Chasing After the Stars

Chapter One

*Faith's POV*

I walked into my second period English class on a normal Wednesday. I sat down at my usual desk, somewhere in the middle of the classroom. I didn't have any friends in this class, so it didn't really matter where I sat.

I looked up at the clock above the chalkboard at the front of the classroom. Class was going to start in about a minute.

I looked back down at the desk and opened my notebook to immediately start doodling. I barely looked up when the teacher started to talk.

After about fifteen minutes into the lesson, I picked up the words "working in groups." I looked up at the front of the class. Ms. Scallop had a clipboard in her hand and was looking down at it, scanning over whatever was written.

"I'll read out to you the names of the people you'll be working with. The first group is..."

She started to read off a list of names that I recognized, but didn't know personally. Only when she was about to reach the end of the list did she mention my name.

"... Star Holmes, Faith Yost, Katherine Jones."

She read a couple more names off her list. She then set the clipboard down and clapped her hands together.

"Alright! Form into your groups and start discussing your project. Remember, the due date is two weeks from now. Get started!"

I scanned the room for my partners. I didn't know Star Holmes, but I recognized Katherine from some of my other classes. I soon saw her sitting across the room with a small redhead. I walked over to them and sat down at a desk nearby.

"Hi, Faith," Katherine greeted me with a smile. I gave a half-smile in return as I reopened my notebook.

"This is Star," Katherine said to me, gesturing toward the redhead.

"Hi," I said quietly. Star waved at me.

"Okay, so let's talk about the project," Katherine piped up after a few seconds of silence. "What are your guys' thoughts?"

I shrugged. "I don't really know what it is. I wasn't paying attention."

Star shook her head. "Neither was I," she laughed.

Katherine rolled her eyes and giggled, and then explained to us what we were supposed to do. We had to pick a school-appropriate book that none of us had ever read before and read it, and then construct a creative report summarizing the book.

"Okay," Star said when Katherine was finished. "Sounds easy enough."

Star flipped open her notebook. She picked up a pencil and wrote something at the top of her paper. She then looked at Katherine and me.

"What are some books you guys were thinking of?"

I shrugged.

"I kind of have been wanting to read 'A Thousand Moons' by Esther McCauley," Katherine suggested.

"I've never read that," Star replied. "Have you, Faith?"

I nodded. "I read it a few months ago."

"Oh. Okay," Katherine said. "What about you, Star? What were you thinking of?"

"Hmm... I kind of wanted to read 'Paper Tents' by John Luna. Or 'Lost Girls' by Gretchen Lightyear."

"I've never read 'Lost Girls.'" I pointed out.

"Neither have I," Katherine replied. "Should we do that?"

Star and I nodded.

"Sounds good," Katherine said. "We can all pick up copies at the library. Or, I saw some on Ms. Scallop's bookshelf at the front of the classroom. We could ask to borrow those."