To Hang the Stars

“Andy can’t know about my health problems. I don’t want the dynamic between he and I to change.”

Her eyes were big, she knew just as well as anyone Chris wasn’t all for lying no matter what the purpose. “Seriously?”

“Normalcy isn’t something I get too often Nicky. I just want to keep it for as long as I can.” She said solemnly.

“Eh, it’s not my business to be telling, you’re fine.” She spoke with more understanding than anyone else ever could have.

Christine smiled a sad smile thankful for the perfect friend she had. Her life was a good one no matter what anyone else would think.

She didn’t need to say anything else to anyone.

Soon enough though the day was done. Andy was in her car and they were heading to the bookstore.

Their laughter was still contagious and they knew this had to be a perfect friendship even though Andy craved more.

They parked and headed inside to met the slightly relieved looking Roger.

“Thank God you guys are here. Are you ready to get to work?” He asked as he walked up to met them.

They both nodded.

Roger looked around the momentarily empty store. “Come on back.”

He led them to the back room of the bookstore and we watched him pull out badges and a label maker from a drawer. “I’m gonna let you make your own name tags. I don’t care what they say as long as it’s nothing profane. Once you do that met me back out on the floor and I’ll teach you about the computer system and stocking.” With that he walked back out to the shop.

Christine grabbed it ready to start but stopped wondering if she should try to put something cool on it.

“You should be Scene Christine.” Andy joked.

She looked at him and laughed. “No way! My hair is no where tall enough to even think of calling me scene!”

“Here I’ll do mine first.” He said as he gently took the label maker from her hands.

He typed quickly before hitting print.

She looked at him with eyebrow arched in suspicion before he showed her the finished label.

“Andy6?” She asked skeptically. “Whatever you say Nikki.”

He laughed. “Nikki Sixx is a badass motherfucker.”

Then she took the label maker from him with a smirk and typed something for herself.

When Andy saw it he couldn’t help but laugh. “Chrissy Lee?”

“Come on Nikki without Tommy? Never! The 80s Terror Twins can not be parted.” She said as she looped her arm around him and they both walked out to the floor.

Roger looked up at them and smiled. “Ok guys, a lot of our business comes in through the phone and we do a little online business too. You guys have to stay on top of what’s in stock. All the charts must be meticulously kept.”

With that he swept into the whole computer system.

Overall it took probably an hour then Roger told Chris to say she was the manager and left. He owned the place and had been there everyday morning to night, he was ready for a break.

So Christine and Andy were sitting behind the desk just shooting the shit.

“Renee asked to ‘hang out’ also known as girl speak for predate or too shy to actually say date.” Andy said as he flipped through one of the books up on display by the counter.

Christine smiled at the way he worded it but was a little bummed that he didn‘t sound excited. “Are you implying that you don’t want to?”

He shrugged. “No, I’m not implying that. I’m just amused with the way girls handle things in comparison to guys.”

“So it’s because she didn’t just grab you and kiss you trying to sweep you off your feet?” Christine laughed as she lightly teased.

He looked up at her with a cynical smile halfway covering his lips. “You’re still thinking about it, eh? Thinking about changing your mind?”

She laughed louder and rolled her eyes. “Not on your life sport.”

With that she kicked up her feet leaving them on the counter leaning back against the wall but not before grabbing a different book from one of the displays on the counter.

He chuckled, that chuckle that reverberates from the chest has such a low pitched sound even for the deep voiced boy. “Well, aren’t you picturesque.”

She looked back laughing. “In a movie that would have so gone through perfectly without a joke. Why ruin my slick moment?”

He laughed back. “It wasn’t that slick.”

She cocked her head back. “Oh please that was the smoothest moment you’ve ever been a part of, Mr. Six.”

“I don’t know if I should go though.” He said letting his laughter fade.

“Why wouldn’t you? Renee’s smart, funny, pretty, what more do you want?” Chris asked finally serious.

He looked at her hopefully. “Why can’t you even sound a little jealous?”

She looked at him. “The member of the Terror Twins with the sex tape is never jealous.”

For a second his mind flashed to her having a sex tape before realizing she was really talking about Tommy Lee. “Why is Tommy Lee never jealous?”

She smirked glad that he was taking the bait letting her get away from all the emotional stuff. “Because everyone knows what Tommy Lee has going on, and nothing he has going on is small.”

“So it’s because you metaphorically -I hope- have a huge dick?”

She laughed abruptly and loudly just at the sound of his voice as he said that. “I guess.”

He looked at her quizzically. “So what’s the giant dick a metaphor for?”

She shrugged a little. “My confidence in my decision to be happy on my own?”

“Are you happy?” He asked softly, bright blue eyes boring into her darker blue ones.

She was shocked that she couldn’t even change the subject with the never ending jokes of rockstar sex tapes. She searched for the words that would be true and would satisfy Andy without hurting him. “Happiness is all relative Andy. I’m human. I have ups and downs. In the end though, yeah I believe I’m happy.”

He just looked at her and nodded.

The first book she picked up didn’t strike her. She picked up a different one, it had “stars” in the title and a picture of the night sky on the cover. Stars always got her.

He glanced over to her. Seeing the cover of the book she was in and noticing her dangling star earrings, the necklace that matched.

They sat there reading for a few more minutes him thinking still wanting to get closer to her, change her mind.

“So what’s your thing with stars?” He asked keeping his eyes on his book trying to keep it sounding offhand.

“It’s a long story.” She was honestly surprised he noticed.

“Umm the store’s pretty dead right now. It seems as though we have the time.” He finally closed his book keeping a finger in it to hold his place turning to look at her. “Why are you so fascinated by the stars?”

“I think they’re windows.” She said softly not looking up from her book.

“Windows?” He didn’t get it.

She nodded looking up from her book gazing off. “From heaven. Everyone we’ll ever love and lose will be watching us.”

He didn’t really anticipate her being the heaven talk type. “Ah.” He said simply worrying this was the moment their friendship would prove to be a failure.

Her eyebrow popped up. “Don’t believe in heaven?” She asked easily.

He looked her full on, wishing he could read her better. “Nope.” He said popping the p waiting for the judgment.

She was ready to get into his head and turned in her seat as if her being fully facing him would intensify the conversation. “Than what do you believe in.”

“Not waiting around for an imaginary friend to give you strength. Strength in self is what I believe in.” He spoke honestly, he was one of the few kids his age who really knew what he believed in.

She smiled. “So God’s an imaginary friend, eh?”

He felt more comfortable that she smiled. “Why else would the world so fucked up?” He spoke just simply.

“Well, there’s the concept of evil as well as good you know.” She easily challenged enjoying the conversation just as much as he seemed to be.

“You know you’re not going to change this atheist right?” He asked with a lively smile.

“I wouldn’t change a thing about you Andy. You’re way too much fun. Plus, it’s not my job to change anybody.” She spoke honestly smiling bubbly and beautiful. “I’m not hear to judge anyone either, in the Bible it says something along the lines of ‘the way you judge others is the way God will judge you’ and I’m fucked up enough to know I don’t have the room to judge.”

He was thrown for a loop. “You know you’re probably the only Christian I’ve ever met -aside from my parents- who didn’t try to push everything on me or judge me telling me I was going to hell.”

She looked at him now shocked. “Really? Now that’s horrible.”

He smiled at her softly loving that she was his true antithesis but perfect just the same. “So why can’t you see the windows during the day?”

Her smile came back much like his. “Because when it’s bright outside you can’t see the light from inside the house.”