Starbound: A Starstruck Novel by Brenda Hiatt

head. C’mon, connect the dots! Aren’t you supposed to be smarter than the average Duchas ?”
    She’s right, of course, and I feel like a moron—and like the scum of the Earth for believing, even for a few minutes, that M would do something like that. Because when I let myself remember that picture, I realize Molly’s right. The guy’s head wasn’t in it. No wonder Rigel was pissed, too. Trina played us all. Just like M’s been warning us she would.
    “Obviously not even as smart as Trina.” I feel dumber than ever. “How pathetic is that? Do you think M will ever forgive me?”
    “That’s between the two of you, but I’d say some groveling is in order.” She shakes her head at me in exasperation—or maybe pity—then heads out of the gym, leaving me alone.
    Leaving me to writhe in mortification. And guilt.  
    Now that Molly’s pointed out the obvious, I can’t figure how I ever believed that stupid picture in the first place. Why was I so ready to jump to such a terrible conclusion about the girl I love, who I’ve loved all my life, since way before I even met her? Is it because I’m still so jealous of Rigel Stuart that I saw exactly what I expected to see in that picture?
    The bell rings. I toss the basketball into the bin and head to History class, eager now to throw myself at M’s feet and beg her forgiveness. Maybe, with luck, M will be even more pissed at Rigel than she is at me. It’s about all I can hope to salvage out of this.

C HAPTER 9

    hiarmarti (hee-ehr-MAHR-tee) : consequences; results; price to be paid

    Trina saw me coming from across the cafeteria. She whispered something to her friends, then just stood there, smirking, as I closed the distance between us. My right fist positively itched to punch that smug face but I told myself—firmly—that I could not get expelled for fighting the day before leaving on our trip. Something in my expression must have scared her, though. Her smile slipped for a second and she glanced at her friends again, like she was making sure they were still there.  
    “Is there a problem, Marsha?” The smirk was back, her voice full of fake, syrupy sweetness.
    “ You’re the problem, Trina,” I snapped. “You’ve done a lot of nasty things to me over the years, but this is a new low. You think even your so-called friends will trust you again after seeing what a weasel you are? Go ahead. Tell them exactly what you did. Or I’m going to turn you in for this.”
    Her smile turned ugly. “Yeah? You really want the principal and your aunt and everybody to see this picture?” She held up her phone.
    Before I could stop myself, I looked—and nearly gagged. It was me, all right, apparently in the naked throes of passion with some faceless guy. Now I knew why she was snapping pictures of me yesterday. This one was actually me laughing, but in its new, nasty context it totally looked like I was doing something else. No wonder Rigel and Sean were so upset! I didn’t even want to think what my aunt or anybody else would think if they saw it.  
    “Aren’t you the Photoshop wizard?” I snarked, trying to decide what to do.
    Her sneer broadened as she sensed my hesitation. “Aren’t I? In fact, I’m so proud of this, I think I’ll post it online so everyone can admire it. All I have to do is push this button—” Her finger hovered over the screen of her phone.
    I didn’t dare assume she was bluffing. More quickly than she could react, I snatched the phone out of her hand. I’d shorted out electronics by accident all my life, but this was the first time I’d ever tried to do it on purpose. It was surprisingly easy, since being upset always made my static problem worse. The moment I touched the phone it crackled and the screen went black.
    When Trina grabbed the phone back I didn’t try to stop her. “What did you do, you freak?” Vainly, she tried to turn it back on. “ This is a brand new phone!”
    Now it was my turn to smirk. “Guess you