Chapter 27
Later that night Mom and Dad take their blankets and a picnic basket to meet Mayor Beecham, Dr. Blaire, and Callie’s parents, as well as most of the others in the town, on the abandoned field, while Gavin and I walk the extra block and a half to Callie’s house.
I’m about to knock on the door when Callie appears from the side gate.
“You made it.” Her smile stretches extra wide, like she’s surprised we came.
As if we had other plans or something. “Come on back. Brennan’s already here.
” She motions for us to follow her. When we come around to her backyard, Gavin and I startle at the sight.
“You have a trampoline?” I gawk. Brennan is jumping up and down, getting some serious air.
“You’ve never been on a trampoline before?” Callie glances sideways at me.
“Of course I have,” I somehow say with conviction, even though I can’t recall when or where. “It’s just been a long time.”
“What about you, Gavin?” Brennan asks when he notices Gavin’s hesitation. “You game?”
I’m pretty sure I know what Gavin’s response is. Mr. Play-It-Safe doesn’t like roller coasters, and he definitely doesn’t do trampolines.
“Sure,” he says before kicking off his shoes and joining Brennan on the trampoline.
Gavin’s up for it? This will be interesting.
“What about you?” Callie eyes me.
“Why not?” I say.
Callie and I join the boys, and at first it’s chaotic. There’s no rhythm or pattern to our movements, just wild, frenetic energy that sends us crashing into one another. But after a while, we get into a groove. And with more confidence, my jumps get higher and higher.
“This is seriously so cool!” I say breathlessly.
The exhilaration of my stomach dropping and my hair whipping around wildly reminds me of that time I was in a convertible zipping through the Hollywood Hills.
I couldn’t tell then if the unsettling feeling in my gut was from the adrenaline or the reckless driving, but now I know it was the lifestyle I was leading that made me nervous.
Always living on the edge, pushing the envelope, trying to portray an image of a person leading an extraordinarily exciting life.
Except it wasn’t always exciting. It was exhausting and, at times, frightening.
Here, jumping around on Callie’s trampoline, I’m having all the fun without any of the fear.
It’s the most carefree I’ve felt in a while.
I can tell Gavin feels the same way, too, seeing his smile reach his eyes, something I didn’t know was even possible.
“Have you ever double-bounced before?” Brennan asks breathlessly.
“What’s that?” I say. I can’t help but notice that I don’t say it in my usual signature way.
Brennan doesn’t answer me. Instead his eyes dance around mischievously, and he gears himself to time his next jump with mine.
The precise timing of his landing with mine catapults me higher than I expected, and I flail in midair.
It causes me to miss my footing when I land, and my body flops onto the trampoline with a bounce.
In an attempt to avoid landing on me, Gavin, Callie, and Brennan fall too.
Now we’re all lying on the trampoline in a fit of giggles.
“I haven’t had this much fun in…” I try to think back to the last time I had this much fun, but I can’t. My memory doesn’t reach that far.
“Me too,” Gavin says, probably feeling the same way.
“Why didn’t you tell me you had a trampoline?
” Brennan asks Callie. “I’d have come over sooner if I had known.
” I can’t help but notice that his tone and his mannerisms are less flirty and more platonic than he was at the town hall meeting.
So maybe I imagined it? Maybe Brennan doesn’t have heart-eyes for Callie.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been on it.
I forgot how much fun it is.” Callie sighs, smiling.
“Most of my friends go away for the summer. But the beautification initiative just launched, so I had to stay behind for the farmer’s market,” Callie says.
“It’s the summer before my senior year, though, and I was kind of sad thinking I’d be spending it without any friends.
That changed when you three showed up. This is the best summer I’ve ever had. ”
I feel slightly guilty thinking that this is the worst summer for me. But being with Callie is the best part about it, so I don’t feel like I’m lying when I say, “Me too.”
“Me three,” Gavin says.
“Me four,” Brennan says.
