In the Stars

by Joan Duszynski

  I can tell Tara has turned sideways in her seat, fully facing him, and the telltale hands start to fly again. “Eric, I told you we would talk when we got her back. I will not sit here, or anywhere else, and let you talk to me like I am your child. Reckless behavior on my part, or not, I think I have enough shit stressing me out right now, so please think about that before you start in on me.”

  Eric takes a quick glance over at Tara, and then starts right back where he left off. “As far as your part, Caroline, I don’t know if your typical action is to risk it and put yourself in harm’s way, but why would you open your door early in the morning to a deranged girl you don’t know? Since you are here, I assume that is what you did, correct? Not only that, but you have gotten into two strangers’ cars today, as well. Did you really think any of this through?”

  How dare he? I feel hot all over again, and, this time, it isn’t lust. I am right out pissed off. This whole treating me like a child shit has got to stop, now. I turn back toward the front, and can tell he is looking up in the mirror toward me, and I see Tara reach over and smack is arm.

  We are now pulling in the lot where I live. I sit up straighter in my seat, and look right back at him through the mirror. “Oh, my thank you so much, Detective Wright, sir, for today’s lecture dosage. I don’t know how I would make it alive another day without your advice.” I roll my eyes at him, and his face goes very stern. We are now parked, and I grunt and remove my seat belt, reaching for the handle, which, of course, is locked.

  Tara is still looking shocked with her mouth wide open at her brother, and then tucks her hair back again before she speaks. “Seriously, Eric, what the hell? You have no right to talk to her like that. If you’re pissed at me, then fine, but don’t dare go all discipline like on her.”

  He has now removed his Ray Bans, and his eyes are looking right at mine through the mirror. I keep my eyes locked on his, refusing to look away. I want to make sure he knows I am pissed. “I need you to unlock the door so I can get out, go inside, and we can all go on with our lives. I promise not to talk to any more strangers on my way in.” I smirk my lip up and raise my eyebrows, while resting my hand on the door handle, waiting for him to unlock it. Eric removes his seatbelt and turns in his seat, fully facing me. The stern look he had going on relaxes, as he looks me right in the eyes again. God, those eyes of his; they are wreaking havoc on my anger, and I just want to stay angry right now—not all horny and overheated.

  “Caroline, I am sorry for the way I spoke to you. You are an adult, and have every right to do what feels right to you. It’s just that, being in my line of work, you have to understand I see a lot of bad things. In so many of these cases, people just make really bad decisions and put themselves in harm’s way. I didn’t mean to insult you. A pretty girl like you, though, really should be careful, and I would hate to see anything happen to you. I wouldn’t want to see either one of you become one of my cases. Do you understand, and can you forgive my rudeness?” Tara lets out a sigh, and turns back straight in her seat. Eric then gives me another one of those full on panty melting smiles. Well, like I said, contagious—they are definitely contagious, because I immediately give one right back. “Yes, I understand, and, you are forgiven.”

  He gives a slight smile again and unlocks the doors. “Thank you, Caroline, for your forgiveness, and for helping my crazy sister. Still really like that dimple of yours, by the way.”

  Ok, I, now, know my face is blood red, and I seem to have forgotten what I was supposed to be doing. Eric laughs at the expression I have, as well as my lack of movement. “The doors are unlocked now; I didn’t mean to keep you hostage.”

  Oh shit, that is what I’m supposed to be doing, I think, as I place my hand on the handle. Get out of the car, Caroline. “Well, thanks again for the ride, and, Tara, I guess I will talk to you again some time or another.”

  I open the door and step out. At least Eric feels I am capable of handling this on my own now, since he is still turned back in his seat, watching me exit his truck.

  Tara hops out real quick as I am shutting my door, and she has tears in her eyes again. She reaches out around my neck and hugs me. Oh, ok what am I supposed to do with that? I just reach up with one hand and lightly pat her back in return. She removes her arms from me and steps back slightly, while wiping her face dry again. “Thank you so much, Caroline, for listening to me, and, again, I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am about this morning. No matter what Eric might say, I promise I am not typically like this. I will definitely be getting hold of you soon, if that is ok? And, be safe when you head out later today.” I just nod my head ok at Tara, and give her a small smile.

