The Brightest Stars

Luna

I'm exhausted...

We step out of the gym with only a few minutes left for the last bell to ring. We all seem to drag our shoulders with the weight of thinking too hard. My test scores better be worth the stress.

"How do you think you did?" Xander comes up to me with exhausted hands shoved in the pocket of his denim jacket.

I give him a small smile and say, "Hopefully I got a good enough score, but I'm planning to stay for college."

"Oh," Xander quietly says. College applications have been sent a few weeks ago and Xander hasn't been very talkative. "Well. Maybe an opportunity will change your mind."

"What about you?" I say as we stop by a tree. Our friends have scattered around as they talk with other students who have come out of the gym as well. I don't seem to see Kristen anywhere or Nate. I already know they must've escaped somewhere else before tryouts start. "You haven't said anything about college applications..."

Xander looks down as his foot moves a rock around. He clears his throat and says, "I've applied to a few UCs."

I sigh and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Hey." He looks up and my stomach flutters at his dark grey eyes. I give him a tender smile and say, "Whatever it is, I'm sure it will come out alright. That's what you always tell me."

"This is different, Luna." Xander gently pulls away from my hand and turns around to lean on the tree. I move towards him and see his eyes turning distant. "Nothing will ever be the same after high school. I promise you that. And I just...I don't want to have anything in the path between me and my future."

I cross my arms on my chest as confusion falls onto me. "What are you trying to say? Is there something that's bothering you?"

"I just want the best for you, and I also want my parents to be proud of me."

I furrow my brows at this as pain starts stirring up inside me. "I'm stopping you from completing your dreams?"

Xander's eyes grow wide and he quickly shakes his head. "What? No! It's not what I mean, Luna."

"Then what is it?"

Xander sighs and his mind works to find the right words. He moves a little until he says, "I applied to a school in Kentucky. A really good school with a really good medical program. I....got a letter in the mail that I got a huge scholarship and all I have to do is apply...."

He stays silent as my body falls into confusion that I barely know what to say. I clear my throat as I look down and whisper, "And you applied, didn't you?" Something I love about him is that when an opportunity comes up, he jumps to take it. Just the way he did with me...

My heart breaks as his facial expression falls and sadness runs through his dark grey eyes. He nods and I give him a fake smile. "It's okay, babe. If there's something I want for you. it's happiness. I know you will become the best doctor in history." 

I give him a quick kiss on his cheek and look around as people start gathering around the Performing Arts building for the tryouts of the Dance Show. "We should get going," I quickly say before he can say anything else.

With small smiles, I take a hold of his hand and walk among the crowd of students. We're silent as I accompany him to sign up and then separate paths. Resolme separates students from the singers and the dancers. I watch him as he talks with his friends and laughs along with them. His beautiful smile does not reach his eyes. They don't shine like the stars. Instead, they are like the darkness that surrounds me in the audience seats. I sit by a girl that has her feet up on the seat in front of her and looks through her phone. I ignore her sloppy way of sitting and think of the conversation I had with Xander.