Starbound: A Starstruck Novel by Brenda Hiatt Page B

opposite sides of the office until I can contact your parents or guardians to pick you up.”
    Trina actually opened her mouth to argue—probably about some stupid cheerleading thing she’d miss—but shut it quickly at the look the principal gave her. Instead, she moved sulkily to the chair indicated. (I was already sitting in mine.)
    It was only a couple of minutes later that I heard Rigel’s voice in my head.
    I’m so, so incredibly sorry, M! So totally stupid… Don’t know what I was thinking.  
    So Molly made you finally see sense, huh? I assumed he must be on the other side of the wall, in the hallway.
    No, I figured it out on my own, as soon as I cooled down a little. Of course it was fake. I can’t believe I was that stupid, even for an hour or two.
    Yeah, well, you are a guy. Guess you heard what happened?
    Word is you broke Trina’s nose. She definitely deserved it!
    She actually broke it herself. All I did was dodge. But we both might get expelled anyway.
    Even through the wall I could feel his guilt. I can’t tell you how sorry I am, M! If I’d blown her off from the first, maybe you wouldn’t have… Will you ever forgive me?
    It was a little harder to communicate through walls, and I used that as my excuse to not respond right away—because I felt like he deserved to grovel a little, after jumping to such an awful conclusion.  
    Finally, after he’d been sending increasingly frantic pleas for forgiveness for at least two minutes, I relented—a little. I won’t pretend it didn’t hurt—a lot—that you could believe that about me, Rigel. But Trina showed me that nasty picture and… it did look awfully real. So I get why you were upset. But if you ever assume anything bad about me again without at least asking me first—  
    I won’t! Never, never, I promise! So you forgive me?
    Yeah. It’s not like I can live without you, you know.
    I could feel his relief through a foot of cinderblock. Thank you! I don’t deserve it, but I’ll try to make it up to you. I love you, M!
    The bell rang for fifth period then and he had to leave. A few minutes later, Trina’s mom came to take her home. As she was leaving, she turned to me with as much of a smirk as she could manage with a bandage on her nose.
    “Told you I’d keep you from going to Ireland, you freak,” she hissed as she passed me. “Even a broken nose is worth that.”

    When my aunt took me home at the end of the day—more than an hour after school ended—I thought Trina would get her wish. Aunt Theresa ranted and raved about the calls she’d received, from the principal and then from Trina’s parents threatening lawsuits and I don’t know what all else. Of course I told her Trina started it, but that didn’t make a dent in her anger.  
    “The Squires are one of the most prominent families in Jewel, you know that, Marsha. No matter what that girl did, you had no business fighting with her. If her parents decide to sue, it could ruin us. You can kiss that trip to Ireland goodbye—and after I paid all that money to get you a passport, too.”
    Luckily the principal called before dinner to say I wasn’t suspended after all since witnesses, and even a cell phone video, verified that Trina had attacked me and I’d only defended myself. But even then , Aunt Theresa wouldn’t say if I could still go to Ireland tomorrow. She only let me go to the O’Garas’ after dinner when Mrs. O came over to invite me personally.  
    When I got there, there was no sign of Molly or Sean, but Mr. O and half of the Council were assembled in the living room—the ones who lived in Jewel, plus Shim. I knew at once from their grim expressions that I was in big trouble.  
    Sure enough, the moment I sat down, Shim said, “It goes without saying that we’re very disappointed, Excellency. We’d thought by now you had a better grasp of how important it is not to jeopardize the impression we’ve all been working to create as to your suitability to