Violet and I had been screeching and how parched my throat felt.
Brando leaned against the truck, his legs crossed at the ankles, drinking from his own bottle.
We chatted for a bit about the concert (he said he enjoyed it more than he thought he would), about Mitch (he’ll come around, he’s just having a bad night), and about when the next train would come through (he figured it would be about another twenty minutes).
A couple of guys went to walk past but, seeing Brando, invited him to see a sports car one of them had just bought. He still didn’t know that I knew his father was a famous racecar driver, but it made sense when one of the guys mentioned that Brando would appreciate the speed of the car.
I encouraged him to go; being warm and comfortable had its perks. He gave me a kiss and told me that he’d be back in five.
“Stay put,” he said, walking backward. He gave me a stern look. “I mean it.”
“And if I don’t?” I lifted my hands in surrender. “I’m kidding, Brando!”
He had started to come back, the usual fire making his eyes smolder.
Believing me, he turned to go again, and I noticed that Penny and her friends, including Jane, had gathered around a lone dead tree and were watching Brando as he faded off into the night. I decided to ignore it.
Nothing really interesting caught my eye afterwards, so I fixed my gaze on the sky, admiring the hundreds of stars that brightened the darkness. A full moon ballooned in the center of our universe, the one that belonged to us, lending the stars a helping hand.
A fondness for the sky and all that it included, especially the stars, seemed to have been with me forever. Sometimes it was hard for me to describe the connection to it. It all felt so connected to life, even though they were so far away. One part heaven; one part reality. Elliott’s death had only increased the love and admiration that had been there from the start.
Closing one eye, I raised a hand, splaying my fingers. Stars dotted the spaces in between. I moved my hand back and forth, just to make waves.
“Is he a friend of yours?”
It took me a moment to reach the voice. I had been far, far away in my own galaxy. “Who?”
“That putz.”
I blinked away the tiny lights, zoning in on the voice that had spoken to me. He held a red cup in his hand and had it pointed at Ace, who stared at me. Even though I tried to avoid him at school, during life in general, he always found me. He’d make eye contact, smile, give me a two-finger salute, and then walk away.
“No,” I said. “He’s just someone I pass in the halls at school.”
The voice laughed. “How are you, dancin’ Scarlett?”
In the glow of the fire, I searched his face. He had handsome features, in the classical sense. Everything was where it should be, the exact shape it should be, and the perfect size to enhance said shape. Intrigue was not the reason I searched though. I couldn’t place him. Then he smiled.
“Travis? Travis Becker?”
“Dancin’ Scarlett!”
I jumped off the bed of the truck and into his open arms. He spun me around for a moment before he set me down.
“Look at you!” He held me out, looking me up and down. “You’re even prettier than I remember.”
“How long has it been?” I said, an honest smile coming to my face.
“I left the summer after Elliott died.”
“That’s right.” I nodded. “What have you been up to?”
Travis had been one of Elliott’s “smart” friends, as my mother had called his group. She had urged Elliott to socialize with them more often, but Elliott had a daring heart, and his close friends represented that.
As he began to tell me about his new life out in the world, Travis and I took a seat on the edge of Mitch’s truck, facing each other. He had been accepted into medical school at Harvard. Cambridge winters and how harsh they were seemed to be the biggest topic on his mind.
“That’s wonderful, Travis,” I said, smiling at him when he took a breather.
“It’d be nice to have someone warm like you to hang out with.” He touched my leg. “Enough about me. Are you still dancing?”
“Yes, I—” I was sidetracked by Brando’s arrival. He had somehow slipped in and stood next to me, watching Travis.