At First Sight

by Catherine Hapka

  “I know.” I was slightly embarrassed to note that my voice was shaking. But I couldn’t stop now. “I figured this was my last chance to let you know how I feel. Even if you don’t believe I’m really the girl you met that day”—I waved a hand vaguely toward the planetarium—“well, I guess I wanted to do that much.”

  I gulped as he stared at me with panic in his eyes. “Wait,” he said slowly. “What exactly are you trying to—”

  “Sweetie!” Megan was breathless and giggling as she appeared at the top of the escalator, juggling her purse and her cell phone, and her eyes made a beeline for Riley. “Oh my God, I was afraid I was going to be late!”

  Riley shot me an unreadable look. I held my breath, waiting for him to respond to what I’d said. But he just reached into his pocket and pulled out the guitar-pick necklace.

  “Sorry.” His voice sounded funny, as if it were coming from very far away. “I have to go.”

  Have you ever actually felt your heart breaking? I hope not. Because I’d never wish what I was feeling right then on anyone, not even my worst enemy. Not even Perky Megan.

  I watched just long enough to see Riley hurry forward to meet Megan and bend down to kiss her. That was enough for me. She hadn’t noticed me yet, and I wanted to keep it that way.

  Sidling out of view behind a large informational sign, I looked for an escape route. All I wanted was to get back to the Metro, make my way home, and lock myself in my room for a good long cry. But a huge group of elementary school kids—maybe a Sunday school group? I didn’t know, and didn’t really care—had just started pouring up into the second-floor aisleway from the escalator. In my current condition I wasn’t sure I could fight the screaming, laughing, shoving tide. So I just stood there, taking deep breaths and pressing my back against the wall to keep from passing out.

  I’d tried. That was all I could do, right? Maybe if I kept telling myself that, I might actually start to feel better. Someday.

  The young kids were making a lot of noise. But even so, I couldn’t help overhearing Riley and Megan from the other side of the sign. I didn’t want to—Lord knows I would have preferred to be anywhere else on the planet right then. Or even up in space in one of the rocket ships hanging from the vaulted ceiling. But I couldn’t help it.

  Riley started off by assuring Megan that she wasn’t late. Megan just giggled and launched into some convoluted tale about how late she and her sister had stayed out the night before.

  “It was, like, soooo much fun,” she exclaimed. “I can’t wait to ditch high school and get to college! You have sooo much more freedom and stuff.”

  “That’s cool.” Riley’s voice was quieter, so much so that I could barely hear him. Even so I could tell that he sounded a little preoccupied. “But listen, Megan. I wanted to meet you here so I could give you something. It’s, um, pretty special, just like you are to—”

  “Hey!” Megan squawked, sounding irritated.

  I couldn’t resist a flash of curiosity. Sure, the guitar pick necklace didn’t really go with Megan’s girly, flirty fashion style. But it seemed impossible that she’d act so offended by just seeing it.

  As it turned out, that wasn’t what she was reacting to at all. Peeking around the edge of the sign, I saw her glaring at a couple of boys from the kiddie group. I guess they’d bumped into her or something.

  “Why don’t you watch where you’re going?” she snapped at them.

  “We were!” one of the little boys shot back.

  “Yeah,” his friend added. “We can’t help it if you were staring around not paying attention.”

  They both stomped off. Riley laughed, sounding nervous. “Kids!” he said.

  I ducked back behind the sign, checking around to see if the coast was clear. It wasn’t. The kids seemed to be coalescing around the planetarium entrance.

  “Anyway,” Riley began. He was clearly unaware that I was still lurking around, listening like some psycho stalker, which made me feel guilty and a little helpless. “As I was saying—are you okay, Megan?”

  “Hmm? Oh, sure.” Megan giggled. “Sorry, just looking around.”

  There was such a long pause that I started to wonder with relief if they’d wandered out of earshot. But then Riley spoke again.

  “Okay,” he said, sounding uncertain. “It’s just that you’re staring at stuff like you’ve never seen this place before.”

