Rewrite the Stars

In my last life, I was the pathetic girl who followed the golden boy around like a stray dog.

The day I died in a sterile hospital room from terminal cancer, he was busy having the Wedding of the Century with his high school sweetheart.

Given a second chance at life, Im back at the very moment I was supposed to confess to him.

Under the watchful eyes of the entire cafeteria, I marched past the golden boy and slammed my love letter onto the desk of the schools most notorious rebel.

The silver-haired delinquent blinked awake from his nap, staring at the envelope covered in hand-drawn hearts.

"Whats this?"

Me: "For you. Scratch paper."

The classroom fell into a deafening silence.

The boy with the messy silver hair slowly looked up, revealing a face that was pure, unfiltered trouble. Sharp eyes, a high bridge to his nose, and a single silver hoop glinting in his right ear.

He looked dangerously attractive.

I heard several sharp intakes of breath around me. I couldn't tell if it was from awe or fear.

I remembered him: Jaxson Miller.

The rumor was that if you picked any three buildings on campus, his family had donated at least one of them. People called him "The Prince of the Hill," but mostly they just stayed out of his way.

A guy nearby joked, "Damn, Jax, looks like the flowers are blooming in your garden today. Whos the secret admirer?"

Jaxson told him to shut up with a lazy, low-timbered voice. Then he turned to me. "What do you want?"

I stated it as if it were the most natural thing in the world: "I want to sit next to you. Any problem?"

More gasps. This time, definitely shock.

Jaxson leaned his head on his hand, a mocking half-smile playing on his lips. "I don't do seatmates. What makes you think you're special?"

We locked eyes. Neither of us blinked.

I gritted my teeth. I had no other choice.

In this AP track, there were only two seats left. If I didn't sit next to Jaxson, Id be forced to sit next to Caleb Reed.

Sitting with Caleb was a death sentence for my soul.

I dropped my backpack onto the chair next to Jaxson and sat down, refusing to move. Jaxsons brow furrowed with irritation. He looked like he was about to toss me out of the room.

"I told you"

Before he could finish, I reached under the desk and grabbed his leg to keep him from standing up.

Jaxson froze. His entire body went rigid.

I leaned in and whispered, low enough that only we could hear:

"Please, just let me sit here. If I sit with Caleb, Ill die. You have no ideahes a total creep. When no ones looking, he crawls around on the floor like a weirdo. I heard he steals girls' clothes. I'm desperate, please..."

Sorry, Caleb. You can't hear me anyway. And even if you could, you deserve it.

I got more animated as I spoke.

With every sentence, I gripped harder. With every grip, Jaxsons expression grew darker.

His mocking smile vanished completely. By the end, his face was like a thundercloud.

He squeezed out one word through gritted teeth: "Fine."

I was confused. Why the sudden change of heart? He looked like a man who had been cornered by a blackmailer.

Wait... his leg felt a bit thin. And oddly soft?

"Are you going to stop squeezing my hand yet?!" Jaxson finally snapped, his voice tight.

I yanked my hand back.

Oh. My. God.

That wasn't his leg.

I had just grabbed the "Prince of the Hill" in a very, very wrong place.

After classes were over, Caleb Reed cornered me in the stairwell.

"What was that with Jaxson Miller today?"

I didn't want to waste a single breath on him. "None of your business."

Caleb flinched, clearly not expecting me to snap at him. He blocked my path with his arm.

"Chloe, Jaxson isn't the kind of guy you play with. Why would you give him a love letter?"

Thinking about everything that happened in my past life, my blood started to boil.

"Who I play with is my business. What does it have to do with you?"

"Hes bad news. Even if hes 'bad news,' hes better than someone who strings people alongsomeone who won't say yes but won't let go, either."

If Caleb hadn't given me just enough hope every time I was about to move on in my last life, I wouldn't have wasted my youth on him.

Calebs face paled. "Chloe, what is that supposed to mean?"

I crossed my arms and sneered. "It means I'm insulting you. Can't you tell?"

Caleb looked like he was about to explode, but I was done. I spotted Jaxson walking not far away and waved frantically. "Jax! Over here!"

Under the gaze of the crowd, Caleb had to drop his arm. He leaned in and whispered, "Chloe, Im disappointed in you."

I smiled at Jaxson while telling Caleb: "Get lost."

As I reached Jaxsons side, I caught a faint scent of tobacco.

"Did you just come from a smoke break?"

Jaxson gave a noncommittal "Mhm," then put his hand on my forehead and pushed me back a few steps.

"Secondhand smoke is bad for you," he rasped. "Back off."

I remembered that in my last life, Jaxson had transferred after only a semester. The rumor was that his health had taken a turn.

Acting on a sudden impulse, I said, "Firsthand smoke is bad for you, too. Can you stop?"

I looked at him expectantly.

His friend, Luke, couldn't help but laugh. "Damn, Jax. She hasn't even landed you yet and shes already acting like the wife?"

I realized how over the line that sounded. Jaxson didn't know about our "past."

"I mean... you could just smoke less..." I started to backtrack.

"Okay."

We spoke at the same time. I blinked. "Huh?"

Jaxson cleared his throat, looking away. "Im quitting."

I was stunned. The school's biggest rebel... was that easy to talk down?

Calebs "soulmate" was a girl named Sarah Bennett.

In my last life, she and I were both in the AP track. I didn't know Caleb liked her, so I sat next to him, thinking I was lucky. I didn't realize that seat was meant for Sarah.

No wonder Caleb hated me. No wonder he took my love letter and said, "Oh, scratch paper. Thanks."

In this life, Sarah sat right next to Caleb. But strangely, Caleb didn't seem happy. He kept cornering me instead.

