Rising Star: Book 3 of The Orion Series

Growing Fires

**CONTENT WARNING** Depiction of a bad anxiety attack, reader discretion is advised.

Silent intruder

Worse than a computer

Stalking you behind the worst things

You think that you'll make it

Just try to and fake it

But it all comes tumbling down 'round your ears

Choke on the smoke

Give it a poke

Yeah I'm not dead I'm right here

Living in fear

My God, on the pier

Just to be thought so alive

Silent I drown

My hands cuffed and bound

That's how it is year after year

Counting my sin

I wish I could win

But who am I kidding? All that I am I'm just me

--the song Anxious, lyrics by Orion Bauwens

"OH MY GOD JAKE YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO BELIEVE THIS!"

I pull my phone away from my ear, wincing. Cautiously I bring it back to my ear. "Dude, calm--"

"WE'RE GETTING A STAR ON THE WALK OF FAME!"

I pull the phone away from my ear.

"WE'RE GETTING A FUCKING STAR ON THE FUCKING WALK OF FAME!"

"WHAT?!"

"WE'RE GETTING A STAR ON THE WALK OF FAME IN FUCKING HOLLYWOOD!!!! WOOOO!"

I run outside of my house, literally. Ben is already outside, screaming his head off. Orion, who had called me, comes out last, flinging himself off the front steps and running to us. The three of us grab onto each other, jumping up and down, screaming our heads off. I don't even know what the fuck I'm saying, and I can't understand them, either. We're all completely hysterical.

We end up going to Ben's house and do something really stupid. Well, at the time it wasn't stupid. It just...didn't end well.

To celebrate, Ben brought out some fireworks. Orion was cracking up, clapping his hands.

"What the fuck? You just--had these?"

Ben shrugs, starting to stage them. "I have more money than I know what to do with now."

Orion gives him a look. "Try giving to a charity?"

Ben shrugs, putting down the last one. "I don't know which one..."

"Talk to Gloria. I'm sure she could give you a list."

"Alright, you're killin' the vibe!" Ben whines at him. "And I will. But first--celebratory fireworks!"

As each one goes off, we 'oooo' and 'aaaah'. That is, until the third from last one goes shooting off more or less horizontally.

"Oh shit!" we all say together, jumping.

It goes up at the last second, landing on one of our neighbor's roof. All of our eyes are huge.

"Ooooooh fuck," Orion says.