And I'd choose you;
In a hundred lifetimes,
In a hundred worlds,
In any version of reality,
I'd find you and,
I'd choose you

-The Chaos of Stars

××Playlist××

'Gavin! Gavin!' Mrs Pitt, the librarian was literally running after him at this point. Her mousy brown hair was the definition of a bird's nest and her glasses sat askew on her face.

'Gavin!' She finally caught up to him and his friends in the crowded school hallway.

Gavin frowned. 'Mrs Pitt?' Surprise coloured his tone.

'What are you doing here?' He asked after sharing a confused look with Tom and Leo. I smiled because I already knew why she was here.

'Oh thank heavens. Do you know you walk really fast? Being on the football team helps with that I guess. You know most of the players most be quite agile. You don't even look like you're exerting yourself.' She gushed, panting hard.

Leo snickered.

'And you came all the way here to tell me that?' Gavin raised an eyebrow.

'Yes. I mean no! No.' She answered.

Gavin glanced at Tom who shrugged in response.

'Don't look at me.' Tom said.

'Why are you here Mrs Pitt?' Gavin asked.

'Right! I came because I need your help. Not specifically your help but I need help. The library needs help. As much of it as possible.' Mrs Pitt said.

Gavin sighed. 'And you came to me because?'

'Well, you helped before so I was hoping you wouldn't mind chipping in. Again.' She said. My grin was as wide as the Cheshire cat's. Gavin glared at me. The this-is-all-your-fault was loudly implied in his glare.

'I would mind actually. I have football practice.'

'Oh yes! I know but I could talk to coach on your behalf. The principal is giving this priority over everything else.'

'Mrs Pitt, I really really can't....'

'You're going to say yes.' I glared at him.

His eyes yelled, no way! at me.

'Yes way. You're doing it and you're going to ask Leo, Tom and the rest of the team to help out as well.'

One long heated glare-off later.

 
'Of course Mrs Pitt. I would love to help.' Gavin muttered. Tom and Leo chuckled and playfully shoved him.  'And I'm sure Tom and Leo would love to help as well.'

'What?' Tom gaped.

'Dude!' Leo protested. Gavin smirked.

'Great! I will speak to coach on behalf of the three of you.' Mrs Pitt beamed and walked away.

'Dude!' Leo repeated and slapped Gavin's arm for emphasis.

'What the... Why?' Tom asked.

'Well you guys weren't going to let me do that alone.' Gavin said.

Yeah we were!' Leo chimed in.

'You know we were.' Tom added.

'Well, now you aren't.' Gavin smirked. Leo narrowed his eyes. Tom lightly punched his arm.

'You owe us.' He stated before walking away.

'Tom's right.' Leo added before walking away too.

'Are they mad at you?' I asked.

'No. They'll get over it.' Gavin shrugged, completely unperturbed.

If he's not worried and they're his friends, why should I worry?

'Just so you know, if it's the third graders again, I will kill you.' Gavin stated.

'Oh cut it out. They like you.'

'They are evil. I still have nightmares from when they made me carry all of them around the library.' He shuddered.

'Stop being so dramatic.' I rolled my eyes.

'Dramatic? Are you sure we remember the same event? They were monsters.'

'Bite sized monsters.' I chuckled.

'The guys are gonna be so mad.' Gavin grinned.

'Honestly, I expected you to be a lot more angry than this.' I commented.

'I would but I have to go to the library anyway.' He shrugged.

'You have to go to the library?' I frowned.

'Yup.' He hooked his thumbs in his trousers pockets.

'Why?' I asked in a disbelieving tone.

'Research for my history project.' He shrugged.

'What histor---   Ohhhhh.'

'Yeah. Gotta my info from somewhere.'

'Don't worry about it. I'll help.'

'You will?' He asked, surprised. 'But I was a jerk.'

'You were.' I agreed. 'But I also made you face an armed robber so this is only fair.'

'I though being fair wasn't your thing.'

'Just say thank you before I change my mind.'

'Thank you.'

'You're welcome.'

'I gotta get to class.'

'It's history. Of course I'm coming with you.'

'I don't know how I learn anything in that class with your never ending commentary.'

'I'm just giving you the true facts.'

'Well the true facts aren't gonna get me a good grade.'

'Probably not.'

'Then stop giving me the true facts!' He said exasperatedly.

