may 26th, 2005. "Do you ever think about what your life's gonna be like ten years from now?" Story asked, her soft voice cutting into the silence that had been surrounding them for a solid fifteen minutes. It was a late spring night. The air was cool and the sky was crystal clear - a detail that most might have overlooked, but on the rare occasion when you could see the stars in San Francisco's night sky, Story always made a way of taking advantage of it. There was something about the stars, the way they glittered and glinted down on the earth below, that caught her attention and held onto her heart. She liked to think about the wide open spaces, the 'final frontier' known as outer space, and she wondered what it would be like to be able to explore it. Most times when she star gazed she liked to be alone because of the way that she could get lost in her own wild imagination. It was a time for her when she could ponder the complexities of life and try to examine the inner workings within her that even she didn't fully understand. As social and outgoing as she could be, she was still an introvert who needed her alone time to process and recharge. That night's company, however, seemed to have become an exception to the rule. The two had practically been connected at the hip for months now. "I guess I think about it. I mean, not like a chick. I don't jot down all my hopes and dreams in some 'dear diary' style notebook," Phil said, a chuckle following his words. "Are you warm enough?" He offered more of the blanket they were sharing, both of them lying down on the big trampoline in her back yard. Her parents had long gone to sleep on that Friday night. It was probably close to two in the morning, but these high schoolers had already determined they were going to stay up as long as they could. She couldn't help noticing he seemed to shift a little closer to her while adjusting the blanket, but she didn't mind. Her gaze was still locked on the twinkling lights above them. She took in a deep breath before a smile graced her face and tears started to collect at her eyes. There had been a lot going on in her young teenage life only weeks before. She had had to be very strong and very brave while going through a trial for her ex-boyfriend, a young man who had treated her very poorly; one her father had wanted to execute himself, but thankfully submitted to the judge and jury. It had all been so surreal, like a bad nightmare, and she hadn't known how she was going to get through it. Yet here she was, on the other side, with a few battle scars still fresh and throbbing, but ones that would no doubt make her stronger in the end. The problem she was up against now was that Story didn't know how to reconcile all that had happened to her in the past year (how her ex had abused her, how the courtroom had frightened her, how protective her father became, etc etc) with who she was supposed to be now. How could she just go on with her life and be 'normal' after the trauma she'd been through? For instance, if someone were to look at her they'd think she was just your average, typical teenager without a care in the world. It was a complete contradiction to what her reality of life had been. But the picture that she and Phil painted now as they began to cuddle up together under the blanket of stars was one that was rather sweet, almost innocent, and very much on the opposite side of the spectrum from what she'd gone through with her ex. She was overwhelmed with how incredibly grateful she was for this moment. It gave her hope. He gave her hope. "Why do you ask, anyway?" His voice cut into her thoughts. "Well, just look at it," she pointed up to the sky, outlining the big dipper with her finger. "It's so big. It's massive and we barely know anything about what's out there. I mean, maybe people do, but I don't know much about any of it, but I'd like to know more. Maybe that's what I'll study in college, something about the universe..." she trailed off for a moment, starting to dream and scheme right there on the spot. After a couple seconds she jumped back into what she was saying, as if she hadn't paused at all. "Doesn't it remind you how small you are? How short your life is? Ten years is nothing compared to how long those stars have been burning - for millions and billions of years! And they're huge, ginormous, bigger than our sun! I just... honestly can't fathom it. It's so cool." "You're cute. I love how geeky you are about this." He said, and she could hear his smile in the tone of his voice. "But if I were to answer your question seriously, then yeah. I think about it. I think about my future and where I might be in ten years. I know I'll be with the army for 8 years, but after that? I could re-enlist or maybe I'll do something different. Maybe... maybe I'll have a family by then." "You want a family?" This information caught her attention, enough to pull her eyes from the big broad sky to turn her head toward him. The house lights and the lamp lights were enough to work out the main details of his face. Story could see the smile that still rested on his lips, but that didn't stop her from reaching her hand out to touch his cheek so that she could confirm that it was there, to feel the upturn of the corner of his mouth. "You'd be good for a family." It wasn't something she'd thought about much before. They'd been friends since their freshman year of high school. They'd been close, but it had only been in the last year that they had become what she would consider best friends. Somehow, though, it wasn't until that moment that she began to wonder what he might