Page 97 of A Sky Full Of Stars

Putting on the smile I usually reserve for performances, I lift my eyes and take in the devastation.

What was once a beautiful white silk tutu and bodice is now a shredded mess, revealing more skin than I’ve ever exposed in public. My eyes immediately go to my nipple, but from the way my body shivers, I know that’s not the worst of it, but I can’t bring myself to look.

The whispers start up again just as our helper calls my name to begin.

My eyes glaze over, and I almost cover myself up until a thought hits me. This is what they want. They want me to fail. They want me to hide away and cower. But it’s not happening. This is my time to shine. And it might be exactly what I need.

“Fuck it.” They don’t want me to dance. Well, too fucking bad. I’m going to give them the performance of my life, and I’m doing it in costume.

“Lainey?” Luke questions me, breaking into my thoughts, his eyes full of concern.

Shit. “Gran’s been causing trouble at Jaiton,” I tell him, giving him the bare minimum, once again keeping my secret to myself. “I’m guessing she’s been stopping my old classmates from getting the recognition they need to make the stage.”

“How is that affecting you?”

“I’ve been getting harassing texts. Nothing I can’t handle, but it was getting to me. Like I said, you caught me at a bad time.”

“Jesus. Who? Who’s sending them?”

“Some harmless girls. They’d never do anything, but they’re relentless.”

“Can I see the texts?”

“No, you can’t see the texts. I didn’t mean to involve you at all. I’m handling it.”

“How?”

“What?”

“How are you handling it? Are you doing something or pretending it doesn’t exist?”

The latter.“I’m handling itmyway. There’s no point in starting something when I’m leaving soon.”

Luke sighs. “You know, I didn’t want you to go at first. But I think the time away will be good for you.”

“It better be, because I have no clue what I’m doing with my life. None. And I can’t just keep coasting along like this.” I usually wouldn’t be that frank, but Luke deserves some truths and that’s a big one. I havenoclue. I don’t even know what I’m doing on a daily basis. I need time away from everything. I need to find myself.

But I also feel nauseous when I think about leaving Thomas. He needs me. And being around him helps.

Am I really prepared to let that all go?

Luke pushes for a few more answers, but when he doesn’t get them he moves on, talking about the upcoming draft instead, and by the time we’ve finished eating, I can see he’s significantly less stressed. I may still be twisted in knots, but at least I won’t have Luke on my back anymore.

For the next few days, I go through the motions of life while my head spins. I’ve always kept my cards close to my chest, and now that Thomas and Luke know a little about what happened to me, I’m on edge every time they call. I don’t want to be constantly reminded of that time. I want to forget it existed, but having people ask if you’re okay stops that from happening. And what I really need from Thomas is an escape.

By the time Saturday comes around, I’m at the end of my tether. While Thomas has managed to keep his questioning to a minimum, Luke won’t quit, and it’s almost getting to me as much as the threatening texts are.

After hanging up from another “just calling to see how you’re doing” chat, I decide I need a distraction and head out for a walk, but I’m so lost in my own world as I wander the streets of Heartwood, that I completely miss the turn I was meant to take. Spinning around to go back, I slam into a hard chest and stumble a little until the person catches me. I quickly grab the wall to steady myself and only look up when I have my balance, coming face-to-face with one of the seniors at our college, Joel Haynes, someone I’ve come to discover is friends with Thomas’s sister. When he stares back at me, my eyes widen in surprise before I smile.

“Lainey, hi. It’s good to see you,” he says as he lets go of my arm and steps back.

“Hi, Joel. How are you?”

I’ve known Joel since Luke played junior football. While he’s not a player himself, he’s best friends with Dylan, one of Luke’s teammates. I used to see both of them when we were kids and then again at the Ball House when I first arrived back at Heartwood, but they stopped coming suddenly, or maybe I stopped going. Either way, I haven’t seen Joel since the night I helped Summer. The night that still haunts me. He camelooking for her after her attack, and that’s when I realized they were friends. Close friends by the way he was protecting her.

I want to ask him about her now, but I also don’t because I don’t want to keep secrets from Thomas, and I know she hasn’t contacted him yet.

I’m about to awkwardly say something when I realize he just walked out of the tattoo parlor, making me gasp. “Did you get a tattoo?” I ask with a new excitement.

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