Rewrite the Stars

by Rose, Charleigh

  “I’m bored. Get off me,” I say, shoving away from him. He looks at me like he doesn’t recognize me, but whatever he’s going to say is interrupted by the sound of dirt bikes.

  Even after a year, the sound still gives me goosebumps every time I hear them pass by. It’s this weird mix between dread and excitement. Anger and exhilaration. Both the best and worst night of my life. Only this time, the bikes aren’t just passing by. They’re coming straight for us.

  “Who the fuck are these guys?” Ethan slurs.

  “The Sons of Eastlake,” Jenna, one of Sav’s groupies, pipes up, toying with the dainty silver chain around her neck. She’s practically salivating. “They’re back.”

  Oh my God. The Sons of Eastlake. That’s what the flyer at the carnival said. It finally dawns on me why Eastlake sounded familiar. It’s a small town about forty-five minutes away. I’ve never been there, of course. I’d have no reason to, unless I was looking to get mugged or kidnapped.

  “Ew, Jenna, you’re into carnies now?” Savvy asks.

  “What, they’re hot.” She shrugs.

  “Agreed,” Chloe adds. “There’s just something about them that’s so…”

  “Dirty?” Savvy supplies. “That’s because they don’t have showers on the road.”

  I’d come up with some witty comeback if I wasn’t about to pass out from shock. Five bikes come to a stop across the bonfire, and the one in front removes his helmet, revealing the face of the boy who gave me my first kiss. Sebastian. Eros. Tres. Lathan. Even the new guy. Elliot, I think his name was. Huh. Seems they eventually accepted him into their little unit.

  All eyes are on Sebastian as he lifts his leg over his bike, then stands with his arms crossed over his chest, daring anyone to say something about crashing our party. Eros is next, but he grabs a thirty pack of cheap beer that’s bungeed to his seat before ripping the pack open and tossing a beer to Justin, the resident tough guy, as a peace offering. When Justin cracks it open, everyone goes back to their conversations, satisfied nothing juicy is going to happen.

  I glare at Sebastian through the flames of the bonfire, still not fully comprehending that he’s here. In my town. At my beach. His eyes look mischievous—almost wicked—even from here as he surveys his surroundings.

  “Is that what you like?” Ethan whispers close to my ear. He slips an arm around my waist and squeezes my ass. “Because we can role play, if that’s what you’re into.”

  I shove him off me once again, and when I look back toward Sebastian, he’s locked onto me. I see nothing in his eyes. No trace of surprise or even recognition. Just two soulless, green orbs looking right through me. Rage bubbles up inside me. A year ago, my world changed forever. And Sebastian was the catalyst that set it all into motion.

  I’ve thought about what I would do if I ever came face-to-face with him again. Most of my fantasies included punching him in the face—maybe even kneeing him between the legs for good measure—but I never thought I’d actually see him again.

  “Sav,” I snap. “I’m thirsty. Get me a drink?” Her mouth drops open. If looks could kill, I’d be deader than a doornail, but she rolls her eyes and stomps toward the keg anyway. Sometimes you need to out-bitch the main bitch to avoid being usurped. The old Evan was weak. The new me does what it takes to survive high school politics and a crumbling home life. When she returns with a red cup, I take it and give her a plastic smile before walking away.

  I sip my beer as I walk, mentally cursing Drew for being late. He’s the only one who knows what happened last summer. I dig my phone out of my bra and send him a text asking where he is. A few seconds pass before I get his response.

  Drew: Everything good? Be there in 5.

  “Little girls shouldn’t wander off by themselves at night.”

  I whirl around, dropping my phone, my beer sloshing over the edge of my cup and spilling onto the dirt.

  “Evan, right?” Sebastian asks, his voice dripping with disdain. “I thought that was you.”

  “Nope. You got the wrong girl,” I say with forced indifference. I bend over to pick up my phone before I start to make my way back toward the bonfire.

  “Funny,” he says, right as I’m parallel to his body, “your skirt says otherwise.” Just like the night we met, he flips the hem of my skirt…where my name is stitched into my pom uniform. My traitorous heart skips a beat at his touch, not caring that he’s the enemy.

