Shooting Stars and Satellites

“You can’t do it, babe,” Gavin told me for the third time, as I grabbed onto the thick branch of a tree in Tim’s backyard.

“Just watch me, Gav.” I used what upper body strength I had to pull myself up, swinging my left leg over the branch, so I was now straddling it. “I’m half way up!” I told him.

He laughed, cocking his head to the side. “Yeah, and I can see up your dress. It’s a very nice view, ‘Laska.”

I laughed and grabbed a handful of leaves from the tree, chucking them down at him. “Don’t be a perv, babe. Besides, it’s not anything you haven’t seen before.”

“This is true,” he said, smirking.

I rolled my eyes, and grabbed onto the next branch, now standing up. I looked down, seeing Gavin as nothing but a blur. I giggled at how distorted he looked, before hoisting myself further up the tree. At this point, branches and leaves clouded my vision of Gavin, but I could still hear him talking.

“Babe, you’ve proved your point. Now, can you come down?” he asked.

I laughed. “No way, Krompe. You’re gunna have to come get me!”

He chuckled. “Baby, come on! I’m too high for this shit!”

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t hold back the smile forming on my lips. “Are you gunna catch me if I fall?”

“No,” he said.

I gasped. “Gavin, you asshole!”

He laughed. “I’m joking, Alaska. Now get your sexy ass down here!”

I smirked. “Coming right up!” I yelled, trying to turn around carefully on the branch, only to have my right foot come out from underneath me. Before I could even grab onto anything, I was falling to the ground.

The impact wasn’t smooth, and I immediately felt a sharp pain shoot up from my wrist, to my shoulder. I let out a loud groan. “Oh, fucking hell!”

Gavin kneeled beside me. “Fuck, babe, are you okay!?” he asked frantically.

I looked up at him, tears from the pain forming in my eyes. “I told you to catch me, asshole!”

He gave me an easy smile. “I didn’t know you were going to fall right that fucking moment!”

I rolled my eyes, and seconds later, a small crowd encircled us. “I can’t move my arm, Gav.”

He pointed to my right arm, and I nodded my head. “Let me see it.”

“No way! You’re going to make it hurt!”

He laughed. “’Laska, let me see it, babe. I need to see if it’s broken.” I groaned, but rolled over, allowing him to examine my arm.

“Hey, hey, what's - Alaska! What the hell happened!?” I heard Roxie ask, worry laced in her voice.

I looked at her. “Um … the tree … I fell?”

She bit down on her bottom lip, and kneeled beside me. “Did she hurt her arm?” she asked Gavin, noticing him touch my arm delicately.

“Yeah, I think she broke it.” He looked down at me. “I’m going to have to take you to the hospital.”

I groaned. “I hate hospitals, Gav.”

He placed his hand on my cheek. “I know, babe, but you have to go.”

Just then, I heard a few voices shouting at the crowd, people being pushed out of the way, and a moment later, my brother stood over me, anger and surprise decorating his brown eyes. “What the fuck happened!?”

Roxie stood up, and grabbed his hand, attempting to calm him down, I assume. “Alaska fell. She’s going to need to go to the hospital, babe.”

I could see his jaw clench. He turned to Gavin. “How the fuck did she fall?”

Gavin licked his lips, and I could see he was nervous, although he was clearly built bigger than Kennedy. “She, uh … she wanted to climb the tree.”

“And you let her!? Are you fucking retarded!?” He continued to sputter out curse words, before kneeling beside me. “Alaska, are you hurt?”

I gave him a hard look. “Kenny, apologize.”

His eyes went wide and he dropped his hands from my arm. “What?”

“Apologize to Gavin. He didn’t fucking do anything wrong. It was my idea to climb the tree!” I told him.

He let out a frustrated sigh. “I don’t care if it was your idea. The point is, he should have known better and stopped you from climbing at all. Now, are you hurt?”

I sat up and looked at Gavin, ignoring my brother. “Will you take me to the hospital?”

He nodded his head, and swooped his arms underneath me, picking me up bridal style. “Let’s go, before it starts swelling.”

Kenny stood up. “Hold on, there’s no fucking way you’re driving my sister, Gavin. You’re high as hell.”

Gavin sighed. “I’m not high anymore, Kennedy. I can drive her to the hospital. I wouldn’t risk her life like that.”

“I don’t care what you say, Gavin, you’re not driving her!” Kenny argued.

Roxie cleared her throat. “Kennedy, calm down.”

He glared at her. “Calm down!? Calm down!? This fucking loser just got Alaska high and let her fall from a tree! You really expect me to be calm about this!?”

I could see her dark brown eyes narrow at him, before turning to Gavin and I. “I’ll drive you guys, okay?”

Gavin nodded his head. “My keys are in my pocket.”

Roxie quickly reached into Gavin’s pocket, fetching his keys. “Let’s go.”

We began walking out of the yard, when Kennedy grabbed her arm. “Roxie, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-“

She shrugged him off. “You can apologize later, asshole. Your sister needs to get to a doctor.”

