To Hang the Stars

Christine Moore was a sick kid growing up; by fourteen, she only had one kidney and it wasn’t even one she was born with. She was what most would deem ‘unlucky’ with her chronic kidney problems which led her to living on dialysis praying for a donor kidney.

Now she lived on immune suppressing drugs so her body wouldn’t reject the new kidney. She was too happy to be alive to care though.

Just like every other sixteen-year-old girl Christine was searching for her place amongst the stars that she laid out on her roof to look at every night to really appreciate how lucky she’d been. She knew how many people died a year from no donor organ coming up. She was alive and healthier than she’d ever been and knew she was blessed. She whom was so tiny amidst the vast cosmos and was rescued from the grips of death anyways.

Her goal was to do something just as grand to mean something while she was here, at least to somebody. If she was saved she was to have some purpose.

She walked down the halls of her high school just like any other day.

Her attire a little dressier than typical as she had a job interview after school that day at a book store. She was in a fashionable fuchsia v-neck dress that fit loose except where the black belt at her waist clenched it and heels to match. Her strikingly blonde hair was artificial but she was only a slight few shades darker naturally and her bangs were cut drastically to frame her ocean blue eyes.

The beautiful girl walking down the hall smiling is the last person you’d expect to have gone through the trauma she had, but she did.

As she walked a friend of hers called to her. Her attention turned from her path to first period to Sam as she called out about their journalism teacher being out and it was going to be a total BS period.

Christine was about to call back some reply when she crashes into something causing her to topple to the ground.

That conversation was forgotten.

The thing -which just so happened to be a boy- stumbled back a few steps before regaining his balance after his eyes moved from his new schedule to realize he knocked down the person whom he’d just walked into.

“I’m so sorry.” The deep voice that seemed totally out of place in high school rang through the hall.

Her eyes snapped up to the owner of the voice that seemed so strange here. She was taken aback at the face that came with the voice. The face was almost too pretty to be a boy with eyes the clearest crystal blue she’d probably ever seen surrounded by a mass of black hair.

He leaned down to help her up but she was so taken she hadn’t reacted yet.

He laughed lightly, “Nice to meet you too.”

She snapped out of her daze and blushed with a light laugh of her own. “Thank you. Have you ever heard that your voice totally doesn’t match your face?” Her experience dancing with her mortality made her simply honest.

Another deep musical chuckle came from him and he pushed some of his chemically black hair out of his eyes. “Once or twice.”

“I’m Christine,” She said politely extending her hand out to him only moments after he let it go from helping her up.

“Andy. I’m new, which is kinda why I plowed you down.” He said gesturing to the schedule that was still in his left hand.

“Sweet, Welcome to Arbor View.” She said in her perfect happy tone as she looked up to the boy that had to be 6’2” which made him a good 8-9 inches taller than her. “Can I check out your schedule?”

“Sure.” He gladly passed the slip of paper over to her liking his odds of making a friend the first day.

“You’re a grade above me so… Oh we have one class together! Journalism! Sweet. We have a sub today so it’ll be easy.” She said as he examined his schedule. “But you’re headed in the wrong direction for Mr. King, he’s right across the hall from my next class. I’ll get ya there.”

She started off knowing he’d follow.

“You don’t strike me as the type who typically comes to school all dressed up.” He said casually looking her up and down.

She just smirked over to him. “I’m not. I have an interview after school.”

Dudes like Andy were used to going into a new place and being mocked and ridiculed the whole time they’re there, until they find the other kids who’ve been repressed in a similar fashion. Yet this time he went into the place and the first person he meets is a radiant girl with a smile that was contagious and behaved like she didn’t have a care in the world, like the clicks at this school didn’t rule.

He couldn’t help but be drawn to the girl who -even in heels- seemed so small next to him. Of course he couldn’t deny with her smile and confidence she felt like a large presence, the person you walk into a room and can’t help but notice.

“Really where is it? I’d love to hear about some place that was hiring.” Andy didn’t want the job so much as he wanted to be granted more time with her.

“It’s at a book store just up the road from here.” She spoke so animatedly you’d think the girl never ran out of energy. “I think the guy running the place said he really needed people so I’m pretty sure he’s got more than one opening, you want to tag along?”

“You wouldn’t mind?” He asked cautiously fearing he was overstepping.

“Not at all.” They reached their destination and she pointed to door 1412 on the opposite side of the hall. “That’s Mr. King’s class right there. Be careful, he’s not afraid to pull out a staple gun and staple a student to something.”

Andy laughed at that thinking she was kidding ready to thank her.

“I’m not kidding, he really kinda manhandles the students. He’ll probably call you a freak too. Don’t listen, he’s just a sexually repressed heterosexual man raised when boys weren’t allowed to cry.” With that she gracefully turned and walked into her first period.

He was amazed yet again. He only hoped they’d both get that job tonight.

He walked in to his first period only seconds before the bell rang.

If there was one thing Andy wasn’t it was a devoted student. He ignored most of Mr. King’s insane ramblings and played around with some song lyrics.