'I can't. It's my duty to educate.'

'Since when?'

'Since when I discovered you don't like it.' I smiled sweetly.

'I hate you.'

'It's a sacrifice I'm willing to pay to make sure you're properly educated.' I said gravely. 'Just kidding! I love that you hate me.'

'You're the bane of my existence.'

'It's my pleasure.'

'That's not a good thing!'

'You sure? Because it really sounded like it was.'

'Forget it. You know what? Just forget it.' He stomped off.

'Well, that's just rude.' I remarked.

***

'You know it wouldn't kill you to leave me alone while I'm in school.' Gavin growled when I showed up during lunch.

'And miss out on all the excitement? Now why would I do that?' I clicked my tongue and shook my head.

He sighed deeply and piled his lunch tray. I grinned and followed him to the table where Leo, Tom, Adriana and a few other people were seated.

'Why not?' Adriana pouted. Gavin plopped into the seat between Tom and one other guy.

'Because,' Leo paused to glare at Gavin. 'Gavin signed us up to help out at the library.'

'We're still on that?' Gavin asked lazily.

'Yes! We're still on that.' Leo snapped.

'Look at this way, it's something to put on your college application.' Gavin said.

'Football is something to put on my college application. This is something to run from.' He glared.

'Run and never look back.' Tom added.

'Sorry then.' Gavin apologized though it did not in any way sound genuine. He popped a fry into his mouth.

'You don't even care. You're just happy because you got someone to share in your misery.' Tom stated. Gavin shrugged and ate another fry.

'Why do we even hang out with this guy?' He asked.

'Because he's got a cute sister.' Leo replied. Gavin glared at him Arctic style.

'Geez. I'm just joking man.' Leo put his hands up in the universal sign of surrender. Gavin eyed him suspiciously through narrowed eyes before he went back to nonchalantly eating his fries.

'You do know she's gotta date some time right?' Tom pointed out. Gavin glared at him and grumbled quietly. Leo scowled.

'Face it dude. She probably has a boyfriend already.' Tom prodded. Leo stiffened. Gavin's glare intensified. I'm not sure even I can glare that coldly. He was like a lion ready to pounce.

'Fine. Don't face it.' Tom backed off.

I have to learn how to glare like that. It could come in handy.

'So what you're all saying is that you won't come to the beach party with us because you want to go volunteer at the public library?' Adriana pouted.

'Not want to so much as have to.' Tom corrected.

'Bottom line, you're not gonna be there.' She summed. 'Great.'

'Don't look so down.' Gavin grinned, though I could tell he was very much enjoying the fact that she was unhappy that he wasn't going to be there.

'You're enjoying this.' I said.

'Just think about it. We'll be in a library with books and other boring stuff while you guys are at a party.' He popped another fry into his mouth. 'Unless, you want to join us at the library. I'm sure Mrs Pitt would appreciate the extra set of hands.'

She glared at him. 'I've got cheer practice after school and you know I'm not the type to work at the library.'

'That's too bad.' Gavin nodded. He was fighting back a smile. The little devil!

'You could at least pretend to be saddened by it.' Adriana glared. Smart girl. I didn't think she'd notice.

Gavin smiled his playboy smile. His lips quirked up in a teasing smirk and his eyes lit up with mischief and in that moment I finally understood why girls loose their heads over him.

He's... Wow.

For a second, just one tiny little second, my heart beat a little fast and it was hard to breath.

He's handsome. How did I not notice that before?

Luckily, I wasn't the only one affected by the smile. Adriana and all the other girls at the table seemed to be recovering from it's devastating effects as well.

'Gavin.' Adriana rebuked but her voice came out breathy and she was blushing. Leo rolled his eyes. I did the same. Gavin smirked.

'I hate you. You know that?' She said fighting a smile.

'You don't hate me. You just wish you did.' Gavin replied lazily.

'With all my fibre and being.' She shook her head.

***

'Okay so what topic do you want to do for your history project? Have you decided on a historic event yet?' I asked.

We were on our way to the library. Tom and Leo said they would meet us there. Tom had to go pick up something for his mother first and Leo got recruited to help. Tom's mother is real estate agent and turns out she forgot some files at home and she needed Tom to pick them up for her. Leo had to accompany him. Apparently they take turns helping each other out and it was Leo's turn this time.

