Summer Constellations

Chapter One

"We are all connected. To each other, biologically. To the earth, chemically. To the rest of the universe atomically."— Neil deGrasse Tyson

"A starry sky is something that touches your soul. Our civilization's religion, philosophy, science, art and literature all have roots with our views of the heavens, and we are now losing this with consequences we cannot fully know. What happens when we cannot be inspired by the night sky?"— Fabio Falchi (on light pollution)

CHAPTER ONE

"I can't believe you're leaving me." Wind whips through the cab of the ancient Chevy, stirring my hair across my face. I gather frenzied strands into a high ponytail using the elastic around my wrist. Hot sun beats down on the chipped windshield. 

Paige looks over at me, expression pained, hands fixed at ten and two. "It's not like I really have a choice."

"But for the whole summer?" I fiddle with the volume knob. Old Blue only gets the oldies station, and some doo-wop song warbles through tinny speakers. 

"I know." She sighs, then makes a face at spending the next two months with her philandering father and his new girlfriend. Her words, not mine. "It's all so tragically cliché." 

"On the bright side, you get to go to Japan and see all your relatives. How cool is that?" I inject false cheer into my voice; it sucks seeing her so down. The truck huffs its way up a hill as the sun starts to set on the mountains, casting a tangerine glow over the surrounding forest. 

"Yeah." She gives the steering wheel an encouraging pat. "I feel bad for my mom, though." 

"She'll survive." I lean my head against the rusty window frame, flecks of copper blending in with my hair. "Just like me." Though not entirely sure how I'm going to cope without my best friend for the next few months, I don't want to add to her guilt. 

"At least you have dreamy Dan Schaeffer to look forward to," Paige says as we finally reach the summit, lake sparkling in the distance below. The truck shudders with relief. 

"True." I've been trying to rein in the excitement at seeing him, but now that the day has actually come, something in my chest swells, finally breaking free of its bindings. We begin our descent, my heart racing along with the vehicle, down the steep slope. 

"When's he arriving, anyway?" Paige says over the roar of the wind. 

"Tomorrow. At least that's what the reservation says." Paige pumps Blue's brakes, which seem to be working decently this week, anticipating the right-hand turn around the bend. A weathered wooden sign in fading white paint reads "Charming Pines Campground." 

Home. 

The paved road turns to gravel, crackling and crunching under tires as we drive through the entrance. 

"I wonder if it'll be weird seeing him in person after all this time," I say. Dan Schaeffer and his family have been coming to our campground every summer for the last five years; I've been falling for him since the first one, when I was twelve. Last July things heated up and some intense make-out sessions ... transpired. Though we never really talked about our status then or in any online chats since, I'm hoping — make that determined (Paige is always reminding me to think positively) — that this summer it's going to be more than just a seasonal romance.

"So, you gonna lock it down this time, or what?" One of her big brown eyes winks. "I want to get a text that Julia Ducharme is officially off the market." She turns the wheel to the left. "Preferably while I'm eating mind-blowing sushi and belting out karaoke with my cousins. Hopefully, Shinto and Haru have some cute friends," she muses. 

"I'll do my best," I vow. Paige has been helping me dial back the tomboy while turning up the femme fatale all year. Judging by the reactions of a few boys at school, she says it's working, but I have my doubts. More likely it's just that skirt of hers I borrowed, but I'm crossing fingers that her lessons in Flirting 101 and Being Irresistible in Real Life 102 will pay off. There's only so much charm a girl can exude onscreen and by text. We pull up in front of my house, and Paige puts the truck into park as my little brother ambles up our driveway. 

Paige leans out the window and waves. "Hey, Caleb." He gives a shy wave back, then pulls his ball cap farther down, slowly climbing the porch steps. His limp is getting slightly better, for sure. "How's he doing?" Paige murmurs as the screen door closes after him. 

"Pretty good," I say, voice soft, as I slip on my sandals. It's been a tough year. Not only have I been pining for Dan, but infinitely worse is that my little brother's been sick. Like, really sick. Paralyzed for months after contracting some rare disease called Guillain-Barré Syndrome. Unable to breathe on his own, hooked up to all sorts of freaky machines. But then last month, thank goodness, he slowly started getting better. "Though he's pretty self-conscious about his face." The paralysis hasn't completely released his left side, resulting in the limp and a crooked smile that appears once in a lunar eclipse. 

"Is physio helping?" Paige taps her fingers on the wheel. 

"Yeah, but he still spends most of his time alone in the basement playing video games." The old Caleb used to play outside all day, climbing trees, swimming and generally raising hell around the campground. "And he's not happy about having to repeat fourth grade." 

"But the doctors say he's going to make a full recovery?" 

"That's what they say." I feel grateful that after such a crappy year, things are finally turning a corner. A light breeze rushes through the trees. 

"Well." Paige sighs, pushing back smooth straight hair that never looks less than perfect. Mine usually resembles a red squirrel's nest, complete with leaf pieces and the odd twig. "Guess I better get going." 

Hopping out of the truck, I dart around to the other side and jump up on the oxidized running board, flinging my arms around my best friend. "Have a great time." 

She gives a wistful laugh. "We'll see. But I meant what I said about texting me. I'll be waiting." 

"Who knows what kind of texts you might get." I wiggle my eyebrows up and down suggestively, holding on to Blue's battered flank. "Why? What?" Paige's voice rises. "Jules! You're not seriously considering losing your V-card, are you?" 

I shrug as nonchalantly as I can manage, given that my heart's pounding at the mere thought. I repeat her words back to her. "We'll see." Though Dan and I never went all the way, it wasn't for his lack of trying. But I hadn't been quite ready. Then. 

She smacks my arm. "Ow!" "Every detail. Got it?" 

Jumping onto the gravel, I rub my bicep. "Every detail," I promise.