MARS IS THE WARRIOR GOD, ALTHOUGH HIS ENERGY IS FELT IN WOMEN AS WELL AS MEN. WHEREVER YOU FIND MARS, YOU’LL ALSO FIND AGGRESSION AND SELFISHNESS. IN WATER SIGNS (CANCER, SCORPIO, PISCES), MARS BOILS. IN EARTH SIGNS (TAURUS, VIRGO, CAPRICORN), HE’S STUBBORN. IN AIR SIGNS (GEMINI, LIBRA, AQUARIUS), HE ARGUES, AND IN FIRE SIGNS (ARIES, LEO, SAGITTARIUS), HE ESCALATES THE PASSION. DISCOVERING THE PLACEMENT OF MARS IS ESSENTIAL. IT SHOWS US THE WAY IN WHICH EVEN THE MEEKEST PERSON EXPRESSES AGGRESSION.
—Fearless Astrology
I loved what I was learning about Mars. Mine was in Gemini, which meant I expressed my aggression with words. Now if I could just write them down. With a Mars in Sagittarius, Nathan might have a tendency toward bluntness, with a free, adventurous spirit that craved independence. His ideal love match would be someone—me, I hoped—with a good sense of humor, who liked to have fun, and did not press for commitment. I’d have to remember that when we met before class to go over his chart.
The next morning Chili and Paige were grinning like twin Cheshires, as my gram would say. Paige seemed more confident, and looked it in her oversize glasses with her hair falling free around her face. Chili seemed less scattered. We were changing, all of us, right before my eyes. All we could talk about was the night before.
“That book has transformed our lives, Logan,” Paige said, and I remembered the line on the cover and how I’d felt the first time I read it. Transform your life . . .
“It’s amazing,” I agreed.
“You know that Trevor and Nathan showed up at the coffee shop looking for you and Chili. And Hunter . . .”
“Yes, you actually managed to speak to the tattooed man this time,” I said. “Talk about change.”
“Well, let’s just hope the book keeps doing its magic.” With a shake of her fabulously highlighted hair, Chili opened the door.
Nathan was waiting for me in the parking lot, just as we’d planned. He grinned when he saw me, and my heart beat faster. Transformed was the right word, for sure. I didn’t have to fake feeling confident anymore. I just was.
“See you later.” Chili grinned, and she and Paige began walking toward the main hallway.
“Did you finish it?” Nathan asked as we followed them.
“I did. You have a great chart, Nathan.”
“I do?”
I nodded. “Very cool. A fun-loving personality. Acting is a natural for you.”
“Now, if only I could convince my mom.” He made a face.
“Do it in a playful way,” I said. “If you’re too blunt, it could make her defensive.”
Before he could answer, Kat caught up with us. As usual, she was wearing her gold-and-navy cheerleader uniform.
“Hey, Nathan,” she said, but I was the one she was looking at. “I want one of those free horoscopes.” Her smile was as fake and as friendly as if she’d never had the meltdown in the school restroom.
“Did you sign up with Ms. Snider?”
“Oh, yeah.” She tossed her short dark hair. “I just wanted to make sure you knew that I really want it.”
“You made that pretty clear the other day,” I said.
“Oh, that.” More shrugs and tossing of hair. She glanced at Nathan as if he were part of this too. “Trevor and I had a misunderstanding is all, and I was dealing with a lot of stress. It’s okay now, though. The four of us will have to go out sometime.”
The four of us. It’s a good thing Aquarius is not a violent sign, or my fingers would have been around that skinny Aries throat.
“We need to get to class,” I muttered.
“See you.” Kat’s eyes met mine. “Just remember what I said about the chart. I really want it.”
We watched her walk away, and then finally Nathan said, “Can you believe that?”
“She offered me her jacket and Coach bag if I’d figure out her chart,” I told him. “Then she threw a fit in the restroom when I turned her down.”
“Crazy.” He shook his head. “Jared dated her in junior high and said she was nuts then.”
Had Geneva’s younger brother been interested in Kat before or after he’d been interested in me?
“When was that?” I asked.
“Seventh grade,” I think. “Kat went to private school. They were together that summer and fall.”