  I can’t help but glance up into the driver’s seat, and I see Eric with his eyebrows scrunched together in thought and watching us both. He then gives me a nod. “Goodbye, Caroline.” Oh, the way he says my name, I hope I can walk straight back into the building with these Jell-O legs of mine. As I turn to walk away, Tara hops back into the truck and shuts the door.

  I take the short walk to the dorm’s door, and, as I am entering, I glance back one more time and see his truck is still there, and they are watching to make sure I make it in. As soon as I am fully in the door, and it is closing behind me, I see him backing out of his spot and driving away.

  AS I AM walking back to my room, my head is spinning with all that has happened today. Of course, the main things that stand out all revolve around Eric. Early morning awakening to a door banging, finger pointing, pissed off girl is nothing in comparison to the introduction of Eric Wright. I also keep running everything he said through my head. He finally called me an adult, so that is a plus; knowing he doesn’t view me as a youngster, like I thought. Even more importantly, though, he called me pretty and commented on my dimple more than once.

  My single deep dimple when I smile used to always bother me, but if he is liking it, then I now feel an all new appreciation for it. I get that dimple, as well as my blue eyes, from my Daddy. My olive skin, full lips, and smooth deep brown hair all come from my Mom. She also blessed me with a tiny waist and a full C cup chest. Both my parents are taller than me, but I have come to accept that—they made heels for a reason.

  I have now reached my door, and listen for anything on the other side—wouldn’t want to open the door to Piper deciding to move the party to her room. Been there, done that before, and don’t want to see it again. By no means is Piper a proper lady, and she has no problem changing men like normal people change underwear. As a matter of fact, I am surprised she even bothers wearing underwear. I mean, going commando would save some time right?

  It sounds quiet, so I unlock the door and open it slowly. All the lights are off, and the blinds are still shut, but, since it is light out now, I can clearly see Piper lying in her bed, fast asleep. I can tell her hair is a mess, but, of course, she still took the time to put her shoes and bag away neatly before crashing. I think about laying back down myself, but the reality is I know there is no way I am going back to sleep, and the caffeine has nothing to do with it.

  I get everything I need for the shower together, and pull out my clothes. I decide on jeans and a tight fitting green sweater. I have to tell myself that choosing to wear this sweater, which is almost the same color as those eyes I can’t seem to get out my head, has nothing to do with my clothing choice for the day. I mean, it is chilly out, so a sweater makes perfect sense. I take a long hot shower, still contemplating if I should actually be taking a cold one, since I still seem to be a bit affected. I might want to look into getting me one of those friends with benefits guys, in case I ever run into this type of situation again. Maybe Eric could be my friend with benefits—now that would be something.

  I take my time getting ready, since I still have plenty of it before I have to go. I make my hair extra smooth, and add a little more makeup. Rather than my typical mascara and lip gloss, with a touch of blush, I also go all out on my eyes; making them pop nicely, if I do say so myself.

&n
bsp; I catch myself glancing at my sweater a couple times, and day dreaming about those eyes. Ok, I have to get out of here and busy myself before I seriously melt. I pack up a small overnight bag, since I happen to be off from the restaurant tomorrow, too. This way, I don’t have to worry about a sleepy drive back. I can either stay with Mom, Raleigh, or my Grandparents. Well, Mom or Raleigh that is; I really don’t want to have to explain to my grandparents why I am so tired.

  I pull my comforter up on my bed, and then throw all my dirty clothes in my hamper. I then grab up my favorite hoodie once again and some gloves. Piper is still sound asleep; I guess she must have really wore herself out this time. For once, this thought about Piper actually bothers me. Knowing that Tara is somewhere trying to pull herself together, actually makes me really sad for Tara. I agree this isn’t Piper’s fault, being as Andrew could have let Piper be, but, still, I know how she is, and she loves being very persuasive. You would think she is attending college to become a hooker or private escort. I wonder how many years of college it takes to get a Bachelor Degree in that field? I have to laugh at myself; my head is all over the place today.

