Someone To Lean On

The Story of a Star

They say people were reborn as stars when they die. I – unlike them that actually think rationally – simply do not believe that. Stars are huge balls of gases that produce their own light through nuclear fusion, and are not people who were reborn. That is a fact. So now, why am I looking at the sky and talking to a star as if it will hear me, who was light-years ahead? Let me tell you a story.

     Lovino Vargas was your ordinary teenager, with dreams and goals and shit like that. He was introduced to a branch of natural science, astronomy, by his good ol' Nonno when he was just five. The old man told him a lot of things regarding the celestial bodies; how they were formed, how they were born, how they die, the possibility of other creatures living on the other planets or galaxies beside us! And stars were his favourite – they were so different from the other celestial bodies. Stars produce their own light, while the planets and asteroids don't! It's a simple yet complicated fact! His Nonno brought him his own telescope, and boy, he was so happy. Fast forward to two years later, Lovino's mother gave birth to his baby brother, Feliciano. From that day on, his grandpa became more and more distant, and he became more and more unwanted.

     Ten years later, Lovino Vargas was seventeen, and his grandpa got awful sick. He was so sad, because he couldn't do anything to cure his grandfather. One day, he was assigned to take care of his grandfather while his parents were at work and his younger brother was at school. He couldn't look directly at him, the tension was so heavy between them – or maybe it was only him. Romulus instructed his eldest grandson to sit beside his bed, Lovino obeying, and started telling him things about astronomy. About how unique every celestial body was, how important they were, and how very special stars were; Lovino's favourite. He asked why very special stars were, and do you know what his grandpa said? It's not the thing he used to tell him back then – no, that day, it was different.

     "Because, Lovino, they were once people." Romulus had a small smile when he said that, and he earned a confused expression from his grandson. "People were reborn as stars when they die."

     "But why—" Lovino asked. "It's impossible, Nonno. There's no proof! No evidence!"

     "There will be no need for that to be possible." The elder simply said, closing his eyes. "No need."

     The day after that, he was gone. The whole family was so devastated from the loss, especially Lovino. How could his grandfather leave them like that? He had just finally talked to him like what they did years ago, them he just left? Without even saying goodbye, the nerve of that old man! But he would be lying if he said that he wasn't sad. The night after they had put the old man in his resting place, Lovino darted to his room and looked up at sky; he didn't know why he did that, but he felt the need. And he saw an interesting star, it was brighter than the other stars – and it was just beside the moon! What his grandfather said to him before he died entered his mind, but he shook it off. Like what he said to his grandfather, there is no proof and simply impossible. After his grandfather's death, he studied astronomy harder than he did before.

     This is when an idiot transferred to his school. No scientific explanation could explain how gorgeous this idiot was, but Lovino wasn't going to fall for it. He focused more on his astronomy. But, with his luck, learned that the idiot lives just beside their house – just great.

     "Hello," the idiot beamed. "My name is Antonio, your new neighbor! And what's your name?"

     Lovino merely looked at the newbie and scoffed, walking past right him. He doesn't need to deal with drop dead gorgeous idiots and questioning his sexuality. No, no. He could hear Antonio trying to call out to him, making up names as if the boy will look at him. Eventually, Lovino sighed and turned around, glaring at the new boy.