The same summer and fall I’d thought Jared liked me. The same time we’d kissed.
“Well, she claims she’s back with Trevor now,” I said.
“She’s not. I know that for a fact.”
Thank goodness, I thought. “Really?”
“Yeah.” He reached out and took my hand as we walked. I couldn’t believe the warmth of it.
“So Kat was lying?” I asked.
“She sure was. Trevor likes someone else, as I’m sure you know. But that’s all I can say. After what happened with Kat, he’s going to take his time. Doesn’t want to deal with a bunch of gossip.”
So Scorpio of Trevor.
“I wouldn’t tell anyone,” I said. Except Chili. And Paige, of course.
“No can do.”
I looked in his eyes and knew he meant it. Smart of him too.
“That’s okay,” I said. “It’s good that you can keep a secret.”
He squeezed my hand again. “Now, can we go talk about my chart?”
Sure thing, Leo.
I reminded myself to be fun-loving and flashed him a smile.
“Absolutely,” I said.
NOTES TO SELF
Nathan was engrossed by all of the information I’d found in the book. I made sure to describe his traits in positive terms. I could tell by his questions that he’s really aggressive about topics his mom doesn’t want to hear. When I explained, in the most upbeat way possible, the significance of Mars in Sagittarius, he said he was going to try to be less blunt with her. And then, his eyes gleaming with adoration—probably for himself, but maybe for me too—he told me I was the smartest girl he knew. I remember that Venus in Aquarius of his, and know not to get all gushy and possessive. It won’t be easy, though. I’m really starting to like him.
27
TRINES ARE ASTROLOGICAL TIES THAT CAN BIND. YOU’LL FIND SPECIAL COMPATIBILITY AND UNDER STANDING WITH SOMEONE WHO IS TRINED TO YOUR SUN. SUN SIGNS ARE TRINED BASED ON THEIR ELEMENTS. FIRE SIGNS (ARIES, LEO, SAGITTARIUS); EARTH SIGNS (TAURUS, VIRGO, CAPRICORN); AIR SIGNS (GEMINI, LIBRA, AQUARIUS); WATER SIGNS (CANCER, PISCES, SCORPIO). THE TRINE OF 120 DEGREES CAN BRING A FEELING OF INSTANT RAPPORT AND USUALLY RESULTS IN A HARMONIOUS RELATIONSHIP.
—Fearless Astrology
As earth signs, Frankenstein and Snider were trined. That meant that regardless of how different they appeared on the surface, they could have—what were the terms?—yes, that’s right: instant rapport and a harmonious relationship.
They had to be a match, right? If he could be more flexible and if she could be less focused on work. On second thought, why should anyone be less of what they were meant to be? If the trine aspect was working, maybe none of their differences mattered. I hoped that was the case. They were cute together. And they could be compatible. Just like Nathan and me. Tonight I’d be with him again.
It wasn’t my imagination. Kids were treating me differently, and I was liking it. Seniors who’d walked right past me before stopped and asked about their signs. I quickly figured out something positive to say. If the person was a Libra, I’d use words like “fair,” instead of “wishy-washy.” If it was an Aries, I’d mention “leadership” and not the tendency to leave jobs unfinished.
“You’re like Miss Popular these days,” Chili said as we drove to Java & Jazz to give Paige her thrill for the night.
“You really think so?”
“Everybody’s so into you,” Paige said. “They look up to you, Logan.”
After we left Java & Jazz, Chili was going to drop me at the drama classroom. Unfortunately, Hunter was “out sick” again, according to the smirking guy we’d talked to the first time we’d stalked Hunter there.
&nb
sp; “An Aries can be unreliable,” I said as we walked back to the car. “I’m not so sure about him, Paige.”
“Signs can’t be all bad or all good,” she said. “Haven’t you said that about a hundred times?”
“True,” I conceded. “Even though Hunter likes to stand out with his tats and hair, you don’t see him throwing fits like Kat. And they’re both the same Sun sign.”
Still, the ephemeris had warned about a period of strife. An Aries thrown into the mix could be like tossing a match into gasoline.
