I looked down at the notepaper. The first date listed was pure Libra. Guess who?
The second was Leo. And not just any Leo. Nathan’s birth date was on that paper in my hand.
“Well?” Geneva asked.
Before I could wonder how much of what I felt was plastered on my face, I saw Chili coming down the hall straight for me.
“I’ll get back to you,” I said, and ran to Chili. If anyone could figure out what to do next, my Gemini friend would.
NOTES TO SELF
The Star Crossed column started as only an excuse to trick Frankenstein into telling me his birthday. Now it can actually happen. If it does, I can prove to him that I’m a real writer worthy of his recommendation. Geneva is my ticket. But now, in order to get the assignment, I’ll have to actually figure out how astrologically simpatico she and Nathan are. If I jump off the roof tonight, you’ll understand why. Good thing I live in a single-story house.
10
LEO WANTS AN AUDIENCE, NOT A CRITIC. APPLAUD AND ASK QUESTIONS. MOST OF ALL, REMEMBER, LEO IS KING OF THE ZODIAC, AND IT’S ALL ABOUT THE LION, NOT ABOUT THE OTHER PEOPLE IN HIS LIFE. IF YOU’RE AT A LOSS FOR WORDS WITH A LEO, TRY THAT SIMPLE THREE-LETTER WORD, Y-O-U. WORKS EVERY TIME.
—Fearless Astrology
Leo. Sign of Hayden Panettiere, Elijah Kelley, and Joe Jonas. The more I read about Leo, the more I realized how perfect Nathan was for me.
“Geneva wants you to figure out how compatible she and Nathan are?” Chili waved away the thought as we left auto shop. “Logan, she’s using you.”
“I get that.” How good it felt to talk to a semisane person again.
“I wouldn’t do her one favor,” she said. “You’re the one who’s going out with him tonight. Just see what happens. Then decide.”
“You’re right.” I stopped and realized the importance of what she’d just said. “Tonight. Oh my god.”
“You’ll be fabulous.” She grabbed my arm and squeezed it.
“I’ll try to be,” I said.
“You will be.” Her dark eyes flashed. “Just remember you have the “book.”
I tried to remember that when I saw the Civic hybrid’s headlights splash onto the driveway that night. I tried to remember Chili’s words when I heard the doorbell ring.
“I’ll get it,” my dad called out.
Just my luck that he had gotten off early for a change. “No, I can—” I ran from the window to the front door, but Dad was already there, pumping Nathan’s hand.
“So good to see you again.”
Nathan gave him a confused smile, then said, “Oh, right. My father’s your attorney, isn’t he?”
“He sure is.” My dad was all charm, trying way too hard to be cool. “Great people. Wish we saw more of your mom, though. Tell them I said hi. Can I get you a coffee?”
Even though he’d lived in California most of his life, he’d had never gotten it through his head that, out here, unlike Pennsylvania, it was a cup of coffee.
Nathan looked vaguely horrified. “Thanks, but we’re going to get some, I mean, one.”
“Well, have a great night.”
“Dad,” I said in a soft but firm voice that clearly communicated butt out.
He backed away from the door. “Hi, honey. Just chatting with Nat here.”
“Nathan,” I corrected, and shot him my darkest look. “See you later.”
“Finally.” Nathan watched as I closed the front door behind me. Then he said, “Wow.”
When I saw the expression on his face, it was all I could do to stay calm. He liked what he saw. There was no mistaking that. Thank you, Chili and Paige. Now I just needed to use my new astrology skills to make sure he stayed as dazed as he appeared to be. Being a Leo, he wouldn’t be entirely focused on me for long. He’d be needing some attention.
“Sorry about my dad,” I said. “I’m the only kid, and he’s a little too interested in my life.”
Nathan grinned. “As Frankenstein would say, ‘That’s the understatement of the year.’”
“And as Frankenstein would also say . . .” I gave him a lame thumbs-up. “‘Ditto.’”
Once we were in the Honda, he leaned over and seemed to just stare at me. I felt myself squirm.
“What?” I asked.
“Your eyes. They’re beautiful.” He moved closer, then seemed to stop himself.
