sure he could contact her whenever he wanted.
Ugh, he missed her too much for it to be healthy.
"Watcha doing? Trying to flip the car over?" Jimmy asked.
Tom jumped and turned to his brother who lifted the hood of Kyle's car. "Nah, just lost in thought."
"Be careful, or people might realize you're not a shallow bastard after all," Jimmy warned, taking a wrench out and sinking it into the depths of the car.
YOU ARE READING
Lost Stars (The Jewel Project #3)
Adventure"You youngsters are stupidly adorable with your stubborn obsession with love. Love doesn't lift you. It destroys you." For Sam Grant, his family has become his sanctuary and the team that joins him on death defying adventures. But after everythi...
