Aries Rising (20 page)

“I’m impressed.” Bodmer walks up to me. She’s secured her thick curls with a long scarf, but already many have escaped. Her glasses are poked into her hair, as usual, like a leopard-print headband. “You actually know Josh Mellick. How cool is that?”

“Hi, Ms. Bodmer,” I say. “I’m glad you came.”

“It’s too good to miss, even on a Saturday. I’m here to cheer you on, girls.”

“Hey,” Bobby yells to the photographer. “Get the teach in one of the shots.”

Bodmer squeals and heads toward him.

It’s time now.

I turn to look at Paige. She’s perfect with her pale hair floating behind her and her white eyelet shirt covering a taupe mesh Graciela Perez swimsuit. It’s called a monokini, but it’s mega everything. Paige is even more killer than she was in the Aphrodite costume.

“Ready?” I ask her.

She gives me a shy smile. “I still can’t believe this. It should have been you or Chili.”

“Stop it,” I say. “If anyone is California beach, you are, Paige. Graciela was right about that.”

“Besides . . . ,” Chili grins. “. . . I told you guys from the start that I didn’t really want it. I just didn’t want Kat to get it.”

We pose for more group shots and then walk to the beach, where Paige smiles up at Josh in the sand, hands behind her back. White tide swirl around their bare ankles. I can already see how they will look in the magazine, his tanned good looks a backdrop for her understated beauty.

The sun starts to set in the brilliant purples and pinks. They slip into the ocean, which now looks like shimmering black glass. Standing beside Chili, I realize that my skin is so icy my teeth are almost chattering. I need to borrow someone’s jacket or just head home.

Except that something is wrong. Chili is staring at me in a strange way, her eyes wide.

“Logan.” Her voice is part-whisper, part-gasp. “Look!”

I turn in the direction she has pointed. A form is coming toward me, walking fast, no, not walking, running now. That’s all he is for the first moment, just a figure heading toward me in the sand. Not one of the kids from school, though. He’s dressed in jeans and a khaki jacket.
That
khaki jacket. In the wind, his dark hair whips around his face. A face I would know anywhere.

Jeremy. After all he has done to me, why is he here? I stumble through the sand, tears and wind burning my eyes.

“Jeremy,” I call out, unable to believe what I am seeing.

“I had to find you, Logan. I tried to call you, left messages. Didn’t you get them?”

“Only a word or two came through.” I grab his face in my hands and stare into those fierce eyes. “What happened? Who is Tori?”

“The daughter of my dad’s girlfriend who’s been visiting from Boston. She decided she was in love with me, but nothing happened with us, I swear. She’s nuts, a stalker chick. She even stole my phone.”

“I know. She answered when I called. I thought . . .”

“And I couldn’t figure out why I didn’t hear from you. And then, by the time I realized what was going on, I was on tour with my dad. So . . .” He gives me that possessive Taurus smile. “. . . I just got on a plane.”

“How’d you know where to find me?”

“Your dad. He’s a nice guy.”

“And you flew all the way from Dublin?”

“Yeah. To tell you I love you.” Now he’s pressing his hands against my face. “I love you, Logan.”

I throw my arms around him and feel his arms wrap around me. We hug the breath from each other, and I inhale the sweet smell of his hair.

I’m vaguely aware of the others. Sol and Kat, who walk by, arms around each other. Chili. Then Paige, chatting with Bobby and the photographer. Other kids, Bodmer, the magazine crew.

And, yes, it’s technically a PDA in front of the entire school, but I don’t care. Right now I have everything I thought I had lost. And I’ve gotten back something else too, something I can only begin to understand right now.

“I love you, too,” I say. “I never stopped.”

He kisses me again, then steps back and slowly runs his hands along my bare arms. “You’re shivering,” he says. “Let’s go somewhere quiet. Get some coffee. Talk.”

“Sounds good.” I place my hands over his, and no longer feel the cold.

We wrap our arms around each other and walk down the beach toward the street, matching our footsteps in perfect rhythm. The crashing waves sound surreal, as if it is summer again, and we are back in Monterey. But, no. Jeremy is here, in Terra Bella Beach. He has come all this way to find me.

“What about you?” His voice is harsh against my cheek. “You haven’t met anyone else, have you?”

“Of course not. You’re all I could think about. I was so confused.”

“And you haven’t been getting in trouble with that astrology stuff again, have you?”

I look up into those teasing, soulful Taurus eyes. “Now, that,” I tell him, “is a story too long and complicated to go into just yet.”

Too long and complicated, yes. Too insignificant. And too far away, right now, from my Aquarius mind, to even matter.

SIX TRAITS EACH. REMEMBER, THE SUN IS NOT THE
SUM. IT IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.

Aries:
March 21-22 to April 19-20
Energetic, Enthusiastic, Take-charge, Self-centered,
Quick-tempered, Aggressive
You value:
Attention

Taurus:
April 20-21 to May 20-21
Reliable, Kind-hearted, Sensuous,
Stubborn, Judgmental, Lazy
You value:
Stability

Gemini:
May 21-22 to June 21-22
Strong communicator, Versatile, Generous,
Fickle, Scattered, Nervous
You value:
Intellect

Cancer:
June 22-23 to July 22-23
Nurturing, Traditional, Family-oriented,
Codependent, Clingy, Moody
You value:
Empathy

Leo:
July 23-24 to Aug 23-24
Leader, Full of fun, Warm and
loving, Overbearing, Attention-seeking, Insensitive
You value:
Creativity

Virgo:
Aug 23-24 to Sept 23-24
Nitpicky, Helpful, Methodical, Shy, Critical, Cheap
You value:
Organization

Libra:
Sept 23-24 to Oct 23-24
Attracted to beauty, Charming, Flexible,
Wishy-washy, Manipulative, Jealous
You value:
Fairness