To The Stars | JJK

Chapter 1.

Grace

"Thank you for all of your work in this first semester, and I truly hope to see you all again in two weeks," Mr. Bellisario says once our grades for the final exam of the semester are assorted.

I was terrified before coming to this lesson, I thought I'd completely flunked the exam, but seeing the results in my hand now, I'm quite proud of myself.

I, Grace Genevieve Green, got a 94 on the hardest exam of the whole year.

Getting accepted into junior class, while being only a sophomore was incredibly stressful, but my classmates are all completely fine with it, well ... all but one. The thorn in my hill, Brett Richardson.

He has had a problem with it since the day I walked into class, and correctly answered a question he'd gotten wrong.

I can only imagine how bitter he's going to be when he finds out I did better than him.

And that is exactly what my class-partner and friend Alison says to me as we are exiting the classroom.

The teasing gleam in her eyes and a smile she's trying to hide are conveying my feelings exactly.

"Hopefully that will shut him up until the end of the year," I say, truly hoping it does because it's getting really annoying if I'm being completely honest.

Ali's reply is lost when she opens the door and the cool December air takes our breath away.

I zip my big puffy coat even tighter, but the wind still manages to get inside of it and sends shivers all over my body.

Ali's not doing any better because, of course, she doesn't even have a coat on, just a light windbreaker.

"Still claiming that winter doesn't start until the first snowfall?" I say, trying to hide a laugh that's about to burst out, because she looks like a little chick who's about to be blown away.

I would never say that out loud though, because Ali already has problems with the way she looks, although I would argue that her petite body and height only compliment her personality, but she'd just shush me.

Ali is a confident force of nature with her light brown hair which turns golden in the summer, blue eyes, that turn silver when she becomes super focused, and her glasses with big grey frames, which compliment her whole scientist look perfectly.

But on the bad days her chirpiness and positivity dissolve like sugar in water. I've witnessed it a few times now, usually right after a break-up. I can't understand how such a smart girl always falls for the losers who treat her so poorly.

But what I have also learnt is to stay out of it - she has to learn by her own mistakes, I just have to make sure she knows I will always be there, no matter what.

Before departing, we agree to meet in two days to go over the curriculum for the next semester and a second later she's running down the ancient campus to hide from the cold.

I smile at my silly friend and wait for Becky, who is late, as always, to pick me up.

Becky, better known as Rebecca Lightwood, is one of my best friends. I've known her since high school, but it wasn't until our freshmen year at Blue Side that we really connected.

I mean I love this girl to death, but sometimes I want to throw her into the river behind the campus.

Becky is the total opposite of me. She's outgoing, a complete extrovert, loved by everyone she meets and has a tendency to forget about her other friends when we're out.

I want to deeply outline the we, because contrary to the popular belief, I do go out, you know. I'm not some school-obsessed girl who only studies all the time. I can assure you, I can have fun when I want to. It's just a problem that most of the time I don't want to.

But Becky loves going out. Hence, why she has so many friends she always ditches me for when we go out. I have learned that after countless mishaps and now always bring someone to keep me company.

Most of the time it's either Maya or Elizabeth - Liza for short. They are more Becky's friends than mine because we don't have that much in common, but they are nice and we do have fun together.

I am grateful to have these amazing friends by my side and although I trust them, I've recently realised that I may be fooling myself by saying that.

I consider myself as a great listener and I'm sure my friends would too. But the problem appears when I'm on the giving end and they on the receiving one.

Even after two years I still can't find myself completely confiding in them.

Of course I share my thoughts with them and ask them for advice, but I never let it get too personal. Once I start feeling like they are going too deep into my mind, I divert the attention to something or someone else.

I've started noticing this more and more, but I don't understand why I can't share everything with them. Maybe not in front of Maya or Liza, but I sure as hell should be able to talk with Becky and Ali about anything I want.

I first noticed that when we were at a little get-together and were playing a silly drinking game.

Obviously some haven't grown out of the truth and dare high school things, and want to keep prying on others' secrets, but okay, I don't mind as long as you don't involve me.

Maya was talking about a crush she had in freshmen year, one of the many, cue eye-roll from me. How can a person have a crush on a different guy every week, someone please explain.

Anyway, the confessions went around the little circle we were sitting in and suddenly it was my turn.

I found myself not wanting to share my one crush I had my freshman year with all of these girls, some of whom I only knew by name. No frickin' way.

All eyes were on me and internally I was debating wether to run or confess.

But Becky beat me to it. "It was that Chr-" she said, before I managed to stop her from taking by cutting in and saying the first name that popped into my head, which was Jin.

It was a safe bet because he was, and still is, every freshman girl's crush.

That was one of the first times I was really upset with Rebecca and what's the worst is that she hadn't even noticed.

What gives her the authority to talk about my private life with practically strangers, a silly drunk game or not.

You'd think, dummy, you still have Alison.

Well... Ali is a blabber-mouth who loves to gossip. You might not expect it, but she wants to know everything and shares everything too.

On second thought, she and Rebecca do share a similarity in a way.

And now we are back to square one.

I have a new interest, or at least a guy I find cute, Blake, a junior from astrophysics, but I can't and won't share it with my friends, because who knows when it will "slip out" as it has so many times.