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Chapter 18 - Don't Come Crying To Me

Chapter 18 - Don't Come Crying To Me

“Do you see it?” Bradley asks, sitting down beside me.

“What am I supposed to be seeing?” I wonder.

“Orion’s Belt.” Mikey answers, taking some popcorn out of the bucket in my lap.

Looking back up at the sky through the huge bubble thing, I shake my head, “No. At least, I don’t think I see it.”

“How can you not see it? It’s literally right there.” Tanner tells me, pointing straight up at the sky.

“Oh, thanks so much Tanner. I can definitely tell which star you’re pointing at.” I tell him sarcastically.

It’s Wednesday night and Tanner, Mikey, Bradley and I are at this new Planetarium that Bradley is just fawning over. Apparently he’s got like this closet passion for celestial objects and like, the study of them. Astronomy, that’s what it’s called, I think. Okay, well I don’t know if I’d call it a passion, but it’s definitely a hobby for him.

Drew was gonna come along with us, but the basketball team went on that trip and they’re not coming back until tomorrow. They ended up beating Prichard High, 83 to 56. Drew, evidently, is really, really good at the game. Like I said, I’ve seen him play before but last night was the first time this season. He was even voted M.V.P., and apparently that stands for ‘Most Valued Player’. Call me stupid for not knowing until last night, but it’s true. And Walker’s ‘hanging’ out with Alison. Yes, they made up. Unfortunately. After he and Alison went to ‘talk’, he didn’t return for like an hour when the game was just ending. His hair was all messed up and his clothes were wrinkled. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what they were really doing. And I don’t think it involved very much talking, if you catch my drift.

If you’re wondering what we’re doing at a Planetarium at nighttime, it’s because they’re doing a lock-in. You know, like they bring all the people in at night and they don’t get to leave until the next morning. Bradley neglected to tell me this key information before I agreed to come here with him and the other guys. Stupid Bradley.

There’s about forty, maybe forty-five people here at this lock-in, and we’re all spread across the Planetarium. I don’t know how they expect us to sleep here, what with the big bubble ceiling which all but lets the moon into the room. We’re pretty high in the air, apparently that’s the point so that you can actually see the stars and all that stuff.

“It’s right there, Syd, come on, I know you see it.” Tanner retorts, still pointing up.

"I don’t see anything,” I say, shrugging.

“You see it- you just don’t know you’re seeing it.” Bradley argues.

"I don’t see anything but a bunch of stars.”

“Orion’s Belt is made up of stars.” Mikey explains slowly.

Rolling my eyes, I say, “I know that, but, like, which ones?”

“Here, follow me.” Bradley says to me, standing up. I stand up, walking with him over to one of the many telescopes. He does something to it, and then adjusts it, gesturing for me to look in it. I do and he says, “What about now?”

“I still have no idea what it looks like.” I admit.

“Do you not pay attention in Science at all?”

 “I take Physics; not Astrology.” I remind him.

“Sydney?”

“Hmm?”  I say, still trying to find Orion’s Belt.