under the stars | rick riley

chapter one

vanessa alan banks ;

    A single golden leaf pirouetted down an invisible spiral of breeze, spinning through the air as it let itself be carried down. It shook slightly, as if it could have been whisked away any second by the grip of an icy wind, but it kept floating down the twirling course. It blew past my face and landed lightly on the ground, the shiny, vibrant colour standing out against the ambers and bronzes beneath it. It was so delicate, I wanted to reach down and pick it up and hold it close to my heart, smoothing out any creases, but something told me that it belonged there, this corpse of what was once summer.

   It was my first at school so obviously I was a bit nerovus, everyone was looking at me, their eyes were judging if I was going to be one of the popular kids or an outcast. I was anxious to see myself.

   In a way, I felt like the leaf. Dead. The old Nessa Banks was dead. No one at this preppy school knew who I was. Aside from my brother Adam and his friends that were all attending this school, I was a mystery girl, just like all the freshman had been. However I was going into my senior year. I wasn't very envious of the fact that I'd have to start my senior year at a new school with no friends, but my parents insisted that I came here so that my brother wouldn't be alone. I'd do anything for the boy, so, here I was, standing mixed in the large campus, my eyes set on the smallest leaf in front of the biggest school that reminded me of a famous university and pictures of Indiana University of Pennsylvania I've seen in a catalog my guidance counselor at my old school ordered me to read.

   I felt myself tearing my eyes away from the once vibrant leaf. They trailed to what I had been wearing. Now that I look at myself, and look at the others surrounding me, I wanted to run to my car, curl up in a ball and cry. I wore a simple black fit shirt, with a yellow button up overall dress. I thought it was cute, as did my mother who beamed at me with complete awe all morning. But I looked like definite trash, like I hadn't belonged here.

   A screeching bell tore me from my racing thoughts. I turned back to reality, seeing students rushing into the school entrance where the auditorium had been. We were all supposed to meet there, I guess. I really wasn't sure of anything. My brother knew everything. He was the brains, basically the calendar. He knew everything and anything even if it was a future event. Sadly today he decided to skate to school with half of his teammates on his hockey team instead of catching a ride with me. I wasn't mad; it was sweet of him to stick with his friends on the first day of his freshman year. It was cute.

A small and exhausting sigh slipped from my mouth. I wiped my sweaty palms on the bottom of my dress finding myself dragging my body into the crowded school. I intertwined myself in the crowd trying to appear as a normal student. Being the curious person I was, I gazed at the people surrounding me that found their way to the auditorium like a lost puppy dog just as I had been. I felt calmer in a sense. Seeing how these kids were nervous, I assumed I didn't have much to worry about. A small smile appeared on my face, even once my eyes landed on the boy beside me.

    He was taller, and very muscular. Huge brown eyes that were charming just as his other features had been. He had dark shaggy hair with bangs that sat perfectly on his forehead, a charming grin on his face with a sharp jawline and a rather prominent and broad chin. His face was the shape of an oval, however he had the perfect cheekbones and quite frankly the perfect face. He seemed to be interested in something ahead of us because in a matter of seconds, the mysterious boy was gone.

   I now felt empty. I wasn't sure why, but I did. Something was different when the boy was around yet I didn't even know who the boy was, let alone his name. Besides, I didn't need to have a crush on anyone. This is my senior year, and I needed to focus on my senior year. Boys could wait for the summer, right?