I guess distance really does make the heart grow fonder.

To avoid Caleb, I glued myself to Jaxson. I followed him everywhere.

It got to the point where Jaxsons friends started teasing me at the door of the guys' locker room.

"Hey, Chloe! Here to walk Jax to the bathroom again?"

"Can't bear to be apart for a second, huh?"

Jaxson walked out of the room with a strawberry lollipop stick hanging out of his mouth.

Since he promised to quit smoking, he hadn't touched a cigarette. He just bought lollipops in bulk.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked at me. "Let's go, little shadow."

I blushed. "Don't call me that!"

Jaxson leaned down and grinned. "You know what the school is calling you? My 'Child Bride.' Because you follow me around like I'm the only person on earth."

I'm just hiding from Caleb! I wanted to scream.

Jaxson pulled a lollipop from his pocket, unwrapped it, and held it to my lips. "Open up."

I bit my lip, suspicious, but I opened my mouth. The sweet taste of strawberry filled my senses.

"Why the sudden"

Before I could finish, Jaxson had already turned and started walking toward the classroom. I saw Calebs shadow ducking around a corner nearby and immediately ran after Jaxson.

"Wait for me!"

A few days later, Caleb blocked me again at the stairs. He tried to block me with a stack of notebooks.

"These are my study guides for the midterms. You won't pass without these."

I didn't take them. I just looked at him with pure disdain.

In my last life, I begged him for his notes. He told me: "You only got into this track by luck. Why bother struggling to stay?"

Now, I avoided him like the plague, and he was shoving notes at me.

I laughed. "Caleb, who gave you the right to look down on me? I don't want them."

Caleb tried to force the notebooks into my arms. I stepped back to avoid him, forgetting I was on the edge of the stairs.

I felt the sudden drop. "Ahhh!"

But the pain didn't come. I fell into a chest that smelled like strawberries.

"Ugh. How long are you going to lay there?"

I looked up at Jaxson. I had tackled him to the ground. That loud thud was the sound of his back hitting the concrete.

"I-I-I'm so sorry!"

Jaxson stood up, rubbing his neck. He looked at Caleb. "Beat it."

Caleb left without a word. He didn't dare challenge Jaxson.

Jaxson stood there in silence after Caleb left. I panicked. "Let's go back to class. He keeps following me, I promise"

"I know," Jaxson interrupted. He pointed at his leg. "Can you help me to the nurse? I think I twisted something."

I: "..."

I ended up practically carrying Jaxson down the stairs.

"So," he said, leaning on me. "Are you really avoiding him because I told you to? Do I mean that much to you?"

"One more word and I'm dropping you down the stairs."

Jaxsons ankle was messed up because of me, so I became his personal assistant.

I got his water. I got his lunch. I even got us both excused from PE.

He said he needed someone to keep him company in the quiet classroom.

Luke looked at the pile of snacks and fruit on Jaxsons desk and sighed. "Man, I wish I was the one who got hurt."

Jaxson bit into an apple, looking smug. "Is your seatmate as good as mine?"

I remembered the rumors. Jaxsons family was wealthy, but his parents were never around.

My heart ached for him. Without thinking, I said, "I'll come over and take care of you."

Jaxson and Luke both froze.

"Fine," Jaxson cut him off. He looked at me with a lazy grin. "You said it. No taking it back."

Jaxson lived in a penthouse in the city center.

I brought a bag of groceries, but when I turned back, Jaxson had already put on an apron.

A rugged, handsome face paired with a pink frilly apron.

"I thought I was cooking?" I asked.

Jaxson was already at the sink. "Just kidding," he mumbled, popping a lollipop into his mouth. "I can't let my 'bride' do all the work. Today, you taste my cooking."

I watched him expertly dice meat. My jaw dropped.

Jaxson chuckled. "What? You think I'm some pampered prince?"

He told me how his parents used to cut him off whenever they fought. "One time they didn't talk to me for six months. I almost couldn't afford takeout. I had to learn."

He acted like it was a joke, but I could see the loneliness in his eyes.

Suddenly, my phone rang. It was my father.

"Where are you? Your brother wants dessert from that bakery downtown. Make sure you pick some up... Hello? Are you deaf?"

I took a deep breath and hung up. Neither of us said another word about it.

"You're finally home?!"

The living room was pitch black. When I flipped the light, my fathers anger filled the small space.

"I'm home." I started walking toward my room.

"Get back here!" A glass flew past my ear and shattered against the wall.

My mother followed: "Chloe, whats wrong with you? No ones made dinner. Are you hanging out with the wrong crowd?"

In my last life, I would have apologized. But now, I saw the truth. They weren't worried about me. They were worried that no one had cooked.

When I got my cancer diagnosis in my past life, they just wanted my bank password for my brother.

I packed my bag. Everything in this room I had bought with my own money.

"Where do you think you're going?" my mother screamed.

"I'm leaving. If a court says I owe you child support one day, I'll pay the minimum. Until then, don't talk to me."

10

The streetlights cast long shadows. I stood there, feeling a sudden wave of emptiness.

"It's not your fault."

I looked up. Jaxson was leaning against a lamppost.

"Jax? What are you doing here?"

He walked over and pulled me into a hug. He smelled like strawberries and home.

"It's not your fault, Chloe. You're great. They're the ones who are wrong."

My eyes welled up.

"Jax," I whispered. "You promised to stop smoking."

He stiffened. "I... I saw your face when you took that call. I followed you to make sure you were okay. I heard the screaming and I got stressed... I won't do it again."

"So, where are you going to stay?" he asked. "My place?"

"Okay," I said. "But Im paying rent."