Star Crossed Read online

  That anger again.

  “I can’t imagine what it must be like for you,” I said. “For that matter, I can’t even believe I’m in the same room with you. My best friend loves your music so much that she plays it every day to and from school.”

  For a moment, she tried to smile, then seemed to give up on it. “Honey, you have no idea.”

  I wanted to ask no idea about what, but it was clear that I had no idea about anything in her world. But I was honey now, and that might just mean she wasn’t going demand that I be fired.

  “Well, if you ever want me to do your chart ...” I began. “... With that hair, I’ll bet there’s a lot of Fire there.” As if I didn’t know.

  NOTES TO SELF

  Stacy (make that Stace) never returned to her office that morning. Arianna got even more jittery and distracted. Yet we were able to talk through our differences and finally stood at Stacy’s window overlooking the trees beneath the office.

  I still have my internship. Although Arianna didn’t say it, I know that she is no longer interested in punishing me. Here’s the problem. I kind-of sense something decent in her beneath the glitter and the blond-gold red hair extensions.

  Now I have to shift back into high school mode. Who would believe that I actually met with the real Arianna? Who would believe that beneath her fury was something far sadder? No one I know, that’s for sure.

  9

  LOVE BRINGS OUT THE WORST—AND BEST—IN EVERY

  SIGN. FIRE SIGNS (ARIES, LEO, SAGITTARIUS) EITHER

  CHALK UP ANOTHER CONQUEST OR VOW TO CHANGE

  THEIR WANDERING WAYS. EARTH SIGNS (TAURUS, VIRGO,

  CAPRICORN) MIGHT EITHER TRY TO IMPRISON THE

  OBJECT OF DESIRE OR RELINQUISH CONTROL IN RETURN

  FOR MUTUAL COMMITMENT. AIR SIGNS (GEMINI, LIBRA,

  AQUARIUS) MAY DRIFT AWAY WHEN THE LOVED ONE

  APPEARS DISINTERESTED. OR THEY MAY USE THEIR

  CONSIDERABLE COMMUNICATION SKILLS TO OVERCOME

  THEIR FEAR OF RISK. WATER SIGNS (CANCER, SCORPIO,

  PISCES) WILL DECIDE IF THEY WANT TO SETTLE FOR OR

  SETTLE DOWN. WHAT ONE DECIDES TO DO IN LOVE

  FREQUENTLY DEPENDS ON HOW MUCH ONE IS IN LOVE.

  —Fearless Astrology

  I wasn’t sure how “considerable” my communication skills were, but I did know this Air sign must overcome the risk of hearing that Jeremy no longer loved me. I had to know the truth, even if it was as horrible as I was starting to suspect. By Monday, I still had no word from him. I couldn’t just keep hoping something would change. I had to make it change, if I could. I had to risk.

  In chemistry class that morning, I decided to text him again and make it clear how much I needed to hear the truth. I couldn’t wait any longer, but I had to be careful. Bodmer was sharp. She had even caught Paige texting, which was almost impossible to do. With that glazed Pisces look, Paige could stare straight ahead and sneak one hand into her bag. Fortunately, she didn’t have to go to the SRC, where most of those caught committing texting crimes ended up.

  The Student Responsibility Center, better known as the Stupid Rules Center, was Terra Bella High’s River Styx, and it divided our normal world from the underworld of the dreaded vice principal, Dr. West. Once delivered there, students were examined for dress code violations. Was a T-shirt a solid color, thus suggesting a gang affiliation? Violation! Was there a team name or symbol on it? A hole in someone’s jeans? Did shoes reveal too much flesh? Violation, violation, violation! Phones were kept until claimed by parents. Detention ruled. But I was getting ready to risk it all with my phone just then.

  Bodmer limited her talking time to ten minutes max. Which meant I had exactly that much time to tell Jeremy what I must say to him. Still in lecture mode, she was speaking about the relationship between mass and moles. Not the on-your-body-type moles. A mole, as she loved to point out, was just an easy way of counting atoms.

  After doing a couple of problems on the board, she stopped, glanced around the room with her hawk eyes, and lifted a brown bag of candy. “In this lab, we will use M&Ms.” She stared right at me as if she knew I had something else on my mind.

