STARGAZER

CHAPTER 1: STARGAZER

CHAPTER 1: STARGAZER

(DAY 1)

“SOPH, WAKE UP.” 

I felt arms shaking me out of my dreams. Unraveling me from sleep. I flipped my eyes open to see Bea looking at me with a huge smile on her face stretched ear to ear. “We’re going to the mall today!” 

My names Sophia, and my best friend is Beatrice. But she hates that name, so we just call her Bea. We’ve been traveling around America with this tour group since we are too old to go to our summer camp. Just us and a few other people but we barely pay attention to them. Today was our day off from seeing monuments and walking.

“Sophia, you gotta get up, but if you wanna miss the sale on shoes today..” That got me up. I pulled off the sheets and raced into the shower. I hate the little shampoos they have in the hotel, they just make my hair poofy and disgusting. I really should pick up some at the shop down the street. 

I got out pulling the towel to my head and drying every strand because I hate using the hair dryer. It’s too much heat. I put the mouse in my hair and it curled instantly. I really do hate it when girls put in the mouse the wrong way and it’s all crispy and wavy, not curly and soft. 

I applied my makeup and heard pounding at the door. “YOU ALMOST DONE YET?!” Does Bea not understand I need to apply my makeup correctly.. “Yeah, hold on!” I put on the eye liner quickly and raced to get my clothes. I didn’t feel like wearing anything too dressy so I put on my oversized grey sweatshirt with a pair of black skinny jeans. I put my flats on and walked out the door with Bea. We rented a car because while we are on this tour all we have is a bus, and we can’t drive it. I just got my license 2 months ago, i’m still so frightened to drive alongside the maniacs who drive though red lights. 

We walked around the mall to forever 21, and H&M. I bought a blouse but that was about it besides lunch. We stopped at a salad bar, it was a shop filled with anything you could ever imagine to be in your salad from every type of nut, to slices of oranges. I just asked for a ceaser and Bea asked for a fruit. How does a bunch of fruit in a bowl count as a salad.. I just don’t know. “Sophia, remember to eat more than that.. remember your incident. We’ll stop on the way back to the hotel and grab something like Wendy’s.” Agh. Every time I don’t eat a lot she brings up my issue. It still hurts, does she not understand?  

It was about 5:00 when we got back to the hotel. We didn’t know what was happening when there were tons of girls surrounding the whole hotel. We had to weave though all these screaming girls. Was their a celebrity staying in our hotel? 

We got to the door and security asked to see our room keys. I was so confused. I pulled my purse out and showed them. They let us in and we could finally hear silence. It was like a plane crashed and you can hear all the people yelling. Sometimes I really do hate my gender. They embarrass me. 

I slid the card down the slot and walked into the room. The beds were made and the towels were new. I loved not having to clean up after myself, I could get used to this. “You wanna go down to the bar tonight?” Bea asked. We had fake ID’s which came in handy at times. “I just really want to hang out tonight. I’ll come down to the lobby with you but I think i’ll just listen to music and read.” 

“Suits yourself!” She said running into the bathroom to get ready. She was such a party girl. I remember in the 8th grade we had a party after class night, and It was absolutely crazy. Her parents let her have alcohol and everyone was having sex all over the place. I literally was about to throw up that night from seeing all of that.. I ditched ten minutes into the party. I don’t even know why me and her would be friends, but I guess opposites attract. 

I got everything I needed, not changing. While we were walking to the elevators I saw a door that said “ROOF” on it. Maybe i’ll go up there later. 

She pressed the button to go to the lobby and turned to me. “You’re gonna regret sitting in the lobby while everyone is gonna be having a good time.” I nudged her “You know I don’t like to do that stuff.” She knew it, she always tried to pull it on me that I should be more of a party animal. But I just don’t like it. I like calm.

I found a seat over near the check in desk. No one was there, just me. The seat was perfect, with a huge window in front of it showing the sun going down in the distance. Rhode Island was gorgeous. I’ve never been here and I could really see myself living here. The beaches, the sand, the shopping. Everything was perfection. I popped in my ear phones and turned on some Ed Sheeran while I was reading my favorite Harry Potter book. I love reading, feeling like you’re in a different world. Getting away from reality is exactly what I need. 

I was reading for a while. I would say an hour and the sun was gone. All I saw now was black sky and stars. Living in New York city all the time and not seeing a single star in the sky was sad. I love watching them, the white little specks that make up our universe. I took out my earphones and put my stuff in my bag. I turned back for a final glance out the window when I heard foot steps. I looked up to see a boy with blonde hair. A little bit older than me in a white tee with black pants on. He smiled and sat down next to me staring out the window. “Gorgeous, innit.” He spoke. I didn’t expect a thick Irish accent when he spoke. “Yeah. It is.” I replied. I don’t know why he would be talking to me. I don’t even know him. 

We sat there in silence just looking out the window. He didn’t make any kind of move on me which was comforting because most boys do. I find it so disgusting when they do because i’m not an object. You can’t put a claim on me. I’m a person just like them. 

“Want to see a better view?” I said to him. I feel like I trust him. He doesn’t seem like a rapist.. at least I think. “Yeah.” He said whispering. I got up with my bag, “Follow me then!” He followed behind me close. We went up the elevator to my floor and looked for the door with “ROOF.” I found it and opened it to see if it was unlocked. Thank god it was or it would have been a waste coming all the way up here. There were a few steps up and finally you could see the wide open sky. 

“Wow.” He said. His eyes got huge, like he was looking at something so spectacular. I don’t know if that’s how I looked, but I felt that way. 

I laid down on the concrete. He looked down at me and did the same. 

We laid there in silence for about 5 minutes when he spoke up. “What do think when you look up at the stars?” I was taken back at his question. But I answered honestly. 

“I think, that i’m big.” He moved his head to look at me but I still looked up. “What do you mean you feel big? You’re so tiny.” He sound confused, but I expected that.

“I look up at the stars and I.. I feel big. Because I know that we are in this universe, we are part of the universe, but also I am in the universe. Those stars above me, made me. And I feel big because those atoms are in me.” I felt so extremely happy just watching, seeing the lights and twinkling stars. Watching for shooting stars. Seeing the huge moon above me. 

I looked over to him, and whispered “What do you think when you see the stars?” He looked back up into the blackness and said “I think, that right now. Someone on the earth is watching the exact same stars as i’m seeing. Someone I miss is looking at them with me, even though we are miles apart. We’re connected.” 

He seemed like someone who understood me. Someone who I could talk to for hours about everything under the sun. 

“What’s your name?” He said. “My names Sophia.” He looked over once more at me. “Sophia. I love that name.” He whispered. “What’s yours?” I asked.

“Niall.” 

“Niall what?”

“Horan.”

I got up and fixed my outfit. He sat up and looked at me. “You think i’ll see you again?” I signaled for him to give me his phone, he pulled it out and I put my digits in. I snapped a quick picture and set it as my contact. He smiled when I put the phone in his hand. 

“It was nice being with someone tonight who understood me.” And I walked away down the stairs and into my hotel room. I put my PJ’s on and slid into bed not removing my makeup. I laid there thinking about him all night until I finally drifted into a heavy sleep.

He’s my stargazer.