Second Star on Right

Chapter P: First Dates and Scott

“You need to see a shrink.”

“I don’t want to see a shrink.”

He put his arms around me. The boys had been long gone. It was five and the sun was setting. We were in my room. “You really should. With the problems between you and your parents.”

I looked into his eyes. “I don’t need a shrink.”

“BS.”

“I’ll be your shrink. Tell me about kindergarten.”

“I had a friend. She ditched me in first. We were close. Then, in fifth we ditched each other. Really, she was stolen from me. But I was over the trauma and drama.”

“What else?”

“I made another friend who hated the first. I can see why.”

“What about first?”

“Not much happened in first grade. Not much happened until fourth. This new girl came to my school, I hated her, had to go to counseling with the school councilor every Wednesday during recess. I also ripped through a few layers of skin on this girls arm. Flicked the skin back at her. That was the last time I used scratching for self-defense.”

“How about fifth?”

“I was alone without my two friends. The second friend moved schools. We were still close. I hated my teacher.”

“Sixth?”

“I loved my teacher.”

“Seventh?”

“I became a teacher’s pet. I also became hatted among my volleyball coaches.”

“Eighth?”

“I lost a friend because she told me that the reason a guy wouldn’t go out with me was because I was ugly.”

“Harsh.”

“I know.”

“How about ninth?”

“People found out I was rich. Made fake friends. And now I’m here. In Washington.”

“Nothing more happened?”

“Not really.” There was silence and my mind wandered back to when Peter fell asleep in my guest room. Then I remembered: he doesn’t sleep. “How’d you fall asleep at my house? I know you don’t sleep, but I swear you were sleeping at my house.”

“I lied when I said we don’t sleep. Fairies don’t sleep. Changelings have to sleep occasionally. Not often. But when we’re really calm and happy, we’ll sleep. I wasn’t asleep all night, I woke around twelve.”

“Oh. I thought I had you for a second.”

“After all the years I’ve been around, it’s hard to trick me. Also, I’m a Changeling, we are tricky.” Peter smiled at me. “It happens.”

I looked at the sun, barely peeking above the horizon. “I really like you, Peter,”

“I really like you too.”

“Do you love me?”

“It’s a possibility.”

“Whatever.” I smiled at him and he smiled at me.

“Okay,” I placed cards, face up, eight rows. “This is how you play King’s Cell. You have four spaces where you can hold cards. You have to find the aces and stack their matches. Once you place a card on one of the found aces, you can’t take it back.” I finished setting up the cards.