  “Ms. Bodmer?” Dina raised her hand. “Yes, Dina?”

  “Could we go over the procedure again?”

  “We discussed it in the last class.” Bodmer made eye contact with me. “Can anyone explain?”

  Not my first priority. I needed to get in touch with Jeremy. I’d played the head-trip Aquarius for too long already. My phone was in my bag. Slowly, I reached down, then slid it into my lap. Then I moved my book to the edge of the desk. That would hide what I was doing.

  “Logan?”

  “We’re supposed to count the candy, and then determine the volume and mass,” I said.

  “And why are we using M&Ms in this lab?” Why wouldn’t she leave me alone? Dina turned and shot me that tacky valentine smile.

  “Is it because it’s easier that way to visualize the size of a mole?” I asked.

  She nodded. “Why is that?”

  “Because M&Ms are much bigger than atoms?”

  “Exactly.” At least she seemed satisfied with my answer.

  Finally, she turned her attention to the class. “Three moles of water would fill about two ounces, not quite a quarter cup. That’s how small they are.”

  Then she returned to the board and was so busy trying to make her point, that I finally had an opportunity to text Jeremy. The friendly how-you-doings were behind us. I needed to tell him the truth now.

  J: do u still love me?

  Need to know

  I still love u

  “Logan, are you with us?” I looked up into Bodmer’s steady gaze. How long had she been watching me? As I did so, I realized that in addition to the glasses she was wearing, she had two more pushed into her hair. “Tell me what three moles of M&Ms will fill.”

  Dina’s hand shot up, but Bodmer continued to look at me.

  I could take a wild guess or tell the truth.

  “I’m not sure,” I said. So much for my considerable communication skills.

  Dina gave me a pathetic smile. “It’s right up there on the board,” she said, as if trying to be helpful. “About three moles of M&Ms would completely fill the oceans of the world.” She wasn’t trying to make points with Bodner, only driving the knife into me. A Virgo tactic, for sure.

  Bodmer ignored her. I was getting The Look, and the rest of the class knew it. Slowly, all heads turned toward me.

  “So, what’s in your lap?” Bodmer asked, in that flippant way that made it clear she already knew the answer.

  “My phone,” I said, “but I wasn’t ...”

  She put out her hand. “Give it to me.”

  “But I wasn’t ...”

  “You know the rules, Logan. Just hand it over. And the rest of you had better be smart enough to have yours put away. If you don’t, I’ll have to take them too.”

  The rest of class was a blur. I just knew that Jeremy was texting me back, and I had no way of knowing. No way of even getting back to him.

  I waited after class and finally approached Bodmer at the door.

  “Sorry about what happened today,” she said, before I could speak. “By the way, don’t ever take up poker. Your face gives you away.”

  “I’ve never tried to text in your class before,” I told her. “If so, you would have caught me.”

  “That’s for sure.” She shoved a mass of curls behind her ear, and I saw a large dangling earring that was as out there as the leopard print glasses on her head.

  That reminded me again that, although she gave some of the hardest tests I’d ever taken, she wasn’t a by-the-rules teacher.

  “Since I’ve never done it before, could you give me a second chance?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “I’m required to take away phones from kids who use them inappropriately. You know that.”

  “You’re not going to send it to the SRC, are you?”


  “Of course not,” she said.

  “Thank you.”

  “You messed up,” she said, “but you only messed up once. I’ll just keep it in my drawer while you have time to think about why you should not text in class.”

  “But I need it,” I told her. “Please, could you make an exception, just this time?”

  “I already made one, and a big one, at that. I’m not turning it over to the vice principal.” She returned to her desk, opened the drawer and put my phone inside. “It will be waiting for you here next Monday.”

  Monday? “Please,” I said. “I can’t be without a phone that long. It’s really important.”

  “It’s really important that you pay attention in class, and you can’t do that if you’re only pretending to listen.” She sat on the edge of her desk and gave me a friendly grin as if trying to make me understand that she was helping instead of destroying me. “I know you have a lot going on right now with your magazine internship, and that’s okay. What you did today is not.”

