Shadow and Stars

Two

"Cam? Sweetheart, I don't hear you moving around in there; you're going to be late for school!" my dad calls through my door. I think he knows something happened yesterday because any other day, he'd be busting in my room to bounce on my bed instead of giving me a gentle wake-up call.

"I'm up," I grumble, throwing the covers off and dragging myself to my feet. "I'll be down in a minute!"

He mumbles his assent, and his heavy footsteps fade down the stairs.

On any other morning, I'd be bouncing around my room, styling my curls, putting together a fashionable outfit, eager to get to school to see Levi and the rest of our friends.

But not today. When I come downstairs in running shorts, oversized t-shirt, and a high ponytail with no makeup on, my dad does a double take.

I slide onto one of the red barstools at the kitchen island, and Dad cocks his head to the side and studies me. "Everything okay, ladybug?" he asks, using the nickname he and my mom had given me when I was born.

One corner of my lips turns up at the term of endearment, and I take a sip of the orange juice in front of me. "I'm okay. Just having some...female problems," I lie, knowing that will end the conversation fast.

"Oh, well, okay then," he blurts, his blue eyes darting to the marble countertop, and I can't help but smile behind my glass. "I gotta go to work, but I'll be home for dinner. Will you be here, or are you and Levi going out tonight?"

The mention of Levi's name feels like a stab to my gut. "No, we aren't going out tonight. I'll be here."

"Let's order a pizza," he offers, and I can tell he's trying to cheer me up.

For his benefit, I grin and nod with excitement. "Sounds great, Pops," I say, jumping up and kissing him on the cheek. "Have a good day at work."

"You have a good day too, baby," he says as we jog down the creaky wooden porch steps.

Not likely. I just nod as I reach my car and throw my backpack in. Before I can say goodbye, I hear my dad gasp.

"Whoa, Camryn, what happened to your windshield?" he exclaims, rushing over to the car to inspect the broken glass.

Shit. I had hoped he wouldn't notice, but I had already come up with a story just in case. "Oh, I was driving home from school yesterday and there was a dump truck in front of me. A rock flew off and hit my windshield...cracked it all the way across."

"Did you get a phone number so we can call and see about getting it covered?" he asks, leaning over to get a closer look and running his hand over his unruly dark hair, which is graying around the temples.

I shake my head. "No, it was my fault. I was following too close." I brace myself for his reaction; that's one of his pet peeves, and I know I am about to get a lecture for something I didn't even do.

He crosses his arms over his broad chest. "And that's why I say at least two car lengths between you and the vehicle in front of you, Cam." He looks at his watch. "We'll talk about this later," he promises, leaning over to kiss me on the forehead.

"All right," I murmur, ducking into the Civic and inching out of the driveway at two miles per hour.

Driving to school, even around all the curves and up the hilly side streets, I'm on autopilot, remembering the crack from out of nowhere that had seemed to happen because of my palm striking the steering wheel. If possible, that's an even bigger mystery than Levi's public display of hatred.

When I get to school, I see that Levi's car isn't even in the parking lot, and both worry and relief wash over me. I had hoped I'd get to talk to him again, figure out what on earth he thinks he saw yesterday, but at the same time, seeing him today would be almost too painful to endure.