  “Shouldn’t you be in jail or something?”

  “Why? Did you call Mommy and Daddy to have me arrested again?”

  “Excuse you?” I seethe. He robbed us. Stole thousands of dollars in jewelry from my mom and caused the accident that resulted in my dad’s addiction to pills.

  “You heard me. That’s two days and three hundred dollars I’ll never get back.”

  “Don’t worry,” I spit. “I think I’ve learned my lesson.” Sebastian looks at me with curious eyes, probably working out the fact that I know it was him that night, before his face morphs back into a sneer. I shove past him, but his hand shoots out, gripping my arm above my elbow.

  “You owe me something.” His voice is low and menacing. No trace of the boy who stuck his neck out for me at the carnival in sight.

  I laugh. I actually laugh in his face at the prospect of owing him anything after what he did.

  “If you think you’re getting any money out of me, you’re high.” Higher than my father, I add, mentally, but I keep that to myself. I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing just how much he’s affected my family.

  “Fuck the money. I want my jacket.”

  I arch a brow. I didn’t see that one coming. “Well, good luck with that. I threw it out with the trash a while ago.” I jerk my arm out of his grasp just in time to see Drew walking up with a concerned expression. Before he has a chance to say anything in front of Sebastian, I hook my arm through his—he hates when I do that—leading us back to the beach.

  “The hell was that about?” Drew asks.

  “Carny freak,” I mutter by way of explanation.

  “No shit?”

  “Shit,” I confirm.

  “What’s he doing here?”

  “Apparently, they’re from Eastlake.”

  Drew lets out a low whistle. “That’s a crazy coincidence.”

  “A very unfortunate one,” I grumble.

  “Want to get out of here? Go see a movie or something instead?” Drew asks. I consider his offer. Drew really is the sweetest guy I know. He’s loved by everyone, from the jocks and cheerleaders to the freaks and geeks, and everyone in between. Drama doesn’t ever seem to touch him. Almost like he’s above it and everyone knows better than to try to bring him down to their level. If only I was so lucky. I don’t know what he sees in me. I’m a bitter bitch, if I’m being honest. But Drew has proven himself to be my one real friend as my life has done a complete one-eighty over the past year.

  “Screw that. This is my territory,” I say decisively. “Why should I leave?”

  “Wow.” Drew chuckles.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. That was just very Sons of Anarchy of you.”

  “Shut up.” I laugh, knocking his arm with my shoulder.

  “How should we retaliate? Should we jump him? Send his loved one’s head in a box?”

  “I hate you,” I say, but I can’t help but smile.

  “I’m going to go say what’s up to the guys,” Drew says. “Text me if you need an emergency exit.” I nod, and he heads toward some of his friends sitting on the tailgate of a truck.

  When I’m back at the bonfire, Savvy has already gotten her manicured claws into Eros’ bicep. When he sees me, his eyes light up with mischief.

  “Jailbait!” he hollers, picking me up with my arms stiff at my sides and spinning me around. “Now it makes sense.”

  “What?”

  “I was wondering where Seb ran off to. Now it makes sense,” he repeats.

  “Still have no respect for personal space,
I see?” I say, ignoring his comment. He lowers me to the ground and I put some distance between us. If one is guilty, they’re all guilty. His forehead wrinkles, like he doesn’t understand my change in demeanor.

  “You’ve met?” Savvy asks, her tone streaked with jealousy.

  “Yeah, we go way back,” Eros says, leaning down to rest an elbow on the top of my head and winking down at me when I shoot him a look.

  “So many secrets, Evan,” Savvy says, shooting me a look that says I’m on to you. “What else have you been keeping from me?” She moves next to me to link her arm with mine, our sides touching, like we’re the best of friends. I cut my eyes at her, but she ignores the warning in them.

  “How did you guys meet?” Chloe asks.

  “We met in Nantucket,” Sebastian chimes in from somewhere behind me. I stiffen, but I don’t react otherwise. “Isn’t that right, Princess?”

  “She came to our show. We had some fun. Then she got our asses thrown in jail,” Eros says without malice. In fact, he seems amused.

  “Nantucket…” Sav muses. “That was right around the time you changed.”

