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Out there she’s just a zero,

Observed Judged Promptly erased

In here she’s always the hero,

Understood Respected Embraced

—CC

Edinburgh, Scotland

I am Comet Caldwell

And I sort of, kind of, absolutely hate my name

People expect soirl called Cohts up a rooht and fire across the sky

But a comet, when you break it down, is the opposite

It’s an icy body that releases gas and dust

Co dirty snowballs Or, as so them, snowy dirtballs

Yup A snowy dirtball That makes more sense

I was not a blaze of light and fire across the sky I was just your average sixteen-year-old high school girl An average sixteen-year-old as spending the last day of su her latest atte The one with the comments turned off so I wouldn’t be subjected to public opinion and ridicule “The Day We Caught the Train” by Ocean Colour Scene blared out offor nineties and early noughties indie music

My phone vibrated I ignored it, ht Because that’s what I really cared about The typesetting Not the poe and scorn the words torn fro heart

The buzzing started up again and I sighed in irritation

Vicki Calling

As one of nored I put my music onLiam and I, but keep it on the do Miley doesn’t know about our secret love”

Vicki gave a huff of laughter “Babe, I’ll take it to the grave”

“So what’s up?”

“What’s up is Steph and I have been standing outside your house for the last tenout of a time capsule and Kyle has peered out theat us and shooed us aice”

Kyle was ht of him as Dad in ht me to call them Carrie and Kyle from the moment I could make vowel sounds

Of coursethe door for people eren’t there to see him would be too much like hard work

I hopped off my bed, hurried out ofit open, I was blasted by the fa with a rush of cool wind I hung up my phone

Vicki eyed my outfit carefully and then decided “Nice”

To say I had a quirky taste in fashion was putting ita white blouse with a Peter Pan collar underneath a preppy lilac cardigan Very 1950s I’d matched it with a turquoise ular Choice Victorian ankle boots They were lilac and instead of laces they were adorned with turquoise satin ribbons tied into large bows

Steph stared at Vicki as if to say, Are you serious? and then she gave me a pained smile “Dude, surely Carrie notices you in that outfit?”

I chose not to be insulted

Steph was petite with an enviable bra size and a butt that actually filled out her River Island jeans She wore her long honey-blond hair in carefully arranged loose curls, and her makeup was always perfect Fashion-wise she mostly wore on-trend clothes fro center but dipped into high-end designer when her lawyer dad felt like spoiling her