Bring Down the Stars

“I doubt that.”

“You doubt my Einstein?”

“I doubt you have no special talents.”

Autumn’s smile softened. “That remains to be seen, playing a mean round of pool aside. So. Prep school. Was it as uptight as it sounds?”

“Worse. Bunch of wealthy kids in uniforms. I felt like I’d wandered onto a

movie set by accident.”

“How did you…?”

“Afford it? I got in on a scholarship for that too.”

Autumn reached over and tapped my hand, like a mini high-five. “Good for you. Track?”

I nodded and took a sip of my coffee. Autumn had no clue about Sock Boy and with any luck, he’d stay safely locked in the drawer where he belonged.

“You’ve been running a long time, then,” she said.

Chasing, not running. I’ll be chasing that fucking car until I die.

“Yep,” I said. “Speaking of which…?”

“Am I coming tomorrow?” She sighed. “I’d like to, but…”

I leaned forward slightly. “But…?”

“But this is awkward. You’re his best friend. I just…” Autumn bit her lip. “I don’t know if I should be talking about this with you.”

“Talking about what?”

She tapped her fingers on her chin. “The other night was fun. Ruby, my roommate, tells me fun is what I need. But I don’t know that I should be pursuing anything with someone right now. Especially knowing how I get.”

“How you get?” I raised my brows. “Should I start looking for you in the bushes outside our place?”

She balled up a napkin and tossed it at me. “Yes. I’ve set up camp already. You should remember to turn your lights off when you leave the house, by the way. Saves energy.”

I grinned. “I’ll try to remember that.”

Autumn grinned back, then sighed it away. She leaned her arms on the table, and her chin on her arms. “But for real, you’re going to think I’m such a girl.”

“You don’t leave me much choice.”

She laughed but didn’t look away; held my gaze steadily. “I want romance. I want holding hands and love letters. Fireworks. I want all that and I’m not going to settle. But that’s a lot to expect, so I’m going to try my hardest to not expect anything and just roll with it.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “You’re going to take all this covert knowledge straight back to Connor, aren’t you?”

I smiled, though it felt like knives in my cheeks. “I wouldn’t be a good friend if I didn’t.”

“Which is precisely why you’re the wrong person I should be talking to about him.”

No truer words…

“He likes you,” I said, pushing the sentence past my teeth. “I mean, he’d like to get to know you better.”

Her eyes brightened, showing sparkles of gold in the hazel irises. “He would?”

“Yeah, he would. All expectations aside, Connor’s a good guy. Easy-going. Likes to laugh and make other people laugh. But he’s not a clown. He’s got a lot to offer.”