  Say what you will about Savannah, but she’s a smart one. I was different when I came back from Nantucket. For one, I had anxiety at night, always afraid someone was going to break in. Telling myself that it was Sebastian, and there was a reason for it—no matter how unwarranted—somehow helped me deal with that anxiety. It wasn’t random. It wasn’t some unhinged stranger that wanted to cut us into tiny pieces. It was just some asshole stuntman trying to scare us.

  That was also the very beginning of my dad’s addiction, though we had no idea how bad it would become back then. I was withdrawn, but I was also bored. So very bored of this town, bored of my friends, and bored with my life. I wanted more. More than fake friends and false perfection. More than playing a part.

  “Changed?” Sebastian questions, looking mildly intrigued. “I guess spending time behind bars will do that to a person,” he teases.

  “She went to jail?” Sav says excitedly, loving the dirt she’s getting on me. “That explains it. She was a real bi—”

  “You know, Sav,” I interrupt. “You’re right. I do have a lot of secrets. Including what you spent your spring break doing. Or should I say who you spent it doing,” I say, and my warning is clear. Her cheeks turn red with anger, and her mouth snaps shut.

  “What?!” Chloe shrieks. “You didn’t tell me you met a hottie. Who was it?”

  “You don’t want to know,” I say, my eyes daring Sav to push me.

  “Evan,” Sav pleads, not wanting me to tell Chloe she’s been secretly fucking her boyfriend for months. “It was no one you know,” she says, turning to Chloe. I take a sip of my beer to cover my eye roll before turning to walk away.

  I walk toward the water and sit where the dirt meets the water, uncaring of how dirty my skirt will get. I hug my knees, resting my chin on the top of them.

  “Want to tell me what the fuck you think I did?” I hear Sebastian ask before his torn-up black boots come into view.

  “Want to tell me what you’re doing here?” I throw back at him.

  “Just passing through. We’ll be here for the week before we head back out for the summer.”

  “Scintillating,” I deadpan.

  “Your friend was right. You are different,” he accuses, his voice full of contempt.

  “Because you know me so well.” I laugh. “You’re not exactly the boy I met either.”

  “Forgive me for not being happy to see the girl who got me tossed in jail and got my bike impounded.”

  Is he serious? I stand, looking up to meet those green eyes that are narrowed into slits.

  “Well, forgive me for not being happy to see the guy who robbed then attacked my father,” I snap, my voice low and dripping with venom. Once again, I try to walk away, but Sebastian grabs my wrist, pulling me back to face him.

  “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”

  “Sure you don’t. It’s just a coincidence that it happened the night after we went to jail.” I huff out a laugh and shake my head, but he tightens his grip on my wrist, pulling me closer. Too close. I’m frozen under his gaze.

  “Believe whatever the fuck you want, but I didn’t do it. My conscience is clear. I’m happy with who I am. Can you say the same, Evan?” His mouth comes down, close to my ear. “Be careful, Princess. You’re wrapped in a pretty package, but you’re rotting from the inside out.” He gives me a cruel smile when I jerk my wrist from his grasp. “This isn’t you,” he says, his voice an octave lower than it was, and this time, he’s the one walking away from me.

  I lie on my bed, tapping my bare feet against my bookshelf headboard as Something Corporate sings about wanting to save a girl, loud enough to drown out all thoughts of mysterious boys on motorcycles. I open my eyes, the fairy lights strung across my headboard slowly coming into focus. The ones that are so similar to that night, bringing Sebastian right back to the forefront of my thoughts.

  Focus on the lights, Princess.

  I put these lights up shortly after coming home, and it was Sebastian’s voice I heard in my head, telling me to look at the lights. Every time my parents fought. Every time my dad went MIA. Every time I felt like the world was closing in on me. How ironic that the person who caused all my problems was also the one to give me a way to cope with them?

  But is he really the cause? The nagging voice in my head chimes in. The police weren’t ever able to find any evidence whatsoever. But it just made sense that it was Sebastian. He had the motive. He knew where I was staying. He had the key. It couldn’t have been random.

  “Evan!” I hear a muffled yell through my headphones, and I pluck one out, leaning my head backward over the foot of my bed to see an upside-down Ethan in my doorway. I flip over onto my stomach.