  “What? Don’t be silly, sweetie!” Her tinkling laugh cut through the elementary kids’ chatter like a blade. “This is where we met, right? Right over there.”

  Again, a long pause. “Actually,” Riley said. “The planetarium is that way.”

  “Oh, I know!” Megan said immediately. “I was talking about the first time I spotted you. Um, I was sitting right there, and my friend Caitlin says, ‘Hey, check out the hottie—’”

  “Are you sure about that?” Riley interrupted her. “Because I thought you said it was your friend Joanie who was with you.”

  “Joanie, Caitlin, whatever. As soon as I saw you, baby, I forgot all about everything else.”

  “Okay.” Riley’s voice sounded funny now. “Um, because right before you got here somebody was telling me something that made me wonder if you really are Planetarium Girl, and then you start acting like you’re seeing this place for the first time …”

  I froze, my body going hot and cold all at the same time. Somebody? Was he talking about me?

  “What are you saying, baby?” For a second Megan sounded offended, or at least faux-fended. Then she laughed. “Okay, okay, you caught me. Whatever. I wasn’t the chick in the planetarium. Actually, I didn’t even go on that stupid field trip—I faked a cold so I could skip it. But when

  I saw that cute post of yours on Facebook,

  I just knew we’d be great together, especially since all the guys at my school are so lame and immature… .”

  “Wait.” Riley’s voice sounded kind of strangled. “So you—you’re just another faker?”

  “You don’t have to be insulting about it.” She sounded offended again now—this time for real. “I just wanted to meet you—you should be flattered. Anyway, what does it matter now that we’re together? That reminds me. You said you had something for me, right?”

  “Yeah, I did.” Now his voice was steady. “But I’m thinking I made a mistake. Sorry, Megan. I wasn’t trying to lead you on or anything, I swear. And I appreciate you taking time out from your sister to come and meet me here. I’m just not sure things are going to work out between us after all.”

  I froze. Was I imagining things, or was he … breaking up with her? My mind spun. What did this mean?

  Just then one of the chaperones with the kids’ group blew a whistle and yelled for all the kids to gather around. I scooted off to the side, trying to avoid getting caught up in the crush. In the meantime I missed a little of the conversation on the other side of the sign.

  When I tuned in again, Megan was ranting at Riley, who wasn’t saying much. “Oh yeah?” she fumed loudly. “Well, I guess I made a mistake too! Here I thought you were something special, and you’re actually just another immature high school guy after all. I’m thinking I might as well just give up and go out with college guys. A whole bunch of them hit on me last night, you know… .”

  There was more, I guess. But I didn’t hear it. That was the good part. The bad part was that the reason I couldn’t hear Megan anymore was that the kiddie group had just started charging into the planetarium. And I got swept in there right along with them.

  “Excuse me!” I exclaimed, doing my best to fight the tide of twerps. “Please, I’m not supposed to be in here… .”

  But it was no use. Finally, I gave up and just went along with it, figuring I could leave once the kids settled in their seats.

  When I finally got myself turned around and aimed toward the door, I stopped short. Riley was standing there just inside the doorway!

  Twenty-one

  Judging by the expression on his face a
nd the way he was holding up both arms and trying to dodge the short people who were surrounding him, I guessed he’d been caught up in the kiddie tsunami too.

  Then he spotted me. His arms dropped to his sides and he just stared. Then he started fighting his way through the crowd—but in the opposite direction this time.

  I waited, my heart pounding. Eventually he reached me.

  “Hey,” he said.

  “Hey.”

  For a second we just stared at each other. I wasn’t sure what to say. Finally the silence was too much for me.

  “I heard what happened,” I blurted out. “Just now. With you and Megan.”

  Yeah. Tactful, I know.

  He grimaced. “You did?” he said. “Oh. Yeah. Guess you were right when you said she was just another faker.”

  Had I said that? I couldn’t really remember.

  “Sorry,” I said, hating the pained look on his face.