I sat there, my lips parted for the kiss that didn’t happen. For some reason, I remembered my gram’s line about catching flies if you held your mouth open and I had to stifle a giggle.
“What is it?” he asked. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” I said, and knew I’d broken the mood. I needed to think fast.
“You’re the one with the wonderful eyes, Nathan.”
“Me?” His grin was immediate, and I knew the book was right again.
“They’re like liquid turquoise.”
“Thanks.” He was glowing now, so cute I couldn’t believe I was in the same vehicle, the same world as him. “On that happy note, let’s get out of here before your dad changes his mind.”
“Where are we going?” I asked him.
He started down the block and smiled back at me. “I’m still thinking about that.”
“Meaning ?”
“Meaning I’d planned to take you to the drama classroom to help us build sets.” He gave me a sly smile. “Right now, though, I’m thinking we should just go somewhere and talk. Would that be all right?”
Absolutely. But that wasn’t what would work with this Leo. I needed to bring it back to him, and fast.
“I’d love to help you build sets.” I did my best to sound sincere.
“You sure?”
I nodded. “Since you’re going to be the lead in the play, I think it’s a good idea to pitch in and help, isn’t it?”
He chuckled. “Frankenstein hasn’t made it official yet, but everyone is sure I’ve got it.”
“I told you that.”
“And I want to believe you’re right.”
“You should.”
I looked up at him. Other than that time back in junior high when Geneva’s younger brother, Jared, and I had sneaked outside in the middle of an open house, this was the first time I’d been alone with a boy I liked. I was as speechless now as I was then.
“And you’re honestly willing to work on sets?” Nathan asked. “To tell you the truth, we’re really behind.”
“Sure.” I looked up into his eyes. “We can talk later. Right now, you need to show your support for the drama department.”
This was better than I could have hoped for.
The minute we pulled into the parking lot, I spotted the cover that I knew protected Frankenstein’s immaculate yellow Corvette.
“Oh, no,” Nathan said. “Frankenstein.”
“He’s not so bad.”
The temptation to explain how he could win over that Taurus Sun sign was on my lips, but I didn’t dare go there.
Dina Coulter was the first one who spotted us. Her dark hair was pulled back, and she was covered by a paint spattered smock.
“Hi, Nathan. Hi, Logan.”
The auditorium smelled like a nail salon. Pieces of stage sets were scattered everywhere. I was surprised to see both Trevor and Kat lifting their brushes to Frankenstein’s loud directions. Kat looked fabulous in a belted jacket that skimmed her curvy shape. How could she work in something that close-fitting? Neither she nor Trevor looked at each other, and they were at least ten feet apart. Still, if Chili really wanted Trevor, and I knew she did, good old Fearless Astrology had better offer up a little background on Kat’s sign as well as his.
“Hiiii, Logan,” Kat gushed.
What was that all about? I looked at her, absolutely speechless. Why was a senior snotty cheerleader type even acknowledging a lowly sophomore?
“Hi,” I said, and because I didn’t have a clue what to say next, I muttered, “Nice jacket.”
“Thanks.” She said it so fast t
hat it sounded like Thinks, something I doubted she did a lot of.
Ms. Snider was there too, pulling furniture around on the stage. She wore a black top and gray pants, and I wondered if she was trying to dress even more conservatively after what the Gears had said about her.
I hammered nails, got paint on my new jeans, and didn’t care. All night long we laughed and talked. About Nathan, of course, but that was the plan.
“My mom’s kind of distant.” Hammer, hammer. “She’s had some problems . . .” Hammer “. . . since my dad got so successful . . .” Hammer “. . . and since my brother got sick.”
“I didn’t know your brother was sick.” I said it quietly, so that if he didn’t want to respond, he could pretend he hadn’t heard it.
“He’s doing pretty well now.” He looked up and met my eyes. “It’s tough, though. That’s why I get involved in this stuff.” He gestured toward his shaved head. “I’ve never told this to anyone, Logan.”
Because I didn’t know what else to say, I touched his arm and said, “I’m glad you told me.”
A big glob of purple paint splashed on my hand.