At the end of the period after the bell rang when Mr. King finally returned his first day schedule that he was to have all of his teacher’s sign he realized Christine had left nothing out about the man he’d have to see every morning. “Here ya go Mr. Biersack. Let me give ya some advice ditch the black dye and stop being such a freak.”

Andy felt like he was supposed to defend his honor there but at the same time something told him it’d be best to just shrug it off.

“Hey Andy,” Christine called into the room before he had to really make a decision. “Come on so we can both get to second period on time.”

He looked back at Mr. King and took his paper from the giant -he stood roughly 6‘9“- man’s hand and smirked. “I guess you can chalk one up to being a freak.” Referring to the fact that it was only his first day and he already had a pretty girl waiting for him and sauntered out.

Andy tossed his arm over her shoulder for effect and they walked off together.

“You have amazing timing, has anyone ever told you that?” He asked arm wrapped firmly around her.

She just sent him a crooked smile, “Once or twice. I figured he‘d be giving you shit on you first day.”

“Ah, so you swooped in to save me like a guardian angel.”

“You could say that. Give me back your schedule.”

She was comfortable tucked into that spot under his arm. She felt safe, like he could protect her from everything. Even things that people could never really protect you from.

He made her feel like her life wasn’t a ticking clock anymore, like it was indefinite just like everybody else‘s.

She wished she knew why this boy she just met made her feel this way.

As she thought it dawned on her, it may have been because he didn’t know her. All these other kids walking down the halls she’d been around since grade 2. They knew she was broken beyond repair and her new kidney was probably just a reprieve.

She realized yet again nothing is coincidence, this boy and her crashed into each other this morning for a reason.

“Ok, So your next period is a hall away from my next one I’ll walk you to the hall and find your way from there?” She asked looking up to receive some sort of confirmation.

He just nodded.

“Ok so the 600 and 700 halls are down stairs,” She just spoke absentmindedly as she continued looking over his schedule. “We have the same lunch! Awesome! You can join my table if ya like? The first day is always. ‘Dear Sweet Baby Jesus, who on Earth am I gonna sit with?!’ So there the pressure’s off.”

He laughed at the way she babbled. He knew it meant she was nervous and just wanted to fill the silence. She played it off well though.

Together they traveled down the stairs she pointed him to the proper hallway and made her way to her own class.

English her best subject. Her only subject with her bestie, Nichole.

The girl was 5’9” taller than Christine even in her four inch heels, had waist length light brown hair, and tomboyish metal head nature that she worked like no one else ever could. She was the only one who’d ever seen Christine’s surgery scars aside from her parents.

“Why, don’t you look chipper today. This is a little frightening, may I ask what could explain this frightening level of perkiness?” Nicole asked suspiciously. Her best friend was typically happy and cheerful but this was ridiculous.

She just laughed as she plopped her school bag onto her desk and took her seat. “I am always upbeat, Nicky. You just call it perky because you just can’t handle anyone being remotely happy before noon.”

Nicky looked at her friend examining closely trying to figure out what she wasn’t telling her.

She gazed at her for a few moments before something struck her and the cynical half smile crept high up the left side of her face and even making it’s way into her chocolate colored eyes. “You’ve met someone new haven’t you? I‘m thinking someone male would have given you extra happy vibes. I demand information.”

The bell rang and Mrs. Fellows closed the door after her.

“Matter-of-fact a new kid started and I’ve been showing him around and he’ll be sitting with us. That’s it.” She said before turning her attention to Mrs. Fellows as she began the class.

Her cell phone buzzed in her bra-the place every girl keeps their phone when they don‘t have pockets-, a text from Nicky she was sure. She discreetly opened it. “This isn’t over Chris. I will get my answers.” The message read.

Christine did everything she could to suppress her laugh and slid her phone back to it’s proper place.

They didn’t run into each other again until lunch.

He took longer to get there, as he walked into the cafeteria he spotted her table. It was a table with an interesting blend of people.

He was right, this was the girl who defied the clicks and her blend of friends showed it.

She looked around the table at the kids who were different types of outcasts, the kids who fit into one of the typical high school clicks but were diverse enough to not stay confined into a label. The kids who lived like they didn’t give a shit that it was high school.

She knew again that she was far too fortunate to have these people that she called her friends.

Her eyes left her table long enough to see the bright eyed boy making his way over.

A smile instantly took over her face and she waved him over like it’d make him move faster or make the distance he had to travel smaller.

His pierced lips twisted up into a smile in return. He was excited for meeting kids that weren’t necessarily in what would typically be his friend circle that he already knew were going to accept him.

As he reached the table she gestured for him to take the seat next to her.

“Guys this is Andy, it’s his first day. Andy this is Nichole, Renee, Lauren, Chase, Robert, Scottie, and Yelena.” She said gesturing to each person as she went around the table.

Andy looked at them all and tossed out a polite hello, taking stock of all the faces smiling back at him.

Nichole he could tell by one look was the typical metal chick that you never really saw in make-up.

