The Sound of Shooting Stars Read Online Free

momentum as the reality of her statement settles.
    “What? How could you decide this without me? I thought we were a team. We always discuss big decisions and this is a huge one.”
    I stand and start to pace as my heart pumps blood faster, making my ears heat up with anger.
    “Mom, dad, what has come over you? How could you do this to me?”
    My dad squeezes my mom’s hand. His smile remains and I want nothing more than to wipe it from his face. My mom stands up and steps over taking me into her arms. At first I protest but she tightens her grasp and I let her coddle me. She says over my head, “Beckett, I was asked by a friend to do this. He has nowhere else to go.”
    I move out of her grasp even more surprised, “ He ? Why can’t someone else take him ?”
    I look over at my dad and watch as his amused smile draws into a tight line. Oh great here comes the lawyer. Now I have no chance to plead my case.
    His voice is even, “Beckett, your mom has already committed. He will be here for the whole school year so I would advise you to get over your shock and accept it.”
    Of course he is advising me to do something. Usually it’s not in my best interest. I huff out a breath and run out of the room. Yes, extremely immature but I never claimed to act my age all the time. My feet meet the steps briefly as I climb higher, eager to get away from this terrible news.
    It would be one thing if it was another girl that I might have a tiny bit in common with but a boy, no way. Then I realize that they didn’t tell me how old he is. It could be a boy in elementary school in which case, I can arrange to have nothing to do with him. He might be older though. As I enter my pale yellow room, I plop down on the king sized bed centered under the wide wall of windows overlooking the inter-coastal waterway. I pull my phone out of my sock because our school skirts don’t have pockets and debate whether I should call the girls. They’ll have a thousand questions, most of which I can’t answer because I reacted so childishly. I don’t even know when he’ll be here or how old he is for that matter.
    I roll over onto my back and stare at the ceiling. The colorful stars I put up there as a child with David’s help, glimmer when the light hits them just right. I used to lay here at night staring up at them as they glowed in the dark. I would imagine them falling out of the sky. Just one falling away would change the way things line up and how life is supposed to be. Obviously something is out of alignment.
    I turn my head to the clock and wince at my luck. What a crappy day. First, Trina gets mad at me for nothing, well not really nothing but not in comparison to this it’s tiny. Then I have to forgo the beach for what, this stupid situation. My eyelids start to fall. I don’t fight them. Maybe a small nap will make things look better when I wake up.
    ***
    When I open my eyes the light from the sun has set and my stars glow, revealing that one is actually missing. I knew it. I look over at the clock and realize that I’ve probably missed dinner. Reluctantly, I pull myself up and visit the bathroom to splash cold water over my face. I glance into the mirror and wrestle with the tangles in my hair, finally giving up and propping it in a ponytail high up on my head. Then I realize that I’m still in my plaid uniform skirt and white button down shirt from school. I change into black sweats and a purple tank top.
    When I step out into the hall, I listen for my parents but they aren’t in their room down the hall. The descent down the stairs is torture because I don’t know what to expect with this foster kid thing. Why does Marla always have this ‘do good for the community’ mentality? Can’t she just leave well enough alone? I remember when I was eleven; she made me go through all of my clothes and toys from when I was younger. If I hadn’t worn it in a month, she was giving it away to charity.
    I walk across the entryway into the