be like as more than a friend. She'd been too distracted before, trapped in a toxic relationship that had ended up with the court trial that had sent her ex to prison only a few short weeks ago. Understandably, she hadn't had the mental or emotional capacity to see Phil in any other light. Not until now. Until now he'd been her faithful friend, her sidekick, her sounding board and her confidant. So, maybe it was the romantic atmosphere as the stars danced above them that had her suddenly seeing him with clearer vision. Or maybe it was the way he tilted his head to kiss the palm of her hand, an action he'd never dared to do before. Or maybe it was the broken pieces of her heart sensing there was comfort to be found in him. Perhaps it was a combination of all three, with the foundation being his gentle nature which stood as such a stark contrast to her ex-boyfriend. She felt safe with him in a time when she hadn't know who to trust. "What's that for?" She asked after a breathless moment, the palm of her hand tingling from where his mouth had left its mark. "I guess it's my way of saying that I... I think I'd be good for you." Phil's voice was soft and hesitant, but it didn't stop him from turning to face her more. Now it was his turn to move his hand toward her, till he could wrap it loosely around the back of her neck. "I don't want to make any promises I can't keep and I don't want you to wait for me when I enlist after graduation, but if I don't tell you this now then I'll always regret it." "Phil--" "No, don't. Just, let me say this? You can kick me out and tell me to go home after this, I swear, but I just want you to know. I want you to know that I'd never put you through what you've been put through. I'd never mistreat you, manipulate you, beat you, call you names, play with your emotions - none of that, none of what he did to you, because you don't deserve a damn bit of it. And I know you don't believe that yet because your wounds are fresh, but Story..." he paused, leaning in to gently rest his forehead against hers. "I'd work every day for the rest of my life to show you that you're worth all those stars in the sky." She felt his fingers softly brush through her red hair. His hand moved from behind her neck to now cup at her cheek. His thumb swiped against her skin, only to feel the dampness of her tears. He pulled back abruptly, "Did I say something wrong?" There was a lump in her throat that wouldn't allow her to speak, so she just shook her head and drew closer as silent involuntary tears kept trickling down her face. "Hey, it's okay," his arms fully enveloped her as both their bodies shifted and bounced on the trampoline. "I'm sorry. I--I guess I shouldn't have said anything." "No!" Story croaked, leaning back just enough to look up at him and shake her head, "No, it was... beautiful. And I guess after everything, it's something I didn't think I'd ever hear someone say to me." She sniffled, thankfully not embarrassed by her display of emotions - he'd already seen her at her absolute worst, this was really nothing in comparison. "Well, I'm hoping I'll get to say a lot more to you, but I know now's not the time. Just-- I don't know, I had to say it. So, uh, think about it?" She gulped, then swiped at her eyes to dry them off. She leaned back further to try to see his expression in the dim light surrounding them. In the natural, she couldn't capture much, but in her heart she felt like she was starting to see him for the first time, in a whole new way, and it was invigorating to the young eighteen-year-old. She felt so overwhelmed with the plethora of emotions inside of her, but it wasn't bad - the conflict between her heart healing from the past and the hope it was finding in the present was a necessary process. "I'll think about it." She said before anything impulsive sprang from her mouth. "Thank you, Phillip. For everything. For being there for me. For being my friend. For being such a good guy - if you hadn't been supporting me and with me every day during the trial, I might not even be able to trust anyone right now. But I trust you and I'm... so grateful for you." She wanted to tell him every single way in which she cherished him. All the ways he had held her up and carried her through her recent struggles, but she didn't know if there were words for how she felt. "Hey, don't thank me. That's what I'm here for. I wouldn't wanna be anywhere else. ...except maybe the bathroom. I gotta pee!" He started to wiggle out of the blanket. "I'm sorry! All that soda just suddenly hit me! But stay right there. Don't go anywhere. Stay! Staaaay, good girl." He teased, and kissed her cheek just before pulling away to slide off the trampoline and head inside. Story sat up to watch him go, laughing as the serious nature of their conversation was abruptly broken. There was a type of smile on her face that she hadn't experienced in months. She watched him walk away until he shut the back door of her house. Then she fell back, sprawling her body out on the plastic surface with a sigh as her gaze once more locked onto the stars over head. Her mind returned to its usual programing, but there were new questions and possibilities that were added to the whirling thoughts that quickly claimed her attention: what was out in space? Were feelings really stirring in her heart toward her best friend? What did a star look like up close? Could she be in love with him? Was there life on other planets? Would she be with Phillip in ten years? Yes, she hoped so. Her life may have paled in comparison to the stars, but that night she was the brightest of them all.