SECRETS WE TELL THE STARS

ii

My cousin answers him for me. "Two iced teas and a meat burger."

"That all?" The boy asks.

Julian nods.

The waiter turns to me. "Are you going to order?"

With both their eyes on me, I take a deep breath in, and my eyes scan the menu fast. I end up with a burger too, indecisive, and unable to take the heat of his eyes longer.

"Nice, great choice," Ashton smiles. "Are you new around here?"

I shrug. "I guess."

"A date?" he asks, glancing at Julian.

I shake my head quickly. "He's my cousin."

"Oh. Right." Ashton leaves to give the kitchen our order. Julian smirks in my direction and I avoid his eyes.

"Shut up," I say.

"I didn't say anything."

"You did," I grumble.

"You ordered."

"He was looking at me! I didn't know what else to do!"

Julian then laughs loudly. He enjoys my suffering. Ashton returns with our drinks, but he stays. From the corner of my eye, I notice Julian's interest and I hope my cheeks aren't too red. Ashton is a good-looking guy, which is why my cousin makes fun of me. He has heard about my boy troubles, years ago. Not so much anymore because it's just us. Julian used to make fun of me so much that I did not tell him about my school crushes again, usually because he found ways to befriend them all.

Ashton asks, "What are you guys doing around here?"

"We live close," I mention.

"Oh," Ashton says and furrows his eyebrows because my answers don't make that much sense. "I'm Ashton, by the way."

"Maya,"

"I'm nineteen."

I nod. "Seventeen."

If I look at Julian, I bet he'd be grinning.

"So, you're here often?"

"Once every few weeks."

"Cool, cool."

Ashton leaves to serve another table and Julian almost starts laughing again.

"You're hopeless," he tells me like I didn't already know. He asks me, "Do you like him?"

"I don't even know him." I remind him, "Besides why would I tell you? You made fun of me when we were kids."

"You were younger back then."

"Geeze, okay."

"It's my job to make fun of you."

"It really isn't," I tell him.

Julian shrugs. "He's nineteen though. Boys are immature at that age."

"You weren't."

We left right after Julian's seventeenth birthday. He was not immature then. He changes the topic when Ashton returns with our food. He lingers for a moment, and I don't know what to say. Julian takes a bite of his burger, and his eyes glance between us, with a wonder of who will speak first.

Ashton ends up saying, "So I'll see you around?"

"Yeah," I say, without much agreeance because if I do, then it will be a few weeks from now and I doubt that the boy will remember who I am, or even my name.

Ashton asks awkwardly, "Can I get your number?" I turn to really look at him then. He's slightly tall and has a nice smile. He doesn't look like he belongs here, in this town, with these people. Then again, I guess no one really looks like they belong anywhere. Not me. Not Julian. The boy seems nice enough. I don't have the courage to say no and make him frown.