Until the Stars Fade

Chapter 8

Today is my first day of my junior year at my new high school. The school is in Riverside, so it's close by and I can walk there, but Hazel has insisted on picking me up to ride with her. I got lucky and we actually have a lot of classes together, so I'm not as nervous as I thought I'd be.

As we pull into the parking lot, my phone vibrates and I see a text from Asher.

Happy first day of school! Can't wait to hear all about it. Xo

I smile and text back.

Thanks! I'll miss you.

Hazel parks and we head inside to join the masses of teenagers in the school hallways. She takes me to my assigned locker, not far from hers, and introduces me to a few people along the way. There's lot of jovial back to school talk, how was your summer, oh my god, have you seen so and so chatter as we walk to our first class.

By lunchtime I'm feeling pretty good about my new school and actually think some of the teachers seem pretty cool. Hazel and Finn save a spot for me at their lunch table and I meet more of their friends. I've met so many people today, I feel like I'll never remember their names, but everyone has been nothing but nice and welcoming to me.

I check my phone and see I missed a few texts from Asher.

Hope you're having a good day, I'm bored without you. I thought about going to the store and hangin in the towel room with Jean.

Don't worry, I didn't. I went to the gym instead.

Asher's been spending more time at the gym since he got his character profile for the show and his character is described as pretty athletic and muscular, so he's trying to bulk up. He's already pretty fit since he swam on his high school swim team, so it's seeming to be pretty natural for him. He said he should have been working out all summer, but meeting me caused him to become a bum instead!

I text back.

Glad you didn't stop by the store, that would have been weird. Classes are good, eating lunch with Hazel and Finn and their friends. Missing our lunch walks though.

The afternoon passes by quickly with a few more classes and then Hazel is dropping me off at the condo. I feel exhausted from the whole day and head in to get a jump on my assignments.

When I open the door, Asher is sitting at the table with Gogo and they are both laughing at something on the table.

"Hey, what are you doing here," I say as I head over to kiss him on the cheek.

"I wanted to be here when you got home from your first day. How was it?" He stands to give me a big hug and I instantly feel myself relax.

"It was good, but it was still school, you know how that is," I say, glancing over at the table to see what they are looking at. Gogo looks up at me and shows me the photo album in her hand. "I was showing Asher pictures of you as a baby. I had forgotten how adorable and chunky you were then," she says as she turns the album my direction.

"Gogo!" I exclaim, pulling the album out of her hand. "That is so embarrassing, you can't show Asher these pictures." I can feel my cheeks getting red just thinking about it.

"Babe," he says pulling me back into a hug, "you were the cutest kid. Gogo has the best pictures. She was also showing me pictures of her and your grandpa."

We spend the next hour looking through Gogo's photo albums while she tells us about all the places she and PopPop traveled.

When it's time for dinner, Gogo says we should celebrate my first day of school by ordering pizza and invites Asher to join us. We stuff ourselves with pizza while I tell them about my classes and new teachers.

When I keep yawning while we're sitting on the balcony, Asher says its time for him to head home. I walk him to the door and he kisses me goodnight. I attempt to do a little homework and then head to bed to just get up and do it all over again tomorrow.