Under the Stars

Evelyn Wilcox has been sheltered her whole life, not an issue in sight. She has it all; good grades, a solid BFF, and more than enough books. Well...that's what everybody thought. The only thing she has ever wanted was to fall in love. The problem was that she couldn't open up to people in fear that they would hurt her. She wants the experience without the troubles.

Meet Ryder Williams, a boy that has a bad past, but an even worse image. He's broken beyond repair and lashes out, hurting everybody he cares about. In her last attempts to save him, his mother sends him to live with her old friend for a few months, hoping that a new scenery could mend what was broken.

From first glance these two are skeptical of each other; one an innocent closeted hopeless-romantic and the other a shattered boy with dangerous behavior. They couldn't be more different, yet they both see something in each other that the other fails to see.

~~~
I lay back down, my back softly hitting the grass. After a moment's silence I look over at him and notice that he's staring off into space, "I wish I were up there", I say softly, pointing at the vast sky filled with millions of stars. He turns his head towards me and raises an eyebrow.

"Why?, he asks as he breaks our gaze, looking back into the sky. "Do you not want to be here anymore?", he asks in a slightly panicked voice. I chuckle softly and shake my head as I look up at the countless stars.

"It's not that", I say smiling. "I just want to be somewhere where someone can see me and even if it's a little unclear, they still know I'm there", I admit quietly. I look over at him to see his reaction but there isn't one. He lays still aside from tensing up a little. I immediately look away, embarrassed, "I'm sorr-", I start to say.

"Me too", he says quietly as he interrupts me.