We walked out to the front yard, and I buried my face into the crook of Gavin’s neck; I could everyone’s stare on me and my more-than-likely broken arm.

“Hey! Wait up!” We turned around, seeing John running out of the front door. “Wh – what happened?” he asked, seeing my arm.

“She was climbing Tim’s tree and fell. We think she broke her arm,” Roxie explained.

I could see him give Gavin a look, before letting his gaze fall onto me. “Are you okay?”

I shrugged. “I’m too high to really feel the pain right now,” I said, laughing.

He sighed and shook his head. “I’ll go with you guys.”

Roxie nodded her head. “Come on, then.”

_______________________________________________________

Two hours later, I was walking out of the doctor’s office, a pink plaster cast now covering my right forearm and hand. I had come down from my high long ago, and literally hit rock bottom, when Gavin told me my parents were here, along with Kennedy. It took everything I had in me not to piss my pants in fear.

Roxie walked me out of the office, and we began walking down the long hallway, making our way into the waiting room. “Well, if it helps any, your dad laughed when Gavin told him what happened. I think your mom is really the one you need to worry about.”

I groaned. “Did Kennedy call them?”

She nodded her head, sighing. “The hospital needed your insurance information, so I had to call Kennedy, who in turn, had to call your parents.”

I sighed as we reached the waiting room. “Time to face the music, as they say …”

“Alaska Annabelle Brock, how could you do something so stupid?” my mother spat, before pulling me into her arms.

I laughed softly. “I, um … wasn’t thinking clearly.”

My father chuckled. “Well I hope not, otherwise we’d need to get you back into the doctor’s office and have them do a brain scan.”

I rolled my eyes, before being embraced into his arms. I could see Gavin, John and Kennedy standing behind him; each of them with a pissed off look on their faces. I groaned inwardly, before stepping out of my father’s arms.

“How does your arm feel now, babe?” Gavin asked me.

I shrugged. “It’s numb right now.”

He laughed, pulling me into his arms. I snuggled against his chest, inhaling the musty, but clean scent of his shirt. It was his scent, and I loved it. “No more tree climbing for you, okay?”

I laughed and nodded my head. “Believe me, I won’t be climbing trees any time soon.”

“Your father and I are going to pay for your visit, and then Kennedy and you will be riding home with us,” my mother told me, a stern look on her face.

I sighed and nodded my head. “Okay.”

They walked off, and I could see my father talking to her – most likely telling her how ‘kids will be kids’. That was my dad – he remembered what it was like to be young and make stupid mistakes.

Kennedy looked at me, his hands stuffed deep in his pockets. “I’m sorry, ‘Laska, but I had to call them. They kept asking for documents and proof of insurance …”

I nodded my head. “It’s okay, Ken. They were going to find out anyway.”

He gave me a small smile, before giving me a hug. “I’ll sign your cast later, okay?”

“Sounds good, big bro.”

He laughed before pulling away and looking at Roxie. “Can we talk?”

She nodded her head, grabbing his hand. “Let’s talk.”

They walked off, leaving me with John and Gavin. Just great. John’s green irises were fixed on my cast, and I smiled. “Does this seem familiar to you?” I asked, referring to a time, not so long ago, when he had broken his own arm.

John smiled before letting a chuckle escape his lips. “A little too familiar, actually.”

I held my arm with the cast into the air. “At least it makes me look badass.”

Gavin laughed. “You fall out of trees; you're so badass.”

I slapped his chest playfully with my left arm. “Shut it, Gav.”

He smiled. “I’m only kidding, love.” His phone began ringing, and after glancing at the screen, he gave me a look. I nodded my head, waving him off. “I’ll be right back, okay?”

I smiled and gave him a peck on the lips. “You better, because I might be grounded until Kingdom come.”

He laughed. “You’re probably right.” He walked off, going to call whoever it was back.

I looked at John. “Do you see why I get so pissed off when you or Kennedy bad mouth Gavin?”

John sighed. “You don’t get it.”

“What is there to get, John? He’s my boyfriend, and he loves me for me, just as I do him. He treats me good, and shows me respect. He’s never called me out of my name or hit me or anything like that,” I told him.

John shrugged, before running a hand through his hair. “You’ll never see it the way we do, ‘Laska.” He grabbed my right arm carefully, looking the cast over. “Figures you’d pick pink.”

I punched his shoulder. “Suck it, O’Callaghan.”

He smiled, pulling a black sharpie from his pocket. “Want me to sign it?”

I scoffed. “Do you just randomly carry around sharpies?”

He smirked. “Well, when you’re a man of my status, you never know when a fan might approach you and ask for an autograph.”

I rolled my eyes, but stuck my arm out anyway. “Oh, yes, you’re just such a superstar, JohnO.”

He laughed and began signing. When he finished, he popped the cap back onto the sharpie, giving me a smile. “There you go, kiddo.”

I looked down at the cast, having to awkwardly try and read what was written.

’Puts a whole new meaning on getting plastered. JohnO.’ Drawn into the ‘o’ was a peace sign. I laughed and kicked his shin. “You’re an ass.”

He smirked. “You love me.”

I felt my heart murmur at his words.