  “Don’t be. It’s my own stupid fault. I was so into the idea that I’d found her this time that I ignored my own doubts about her, not to mention some major signs. Like how much she and I didn’t have in common, and—”

  “Move it!” a little girl from the kiddie group ordered us, giving Riley a shove. “I’m supposed to be in this row!”

  “Sorry.” Riley stepped aside, letting her pass. Then he shot me a look. “Should we get out of here?”

  I glanced at the doorway, which was still crowded with kids pouring in. “Yeah, good luck with that,” I joked weakly.

  “Hmm. Maybe you’re right. Let’s just get out of the way until things thin out.” He led the way to a less-populated area near the front of the room.

  Then I turned to face him again. I was starting to feel nervous. But I had to ask him the next question.

  “So,” I began tentatively. “About what you and I were talking about before she got here …”

  His expression was troubled, and for a second I thought he was going to cut me off again. “Yeah,” he said instead. “About that. The reason I was so freaked out about seeing you here—well, aside from the obvious …”

  I chuckled self-consciously. “You mean having me randomly show up at another girl’s big date?”

  “Yeah, that.” He smiled briefly, then went serious again. “But the main reason is because, well …” He took a deep breath. “It’s because I’ve liked you all along.”

  “You—you have?” Somehow, this time I knew he wasn’t talking about being just friends.

  Riley nodded. “I mean, I never believed for a second that you were Planetarium Girl,” he said with a smile. “One look at all this was enough to convince me of that.”

  He reached out and touched my hair. Okay, I know hair doesn’t technically have nerve endings or anything. But even so, the touch made me shiver.

  Then I came back to my senses, realizing what this meant. I opened my mouth to explain, to tell him about how I’d had my hair pulled back that day. My hands even twitched, getting ready to demonstrate.

  But then I stopped myself. What difference did it make, anyway? I wanted to hear where he was going with this.

  “So why didn’t you say something before?” I asked.

  He sighed. “I guess I should have—especially once all my friends started saying what a cute couple you and I made.” Was it my imagination, or did his cheeks go a little pink when he said that? The light wasn’t too great in the planetarium, so it was hard to tell. “But as an artist, I just felt like I had to follow through on the whole mystery muse thing, you know?”

  “I guess,” I said. “It is a pretty awesome song.”

  “Thanks.” He shot me a bashful smile. “Anyway, when Megan came along, she seemed to fit the part and have all the right answers. And I guess by then I was maybe feeling a little desperate thinking I might never find that girl.”

  “So you decided she was The One.”

  “Pretty much.” He shot me a sidelong look. “At least until yesterday.”

  “Yesterday?”

  “At the mall. Spending all that time with you, having a great time—well, I was starting to wonder if I was making a mistake. If maybe Planetarium Girl wasn’t The One after all.”

  My breath caught in my throat. “Really? Then why …”

  “I already had these plans with Megan. And I was still kind of stuck on the muse thing, too. And maybe what I was feeling for you sort of, you know, scared me a little.” He gave an adorable little sheepish half smile at that. “So here I am, feeling completely stupid.” He reached out and took my hand, squeezing it. “I was being stupid all along. It shouldn’t have been so important to track down that girl I met here that day. Maybe I should just be happy that my crazy obsession didn’t chase away the coolest girl I’ve ever met.” He hesitated, searching my eyes with his own. “Did it? Will you give me another chance, Lauren?”

  I was way too overwhelmed to speak right at that second, even to point out that, duh, I was here, wasn’t I? So I just nodded, hoping my eyes told him the rest.

  I guess they did, because he smiled, looking happy and relieved. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out the guitar pick necklace.

  “Okay, this might seem kind of weird, since I was about to—well, you know.” He laughed softly. “But I really hope you’ll accept this. It means a lot to me, and well, I think it’ll look perfect on you.”

  “Oh, wow, I mean, um, wow,” I stammered, totally touched by the gesture. “I mean, of course. I love it! Thanks.”

  Okay, I never claimed to be a poet or anything. But Riley didn’t seem to mind. I turned my back and held up my hair. He fastened the chain around my neck, letting his hands linger on my shoulders for a second.

