Golden Stars

Walnuts and Stars

They sat in silence, Stella looking out the window. Theodore continued to drive into the desert. They were surrounded my sand and stars. The truck's tires blew sand out behind them, they had left paved road awhile ago.

Stella broke the comfortable silence, "Are we there yet?" She wined.

"Almost." Theodore replied, glancing at her before returning his eyes to the road.

"Thanks for that great answer." Stella said sarcastically.

Theodore didn't respond, letting another comfortable silence wash over them. Stella looked out the car window. They where still in the middle of nowhere, but up ahead was a group of trees, probably some oasis or spring. Theodore slowed down, and pulled up next to a palm tree.

"Here we are." He said, opening his car door.

"Finally." Stella said, before also strong out of the car.

Next to them was a pool of water, and above millions of beautiful stars. Stella stared at the heavens, enjoying their glorious glow.

"

"So..?" Theodore asked looking at Stella, "What do you think?"

"It's amazing, but I'm confused about why you asked for blankets." Stella replied, her eyes still on the night sky.

"We're sleeping in the back of your truck!" Theodore exclaimed.

"w- ha- What?" Stella stuttered. Not replying, Theodore went around to the side of the truck and opened the door, and after a moments confusion, he grabbed some old blankets. The blankets where pink and purple, and had many stains from Stella and Katrina's sleepover antics, mostly nail polish. Theodore threw the blankets into the back of the truck, and then got in himself.

"You coming?" he called, and stuck his head up.

"You're an idiot!" Stella said, yet age still climbed onto the bed of the truck.

"I'm an amazingly smart individual." Theodore replied.

"You have the brain of a walnut." Stella said.

"Jokes on you," Theodore laughed, "Walnuts don't have brains."

"That's why you have the brain of a walnut, idiot." Stella said, using his 'Logic' against him.

"If your going to call me walnut, I'm going to call you..." Theodore sat in thought.

"Don't think too hard, you'll hurt yourself." Stella giggled.

"Star. Because their hard to look at and full of gas." Theodore said.

"Screw you!" Stella said.

"That's you, right there." He said, pointing at the sky.

Stella looked at where be was pointing, and laughed out loud.

"That's Saturn you walnut." She said.

"How do you know that." Theodore said, trying to defend his 'star'.

"My dad's an astronomer, I know a lot about the sky." Stella said.

"Wait: what's your last name?" Theodore asked.

Stella sighed, "Butler."

"Like... the.... Will Butler?" Theodore asked, sounding surprised.

"Sadly." Stella replied.

"Well- at least you have a parent. My mother is running off with some rich guy, and my father has a family of his own." Theodore said.

"That doesn't sound fun." Stella stated.

"It isn't." He replied, before turning back to the night sky.

"So..." Stella trailed off, "How do you know this place?" She asked.

"My uncle was a big environmentalist." he replied.

"Neat. It's pretty here." She said, looking at the small pool of water next to them.

"It was the last project we did together." He said.

"Why aren't you working with him anymore?" Stella asked, but from the look on his face she instantly regretted it.

"He's dead." Theodore replied, not a bit of emotion in his voice.

"I'm sorry." Stella said.

"It's not your fault." He said, "Don't offer pity"

"I'm sorry for bringing it up." She cleared her throat, "I'm not offering pity, I'm offering understanding. My mother died in a car crash when I was young.

Theodore leaned his head on the back window of the truck. Stella did the same, the two of them side by side.

"Goodnight, Walnut." Stella said.

"Night, ball of burning gas." Theodor replied. Stella chuckled softly, before pulling the blanket up and falling asleep.