The four of us lie on the trampoline with our heads in the middle of it. The night sky is blanketed with stars.
“This may sound ignorant, but these are the same stars people see in other parts of the world, right?” I ask. “I’m only wondering because they’re brighter than the ones I’m used to seeing, and there seem to be more of them.”
“They’re the same ones,” Brennan confirms. “They just seem brighter here because there isn’t any light pollution to drown out their shine.”
“If you think these are bright, wait until the shower starts. You’ll be blown away,” Callie says.
“Wait, I think I see them.” I point to the lights flickering above us.
“I see them too.” Gavin squints.
Callie and Brennan glance at each other before bursting into laughter.
“What?” I ask, only slightly self-conscious. It’s clear they’re laughing at us, but not in a mean way.
“Those aren’t meteors,” Callie says.
“Or anything celestial for that matter,” Brennan adds. “They’re fireflies.”
“Ah,” I say, cringing. “That would explain it. I don’t do bugs.”
“You must be city folks,” Callie says in a fake Southern accent.
“Not from round these parts, eh?” Brennan adds, playing along. He doesn’t have to try as hard as Callie to get that Southern twang.
Gavin and I share a laugh.
“You’re from LA, right?” Callie asks, dropping her accent.
The question silences our laughter. I glance sideways at Gavin, who seems as conflicted as I am.
It was easier to hide certain details of our lives when we thought it would help our chances in the appeal.
Now that the appeal is over, there’s no reason why we can’t be honest about who we are. But I can’t seem to get the words out.
“Yeah,” Gavin says before the silence becomes awkward. “I lived in a condo on the twenty-sixth floor in Westwood, far from the natural habitat of an insect.” He gives me a subtle look that tells me it’s okay. I think he means that he wants to open up to them more, and I do too.
“What, bugs in LA don’t take elevators up to the twenty-sixth floor?” Brennan teases.
“The only type of bugs I’m used to are ones trapped under cups, waiting for someone to get rid of them.
And that someone is not me.” I don’t tell them it’s Tony, our gardener, or Carolina, our house manager, or any of the other staff members we had on our payroll who got rid of the bugs.
Still, it feels good to share a part of my life with them, even one as trivial as this.
“No, you? The person who didn’t want to lie on the field to watch the meteor shower tonight?” Callie says, pretending to be shocked.
“It was my secret plan to jump on the trampoline,” I say, even though I had no idea she had one.
“Honestly I’m glad it was. The trampoline was such a good idea. Even the view here seems better,” Brennan says.
“What part of the sky should we look at?” Gavin asks.
“All of it,” Callie says.
“Well, that narrows it down,” I tease her. She takes it lightly.
“Let’s just say you won’t miss it,” Callie says.
“She’s right; the meteors are everywhere,” Brennan says, leaning toward Gavin. “It’s impossible to see it all, but it’s a pretty amazing sight when you try to see as much of the shower as you can.”
It seems obvious, but my eyes can’t seem to take in the entire sky, and by the looks of it, Gavin seems to be thinking the same.
“You good?” Brennan asks Gavin when he notices him shifting his head around.
“The trampoline is fun and all, but lying down on it is a different story.” Gavin looks awkward trying to tilt his head back. “It dips in all the wrong places, giving zero support where you need it the most.”
“Let me get you something to make you more comfortable.” Brennan lifts himself to a seated position.
“Nah, I should be okay. Just need to find the right position.”
“You sure? It’s really no trouble.” Brennan offers again.
My brow quirks. Brennan is being super attentive to Gavin.
And his expression is similar to the way he gazed at Callie at the town hall meeting when he was completely enamored by her.
Come to think of it, Brennan is like that with everyone.
Me, Officer Hartford…even Hal. So maybe I was wrong.
Maybe I’m not as good at reading people as I thought I was.
Because I now realize Brennan isn’t flirting with me, or Callie, or any of us.
