The Brightest Star in a Constellation

37: Title Not Found

☽ Peter ☽

A storm is brewing over Northwood. Lines of nimbostratus clouds cut across the sky like the icicles hanging from the hotel's roof. According to my calculations, (I found a website for it online, but it required my postal code, and now Nicole claims my identity is definitely about to be stolen) there's a ninety-three percent chance that school will be closed tomorrow.

It's my turn to take the night shift at the hotel. I've already cleaned the occupied rooms, taken care of the laundry, and I have relatively little work left to do. In the meantime, I find a barstool seat at Lotus, accompanied by Dina, who is scuttling back and forth between the kitchen and the drinks bar.

She appears from clearing the last table of the night, still stuck in service mode, and says to me, "We're about to close, sorry."

"You actually close in a few minutes, but I can forgive it," I reply with a smile.

Dina turns around. Her apron is stained with spots of grease and a smear of ketchup that makes the shape of a star with one side too many. "Oh," she says, "how long have you been sitting there?"

I shrug. "Maybe fifteen minutes. I got bored with colour-coding spreadsheets."

"I'd imagine." She pours herself a drink of hot chocolate before flicking the coffee machine off and cleaning it out. With the cups stacked and the menus set aside, she slides onto the stool next to mine. When she hangs her apron on the rack with the others, I spot that her shirt is the design Nicole made earlier. The glossy image is screen-printed onto it, and although I got her to make a similar hoodie for me, it came in a size too small.

I lift my phone screen as a message from the group chat appears.

[AC Group Chat: Evan, Nicole, and Dina's initials spell END *x files theme* (idk I've never watched it)]

Nicole:
95% chance of a snow day now

Peter:
I see you found the website.

Nicole:
they already have your location. I may as well let them take me too
we can get kidnapped together

Lexa:
Why would you want that

Nicole:
true friends get abducted by aliens together <3

Lexa:
aliens?

Nicole:
lex, we can't be friends if you don't think ufos are real

Peter:
It's called an unidentified flying object for a reason.

Evan:
Nobody said it couldn't be a plane

Lexa:
An unidentifiable plane?

Evan:
I guess it depends on who's identifying it
Are clouds ufos?

Nicole:
asking the real questions

Jay:
if I toss you into the sun, it's a UFO

Peter
We are really getting to the heart of the astronomy club here.