  “I know that, but I have to be in San Francisco Friday morning. I can’t go without my phone. What if I got in an accident or something? What if I got sick and had to call home?”

  “I get your point.” She stood up, and for a moment, I thought she was going to reach for the drawer, and give it back to me. “I’ve been known to break a rule now and then,” she said. “Tell you what. Stop by Thursday afternoon, and I’ll let you have it.” She glanced up at the clock. “Anything else I can do for you today, Logan?”

  NOTES TO SELF

  I had been brave enough to text Jeremy and demand the truth. Now, I won’t be able to read his answer. If there is an answer. If he cares enough to text back.

  Later that day, Dina’s heart-shaped, over-glossed smile was bigger than ever when she greeted me in the hall with “Hiiii, Logan.” Translated: Wait till Kat hears how you blew it in Bodmer’s class. I don’t care about Kat, though. I care about Jeremy. And I care about the phone I’m not going to have back until Thursday night.

  WHERE’S YOUR MERCURY?

  By Logan McRae

  The location of Mercury in your chart determines your communication style. Mercury, the messenger of the zodiac, also affects intellect, short trips, and everyday learning. In Greek mythology, he was Hermes, son of Zeus, who on the day of his birth stole cattle from his brother, Apollo. When the Greek astronomers were choosing names for the planets, they named the fastest one for Mercury. The ruler of both Gemini and Virgo, this planet also rules writers, salespeople, even magicians. When it shows up in a fiery sign, even shy Sun signs speak with more passion.

  Mercury in Aries. Aries is an action sign. With this placement, you can often speak before you think. You can also be more forceful when you talk, and sometimes bossy.

  Mercury in Taurus. Taurus is not a chatterbox. Far from it. When Mercury is here, you may have a speaker who talks slowly and who is more deliberate with word choice.

  Mercury in Gemini. Mercury rules Gemini, and Gemini is at home with words. This placement can make any sign a strong communicator, and in some cases, too much of one.

  Mercury in Cancer. The Crab often works behind the scenes. When Mercury is in this sign, the speaking style is frequently soft-spoken and sometimes manipulative.

  Mercury in Leo. The Lion is fond of attention. When Mercury lands there, the communication style will usually be more exuberant.

  Mercury in Virgo. Mercury rules Virgo as well as Gemini. Since Virgo is all about details, a Merc-Virgo placement can create a communication style that is full of facts, figures, and sometimes, minutiae.

  Mercury in Libra. These speakers are diplomatic and often good negotiators. The communication style is more balanced (some would say wishy-washy), and the speaker will consider (or appear to consider) both sides of an issue.

  Mercury in Scorpio. The Scorpion is rooted in the past, and many could live with minimal conversation. Even a chatty Air sign will be more thoughtful and serious with this placement.

  Mercury in Sagittarius. Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, the planet of expansion. When Mercury lands here, it may result in a speaker who is never-ending verbose and nonstop talkative.

  Mercury in Capricorn. The hardworking Mountain Goat has no time to mince words. The communication style here will be more matter-of-fact, borderline rude, and could appear cold and unemotional.

  Mercury in Aquarius. Aquarius thinks before speaking. And thinks and thinks. When Mercury resides there, the speaking style can be a little (and probably a lot) on the analytical side.

  Mercury in Pisces. The Fish slips around instead of through obstacles. You might tend to “think” your great comebacks instead of actually speaking them. You might also talk around a subject without coming to the point.

  10

  HOW ASSERTIVE ARE YOU? YOU’LL FIND PART OF THE

  ANSWER IN YOUR SUN SIGN. FIRE SIGNS (ARIES, LEO,

  SAGITTARIUS) ARE THE MOST ASSERTIVE OF ALL. THEY

  BLAZE AHEAD WITHOUT GIVING A THOUGHT AS

  WHETHER OR NOT THEY ARE EQUIPPED TO. IF YOU ARE

  A FIRE SIGN, LEARN TO THINK FIRST. EARTH SIGNS

  (TAURUS, VIRGO, CAPRICORN) ARE MORE DELIBERATE

  THAN ASSERTIVE. IN CONFLICT, THEY PUSH AHEAD AT

  THEIR OWN PACE. IF YOU ARE AN EARTH SIGN, LEARN

  TO LISTEN. AIR SIGNS (GEMINI, LIBRA, AQUARIUS)

  TRULY BELIEVE THEY ARE AGGRESSIVE, BUT THEIR

  POWER IS IN WORDS AS OFTEN AS ACTION. IF YOU ARE

  AN AIR SIGN, LEARN TO NOT JUST TALK BUT ACT.

