Starstruck (2 page)

He sat down and it was like I couldn’t stop staring at the back of his head—which was more than a little disturbing.

Pete Warner leaned across from the next row. “Hey, Rigel, right?” He pronounced it like “regal,” with a hard G.

“Rigel,” the new guy corrected him, pronouncing it Ry-jel. Like the star.

Pete nodded, unfazed. “I hear you’re gonna be our new quarterback?”

“Coach Glazier seems to think so,” Rigel said with a shrug, his voice jolting me again. “But he’s only seen me at one practice so far.”

“Yeah, well, if you played at CN that’s probably all he needed to see. Especially after last year’s game.”

“Huh. I’ll bet Bryce is pissed,” Nate Villiers commented.

Bryce Farmer was a senior now and had been our quarterback last year. He had also, not-so-coincidentally, dated Trina. I wondered what had happened there, since she was now coming on to Rigel. The new quarterback. So predictable.

A few of the other boys joined the football discussion and I tried to tune them out, but every time Rigel spoke my whole body thrummed to his voice. What was
wrong
with me? I forced myself to read through my schedule, desperate to distract myself, but it was pretty much what I expected. With just twenty-two teachers at Jewel, there wasn’t a lot of room for surprises.

Finally, Mrs. Cummins called us to order. “First period will start in five minutes. Everyone look over your schedules. If there’s a problem, ask me for a slip so you can stop by the office for adjustments.”

The noise level dropped as everyone else checked their classes. Trina immediately turned to face Rigel. “So, what classes do you have?” she asked, leaning toward him so he could get a peek at her cleavage.

I rolled my eyes and felt a spurt of amusement when she noticed and had to work to hide her irritation.

“They said my schedule was tentative,” he replied. “What do you have? Maybe I can—”

“Switch a couple? I definitely have some of the best teachers this semester.”

This time I couldn’t suppress a snicker. Trina dropped her syrupy-sweet routine long enough to glare at me. Then, before Rigel could turn his head to see what she was glaring at, she switched her high-powered smile back on and leaned further over the back of her chair until she was practically lying across his desk.

In a fake, breathy voice, Trina started naming her classes in order. I glanced back down at my own schedule and winced. I was going to share more than half my classes with her this year. Maybe I could get
my
schedule changed!

But then I heard Rigel murmur something about switching an elective to coordinate with her schedule and decided maybe I could live with Trina in the same room if it also meant listening to Rigel’s deliciously disturbing voice several times a day.

He rose smoothly and went to the front to get a change slip from Mrs. Cummins, and suddenly, like someone had flipped a switch, I was able to think rationally again. I took the opportunity to remind myself that I should be more interested in Jimmy Franklin’s schedule than Rigel’s. Jimmy didn’t know I existed either, but it still seemed disloyal to have temporarily forgotten about the boy I’d been crushing on for almost two years.

Besides, if Trina planned to snag Rigel for herself, Jimmy was probably more within my reach. Kind of like how the moon was more within my reach than the sun. I stifled a sigh.

Rigel came back and I immediately had trouble focusing again, even before he spoke. I was definitely
way
more aware of him than was reasonable, gorgeous or not. I tried—hard—not to look at him as he sat back down in front of me and Trina resumed her over-the-top flirting.

A minute later the bell rang. Rigel and Trina left together, of course. I hung back, not wanting to get too close, but then, without really meaning to, I found myself quickening my pace. I caught up to them in time to see a slightly confused expression on Rigel’s profile, which suddenly cleared. I wondered what stupid thing Trina had been saying to him.

I stayed two steps behind them until Rigel turned to go to the office to change his schedule. It was like I was caught in his orbit—a funny metaphor, I realized, since he was named after a star.

And he still hadn’t so much as glanced my way.

In Geometry, determined to get Rigel out of my head, I made a point of sitting only two seats away from Jimmy. Who still didn’t notice me. Probably just as well, since I caught myself pasting a stupid, soppy smile on my face every time he turned in my direction. Why was I such a spazz around guys?

