Starcrossed (Starcrossed 1)

tried not to think about it. Some of the Labor Day tourists were

staring at her, not unusual, so Helen tried to turn her face away as

subtly as she could. When Helen looked in a mirror all she saw

were the basics?two eyes, a nose, and a mouth?but strangers

from off island tended to stare, which was really annoying.

Luckily for Helen, most of the tourists on the ferry that afternoon

were there for the view, not her portrait. They were so determined

to cram in a little scenic beauty before the end of summer that they

felt obliged to ooh and aah at every marvel of the Atlantic Ocean,

though it was all lost on Helen. As far as she was concerned, growing

up on a tiny island was nothing but a pain, and she couldn?t

wait to go to college off island, off Massachusetts, and off the entire

eastern seaboard if she could manage it.

It wasn?t that Helen hated her home life. In fact, she and her

father got along perfectly. Her mom had ditched them both when

Helen was a baby, but Jerry had learned early on how to give his

daughter just the right amount of attention. He didn?t hover, yet he

was always there for her when she needed him. Buried under a thin

layer of resentment about the current car situation, she knew she

could never ask for a better dad.

?Hey, Lennie! How?s the rash?? yelled a familiar voice. Coming

toward her was Claire, Helen?s best friend since birth. She tipped

unsteady tourists out of her path with artfully placed pushes.

The sea-goofy day-trippers swerved away from Claire like she

was a linebacker and not a tiny elf of a girl perched delicately on

platform sandals. She glided easily through the stumbling riot she

had created and slid next to Helen by the railing.

?Giggles! I see you got some back-to-school shopping done, too,?

Jerry said as he gave Claire a one-armed hug around her parcels.

Claire Aoki, aka Giggles, was a badass. Anyone who took a look at