The Weight of the Stars - K. Ancrum Page 0,70

pulled the pillow from the headboard to hold it happily. When she did, something crinkled quietly. She reached underneath and pulled out a paper crane.

Not a paper crane, she realized, her paper crane.

Her crane with Alexandria’s notes on the back that she’d tossed off the roof like trash because she could always make more. The crane that she made weeks before she could even remotely have called Alexandria her friend.

Ryann stared at it, her heart banging in her chest.

Alexandria turned over and blinked awake slowly.

“The crane,” Ryann said, voice rough from sleep.

Alexandria gazed at Ryann holding it for a while, then closed her eyes again.

“I was so afraid that it would get wet sitting on the lawn that I went downstairs to pick it up after you left,” Alexandria said softly. “I didn’t want to lose it.”

“Mmm. I’ll make you as many as you like.”

“I … already knew how to make them,” Alexandria admitted. “I just wanted you to … I didn’t know you were capable of something so delicate. I didn’t know you then and I was surprised and I … wanted something that we had in common.”

Ryann laughed. She laughed until Alexandria pushed her out of the bed in angry embarrassment, then she hopped up, straddled Alexandria’s lap, and kissed her all over her face until Alexandria pushed her out of the bed again.

Ryann’s phone dinged and she scooped it off the desk.

“Ahmed says ‘Congratulations.’ I told him that I was taking you out to fly and he just assumed … He’s good at that. He also said that if we wanted to swing with him and Shannon they’re open to that. Side note—we’re not doing that.”

Alexandria scowled and turned bright red.

“He also said that we should make a bucket list of things we want to do before I go.”

Alexandria looked pensive. “I … I … Would you … Would you go to prom with me? I want to go with you.”

“No,” Ryann said.

Alexandria looked crestfallen.

“At homecoming they ran out of things to drink and I’m not drinking out of a faucet again,” Ryann said resolutely. “But I will dance with you. I want to dance with you at least once.”

She texted Ahmed quickly and rolled back under the blankets to sleep longer.

1 DAY

After school, Ryann swung by Mrs. Marsh’s classroom. They hadn’t had any meetings since Ryann and Alexandria had their fight, months and months ago. Mrs. Marsh hadn’t asked her to come by, or asked about Alexandria since she saw them hanging up posters with Shannon in the hallway and accurately assumed that they’d figured things out.

So when she saw Ryann knocking on her door, she looked appropriately confused, but she got up and opened it.

“You’re lucky I’m still here. I thought things were going well these days,” Mrs. Marsh said, tossing on her jacket. “You having trouble in paradise?”

Ryann grinned wryly. “No … not that. I just came to say good-bye.”

Mrs. Marsh was shoving folders into her bag, but she looked up at that in confusion.

“Good-bye for what?” she said.

“I’m … dropping out to—” Ryann started.

“YOU’RE DROPPING … WHAT? WE HAVE TWO WHOLE MONTHS LEFT OF CLASS. WHAT ABOUT PROM?”

“I’m dropping out to go train for SCOUT. I’m going to space. I’m dropping out of high school so I can go to space, Mrs. Marsh. Also, Alexandria is my girlfriend now. Or at least she is until I go to space. So I came here to say good-bye and to say thank you.”

“Holy shit!” Mrs. Marsh blurted.

Ryann chuckled. “Yeah, it’s been a while and a lot of things have happened and I’m just catching you up on—”

“Holy shit,” Mrs. Marsh repeated. “What … the fuck. What kind of cinematic … who … who does that? What kind of enchanted … How did you even … Oh my God.” She leaned heavily against her desk and took in a huge gulp of air and let it out in a whoosh.

“Yeah,” Ryann said. “You look really pale, are you okay?”

“I am … something. Your girlfriend? Really? How … did you manage that?” Mrs. Marsh shook her head to clear it. “Not that I didn’t think—and you’re a very nice young lady so this isn’t a shot at that, but—”

“She likes my muscles,” Ryann said, deadpan. “And I tricked her into it by flying her on a plane until she was too dizzy to say no.”

Mrs. Marsh grew even paler. “You flew a plane…”

“Hmm,” Ryann said, with growing concern. “Let’s focus on my good-bye before wherever your blood