'I figured since you're giving me the info, you should choose what it's going to be about.' Gavin shrugged.

'Generous but no thanks. When you decide, let me know.' I said.

'Okay.' He stopped at the library doors.

'Why are you stopping?' I asked.

'Behind these doors is a scary world.' Gavin said. 'With crazed third graders.'

'It's not that bad. Look on bright side, Leo and Tom are here to share in your pain as well.' I smiled.

'That is a bright side.' Gavon chuckled. 'They are going to hate me for this.'

'They're your best friends. They'll get over it. You guys have been close since what? High school?'

'Elementary school actually.' Gavin corrected.

'Wow. I wouldn't have figured you for a lasting relationship kind of guy.' I said. 'I'm sure you guys have had some crazy adventures.'

'Pretty insane ones.' Gavin smirked. 'Those guys are like my brothers. They're family. We are family. Though I would never admit that to their face.'

'Boys.' I shook my head.

'It's an unspoken guy rule. We never do emotions. Ever.' He shrugged. I rolled my eyes in response.

'So how are things on the Asia front?'

'It's not a battle and since when are you so interested in my dating life?' He asked.

'Since when I invested valuable advice in it.'

'All you did was tell me to take her out on a date. That hardly counts as valuable advice. I could've gotten that from a mute reindeer.'

'And do you know how hard reindeers are to find? Much less a mute one. So that means my advice was in fact valuable. If you calculate the cost of finding a mute reindeer in a suburban town.'

'You're.... weird.' He settled for that lame comeback.

'Most fabulous people. Einstein was weird. Imagine how weird Shakespeare had to be to dream up those sad and frankly disturbing plays where everyone dies at the end.'

'Einstein wasn't fabulous. He was a genius.'

'Great! So I'm both fabulous and a genius.'

'I never said you were fabulous. Much less that you're a genius.' He pointed out.

'Sounded like you did to me.'

'Then you have poor hearing.'

'My hearing is fine. It's just....'

'Selective. I know.'

'Exactly.' I smiled.

'On a completely unrelated note, what do you do at night? Or whenever you aren't following me around?' Gavin asked.

'Starting to get jealous, are we?' I teased.

'You wish. Just curious, that's all.' He shrugged.

'Well, when I'm not with you, I'm usually with Kelsey. I like watching her paint. It's sort of relaxing for me. I love being around art. It's a part of my old life. It calms me.'

'Is that why you never miss art class?'

'Yeah.'

'And when you're not creepily watching my sister paint?'

'Hmm. This and that.' I said vaguely because I knew it would draw his attention.

'And what exactly is "this and that"?' He asked with air quotes.

'Just stuff.' I shrugged casually. I could feel his curiosity rising with every passing second. He is so predictable.

'I know what you're doing.'

'What am I doing?' I asked with fake wide eyed innocence.

'Just spit it out.'

'Spit what out?'

'What do you do at night?'

'Sometimes at night, I watch the stars but the rest of the time, what I do is up to me and its my business alone.'

'You watch the stars?' He enunciated each word.

'I just said that.' I all but rolled my eyes.

'Why?'

'They're always there. I've been here a long time but the stars have been here longer. That and staring at the sun hurts your eyes. Staring at the stars doesn't.'

'There's more. I know there's more.'

Gavin. Gavin. You're starting to know me a little too well. I don't like it.

'Yeah. There is. My mother loved the stars. She liked studying constellations and just looking at them. Admiring them. Thinking under the stars. Just looking up and seeing the stars. She loved everything stars related. I'm surprised she didn't even name me Starlight. Or Star or something like that. She really loved the stars. I guess she infected me.' I shrugged.

'I'll call you Starlight.'

'I have a name. You'll use it.' I snapped.

'Uh...' He faltered. 'Right. Of course.'

I narrowed my eyes. 'Gavin do you even know my name?'

'Uh..... Yeah. Of course I do.' He stuttered.

'You don't know my name do you?' My voice was dangerously low.

'Well, in my defense I didn't think you had a name.' He interjected.

'Oh? Of course I don't. When I was alive, everyone called me ghostie.' I snarled.

'I'm sorry but it's not my fault. You never said your name or anything like that.'

'Gavin, that's not an excuse! Did you even think to ask? If it didn't come up in the conversation you would have never bother to know my name.'

'Who cares if I know your name or not?'

