A Night without Stars Read online

  “She’s pretty and most of your class is dudes right?”

  Rick shrugged. “There are a few girls but none of them are hot.”

  “Bummer,” Nathaniel said sympathetically. “Still even more reason to use Autumn. You can give the class some eye candy to gaze upon.”

  “No way!” Autumn said, looking at her car in the distance. “Not happening.”

  “Why not?” Nathaniel asked.

  “Because for one, the camera hates me.”

  “That’s not true,” Nathaniel said, getting a glazed look in his eyes. “Mrs. Jacobs showed me pictures of you from last summer. You were wearing this little white sundress. You looked photogenic to me.”

  Autumn shot Nathaniel a glare. “You are an animal.”

  “I just can’t go around recording Autumn,” Rick said. “I need a reason Nathaniel.”

  “Because she’s hot!”

  “I don’t think my teacher will go for that.”

  “Well, here’s my car!” Autumn announced, eager to change the subject.

  “Any more ideas?” Rick pressed as he got into the back seat.

  “I’m still thinking dude,” Nathaniel said as he got into the passenger seat next to Autumn.

  They all buckled up, and Autumn began pulling out of the parking lot.

  It was a few minutes later when Rick finally lost his patience. “Dude, I can smell the rubber burning! Hurry up!” he said.

  “I got it! You could document Autumn’s life as a teenage girl,” Nathaniel said excitedly. “You could highlight all the differences between you and her!”

  “Are we still on me?” Autumn sighed deeply.

  “Highlight our differences? You mean physically? You want me to, what? Record her naked?” Rick said, looking scandalized. “You’re sick man!”

  “No! I mean, like her daily routine. Film her doing her makeup, picking out her clothes for the day. You could call it: Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus!”

  “That is a great title!” Rick exclaimed.

  “John Gray thought so too,” Autumn chimed in. “He wrote the book. It’s a bestseller.”

  “Oh damn! I knew that was too clever to be my idea,” Nathaniel said sadly.

  Autumn rolled her eyes as she turned a corner sharply.

  “I love the idea Rick,” Autumn began, grinning impishly. “You can film all my womanly things. My bras, my underwear and my tampons.”

  Nathaniel cringed. “That was so hot up until you got to tampons.”

  “Aut, it isn’t a terrible idea,” Rick said gently. “The class is full of guys and they all love a pretty face.”

  “No way!” Autumn exclaimed. “I don’t want to be filmed while putting on my makeup! That is private. It would be like me recording Nathaniel in the shower. Would you like that?” She looked at Nathaniel.

  “Yes,” Nathaniel replied quickly.

  Autumn groaned.

  “No! This is out of the question!” she said stubbornly before turning another corner sharply.

  Rick winced.

  “Alright!” he said, defeated. “Just stop the reckless driving please! Gentle turns!”

  “What if he films you skateboarding Autumn?” Nathaniel asked, looking hopeful.

  “Because filming me wobbling on a skateboard is far less humiliating than the first idea,” Autumn jested.

  Autumn needed a way to shift the attention away from her. Then it hit her. It was perfect.

  “What if I film you guys doing all your boarding tricks at the skate park?” Autumn offered. “I watched you guys skate this summer. You are both really talented.”

  Nathaniel raised his fist triumphantly. “That is a cool idea. We can show off and stuff.”

  “That’s a sweet idea Aut!” Rick said excitedly. “And we always skate longer than ten minutes so that’s perfect.”

  Autumn smiled. The boys were satisfied and anything that kept the camera off her was just icing on the cake.

  When they arrived at Rick’s, Autumn pulled into the empty driveway. She put the car into park, killed the engine and they all piled out.

  “I am going to get my board Nate!” Rick said eagerly before he turned to Autumn.

  “We are going to practice at the park before we film. Do you want to join us?”

  Autumn shook her head. “No thanks. I have some reading to catch up on.”

  “Aw come on Aut. It will be fun,” Nathaniel pressed but Autumn wasn’t budging.

