Starcrossed

Chapter 9b: graell (part 2)

Chapter 9 (part 2)

graell (grayl): an emotional and physical bond believed mythical by most Martians

I actually laughed out loud, right there in the hallway, before remembering to drop my voice again—not that we were exactly talking Martian stuff now. "No way. He knows I'm with you—it's not exactly a secret. And even if he is . . . interested in me, it doesn't matter. You know that. I won't ever think of anybody else that way. I can't."

Then I remembered that weird tingle I got from Sean—surely just some random Martian anomaly? Whatever it was, I definitely wasn't about to mention it to Rigel now!

He stopped and turned me toward him so he could look into my eyes. "I know, M. I trust you completely—with my life and my heart." I could tell beyond doubt that he meant it. "It's his motives I don't trust. His and Allister's. So . . . be careful, okay?"

"Okay. But they can't possibly change the way I feel, so their motives don't really matter, do they? I mean, I promise not to lead him on or anything."

Now he laughed. "That's not something I was worried about."

I was relieved to see him smiling again. "What, you don't think I can flirt with the best of them?" I joked.

He threw an arm around my shoulders and gave me a delicious squeeze. "You don't have to, believe me. You're already completely irresistible."

"To you, maybe. But thanks. And ditto."

During class, while filling in my water cycle chart, I occasionally focused my attention on Rigel behind me, gauging his emotions. Except for occasional spurts of irritation with Trina—his lab partner—he mostly stayed upbeat, though toward the end of class a darker edge crept back in.

"Want to grab something we can eat in the courtyard?" I suggested on the way to lunch.

As usual, Rigel saw right through me. "I'm fine, M." He gave me a smile to prove it. "Besides, it's drizzling and about forty degrees. But I appreciate the offer."

"Think you can get away tonight after dinner, then?" I asked as we got into the lunch line.

But he shook his head. "Dad, Grandfather and Allister have me helping them with a project. They say it's to get a young person's input, but I think it's really to keep me home at night. How about this afternoon?"

"It's a date," I promised, already tingling at the thought of some uninterrupted alone time with Rigel.

We sat down with our lunches and a moment later I saw Molly heading for our table. But she'd barely left the lunch line when Trina intercepted her. "Hey, Molly, you don't have to sit with the losers anymore. You can sit with us now." She gestured toward the cheerleaders' table.

Though no one else at our table could possibly hear the exchange, Rigel and I both could. We glanced at each other, waiting to see what Molly would say.

"Thanks, Trina, but I like M and her friends. They're really nice."

I could see Trina's lip curl from halfway across the room. "Nice? Trust me, you don't know Marsha like I do. I'll admit Rigel Stuart is easy on the eyes, even if he is a total player. But the others—?" She rolled her eyes. "Come on over if you change your mind."

Molly walked away from her without replying. "Hey, M," she greeted me when she joined us. "Do you think you can come over again soon?"

I wished she'd waited to ask when Rigel wasn't right there—not that I'd have hidden it from him, of course. But I wanted to preserve his good mood and I could feel it souring the moment she spoke.

Still, I nodded. "Probably. My aunt seems to be fine with it."

"Great! I was afraid you might have gotten in trouble after staying so late last night."

Honestly, was she trying to get me in trouble with Rigel? There was nothing calculating in her expression. but now Bri and Deb were interested.

"So what are you guys up to?" Bri asked, a little tinge of jealousy in her voice. Which was totally uncool, considering how much more time she'd been spending with Deb than me lately—and it wasn't all my fault.

"I'm just helping Molly and Sean get caught up in History—not that they need a lot of help." I smiled at Molly and she smiled back.

"It was my mum's idea," she explained to Bri, who was still frowning a little. "But M's being a really good sport about it."

"So, Molly, are you joining the cheerleading squad?" Deb said to change the subject. Deb hated anything like conflict.

Molly nodded. "I thought it might be fun to cheer at Sean's games. You guys will come, won't you?"

"Are you kidding?" Bri was instantly distracted. "I never miss a game. I especially won't now. Let's all go to the scrimmage against Alexandria week after next! Show our support."

She spent the rest of lunch talking basketball and I was surprised that Molly seemed to know as much about it as she did. Rigel made an occasional comment, too, but I stayed quiet, not wanting to display my ignorance. I was just happy Rigel was relatively cheerful again, despite the frequent mentions of Sean's name. I hoped that meant I'd successfully reassured him.

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