The Weight of the Stars - K. Ancrum Page 0,71

seems to be going gets any more crowded.”

“Yeah.” Mrs. Marsh nodded like a bobblehead, clearly still processing this information. “Okay, yeah. Can I hug you? You don’t look like the hugging type but I’d like to.”

Ryann grinned, wrapped her arms around Mrs. Marsh, and squeezed her tight. She pretended she didn’t hear her sniffling.

“You’re a great teacher,” she said. “Thanks for being there.”

“I’m a great matchmaker, too. And post-secondary education advisor,” Mrs. Marsh said wetly into the shoulder of Ryann’s jacket.

“Yeah. That, too.”

2 DAYS

The sun lit up Alexandria’s white-blond tipped hair in shades of pink and orange as she drove them down the street. Neither of them said anything, but it was a warm quiet, not a cold one. Ryann thought about the reckless drive Alexandria had taken her on earlier in the year and how easily she’d been convinced that Alexandria just drove that way regularly.

Alexandria drove to suit her mood, she realized. They were coasting like a calm sea.

This was so different. The more she thought about it, everything was so different now. She hadn’t planned for this year to go this way. She was sure she’d be a little unhappier. Maybe get in a little more trouble than usual. Graduate with a minimum of a 1.5 GPA and maybe join the military if nowhere around here hired for decent pay.

Now she was riding down the road with this feeling in her chest.

With a full understanding of how good things can be and how temporary.

Alexandria glanced away from the road for a second, feeling Ryann’s eyes on her, but Ryann didn’t look away.

It finally didn’t feel like she needed to.

THE LAST DAY

Ryann wore her dad’s suit, the one she’d wanted to wear for the winter formal that Shannon had talked her out of. She went to pick up Alexandria, who shimmied down the trellis in an iridescent slip of a dress and her regular gym shoes.

Alexandria hopped on Ryann’s bike and put on her helmet. She tucked her hands into the pockets of Ryann’s suit as she gripped Ryann’s waist tight.

Blake had set up two speakers in the warehouse. Shannon had taken some of the decorations she’d used while on prom committee and tucked streamers up around the walls and taped balloons around the room.

There were more people there than Ryann had thought there would be. She’d assumed that only a few would have come—maybe some of Shannon’s friends or Blake’s cast members from his most recent play. But there were at least fifty other kids from school there, too, dancing and eating the snacks Shannon had brought.

Alexandria tucked her small hand in Ryann’s larger one and beamed brightly by her side as Ryann made her way over to Ahmed.

Ahmed was dancing with Shannon, but when he spotted Ryann walking over, he snatched himself out of Shannon’s grip, whirled around, and hugged Ryann tightly. Shannon immediately glommed on to the back of the hug, wrapping her arms clean around Ahmed’s body to cling onto Ryann with her fingertips. Ryann could hear Alexandria laughing behind her and she felt Alexandria’s cheek press into the center of her spine.

Tomas slammed into them from the right side, yelling, “I hate you for leaving.”

“He doesn’t hate you.” Blake steadied the group hug from the left so they all didn’t fall in a pile.

“I know,” Ryann said. She freed one of her arms so she could wrap it around Tomas’s neck.

“This was fun at first, but it’s not fun anymore,” Ahmed said. He began to wriggle free, predictably unable to handle any hug longer than a few seconds, so they all peeled off until Ahmed was free.

“Where’s James?” Ryann asked. She’d left him with Tomas so she could pick up Alexandria.

Ahmed shrugged, adjusting his suit. “I don’t know, in the corner maybe?”

Ryann turned around and found Tomas lifting Charlie out of James’s arms so he could sway Charlie to the music. Ryann scowled. She whipped out her phone and texted Tomas.

Ryann: Get him home by 9pm or we’ll have problems.

Tomas glanced down at his phone and then across the room at Ryann. He gave her a peace sign and then continued what he was doing.

Ryann: Tomas, so help me God—

Ryann typed, but then Alexandria put a hand on her arm.

“He loves him; it will be okay,” she said. “You owe me a dance.”

14 MINUTES

Ryann never liked dancing much. She lacked a natural rhythm and no one had ever asked her to dance because she was always so much taller than anyone else.

But Alexandria