  I open the door, turn the lock on the knob, and head out to my Blazer. The sun feels nice, absorbing through my sweater. As I am unlocking and opening my door, I can’t help but take a quick look around to see if I happen to see a certain black truck. Of course, it isn’t anywhere around, but a girl can have high hopes—can’t she?

  ONCE I DRIVE out of the lot, I call up my best friend Raleigh. She answers on the third ring. “Hey girl; you’re up, good. Now start getting ready, so you can take me to my physical therapy appointment, Bitch.”

  I have to laugh at Raleigh. Of course she would think I was she just getting up, since I worked late last night. Typically, this would be the case, but, of course, not today. “Well, actually, I am already on my way. I kind of had an extremely early start this morning. Are you excited about visiting your new physical therapist’s office today?”

  I hear Raleigh walking, and a door open and close. “Yeah, I am, actually. It will be nice not to keep having to go to the actual hospital for every appointment. Between the accident and the therapy, I have had more than enough of my fair share of that place. This new office, and having new people to work with, will be a nice change of scenery for me. It is getting a whole lot better, though. The pain has gone down severely, and I am walking around pretty well. I would say my shoulder still hurts the worse. So, why exactly did you have an early start this morning? Not that I am complaining, because I love our time together. I really miss you, Caroline.”

  I have a big grin on my face, because I miss this girl so much. It makes me feel good to know she is getting better all the time. “Oh Raleigh, I really miss you, too. I have quite the story for you, and you might feel like I am dragging you into a Soap Opera or something as I’m telling you. I have to say, though, I met a guy today that made me feel like when Alicia Keys sang about A Girl On Fire she was talking about me. Yet, in this case, I mean literally; I literally felt so hot that my body was going to burst into flames—that kind of fire.”

  Raleigh starts laughing, and lets out her signature little snort with it. “Caroline, you are always relating things to songs; I love that about you.”

  “What can I say? I am very passionate about music. I might not be able to sing for shit, or play any instruments, but I sure do love to listen to it and all the emotions I get out of it. When Eric walked into the Starbucks, I am pretty sure I had a loss of all self-control and senses. Since I am getting there early, we will have plenty of time to talk about it all.”

  “Eric; who is Eric?”

  “I will be there soon, Raleigh. I will give you all the crazy and juicy details then.” I hear her grunt her protest, but I just laugh and end the call.

  As I am driving to her house, I can’t help but think back to the day of the accident. Summer had started, after our first year of college, and we met up with some of our friends at the Rappahannock River for some swimming and riding around on one of the guys’ boats. It was great seeing some of our High School friends again. It was a fun, yet very tiring, day.

  Raleigh was driving the two of us back home, when a boy ran a red light, while reaching into his floor board for something, and hit Raleigh’s car on the driver’s side; right behind the front tire and into her door. Thank the lord we both had our seatbelts on, and her car did have air bags. I know things could have turned out so much worse. Honestly, though, that day changed both of us, and took a lot away from Raleigh.

  I hit my head on the passenger side window, and it knocked me unconscious. When I woke, we were in a cloud of smoke, and when I looked over at Raleigh her head was full of blood and she was out cold. I went to reach for her, and realized my own head was pounding. I reached over behind my right ear, and let out a yelp from the pain. When I pulled my hand away, it was covered in blood. The car was now surrounded by other people who had witnessed the accident.

  They were all trying to talk at the same time, asking if I was ok, could I tell them my name or the day of the week, to try and stay still because help was on the way. At the time, it all just seemed to be a lot of jumble, and all I wanted was to see Raleigh’s eyes open and know that she was ok. I could hear sirens, and everyone started backing away from the car.