  My heart was pounding as I turned around to face him again, touching the guitar pick nestled at my throat. He stared at me. His hands reached for me …

  The lights cut out. Startled, I let out a yelp and leaped forward—right into Riley’s arms.

  He had jumped a little too, but was already laughing. “Whoa,” he whispered to me in the dark. “We should stop meeting like this!”

  I started laughing, too. Was fate a crazy thing or what? “Tell me about it!” I exclaimed softly. Above us, there was a sudden explosion of light and sound.

  We were both still laughing when his lips found mine. My eyes fluttered shut, and I saw stars, even though I wasn’t looking up at the planetarium screen. Kissing him felt like swirling through the galaxy without a spaceship. Or maybe not exactly like that. But it did leave me breathless and a little dizzy. And I knew this had to be the most romantic moment in the history of the universe. You know, the one currently expanding right over our heads.

  Finally, we came up for air. But he kept holding me, rocking me softly back and forth. I felt his breath tickle my ear as he started to sing to me. It was the song—my song. I was so starry-eyed by all that was happening that I thought I might burst with joy… .

  “Pardon me!” a stern voice hissed from somewhere behind Riley’s right shoulder. A second later a tiny but surprisingly strong flashlight beam shot into my eyes, nearly blinding me. “Do you mind? What do you two lovebirds think this is?”

  The flashlight spun around to focus on Riley, allowing me to see the face behind it. I gasped. It was her! The very same Stern Scientist Lady who’d caught us together on that fateful day almost two weeks earlier!

  “Um, sorry?” Riley was stammering. “We didn’t mean—”

  “I can’t believe it!” the woman cut him off, sounding surprised and disgusted. The flashlight flickered from his face to mine and back again. “You two? Again? Ugh! I give up!”

  She spun on her heel and stomped off into the dark, muttering to herself. Her tiny flashlight lit the way.

  Just then a supernova exploded up on the screen. Or something bright happened, anyway. I wasn’t looking up; I was watching Riley’s eyes widen with amazement.

  “So it really was … ,” he began.

  I laughed, pulling him toward me and kissing him
again before he could finish. What did it matter? The important thing wasn’t him knowing I was the real Planetarium Girl. It was that we were finally together.

  Just as I’d imagined at first sight.

  About the Author

  Catherine Hapka has written more than one hundred and fifty books for children and young adults. In addition to reading and writing, she enjoys horseback riding, animals of all kinds, gardening, music, and traveling. She lives on a small farm in Chester County, Pennsylvania, with a couple of horses, three goats, a small flock of chickens, and too many cats.

  LOL at this sneak peek of

  Language of Love

  By Deborah Reber

  A new Romantic Comedy from Simon Pulse

  How did I get myself into this mess? I stared up at the ceiling looking for an answer. Of course, I knew it wasn’t up there. In fact, I already knew the culprit behind my predicament was none other than Molly Harris, my BIF. In Molly’s case, BIF stood for “bad influence friend”—the friend who gets you to do all kinds of things you wouldn’t normally do but do anyway because that friend holds some sort of voodoo power over you.

  To further complicate matters, Molly was my BFF, too. We’d been friends forever, or at least as far back as second grade, when Molly moved onto my block and I had an instant ally in my very testosterone-filled neighborhood. There were boys to the left, boys to the right, and one particularly annoying little boy in the bedroom next to mine.

  Molly had me at hello with her shiny blond hair, cornflower blue mischievous eyes, a grin that makes you believe anything is possible, and a confidence that says she’d be president someday if it weren’t for the countless scandals she’s bound to have a hand in between now and thirty. We’d been through it all together over the years, and though she could certainly be a bit, shall we say, self-involved, at her core Molly was a good person. When it came down to it, I knew she’d always be there for me.

  To be fair, Molly didn’t get me into this mess alone. In fact, I actually started it. After all, I’m the one who decided impersonating a Hungarian national was a good idea. But I was just having fun. This? This situation I’m in now? Not fun. Definitely not fun.