“Oh, no.” Nathan put down his brush, grabbed a rag, and began to rub it off. He glanced into my eyes and smiled.
I looked down at him and knew I was smiling, too. When he drove me home, he parked at the farthest end of the circular drive. Not good enough. The place exploded into lights. Good old Dad. Nathan pulled away from me as fast as I did from him.
“Well,” he said, “so much for the kiss I had in mind.”
I leaned close to him. “Doesn’t bother me if it doesn’t bother you.”
He lowered his head, then covered my lips with his, softly at first. He smelled of soap and tasted like coffee. My head began to spin. I couldn’t believe it. That first kiss after the dance—the one I’d hung every hope on—couldn’t begin to compare with this.
“Your dad will be out here any minute.” His voice was husky, his lips wet against my cheek.
I turned, breathed in his warm breath, and said, “You’re probably right.”
His fingers tangled in my hair as if ready to pull me to him once more. So much for the hat.
“Promise me you’ll see me again.”
“Of course. I need to go inside now.”
“Yeah, I know you have to, but . . .” His expression was almost enough to make me forget about my dad.
But not quite.
Especially not with him strolling out of the house, hairy legs and all, in the emerald green velour bathrobe my mom bought for him two Christmases ago. Poor Dad. If I weren’t so annoyed, I might have felt sorry for him.
“Evening,” he said. “Just taking out the trash.”
With that, he went over to the side yard and began dragging the garbage cans to the curb. No need to mention to Nathan that the garbage was picked up on Mondays. I was embarrassed enough already.
“Thanks for tonight,” I told him. “I’d better get inside now, or he’ll start mowing the lawn.”
“I meant what I said.” His eyes were shadowed in the dim light. He picked up the hat from my lap and pulled it down almost over my eyes. “I want to get together again, Logan. Really soon.”
I peered up from the darkness and said, “Me too.”
NOTES TO SELF
Nathan likes me. Whatever the book told me to do must have worked. I’ll get another night with him, another chance to kiss him. Can’t wait! The fellowship is still a possibility, and life is soon going to be perfect. So why am I so anxious? In a word, Geneva. Might as well check out Fearless Astrology and confront the facts before I go to bed. Who knows? Maybe Nathan and Geneva are the worst-suited couple since Brad and Jen. Let’s hope.
11
LEO AND LIBRA CAN BE AN EXCELLENT MATCH AS LONG AS THEY LOVE EACH OTHER ENOUGH TO SHARE CENTER STAGE. BOTH ARE ATTRACTIVE PERSONALITIES; BOTH LOVE ATTENTION. LEO’S FIXED FIRE, AND LIBRA IS CARDINAL AIR. THEY WILL HAVE EITHER HOT, PASSIONATE LOVE OR HOT, PASSIONATE FIGHTS. BOTH ARE TAKE-CHARGE TYPES. LEO JUMPS IN AND JUST DOES IT. LIBRA MANIPULATES. IF THEY DON’T CONFLICT OVER WHO GETS THE ATTENTION, THESE TWO CAN ENJOY A LONG-LASTING RELATIONSHIP.
—Fearless Astrology
Libra. Sign of Zac Efron, Ashlee Simpson, and Hillary Duff. As if Geneva wasn’t sexy enough. To make it worse, I discovered that she had a Leo Moon. I rechecked just to be sure. Afraid so. She was a Libra with a Leo Moon, and Nathan was a Leo with a Libra Moon. Opposite sides of the same coin. What was I going to do?
“What are you going to do?” Chili echoed my thoughts. She was getting her highlights done that Saturday, and Paige and I sat with her in the salon waiting for the color to cook into her hair. She patted at the foil packets on her head. “You could lie.”
“Can’t,” I said.
All right, I’ll admit it. That was my first thought too. I mean, would anyone with a shred of sanity announce the fact that the guy she wanted—the guy whose kiss she could still taste—and the hottest girl in school were perfect astrological soul mates? No! I should tell her that Leo and Libra were the worst combination on the planet.
“Agreed.” Paige looked up from the magazine she was flipping through. “You’d get caught.”
