jordan.

8/24/21, 8:57 p.m.

home was a little nook, tucked safely and comfortably into a warm corner of the universe.

if she could, jordan would spend all her days at home, wherever she could find it. there were some people that felt like home, of course, but they're nothing like the place. the room.

jordan's room was covered in stars. they had posters of the milky way all over their room, and little glowing stars were stuck to the ceiling, still there from where they were a kid. she had a little constellation chart sitting by her bay window, next to the crappy telescope she got for her twelfth birthday.

and there was, of course, the roof.

jordan climbed out of their window, carefully scooting further down the slightly slanted roof. she had brought her earbuds with her, and popped those in her ears as her phone began to play her favorite song.

"we've traveled the seas, ridden the stars"

they closed their eyes, wrapping their arms around their legs, feeling the calm breeze, smelling the rich scent of coming rain.

"seen everything from saturn to mars"

this was her favorite hour. when all was at peace and lovely and whole. the world felt so full of wonder and joy and calm. the universe sang a song of love to the earth, and the earth sang back.

"as much as it seems like you own my—"

jordan opened their eyes to a sudden noise, a creaking. she turned her head, looking for the source of the noise, only to see the red-headed girl, her new neighbor, perched on the roof adjacent to hers.

embry. that's her name. embry.

embry turned, finally spotting jordan. the two stared at the other for a few moments, then embry smiled, laying back on her roof.

"what're you doing out here?" embry asked, her voice quiet and a little rough around the edges.

"hmm? oh, nothing," jordan responded. "just... looking at the stars."

"there's so many stars out here to look at." embry said, not looking at jordan, but up at the sky. jordan followed her gaze.

"yeah, i guess so."

embry chuckled to herself. "i mean, where i used to live, you could never see many stars. the light pollution and everything, i guess. but out here, the stars... they're everywhere."

"i like it," she added as an afterthought, moving her thick curtain of hair to one shoulder.

"do you want to know something?" jordan asked, to which the girl on the opposite roof broke her gaze with the stars to look over at them.

"what?"

"saturn's supposed to be out tonight." jordan peered up at the sky, searching for the yellow-brown, bright circle that was supposed to be saturn. "you should be able to see it... right... there." she finally found it, pointing up at the planet.

"where... oh! i see it!" embry said. she smiled, leaning back to look at it. "saturn's my favorite planet."

"mine, too. although pluto's a close second."

"pluto's not really a planet."

"yes it is! well, scientists classify it as a dwarf planet, which means, technically, it's still a planet."

jordan was quick to defend pluto. after all, it's a good planet. they love it.

embry put her hands up in surrender. "alright, alright. fine, it's a planet."

"thank you," jordan said with mock exasperation.

there was silence for a few beats.

"what's your name?" embry asked, looking over at jordan.

"jordan," she responded. "and your name is—" they cut themselves off, remembering that they weren't supposed to know embry's name.

"embry."

suddenly, a shouting came from inside embry's window. she looked back at it, then said, "oh, i have to go. goodnight, jordan."

as embry climbed back inside through her window, jordan said, "goodnight, embry."

and a silent, "goodnight, universe."

goodnight.