When the Stars Fall (Lost Stars Book 1)

people had bigger problems than I did. I pushed off from the door and walked over to the stalls, sizing up the black and white Appaloosa, Raven. A wild horse if there ever was one. Brody had begged the McCallisters to buy this horse from the ranch owner and as payment he was doing extra chores.
“Mind if I ride with you?” I didn’t usually ask for permission, but ever since Shelby turned up, he’d been wanting more time alone and I didn’t want to intrude.
His eyes scanned my tank top, shorts, and Converse. “You need to put on some jeans.”
“I’ll be fine.” It wasn’t the first time I’d ridden in shorts.
“You can ride with me. I set up the barrels.”
I smiled at the invitation. “Yeah, I saw.”
He narrowed his eyes on me as I stroked Raven’s head. The horse’s eyes flared and he nickered, tossing his mane and showing his teeth. I dropped my hand to my side and took a step back. “Not that one, Lila.”
“I’m a good rider. I can handle him.”
“He gets mean and ornery. I’m the only one who can ride him.”
Normally, I’d argue if it weren’t for the fact that it was true. Kate called Brody a horse whisperer and said he had a gift.
“How’d you learn to be so good with horses?” Nobody could handle a horse like Brody could. At fourteen, he wasn’t that same scrawny kid I’d first met either. He was still lean and wiry but he had muscles now. And it didn’t go unnoticed by the girls at school either. Girls drooled over the McCallister boys. It annoyed me to no end.
“Dunno. Just comes naturally, I guess. Like Jude and ball sports.”
“Yeah.” I smiled, forgetting that just minutes ago I was calling Jude the bane of my existence. He pushed my buttons like nobody else did. But man oh man, did he ever have a gift when it came to football. He played football, basketball, and baseball and he was good at all of them. Not just good. Really good.
Even though he was only thirteen, two months shy of fourteen, everyone was already saying he was destined to go all the way to the pros. When I asked him if playing in the NFL was his dream, he said no. He wanted to enlist in the Marines just like his dad had done. It was all he ever talked about. Sometimes I wished he had a different dream. I didn’t want to think about him fighting in a war. But I didn’t tell him that. It would make it look like I cared about what he did. And I didn’t. Not even a little bit.
While I adjusted the stirrups for my shorter legs, Brody led Raven out of the stall and talked to him quietly as he put the bridle on him. Raven’s ears pricked up as if he was listening to every word.
When I turned around to get the crate and drag it over so I could climb onto Whiskey Jack’s back, I slammed into Jude. He was still wearing his blue and white baseball uniform with clay and dust stains on the knees. Strands of chestnut brown hair poked through the snapback of his backward ball cap. He smelled like boy sweat and Double Mint gum. “What are you doing, sneaking up on me like that?”
“I’ll give you a leg up.”
I narrowed my eyes on him. “Last time you gave me a leg up you tossed me right over the horse’s back.”
He and Brody snort-laughed. I rolled my eyes and tried to shove him out of my way but he blocked my path and wouldn’t budge an inch. He’d gotten so much taller than me that I had to look up to see his face. I planted my hands on my hips and raised my brows. “Do you mind?”
“Come on, Rebel. I promise I’ll play nice.”
“Why should I believe you?”
“Have I ever lied to you?”
I snorted. “Only about a million times. You lied about the crocodiles in the creek. And I’m sure if I gave it some thought, I’d come up with plenty of other times you lied.”
“Well, I’m not lying now.” He gave me a smile that I knew was genuine. I knew all his smiles. This one was real and it showed off his straight white teeth. I ran my tongue over the clear braces on my teeth, counting down the months until they came off.
“Why are you being so nice all of the sudden? Is your guilty conscience troubling you?”
“I’ve got nothing to feel guilty about.”
“You told Kyle Matthews I had head lice.” I shoved his chest. It was like a wall. When had he gotten so big and strong? “Another lie.”
He shrugged and chewed on the gum in his mouth. “I thought I saw something moving in your hair.” He held up both hands like he was innocent. “An honest mistake.”
An honest mistake, my ass. “He won’t get anywhere near me now.”
“Good. I don’t like the guy. Didn’t like the way he was looking at you either.”
Brody snickered. Jude and I ignored him. “How was he looking at me?”
“Don’t worry about it.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ll take care of Kyle Matthews.”
“I don’t want you to take care of him. You can’t keep messing with every boy that so much as looks at me.”
“Can’t I?” he asked, with that smug look on his face that made me want to punch him. Too bad my mom made me promise I’d never punch him again.
I glared at him. “No. You can’t. You need to keep your nose out of my business.”
“Well, you see, I can’t do that because you keep making stupid choices.”
My jaw dropped. “I don’t make stupid choices.”
“Talking to Kyle Matthews is a prime example.”
“He seems nice enough,” I said, not sure why I was forcing the point. I didn’t give two hoots about Kyle Matthews but it annoyed me that Jude thought he could dictate who I could and