“How?” Chili demanded.
“Because any astrology book could prove me wrong. I’d come out looking pathetic, stupid, or both.”
“You really think Geneva would go to the trouble of checking ?” Chili met my eyes in the mirror.
“She might if she wants Nathan enough.”
“So you have to tell her?” Paige looked up from her magazine again.
“Only if she asks,” I said.
I reminded myself that I didn’t know enough about the influence of the other planets in Geneva’s and Nathan’s charts. Beside, as the book said, the Sun sign is not the sum. I’d need to make that clear to Geneva. If I talked to her at all. If I told her anything.
I’d been planning to catch up with her on Monday in journalism class. But have I mentioned that my life doesn’t always work out according to plan? Chili had lost her car keys, and once her highlights were as perfect as always, we had to get a copy of the keys made. Afterward, we walked around the mall and looked for shoes for Chili to buy for Operation Trevor, as she now called it. Scorpios were big on style, I’d told her, although you’d never guess that from looking at Trevor’s jock attire.
“What I need . . . ” She turned around in front of the mirror in our favorite shop and lifted the sandals she was trying on. “What I really need is a pair of combat boots to kick Kat’s ass right out of Trevor’s life.”
Paige giggled.
“What you need is a gemstone that corresponds to your Sun sign,” I told her. “Amethyst, I think the book says.”
Their faces lit up again. And, yes, I was starting to like this, well, power. Maybe I had some Leo in my sign.
“Let’s go.” Chili kicked off the sandals. “Where do you buy an amethyst in this town?”
“Let me check the book first to be sure that’s the right stone,” I said.
We were on our way out of the store when we nearly ran into Geneva. The breeze tossed her cropped hair across her face. She shoved it back and still looked great.
“Well, look who’s here.” She glanced down at us with an amused expression that must have passed for friendly in her mind. Then her gaze settled on me. “Cool top, Logan.”
My face must have been the same shade as the red patent belt Paige had talked me into wearing with the black-and-white rugby tee.
“Thanks,” I said.
“Very few people can wear horizontal stripes.” Before I could recover from the Libra backhand, she added, “I’ve been thinking about you.”
Chili and Paige whirled their heads so quickly toward me that I was afraid they’d get whiplash.
“You have?”
The wind was blowing my own hair. I wished I had my fabulous new beret, and I remembered for a moment how it felt when Nathan pulled it down over my eyes a
s we sat in my driveway.
“Yep. I was wondering what you found out about the sign of Libra.”
I paused. Looked at Paige, at Chili, then back at this girl who could give me the newspaper column with a snap of those long, tapered fingers. I had to show her that I knew something about astrology.
“Libras can be beautiful,” I said, “but then, you probably don’t need me to tell you that.”
Although her laugh was low-pitched and sophisticated as always, a pink tinge spread over her cheeks. “Hunh, what else?”
Chili and Paige stood mute as statues.
“Libras tend to be fair,” I said, and hoped it was the truth. “They hold the scales of justice and can sometimes be a little wishy-washy, even envious.”
“Oh?”
“But only because they’re trying so hard to be balanced and to see both sides of an issue.”
“What about the other birth date I gave you?” She tilted her head.
“Leo.” My voice scratched out the word.
“And?” she urged.
Why lie? I’d be caught anyway.
“A very auspicious match,” I said, using the book’s term, then quickly added because I just couldn’t help it, “Of course, the Sun sign is not the sum. There are other factors. Moon sign, Mars, Venus. All possible to check, of course.”
“Logan, I so absolutely want you to do the Star Crossed column for the paper.” Although her voice was still low, it was more intense now. Her expression wasn’t all that different from the way Chili and Paige had looked at me that night in the spa when I told them about the book. “Where did you learn all this?”
“Here and there.”
“She’s amazing,” Chili blurted. “You wouldn’t believe all she can do with it.”
“Like what?”
I tried to jerk a silent no with my head. Chili caught it, but that wasn’t going to do me any good. Paige was the one Geneva was nailing with that lie-detector look of hers.
“Lots of things.” Paige licked her lips. “Logan’s going to ID the Gears.”
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