  THOSE CONFLICT-AVOIDING WATER SIGNS (CANCER,

  SCORPIO, PISCES) CAN BE THE MOST PASSIVE-

  AGGRESSIVE OF ALL. THEY ARE THE ONES WHO SIMMER

  SILENTLY, THEN TAKE OUT THEIR ANGER BY PUNISH-

  ING THEMSELVES. IF YOU ARE A WATER SIGN, LEARN

  TO SPEAK OUT.

  —Fearless Astrology

  All week, my emotions twisted and turned. Jeremy might be trying to get in contact with me. Sure, my dad and I had a land line at home, but my cell was the number I gave everyone. It was the way Jeremy and I had once connected. The way we might connect again now that it was Thursday, and I had my cell back. There were no messages from him, but four from Stacy.

  They were all identical. “Call me when you can.”

  I tried to reach her Thursday night but got no answer. Worse, I’d be leaving too early the next day for me to return the call. I hoped it was not important.

  Friday was a teacher in-service, so Chili offered to drive me to San Fran. Stella, her mom, had said we could stay at the Chiliderians’ condo in the Embarcadero. She planned to join us that night for dinner and shopping the next day. Having my friends with me made me less nervous than I had been on my previous trips to the magazine office.

  Chili drove the streets of San Francisco as if she had been born there. Unlike me, she seemed to sense which ones were one-way and which were dead ends. After some fast corners, and a stomach-clutching ride down a hill, she stopped in front of the building.

  “This is the place. How’d you find it?”

  “Gemini instinct.” She flashed me a grin, and her highlights gleamed in the early morning light. “Now aren’t you glad we got here early? Call me when you’re finished for the day.”

  “And have fun.” Paige squeezed my shoulder from the backseat. “And, please, please, please ask if you can get us into the party. I’ve got to meet the Platinum Dragon.”

  “I’ll try,” I told her. “See you tonight.”

  Stacy stood at the office door as I walked in, a black-and-white stenciled bag over the shoulder of her fitted red jacket. “Don’t you ever answer your phone?” she asked.

  “I’m sorry.” No way could I tell her that said phone had been confiscated by my chemistry teacher. “I didn’t have it, but I checked my voice mail.”

  “You know I don’t do voice mail,” she said. “You could see my number there, and you could have called me back if you’d wanted to. I need
ed you here early today.”

  “It is early.” I started to get that tight, anxious knot in my stomach again.

  “Not really.” She glanced at her watch, an asymmetric strip of silver around her tiny wrist. “We’re supposed to be at the hotel making plans for the launch party. Do you realize it’s in less than a month? I’ve been trying to get in touch with you for days, Logan. We missed the car. Now we’re going to have to get a taxi.”

  What had Bodmer done to me?

  “My friends just dropped me off,” I said. “They can’t be that far away. I’m sure they can give us a ride.”

  “You need to call them.” She sighed in that obvious way she frequently used to convey her impatience. “I can’t waste another minute. After I leave the hotel, I’ve got to meet Arianna for a photo shoot.”

  Chili answered immediately. “What’s going on?”

  “How soon can you get back here?” I asked. “My editor and I need a ride.”

  “Cool. We’re going around the block right now. Get us in, okay?”

  “I’ll try,” I said, and to Stacy, “They’re on their way. I’m so sorry I missed your calls.”

  “As long as we get there before Alex pitches a fit,” she said, but her expression was tight and unfriendly.

  Before I could try to make any more excuses, Chili pulled up in front of the office. Stacy climbed into the front seat beside her. I got in beside Paige.

  “I really appreciate this,” Stacy told Chili. “I had hoped to reach Logan earlier. The only time we can work on our launch party is when the hotel isn’t busy. The head chef isn’t happy, as it is, that we’re disrupting his staff’s routine.”