“Hey, M!” Deb’s arrival was a welcome distraction until she continued, “Have you seen the new guy, Rigel?” I nodded. “What a hottie, huh?”

“Yeah, he’s pretty cute.” I didn’t mention the strange effect he had on me. “I think Trina’s already staked him out.”

Deb made a sour face. “Figures. But unless he’s an idiot, he’ll realize soon enough that her beauty is only about one skin cell deep. Her bitchiness goes all the way to the bone.”

Rigel came in ten minutes late with his change slip and even across the room I felt that bizarre twanging of my nerves again. He went to sit next to Trina, who had saved him a seat.

Because of homeroom, Geometry was ten minutes shorter than normal. That suited me fine, since I was wearing myself out trying not to sneak glances at Jimmy
or
Rigel. If I didn’t somehow control my attention better, I’d be kissing my scholarship dreams goodbye.

When the bell rang, I hung back with Deb, afraid I’d give myself away if I got too close to Rigel. “What’s your next class?”

“English,” she said. “How about you?”

“Computer Apps.” It was one of the few classes Trina—and Rigel?—wouldn’t be in. I told myself firmly this was a good thing.

Deb and I compared schedules as we walked. Though I swear I wasn’t trying to watch him, I caught a glimpse of Rigel up ahead, just as he turned a corner. The opposite direction I needed to go. Again, a good thing.

“See you at lunch,” Deb said when she turned to go the same way Rigel had. I tried very hard not to envy her.

Mr. Morrison, Bri’s dad, was my Computer Apps teacher and he smiled when he saw me—until I moved toward one of the gleaming new computers spaced along the tables that ran the width of the room.

“Um, Marsha, would you mind terribly?” he asked apologetically, pointing toward one of three older machines near the back, the ones we’d used last year for Keyboarding.

“Sure, Mr. Morrison, no problem,” I said lightly, ignoring the snickers.

I couldn’t really blame him, since last year I’d killed four computers in one semester of Keyboarding. And it wasn’t only computers. I hadn’t been able to wear a digital watch for . . . well, ever. They always died within a week. I was practically the only kid in school without a cell phone, for the same reason. My aunt even cringed when I used the microwave, since our last two had gone on the fritz while I was nearby.

I used to joke that the static thing was my superpower—but now I just avoided everyone’s eyes as I sat down at my older computer, feeling like a freak.

Bri was in my Honors English next period. So was Rigel. Bri made a beeline for him—not hard to guess why—but I intercepted her.

“C’mon, let’s sit by the window.”

“But—” Bri looked over her shoulder toward Rigel with intense interest.

“We’ll be further from the teacher there,” I improvised. Without waiting for her reply, I headed to the opposite side of the room and she reluctantly followed me.

As I sat down, I involuntarily glanced Rigel’s way only to find him frowning in my direction. Frantically, I went back over what I’d just said but I was sure I hadn’t used his name. Unless he could read my mind, I was safe.

I risked another peek and was relieved to see he had turned away, and was now talking to Trina and Nicole Adams, another cheerleader. He was still frowning slightly, but it obviously had nothing to do with me.

“So, what do you think of our hot new guy?” were Bri’s predictable next words. “He was in Spanish last period but that humongous flirt, Trina, barely let him look at anyone else—just like now.”

It took a suprising amount of effort, but I managed not to look at him again. “Is that all you and Deb can talk about today?”

Bri shrugged, then grinned. “Can you think of anything more interesting?”

I absolutely couldn’t, but I wasn’t going to admit that. My silence was enough encouragement for Bri to continue.

“I’m going to pry every detail about him out of my dad tonight,” she said. “By tomorrow I should have all kinds of juicy stuff to share.”

I pretended I wasn’t even more eager for those details than she was. “What if there isn’t anything juicy? Besides, it’s not like any of us have a shot, with Trina all over him.”

“Yeah, well, a girl can dream.” Bri gave me a sly grin and waggled her eyebrows. “You used to be really good at that.”