Renee was a natural blonde that he pegged as the kinda nerdy/rocker chick one of the bunch with her glasses propped cutely on the bridge of her nose and her skinny jeans.

Lauren was their red-haired hippie in clothes that harkened back to the seventies and the nineties all at once.

Chase was a jock rocking his varsity jacket with a letter in wrestling and football with a Linkin Park t-shirt proudly displayed underneath.

Robert was a goth lookin’ boy in the baggy black shorts and t-shirt and safety pins going through his ears instead of normal earrings.

Scottie seemed the most out of place looking like he just walked out of the republican convention in a vest, perfectly pressed button up long sleeved shirt and dress pants that matched said vest.

Yelena was the often considered “illusive” black hard rock chick and sat far too close to Robert for it to be anything less than a sign of their relationship.

Nichole turned her attention to Christine and Andy with a devious smile. “So this is the new kid you were telling me about Christine?”

Andy smiled, she had mentioned him.

Christine laughed and rolled her eyes at her friend. “Your implications are quite subtle Nicky. He just got here no one’s jumping his bones yet.”

“Is there a sign up list for jumping him tomorrow?” Renee asked jokingly.

Andy couldn’t help but laugh and respond. “Not yet but since you asked first you’ll be first on the list.” Tossing in a wink at the end just for good measure.

Yelena rolled her eyes and laughed good-naturedly. “Yeah that’s a list that’s going to take time to fill.”

“Then it’s good I got my spot early.” Renee played back tossing a wink to Andy.

Christine smiled loving the interaction that told her everything was going to be as she hoped.

She knew from the first glance at Andy that Renee would love him, she wondered if he’d return the feelings. No jealousy ran through her at that thought just optimism for two of her friends to be happy.

Everything went without a hitch.

Andy had the school figured out. He didn’t need Christine to guide him, plus their classes after lunch were on opposite sides of the school.

When the bell rang they parted ways saying simple, “See ya in Journalism,” or a simple thing of that nature.

He and Robert though had the same class anyways.

Christine and Nicky though were in classes next to each other.

“So you and Andy really hit it off, huh?” She said still making the same sly implications.

Christine nodded. “Yeah, I think he’s gonna turn out to be an awesome friend. Plus, I think Renee digs him.”

Nicky’s hand went to her own face realizing Chris didn’t get the implication this time, Chris never paid any mind to any boys looking her way.

“I think they’d be a cute couple.” She continued not noticing Nicky’s reaction.

“What if he likes some other blonde in our crew?” She suggested slowly hoping for Chris to get it.

Eyebrows knit in confusion and turns her attention to Nicky. “I’m the only other blonde in our crew.”

Nicky started rotating her hands in the classic, “Come on you’ve almost figured it out” gesture and looked at Christine expectantly.

She laughed outright at the suggestion she just realized Nicky made. “Nicky as my best friend I think you assume that everybody loves me.”

“No, I assume I’m the only one but am surprised everyday at how oblivious you are to these other people who love you.” Nichole said wryly.

Christine chuckled and let the subject drop, like one of the various discarded scraps of paper that littered the floor around them at random. Although with the subject she felt as though it tumbling down might actually make it disappear.

Words once said never truly disappear.

When the final class of the day rolled around Andy was excited. One it meant his first day at the new school was almost done and it wasn’t hell. Two he was going to finally have a class with Chris.

As he entered he saw her at a table with a chair next to her that had her book bag in it, she was saving him a seat. He smiled to himself at the nice gesture and walked up to the seat unnoticed as she was lost in conversation with someone else.

“Is this seat taken?” The classics were classics for a reason right?

She was into whatever the girl next her was saying. “Just sit Andy!” She said with a smile in her voice without even looking at him.

He laughed and after moving her bag took the seat waiting for whatever useless sub they had to show up and sign this slip so he could take it back to the office because you left nothing important with a sub.

“So evidently the old teacher quit.” Christine turned to him after Sam finally finished relaying the story to her. “So we’re gonna have total bullshit weeks until they get a replacement.”

Andy was glad this was the random elective he chose. Choir was always gay, band didn’t play anything cool, art wasn’t his thing, and he most definitely was not going to randomly dropped into child development because that would have been like the fourteenth level of hell.

“Now I had to have started at the perfect time.” He said smiling at his good fortune.
Christine’s smile traveled higher up the side of her face in a sarcastic smile. “Maybe Mrs. Derzon just knew you were coming.”

He chuckled that deep voiced chuckle that still just didn’t compute in her head as a match with that face. “You got me. That’s why I had to transfer schools, I kept scaring off all their teachers.”

“Good, the crew needed a bad boy and Chase and Robert are far too apathetic to fill the roll… And Scottie is a bisexual republican, by default he has no bad boy card to even think about playing. It’d be like Carlton trying to play bad.”

The sub finally found their way to the class room and began what would be their fruitless effort to get the class under control.

“I’m glad we ran into each other this morning Andy.” She said simply as she turned to listen to what the sub said.

He realized that he was definitely on the way to having a crush on that girl.