  Paramedics and police arrived on the scene, asking the same type questions, and removing us both from the car. We both got put on stretchers, and put in different ambulances and rushed to the hospital.

  It was the most painful ride of my life. Not because I had a gash from behind the middle of my ear and down the side of my neck, but because I didn’t know if my best friend was alive or dead.

  Raleigh had been there for me from the moment I moved to Virginia, from Florida, at twelve years old. She took me under her wing that first day of seventh grade, and she hadn’t left my side since. In that moment, riding in the ambulance, I felt like I was doing just that; letting her down, because I wasn’t there to help her in her time of need.

  While they were stitching me up at the hospital my mom showed up.

  The police had gotten hold of Raleigh’s parents from her license plate info, and her parents had called my mom. I started to cry again when I saw her, and she was crying as well. They let her come in, and she took hold of my hand and started kissing it all over. Her hands were shaking badly, and I started frantically asking her if she knew about Raleigh. She started rubbing my arm to calm me down, telling me that her parents were there in the waiting room and Raleigh was in surgery. I remember thinking: well, at least surgery means she is alive.

  They did a scan on me, and told me I had a mild concussion, but the symptoms from that should clear up within a few days. I had to avoid exerting myself for at least a week, and was given pain pills for my neck, where the force of the impact and the glass had cut and split it open. It’s now a raised scar, but I haven’t had any further problems from the concussion.

  Raleigh, on the other hand, ended up with two deep gashes high up on her forehead from the glass, and a concussion as well. She also had a severe break in her left leg, two broken ribs, and her left arm and shoulder were broken. Due to all her injuries, and recovery process, she wasn’t able to start back to college at the start of this year. Which is how I ended up needing to room with someone else, meaning Piper.

  Raleigh is a very strong willed, determined girl, though, and I know she will pull through this just fine.

  When I arrive at Raleigh’s house, I am happy to see her sitting on the front porch, waiting for me as I pull in the drive. When she sees me pulling out my overnight bag, she gets a big grin on her face. “Oh boy, are we having a slumber party tonight, Caroline?” She gives me a wink, as I reach out and give her a big hug, being careful to avoid her left shoulder.

  “Well, if your parents don’t mind, and you will have me, I would love that. I can always stay with Mom, though, if not. I think Mark will be there, but I have been around him several times over th
e last few months, and can honestly say he is great with Mom, and I really like him. I have met his son Sam a couple times, too. He is 21, and really cute, by the way, Raleigh.”

  She gives me that shy smile of hers. “Well, speaking of cute, I believe you owe me a certain hot story. So come on in, sit your stuff down in my room while you say your quick hellos to my parents, and then spill it.” With that, she starts rubbing her hands together in front of her face, like she just can’t wait to hear all the juicy details.

  I open the door to her house for us both to walk in, and I am instantly greeted by two very special people. Raleigh’s parents are great, and I love them like family. She has an older sister, Laura, as well, but she has her own place. I give them both great big hugs, and give her dad a little peck on the cheek; he always gives me the cutest grin when I do that.

  I lost my Dad when I was eleven, to cancer, and Raleigh’s dad has always tried to treat me extra special since he met me. That is why my mom and I moved here from Florida. Mom’s parents lived here in Virginia, so, once I finished my sixth grade year at Mims Elementary, and mom got the house sold, we moved in with my grandparents. We lived with them for a year, while Mom found a job and saved up some money. She used the money from the sale of our house in Mims to buy a three bedroom rancher with an amazing screen in porch off the back of it.

  My parents were madly in love, and it was very hard on Mom and I both, without dad. She kept herself busy, though, and was determined to make a good life for us. I am very proud of her, because I feel she did just that. I have a wonderful life.

  After my greeting with Raleigh’s parents, we head up to her room. I spill out the whole story of my day, lingering on all the juicy details of Eric. Raleigh is sitting with her back against the headboard of her bed, and a pillow on her lap with her hands crossed over it. She is listening so intently, and I love watching all the different facial expressions she makes along the way.