“Shh!” I glanced around to make sure no one had heard her. I kept my flights of fancy to myself these days, but I did
not
want anyone reminded of the ridiculous stuff I’d made up back in elementary school.

Other kids might have had imaginary friends, but I’d invented a whole imaginary life. I’d told everyone in second grade that I was really a Martian princess whose parents would one day fly me back to their beautiful palace in the stars. No doubt it was my way of dealing with the fact I was adopted and knew nothing about my birth parents. I’d told other outlandish stories, too, but that one had been my favorite—and I got teased mercilessly for it.

I did wise up enough to stop talking about it by third grade, but the teasing went on for years. “Marsha the Martian” was a nickname I
never
wanted to hear again. In fact, it was the main reason I tried to make people call me M instead of Marsha. Bri and Deb cooperated, but nobody else did.

“Okay,” Bri said. “But you’ve obviously noticed him if you want me to shut up so bad.”

“Of course I’ve noticed him,” I whispered. “He sat right in front of me in homeroom. But Trina sat in front of him—Squires, Stuart—so he never even saw me. So I don’t see any point in torturing myself over him.”

Bri looked over at him again and I gave into temptation and risked a brief glance. He wasn’t talking to Trina now. He seemed to be slowly scanning the room, like he was looking for something—or someone. I looked away before he could catch me staring.

Bri wasn’t so inhibited—she actually caught his eye and smiled. Since I refused to look I didn’t know he’d smiled back until she turned to me with stars in her eyes. “Wow, he’s even cuter when he smiles! I’m at least going to say hi to him after class. No harm in that, and it might piss off Trina.”

“Yeah, bonus,” I agreed glumly, wishing I had Bri’s courage.

“Is this the worst reading list ever, or what?” Bri complained as we got up to leave forty-five minutes later.

I scanned the titles and synopses, trying to pay attention to something other than Rigel leaving the room with Trina. “The most depressing, anyway.
Lord of the Flies
and
The Bell Jar
in the same six weeks? They’ll be lucky if we don’t all slit our wrists.”

“Seriously. Oh, there he goes! Come on.”

Even though I’d meant to hang back, somehow I found myself right behind Bri as she tried to catch up with Rigel. But Trina had him by the elbow, with Nicole flanking his other side, and by the time we reached the door, they were halfway down the hall.

“Crap! Oh, well, we can introduce ourselves at lunch,” Bri said, staring after him.

“Yeah, we’ll do that.”

She looked at me. “Come on, he won’t bite. Worst that can happen is he’ll laugh at us.” That sounded pretty awful to me, but Bri never worried about looking stupid like I did. “I’ve got Health next,” she said then, pulling out her schedule. “How about you?”

“Earth and Space Science.” Trina was also in that class, which probably meant Rigel would be, too. “See you at lunch?”

“Yeah, whoever gets there first, save seats. Later!”

I purposely got to class late enough that everyone, including Rigel, was seated—only to discover the only empty spot left was at the table in front of him. Trying not to panic, I scanned the room hoping another seat might magically appear, but the class was full. Steeling myself against any kind of reaction, I moved to the empty chair as nonchalantly as I could.

“Hey, Marsh,” Will Chesterton said as I sat next to him. He was shorter than me, and nerdy, but not a bad guy. His main fault was thinking he was way cooler than he actually was.

“Hi, Will. Have a good summer?” I tried hard not to be
too
obsessed by the fact that Rigel was only three feet from my right elbow. There was no way I actually felt a tingling in that elbow! That was just silly.

“Yeah, we went to Indiana Dunes a couple times and spent a week in Saugatuck,” Will said, and I had to focus to remember why he was telling me this. “How about you?”

I could hear Rigel murmuring something to Trina, but I couldn’t make out the words. “What? Oh, um, we were going to go to Florida for a week, but Uncle Louie couldn’t get off work long enough so we just went to the lake for three days instead.”

Rigel’s voice stopped so abruptly, I wondered if Trina had poked him or something.