Beyond Our Stars (Excerpt)

Chapter Three

ONE WEEK BEFORE T.D.

“Maybe we could go do some work in the tanks together later? Get you ready for the final?” I was hovering near Chance, having to talk to his back because he constantly turned it on me or walked in front of me.

“I’m set, don’t worry,” he said without emotion. He picked up his pace and went to class as I turned a hallway to go to mine. No goodbye.

Chance had been really moody ever since that night. Nothing I said or did seemed to make him happy.

I’d explained, I’d told him that I loved him, of course I loved him, but that marriage just wasn’t what was right for me right now. Or for him. I’d even tried to laugh about it a little at first, but that had made him madder. I’d really managed to hurt him. And I felt absolutely terrible.

He’d asked me to leave that night, and after hugging him and giving him unreturned kisses I obliged. But the next day Chance skipped classes and when I went to go bang on his door no one answered. I even entered in his code and it was changed. I had no idea if he was there and ignoring me or off hiding in some other part of the ship. I left.

I didn’t want to lose him. I tried not to think about what the proposal might’ve meant. I tried to think that the impeding T.D. was making him nervous that I’d start a new life without him once we weren’t confined to the ship. But I had no intention of doing that. Always, in my mind, I pictured Chance as a part of my life.

After a few days he’d started letting me see him a little. But it was like he only saw me so that he could either ignore me or be rude to me. And I never saw him at night, I didn’t even ask.

But tonight I knew exactly where he’d be. The slamming final was this evening, after classes.

I’d made it through the early morning and was almost to the door for Repopulation when a boy stopped me in my tracks by standing in my way.

“You enjoying our last day of classes?” he asked me in a pleasant voice.

I wondered if I should know him. He had shiny, jet black hair that he let grow long around his face. His eyes were strange, and ...I thought he must have been wearing eyeliner or something. The sweetness in his voice didn’t match.

“Yes, I guess.” I didn’t know this kid. I didn’t like the way he blocked my path, standing too close.

His expression wavered. He frowned. “I’m Legacy, we talked last year in Probes and Shuttles.”

I couldn’t help the raise of my eyebrows. “Oh, I’m sorry, okay,” I waited to see if there was something else he wanted to tell me. Though, honestly, I had no idea who he was and if we’d exchanged more than a few words I was sure I’d remember.

He kept standing in my way and looking at me. It was starting to get weird so I moved to the side so I could walk into class.

He moved in front of me again. “I have to get to class, is there something I can help you with?” Suddenly Legacy looked defeated and he moved to the side. I walked into the room and tried to put the look in his eyes out of my head.I made it through the rest of classes and sent up a hallelujah that it was over! The icing on top of my sweet, sweet cake was the slamming finals tonight. I’d been feeling too horribly guilty, I needed some excitement.

Since Chance had turned me down for practice I went to his room to see if he was trying to get some rest beforehand. He’d never told me the new code, but I could still knock.

When I got to his quarters the door was already open. I peeked in and saw that the room was cleared out of any personal belongings. My mind swirled.