It’s just his nature to be friendly with everyone.
“You stay. I’ll grab some pillows for us.” Callie pushes herself to a standing position.
“I’ll help,” Gavin offers, getting up to join her.
“Thanks, city boy,” Callie jokes. Watching the two of them disappear into the house to get the pillows, all giggles, I surprisingly feel relief for Brennan. Knowing that he isn’t interested in Callie, not in that way, means he won’t be crushed when he finds out that her interests lie elsewhere.
“How’s the search for tenants coming along?” Brennan asks when it’s just the two of us.
“Still searching,” I say. “Although my dad is hopeful the observatory will bring in a new resident soon.”
“And then you’ll go back to LA?”
“Yeah.” I can’t help but notice I say it with less certainty than usual. I was already skeptical about getting back my socialite status when I thought we’d win the appeal. Now I’m not sure what the future holds anymore. “What about you? Where do you see yourself next year?”
“I’m hoping to get into Caltech, since they have one of the best space science programs.”
I perk up when I hear he might be in LA next year.
Once we’re able to go back to our old lives, it’s always been my plan to leave this place and never look back.
It’s the people I’ve met here who will be harder to leave.
But knowing Brennan and I might end up in the same place next year helps to think we could stay in each other’s lives.
Then, a second later, I remember Brennan’s long-term plans.
“And Blaire is where you want to live?” I ask for confirmation. Surely this isn’t the only place that studies space exploration.
Brennan lies back, resting his head on his arm folded behind him.
“You know when they ask kids what they want to be when they grow up? They say things like firefighter, policeman…astronaut.” He peers over at me with a boyish grin.
“Well, I was that kid. When I learned that the radio telescope could reach the farthest parts of the universe, I was sold. But there’s no guarantee I’ll end up in Blaire.
I still have a long road ahead of me. First I have to graduate college and then get my PhD.
By the time I can apply for a job at the observatory, so much could happen.
New discoveries could shift the demand within the field of astronomy, technological advancements could change the way we approach space discovery, or budget cuts could even shut down the observatory altogether. ”
“Doesn’t that scare you?” Just thinking of what it might be like if I can’t get back to my influencer business makes me break out into a cold sweat.
“Nah. I’m in the business of exploring the unknown.” He gives me a toothy grin. “But one thing’s for sure. Blaire’s a place I want to call home. I’ll find a way to get back here, one way or another.”
I fall silent. I’ve never felt that way about any place.
I’ve always looked to leave every home I’ve ever lived in.
Even just last month, I couldn’t wait to move out of my house and be financially independent from my family.
To finally start living the life I wanted.
Or thought I wanted. Now I’m not so sure.
Gavin and Callie come back with some pillows, and we get comfortable right as the meteor shower starts.
The bursting lights are small but captivating, and the absence of light pollution competing for our attention makes the celestial objects shine brighter than anything I’ve ever seen in the night sky.
As I watch the meteors, I can’t help but think that being away from the city is giving me clarity on other parts of my life too.
Although I can see the downsides of it now, I don’t regret my influencer lifestyle.
It was the solution that got me out of a bad situation.
Through it all, I discovered my real talent as an entrepreneur.
And to be the envy of so many people is, I’m not going to lie, the biggest natural high.
But as much as I try not to let it bother me, I can’t stop wondering if Gavin was right about me.
It’s true: I’ve never been in a long-term relationship, but it’s always been my choice.
Now time away has made me realize that most, if not all, of my friendships were superficial.
And it’s making me wonder if being surrounded by shallow relationships for so long has made it so that I don’t know what it takes to be long-term material.
Being here has shown me I don’t need to be in the spotlight of many to feel valued.
As long as they’re the right kind of people, I only need a few.
It’s not rocket science, the whole idea of quality over quantity.
But the point is, now that I’ve had a taste of what it feels like to make deeper connections, I want to keep going.
And who knows? Maybe I can be long-term material too.