  “Nope. I’m all good. You two have fun.”

  After the boys had taken off, Autumn went into the empty house. She heard the newly familiar noises of the house that were once foreign to her. The sound of the fridge humming gently and the clock ticking, slowly and steadily. The noises that comforted her, that announced to her, this is my home.

  She grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and headed upstairs where she set her bag down. She went to her book shelf and picked out a book.

  She flopped onto her bed, took a sip of water and began reading.

  An hour had passed when her mind began to drift.

  Her first day was done and it had been rather uneventful, just the way she liked it.

  No rivalries, no drama and an addition to the equation, the enigmatic Eric King.

  She didn’t believe rumors. Her parents had taught her not to judge someone based on hearsay. She liked to form her own opinions.

  Eric seemed mysterious and the fact that he was taking English too was a sign. They had that in common and it would be the perfect ice breaker.

  She shook her head, as if to shoo the thoughts away.

  She didn’t want romance did she? She was here to help Rick and to start over, but boys weren’t part of her plan.

  But the more she tried to force Eric from her mind the more he lingered, taunting her, daring her to find out more about him.

  Eventually, she succumbed to her imagination and it wasn’t long before she had fallen asleep, still holding her book in her hands.

  4

  The next morning, Autumn awoke to her cell phone alarm going off. She thought about hitting snooze, but instead she sleepily rolled over and shut the alarm off completely.

  Still half-asleep, she rolled out of bed, grabbed clothes and headed towards the bathroom.

  She cursed early mornings just as the bathroom door abruptly flung open.

  Autumn stopped in the hallway as Rick came out, followed by a bunch of steam.

  “Morning Aut,” he said cheerfully, a towel wrapped around his hips. Autumn looked at his bare upper body and wondered how he ate so much and still stayed in shape.

  “Morning,” Autumn said groggily. “Are you done in there?”

  “Definitely. The shower is all yours.”

  Autumn stepped into the bathroom, then turned to Rick.

  “Is there any hot water left?” she asked over her shoulder.

  “Yep. I was only in there five minutes,” Rick replied as he sauntered into his room.

  Relieved, Autumn shut the door behind her and slipped off her tank top and yoga pants.

  She showered quickly, although she was tempted to stay in the encompassing warm water all morning.

  She dried off, pulled on dark jeans and a black sweater, brushed her teeth and hair and headed downstairs for breakfast.

  As per usual, her aunt had a buffet-style breakfast laid out for them.

  Eggs, bacon, waffles and home fries were all par for the course. Rick already had a full plate when Autumn grabbed eggs and bacon and settled in beside him.

  “Morning dear,” Aunt Katherine said as she grabbed her purse and keys off the counter hurriedly. “I’m so sorry. I have to get going early. We are all booked up today. Fall weather always brings the colds. Have a good day.”

  “You too,” Autumn said as
her aunt rushed out the front door.

  Rick mumbled some form of goodbye and went about wolfing down his meal.

  “This is so delicious,” Rick said between mouthfuls.

  He glanced at Autumn. “Are we driving in today?”

  Autumn looked at him while eating her eggs. “As opposed to flying in?”

  “No,” Rick said, looking at her like she was being absurd. “Sometimes I skate into school.”

  “On your skateboard?”

  “Sometimes, but usually my rollerblades,” Rick said. “I stuck my head outside, and it’s pretty gorgeous out there.”

  “So what’s the plan? You rollerblade and pull me along in the wagon we played with when we were kids?”

  Rick smiled fondly at this memory. “I remember that wagon! It was red and shiny, and you used to make me pull you around town on the hottest days.”

  “Remember the one time I pulled you around for like two hours and nearly got heatstroke? My mom called your mom and told her.”

  “My mother still tells me that one,” Autumn said recalling the incident. “Apparently, your mom told her I made you fan me with these giant plant leafs and feed me berries from that tree in your backyard. I said I was a princess, and you were my prince.”

