Looking For The Stars

Chapter 1

Hazel Grace's POV-

I sat on the couch in the living room with my parents watching another episode of America's Next Top Model. I slightly lean forward in my seat as they begin to announce who will stay, and who will leave. And of course, my mother picks now to pause the show.

"Hey," I draw out. "I was watching that." I say and turn to see her already facing me. I raise an eyebrow to ask of her reasonings for stopping the recording right before the important part but she beats me to it and begins to speak. "Hazel," she says in a serious tone that makes me wonder if I had did something wrong. "Me and your father have decided that you need to start going out again and meet people your age. I know you're still upset about Augustus, and that is completely normal, but even he would want you to do this too."

That certainly got my attention.

"What? You where both complaining a few weeks ago that I hadn't been staying home much because I was out with Augustus doing what you wanted in the first place. And now you want me to go out and get attached to another someone and be gone all the time again?" I ask. My mother quickly glanced at my father who was sitting on the opposite side of me, then looked back at me. "Well, yes and no. We love you and want to spend every second of our time with you but the longer we hide you from the rest of the world, the farther you will be from meeting the one you will spend your life with."

I decided to brush off that comment about me spending my life with that capital S Special someone; I only wanted to be with Augustus.

"I'm not hidden from the world," I start. "I've got Isaac and Caitlyn." Dad put his hand on my shoulder. "I think what your mother means is that you need to meet new friends. Not that Isaac and Caitlyn aren't great, because they are wonderful, but you never know which friend maybe might end up being the one you fall for. Would you go for Isaac or Caitlyn?"

After he stopped I began to see what he was saying. But it didn't mean I wanted to go through with it.

After a short but certainly uncomfortable silence, my mom spoke up again. "I know you won't be happy about this, but we are sending you back to school."

"Boarding school to be exact. In Alabama."

That was enough to make my jaw drop. What possible future could possibly waiting for me in Alabama?

"It's called Culver Creek and it is an excellent school." I fight with my lungs to keep them working, but it feels like there is no air to breath. "When?" I croak. My mom looks over at my father again--for reassurance I'm guessing. "Tomorrow."

There it goes.

It's like my lungs are refusing to receive the air I am desperately trying to give. And soon enough, they are on fire.

Once I have calmed down and my parents have panicked, I excuse myself from their worried stares to my room.

I would pack, but it seems they have already done it for me. I get onto my bed with Phillip next to me on the floor and begin to talk to Gus, or the ceiling fan as it looks.