As we climbed into the car, I felt a chill. No, I thought, don’t say a word. There’s no reason to suspect that Hunter is one of the Gears.
Then I remembered our lame attempt to catch them. Hunter hadn’t been at work that night either. Could he have been one of the boys I’d heard?
“Why so quiet?” Paige asked from the backseat, as if she could hear me thinking.
“Just getting ready for Nathan.” Far from a lie. I reached for my tube of lip gloss.
Chili squealed, and I nearly glossed my nose.
“Paige, look.”
Sure enough, there was Hunter hanging out in the parking lot, talking to Trevor, both of them in jackets. They looked up and nodded when we drove in. What was this junior college guy doing in our high school parking lot with the senior guy? Especially when the junior college guy was supposed to be “off sick” from work?
Paige waved a little more enthusiastically than we might have advised.
“There’s our evening,” Chili said. “I’m so glad I decided to drive you here.”
“Did you tell Trevor you were going to?” I asked.
“Of course.” She grinned. “You have fun.”
Nathan came out of the classroom and started toward me. I tried to look back and say good-bye to Chili and Paige, but Chili’s car was heading back toward the boys.
“Hey.” Nathan hugged me out there in view of anyone who might be looking. “Missed you.”
He no longer seemed down. In fact, he seemed more interested in me than ever. Why was that? Because I was keeping him guessing the way the book suggested? Or was he attracted by my sudden fame spreading like fire around the school?
“Missed you too.”
“I tried some of what we talked about on my mom,” he said. “It worked, Logan. I think she actually listened to me for once.”
“That’s great.”
“So maybe it’s been my fault all along. When I blurt stuff out, she thinks I’m arguing.”
“Do you think I should do her chart?”
He looked impressed. “That’s just what I was going to ask you.”
We walked in together, and I looked around the room. The usual drama types, probably all Leos, Aries, and Libras, with a sultry Scorpio or almost invisible Cancer in the shadows. Frankenstein wasn’t here yet, no doubt still talking to Snider.
Kat stopped splashing paint on the backdrop against the wall and gave us a confused and angry look. In her paint covered jeans, still holding her brush, she crossed the room toward me.
“Your little game is over,” she said. “You’re a fake, Astro Girl, and I’ve figured you out.”
“What are you talking about?”
“What don’t you understand about fake?” she said. “I know what you’re doing. You’re so desperate that you convince people their signs are compatible so that you can get guys for your friends.” She glared at Nathan, then at me. “And for yourself, of course.”
“Wait a minute,” Nathan said.
The other conversations around the room stopped as if someone had snapped off a radio. I felt myself flush.
“It’s all right,” I told him. “Kat—”
“I’m not about—,” she began. “I refuse to—”
“I—I—I,” I drowned her out. “Me—me—me. You sound just like the double Aries that you are, and an unevolved one at that.”
“You’re not going to shut me up.” Except for her voice, the room remained silent. No one was even pretending to work now. “You were a loser until you reinvented yourself as an astrology expert. Sure, you say you found the Gears, but you have no proof of that. The boys you saw could have been anyone. There’s not even any evidence that they were doing anything wrong.”
“Because I didn’t give them a chance,” I said. “They were the Gears. I’ll stop them the next time they try to strike too.” I knew I sounded cocky, but I didn’t care.
“It’s really gone to your head, hasn’t it?” She looked wildly around the room. “Can you see how it’s gone to her head? But she’s not doing anything, you guys. She’s just talking.”
“I’m doing, all right,” I blurted out. “I happen to know when the Gears are planning their next attack. Now put down that paintbrush, Kat, or I’ll put it down for you.”
“Bitch.” She tossed the dripping thing at me.
I stepped out of the way just in time.
The brush slid across the floor and landed next to Charles Bellamy. I hadn’t even realized he was in the room until I watched the bright blue paint splatter all over his shoes.
Nathan yanked the door open. “Mr. Franklin,” he shouted. “Where are you?”
“Right here.”
Frankenstein stepped inside, all take-charge and scowly. Kat nearly trampled him as she ran out the door.
“Sorry,” he said. “Ms. Snider’s car is in the shop, and I had to give her a ride home. What’s going on here?”