  Rick was chortling now.

  “And the next time you came over to visit, the wagon was mysteriously missing.”

  Autumn was laughing hard when she looked at the time.

  “If we aren’t driving in, we had better head out now,” she said, gathering hers and Rick’s plates. She walked them over to the dishwasher, placed them inside then looked at Rick inquisitively. “You still didn’t tell me how I’m getting to school, and if you say on your back, I will smack you.”

  “My bike,” Rick offered. “It’s a racing bike. You will love it.”

  Autumn sighed. “Alright. Let’s get to it.”

  Rick and Autumn quickly finished cleaning up, grabbed their lunches and headed out.

  They stood in the driveway as Rick adjusted the bike seat for Autumn’s height. He was right. It was a gorgeous day out. The sun was shining brightly and there was a perfect mix of warmth and a light, cool breeze.

  Autumn inhaled the fresh air. It was invigorating, and it woke her up.

  “You were right Rick. It is amazing out here.”

  “When am I not right?” he teased as he tested the seat’s stability by sitting on it.

  “There you go Aut. It’s all yours. Fit for a midget.”

  Autumn, who was a rather tall 5’4 in her opinion, rolled her green eyes and tried the seat herself. “Perfect,” she said.

  “Awesome,” Rick said as he finished strapping his blades on.

  “You ready?” He looked at her eagerly. “Like old times?”

  “Yep! Let’s go,” she said excitedly. Rick was right. It was like old times. It took Autumn back to when she played with Rick as a child.

  Autumn had always fancied herself a bit of a tomboy. Though she still had the distinct qualities of a girl. She feared bugs, often wore pink and could cry at the drop of a hat, but she could still rough and tumble with the best of them.

  She was no stranger to biking with Rick all summer long, while her sister stayed home and sunbathed.

  “I know the best way there! Follow me!” Rick announced and they set off.

  As Autumn expected, Rick was quite fast on his rollerblades, having no trouble keeping up with her. She was surprised how quickly she became accustomed to Rick’s bike.

  As they glided together, Rick broke the silence.

  “You should try out for the cheerleading team Aut,” Rick said as they moved effortlessly along. “The videos your mom sent of you at those football games,” he trailed off. “You were amazing.”

  Autumn had all but blocked out her days of cheerleading alongside Nikki.

  The days when things between them weren’t volatile. The good days were always harder to remember than the bad days were.

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence but I don’t think so Ricky,” Autumn replied. “I don’t want to get mixed up with that crowd again.”

  Rick nodded understandingly at her. “Alright then.”

  “I know I am being judgemental and maybe even a hypocrite,” she began.

  “You aren’t being judgemental at all,” he said, waving his hand.

  “Most of those popular people are pretty harsh. They used to pick on Nathaniel really badly until we became buddies.”

  “Really?” Autumn was stunned. She couldn’t imagine anyone picking on someone as outspoken as Nathaniel, and she certainly couldn’t see him putting up with it.

  “Yeah. He was a lot smaller in grade nine. Shorter and skinnier. Ben and his lackeys would shove him around. That’s how we met actually,” Rick said as they made their way up a hill.

  “They had him cornered in the locker room before gym class. It was Ben and three other jocks. They were going to beat him up just because they could. So, I defended him.”

  “What did you do?” Autumn knew that Rick was quite capable of protecting himself. He had taken martial arts up until he was sixteen.

  “I used some of my martial arts training and put Ben into a hold. I didn’t hurt him, but I made sure they knew I would if they bothered Nathaniel ever again.”

  Autumn’s heart swelled. She was so very proud of Rick. He was fearless and moral. It was something she had always envied about him.

  “You are a good friend Rick,” she said gently. “He is lucky to have you.”

  “That’s what Nathaniel said,” Rick said, beaming as they stopped in front of the school.

  Rick helped Autumn lock up the bike. Then, he slid off his blades, and they began walking towards the entrance.