  “What are you doing here?” I hate when he’s in my space. My room is personal. It shows the real me, from the band posters to the lights to the books on my shelf. This room is Evan, not Evangeline.

  “I knocked, but no one answered. Are you ready to go?” He takes in my bare legs and loose T-shirt, answering his own question. “Guess not.”

  “Ready for what?” I ask, walking over to my dresser before slipping on a pair of white jean shorts. Ethan eyes my legs, sauntering over to me.

  “Our date,” he reminds me, going in for a kiss, but I give him my cheek. He pretends not to notice the rejection. “Sav, Chloe, and Nick are waiting in the car.”

  “Oh. Right.”

  “Unless you want to stay in, instead,” he says in a voice that would probably have most girls dropping their panties.

  “No, it’s fine,” I say, throwing my hair into a high ponytail and grabbing a cardigan to tie around my waist. I’d rather be anywhere with Ethan than here in my room. “I’ll meet you outside. I just need to tell my dad I’m leaving.”

  “Right,” he says, knowing my dad couldn’t care less, but he doesn’t call me out on it.

  Once he’s gone, I check my reflection. On the outside, I look like I have everything. My face is perfectly made up. Not a hair out of place. My eyes are big and bright, full of deception. I have everything all the girls at school want—a big house, a nice car, popularity, a hot boyfriend… But I want none of it.

  I leave my room in search of my dad—Mom is working late, per usual—and I hear the water running in their bathroom. I pound on the door.

  “Dad!” I yell, but there’s no answer. “I’m going out. I’ll be back later tonight.”

  Still nothing.

  My hand curls around the doorknob and twists, but I release it, not wanting to know what he’s really doing in there. I listen for a few seconds before turning for the stairs.

  You are not the parent. He is. You are not responsible for him or the choices he makes.

  I paste on a counterfeit smile as I bounce down the steps outside my house toward the silver Nissan GT-R. When I get to the passenger side, I’m not surprise
d to see Sav sitting in my seat. I think about making her move—because I can—but I decide I’d rather sit in the back with Chloe and Nick. Sav smiles a victorious smile, like she’s somehow won, so I’m less than gentle when I push her seat up enough for me to slip in behind her.

  “Ouch! Watch it.”

  “Where are we going?” I ask, ignoring her as Chloe hops over to sit on Nick’s lap to make room for me. Stupid two-seater.

  “It’s a surprise,” Ethan says cryptically.

  “There’s this showing downtown—” I start, but Sav cuts me off.

  “Oh, we’re going to a show. Don’t worry.”

  I’ve given up on ever getting them to do anything I want to do. Ethan’s come to see exactly one indie flick with me, and he looked like he’d rather scoop his eyeballs out with a spoon the entire time. But something about the way Savannah’s eyes light up has a sinking feeling hitting my gut.

  We drive south for a good forty-five minutes, way out in the middle of nowhere, before I see a sign that confirms my suspicions. Jessup Brothers. We’re at the fucking carnival.

  “I’m not going in there,” I say, crossing my arms as everyone else files out of the car. “You think this is funny?”

  “Come on, babe,” Ethan coaxes, extending a hand to help me out with a stupid grin on his face.

  “You can either take me home or I’ll call a ride.” Bailing his boss’ daughter out isn’t exactly in Thomas’ job description, but I’m sure he’d come get me if I called him.

  “Look,” Ethan says, trying to soften his tone, but I hear the frustration he’s trying to hide. “We don’t have to see the Backstreet Boys or whatever they’re called…”

  “Sons of Eastlake,” Sav corrects, rolling her eyes. “And speak for yourself. I’m still going to watch them.”

  “Right. That. Let’s just go hit up some rides. Play some games. I’ll even win you one of those big stuffed animals.”

  Knowing he’s not going to give it up, I reluctantly let him help me out of the car. He links his hand with mine, leading me toward the entrance. Sav, Chloe, and Nick are right behind us. I feel a sense of déjà vu as that sugary sweet smell hits my nostrils. It’s a different venue, but everything looks, sounds, and smells exactly the same.