“Kat threw a paintbrush at me,” I said. “Look what she did to Charles.”
“My shoes.” Charles lifted a blue-speckled foot. He sounded stunned.
“Take them off,” Frankenstein said. “Maybe we can clean them. The rest of you kids get back to work. And tomorrow I’m going to have a talk with the vice principal. No one acts like this on my watch.”
Everyone but Charles returned to what they’d been doing. I stood beside Nathan, my heart still racing.
“At least she’s gone,” he said. “Let’s hope the rest of the night will be better.”
“Knowing Kat,” I whispered, “I doubt she’ll be gone for long.”
“She will.” He reached down, squeezed my hand. “You’ve got to know who Trevor likes, don’t you? That’s what made Kat crazier than usual.”
“I think I know.” I smiled up at him. “Confirm it with a first initial, and I’ll buy the lattes after we finish painting tonight.”
“C.” He gave me a one-armed hug. “And I’ll buy the lattes.”
How much better could it get?
“Did you know Trevor was in the parking lot when we pulled in?” I asked.
“Was he? Why?”
He couldn’t hide his guilty expression.
“You knew he’d be here, didn’t you?”
He shrugged. “He likes C. What can I say?”
“What about Hunter?” I asked.
His expression changed. “Didn’t know about him, but Trevor has a right to pick his own friends, I guess.”
Another negative about Mr. Aries.
“I guess. In the meantime, what do we do now?”
He picked up the paintbrush that lay where it had landed before sloshing Charles’s shoes. “Work,” he said.
“Let’s do it,” I replied.
We painted late that night. I could feel the other kids looking at me and heard their whispers. I had come on pretty strong about the Gears. Kat had brought out the worst in me. Nathan didn’t seem bothered by my outburst, though.
Around ten, Frankenstein finally said, “That’s it for tonight, folks. Now get out of here so that I can.”
Nathan and I walked out together. My skin tingled in the cold.
Then I saw it.
Right outside the drama classroom, on the opposite wall, was some kind of huge poster. The light shone right down on it. Kids were already gathered around. Their nervous laughter scared me.
Nathan moved closer.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I can’t believe it
,” he said. “They’ve done it again.”
“What do you mean?”
Before he could answer, I saw the words block printed on the huge poster. SNIDER PUTS OUT 2 HIM.
At first I just didn’t think this was that much worse than previous Gears attacks, but it was.
For those who lacked imagination, intelligence, or both, someone had also pasted blown-up yearbook photos of Snider and Frankenstein on opposite sides of the message.
“Disgusting.” I turned to see Charles Bellamy right behind me. His shoes were clean. “It’s really disgusting,” he repeated.
Frankenstein shouted from behind him. “Who did this? Get this off the wall, people, and I mean now.”
Nathan stood quietly next to me. “Come on,” he said, in a calm but firm voice. “I’m going to take you home.”
We hurried to the Honda, and I jumped inside.
“Thanks,” I said once we were safely out of the parking lot.
“The Gears are such losers.” His jaw was set.
I could tell the mood was spoiled.
“Still want coffee?” I tried to smile. “I’m still buying.”
“I’ll hold you to it next time,” he said.
We drove in silence.
He stopped at a red light, and I finally got the courage to ask, “What’s wrong, Nathan?”
“The Gears,” he said. “They make me sick. This isn’t just fun and games anymore. It’s cruel.”
Something in his voice scared me. He was angrier than I’d ever seen him.
“What is it?” I asked. “You don’t know who they are, do you?”
“No,” he replied quickly. “Of course not.”
But his anger seemed so personal that I couldn’t help wondering. No, that was crazy. The Gears were bringing out the paranoia in all of us.
NOTES TO SELF
Nathan was so upset about the Gears that he didn’t even kiss me good night. My dad must have sensed that this would be one safe evening. He wasn’t out in the driveway dragging around trash cans. Even with all of our newfound privacy in the darkness outside my house, Nathan said only a hasty good-bye. How could I have missed this latest attack? How could I let it happen right after I shot my mouth off? I dread going back to school. I’m going to look like the fake Kat said I was.
Aries Rising Page 14