  “Occasionally, they mouth off, but they know better than to try to bully us,” Rick went on smugly.

  “Poor Nathaniel,” Autumn said as they made their way through the front doors. She was about to go on when she heard a voice from behind her.

  “Poor me what?” Autumn looked over her shoulder to see Nathaniel walking a few paces behind her, brows furrowed in confusion.

  “This is getting weird,” Rick said as they walked into the front foyer together.

  “What is?” Nathaniel asked.

  “You just popping up randomly behind us at school,” Rick said. “It’s creepy dude.”

  “I do go here too you know,” Nathaniel said, then he looked from Rick to Autumn suspiciously.

  “Why? What were you two talking about just now?”

  “Nothing,” Rick said awkwardly, averting his eyes. Even as a kid, Rick couldn’t lie worth a damn and that obviously hadn’t changed.

  “Don’t lie to me! You look guilty Rick! I can read you like a book!” Nathaniel said, pointing at Rick accusingly.

  “You don’t even read books dude!” Rick exclaimed as they headed to their lockers.

  “That’s true dude but Autumn was saying poor Nathaniel and as far as I know, I’m the only Nathaniel you both know,” he said.

  Then he paused, looking uncertain. “Aren’t I?”

  Rick shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe you are.”

  Autumn looked at Nathaniel’s confused expression and felt instantly sorry for him.

  She nudged Rick, grimacing. “Rick. Come on.”

  “Fine,” Rick said, surrendering. “I was telling Autumn the story of how we met.”

  Nathaniel’s confusion faded, and his face filled with realization.

  “The story of how we met? Gee man, it sounds like we’re dating! No wonder Autumn won’t go out with me!” he said, looking annoyed.

  “Sorry. Aut was saying Ben and his friends seem mean. I was just confirming it,” Rick said as he opened his locker.

  “Yeah and?” Nathaniel pressed.

  “I
told her they picked on you a lot until I came along,” Rick said warily.

  Nathaniel’s face went many shades of red. “Oh my hero!” He grumbled. “That is so embarrassing!”

  Autumn began examining the inside of her locker, trying her best to appear busy. She didn’t want Nathaniel feeling any more awkward then he already did, and if she listened in, it would make everything worse.

  “No way! It’s not embarrassing dude! You sound like a guy who was a wimp but isn’t anymore,” Rick said matter-of-factly.

  “Much better!” Nathaniel said sarcastically. He sighed, looking to Autumn.

  “Autumn, do you think I’m a weakling? Be honest.”

  Autumn knew Nathaniel was many things. He was a flirt, a jokester and a slacker, but he wasn’t cowardly.

  “Of course not,” Autumn said, looking into his hazel eyes with sincerity. “You stood up for me at the skate park.”

  “I did?” he looked thoughtful.

  “You don’t remember? Ben was bothering me and you came over to defend me,” Autumn said.

  “Oh yeah I did!” Nathaniel said, instantly cheering up. “I was like your white knight!” He puffed out his chest proudly.

  “You were quite brave,” Autumn agreed, touching his shoulder meaningfully.

  “You are touching me,” Nathaniel said, eyes wide as he stared at her.

  “That is gross,” Rick said, not missing a beat. “You are salivating like an animal dude.”

  “Sorry,” Nathaniel snapped out of his stupor.

  Autumn grimaced. “Boys. Always with their minds in the gutter.”

  Nathaniel smiled at her deviously just in time for the bell to ring.

  “For whom the bell tolls,” Autumn said and she grabbed Rick by the arm. “Later Nate!”

  “Later!”

  Autumn waved as her and Rick headed to homeroom.

  “Good morning Ms. Kingston and Mr. Jacobs,” Mr. Brown said. He looked up at them, smiling genially, from his desk.

  “Morning,” they both replied in unison.

  “Here! Take a newsletter!” he said animatedly handing them both one. “There is a list of extracurricular activities and upcoming school events.”