'I care! So what are you going to call me if you need my help. Ghost? Ghostie? Hey you? Do you think I'll answer to that?'

'Probably not. So what's the name?'

I eyed him for while before giving up. 'Fine. Vasilisa.'

'Vasi-nessa?'

'Va-si-li-sa.' I elucidated.

'Oh. Vasilisa. Pretty name.'

'It means Queen in Greek but that's not what my mother calls me. She named me Vasilisa Rosemary.'

'Rosemary? I wouldn't have figured you for a Rose or a Mary.'

'Yeah, well apparently I reminded my mother of a rose. Beautiful but dangerous. According to her, I reminded her more of the thorns on a rose than the rose itself.' I smiled fondly at the memory.

'Why? How?'

'I was a stubborn kid. I had to do things my way. Which is why she always called me Cahira or Hida. Depending on her mood or what it was that I had done wrong at that time.'

'I like those. They are beautiful names.'

'Yeah. My mother was always good at naming. Her names always meant something. Every thing she did was always thoughtful and heartfelt.' My smile was tinged with sadness.

'She sounds like a great mother.'

'She was.' I agreed. 'The best.' 

'I bet you miss her.'

'More than anything.' My eyes watered. 'She was my best friend. My confidante. My mother. My everything. My world.'

'My star.' I said on a strangled whisper.

He nodded awkwardly and ushered us into the library. Mrs Pitt beamed when she saw Gavin.

'Hello dear.' She beamed.

Gavin raised an eyebrow as if to ask, did she just call me dear?

I chuckled. 'She did, Gavin. Yes, she just called you dear.'

He shuddered convulsively which caused a chuckle to slip out of me.

'Where are your two friends Gavin dear?' She asked.

'Can she stop calling me dear.' Gavin grumbled quietly so only I could hear him. I shrugged in response.

'Don't look at me.'

'They'll be here, Mrs Pitt.' Gavin said.

'Unless they ditched you.' I chipped. Gavin rolled his eyes.

'They wouldn't.'

'Then why aren't they here yet?'

'You're not putting doubts in my head, Starlight. They'll be here.'

'I just told you my name. And it's not Starlight.'

'I know but I'll call you Starlight anyway. The fact that it ticks you off is merely an added bonus.'

'I swear to God, Gavin Connor, I will...'

Tom and Leo showed up and interrupted what would've been a very crassly worded set down.

'Sorry we were late dude.' Leo said.

'Yeah. We got a little caught up enjoying our last few minutes of not being here.' Tom smirked.

Gavin rolled his eyes.

Mrs Pitt gave them instructions on what to do before leaving.

After she left, Leo and Tom kept staring at Gavin pointedly.

'This is me noticing that you're staring.' Gavin remarked.

They shared a look and went back to pointedly staring at him.

'What?' Gavin frowned.

'How long did you think you could keep it from us?' Leo asked. Tom nodded his consent.

'Keep what from you?'

'Whatever is going on with you, man.' Leo replied.

'You lost me.' Gavin said.

'We know something's up Gavin. What we don't know is why you feel like you can't tell us about it.'  Tom chipped in.

'You've been blowing us off to do God knows what. You're volunteering at the library and doing all sort of things. Good things, I'll admit, but it's not you Gavin. You have your moments when you do good stuffs that God knows surprises even me but this constant round the clock goody two shoes act isn't you. So tell us what the hell is going on! And don't think we haven't noticed you talking to thin air either.' Leo lectured. Gavin paled.

'Well, your friends are a lot more perceptive than I gave them credit for.' I winced.

'You guys won't believe me if I told you.' Gavin mumbled.

'Dude we're your bros.' Tom said simply.

'We're your friends. Your... Family.' Leo said with obvious difficulty. 'You should know by now that you can tell us anything.'

'Leo shouldn't have to remind you of that.' Tom glared.

'Fine! You want to know what's going on?! Fine then! I'll tell you.'

Author's Note:

Is Gavin going to spill the beans?

We're in the tenth chapter! I'm so happy we've come this far. I don't really have a set number of chapters in mind but we aren't anywhere close to the end yet.

Sorry for all the typos and grammatical errors. I'll edit as soon as possible.

As always, leave a comment and don't forget to vote. Also, it would really help if you could tell your friends about this book. I would really appreciate it.

Thanks :)