"After all... I'm just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her."- Notting Hill

A/N: THIS WAS A DOUBLE UPDATE SO IF YOU'RE READING THIS FIRST GO BACK TO THE LAST CHAPTER PLS AND THANKS BYE

A/N: I love this movie but now I can't stop thinking about carpool karaoke with Harry Styles LMFOSOSKS
Also, I totally made up the name of this town and I have no idea if there actually is a space station even in California so don't come for me.
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  It was 8:30 pm and all of Mrs. Kentwood's class were standing in front of the pretty vacant school. The nerves in me had me feeling a little bit sick as I acknowledged my peers. All of them looked entirely done with this, which I felt sort of bad for, but Mrs. Kentwood and I had risked it all with our project, and Derek agreed to do his project at night as well.

"Okay class, board the bus!" Mrs. Kentwood clapped her hands again and we all shuffled aboard.

Autumn slumped next to me, a lazy smile spreading over her face before she turns to me and grins.

"It's going to be hard for the two of you to top Haden and I this time," she smiles cockily at me, raising her perfectly arched eyebrow and tapping her perfectly polished nails on the seat in front of me.

"Well, I don't know about Derek, but I've got something pretty outstanding planned."

I answer cheekily and she grunts before closing her eyes, mumbling something about needing her beauty sleep and looking like an ogre if she didn't get it.

I'd always been the type of person who hated doing public speakings. In fact, I'd rather have a thousand needles puncture my entire body then to share a fucking fun fact about myself.

However, this felt different. Instead of worrying about my grade and standing in front of the class, I was only worried about one person in particular. I'd pulled so many strings to do this and if he didn't like it, fuck, this would all be for nothing.

He and Haden sat in seats a couple of rows ahead of us. Haden seemed to be giving Derek a pep talk as he thrashed his hands wildly and pointed back at me. Derek nodded, his eyebrows furrowing as he held his own paper even closer to his chest.

I could only pray he didn't decide to share something embarrassing about me. The kid knew well enough about me to murder me socially, not that I really cared at this point. People already though I shot up heroine in the bathrooms anyway.

The drive was about a fifteen minute one, and it was pretty silent. A lot of people actually ended up dozing off, but my nerves wouldn't give me that luxury.

When we finally pull up, I could feel heat beginning to creep up against me. Everyone's eyes were looking around rapidly when we got out of the bus. I could tell they were confused.

Derek's green eyes met my brown ones and he raised his eyebrow at me in confusion. I simply shot him a smirk, gesturing over to the sign.

Space station of Lorano Springs, California.

The stars sparkle brightly in the sky and I smiled. This was the most perfect night for what I wanted to do.

Our feet thumped  along the hall way as we passed various training centers and meetings.

"Angelina! How are you!" A guy in a thick white lab coat came up to me, his receding hairline showing clearly in the light.

"I'm good, Phill! How are you? Thanks for agreeing to do all of this, I know this was last minute."

"It's no problem, the project sounded great. Okay, everyone. Let's all follow me, we're going to what we call the sky deck and then Angelina will give her presentation."

More curious glances are sent my way as I begin to look down at my feet. Maybe this whole idea was just ridiculously dumb and now I'm just making a gigantic fool out of myself.

Autumn and Haden even looked at me quizzically, but I personally think they were more upset that I had them out of their beds this late at night. Especially Haden, he didn't even bother changing out of his team umizoomi pajama set.

When we finally reach the sky deck, a chorus of gasps ring out along the class. The stars and the night sky could clearly be seen from the glass ceiling above us, that some how made the sky so much closer.

I took a deep breath, pushing my hair behind my ears and stepping forward. Everyone's eyes snaps to me, clearly wanting an explanation for this weirdness.

Derek's eyes were practically drilling in to me. I wondered if he thought I was gonna expose his little alien porn secret. Ha, maybe I should.

"Hi, my name is Angelina and my partner is Derek Hayes," I mumble softly, suddenly feeling incredibly self conscious underneath the scrutiny of all the gazing eyes.

"So, basically, the other day I saw this poster with a little boy and an astronaut and it got me thinking," I pause, watching everyone's faces still look twisted up in confusion.

"I realized that most astronauts start off as kids who are dreamers, wanting to reach the sky. Some want to go for aliens," I smirk at Haden and Derek who both flash me a scowl, "Some just want to go to space, and others simply just are fascinated with the idea of being an astronaut."

I scratch at my arm awkwardly while they still beam at me in confusion.

"As they grow up, they get a little realism in them that helps them determine how to get to the sky. My point is, in order to thrive I guess, you've got to have both a dreamer and a realist and push them together, causing them to balance each other out."

Looks of understanding starts to cross onto some people's faces as I bite my lip nervously. I could feel the blush spreading over my features as people analyzed me even more.

"Derek has always been the dreamer out of the two of us. That started to agitate me recently, because I felt as if I didn't really have anything to dream for. The realist in me knew I'd- I'd most likely never see it."

Haden looks down when I say this, clearing his throat as he tries to get control of his emotion.

"But the dreamer in Derek make me open my eyes anyways. I'd like to think the realist in me helped him to see some things as well. I guess what I'm saying is, like a dreamer and a realist balance each other out, Derek and I balance each other out too. And life would be incredibly boring if he stopped teaching me how to reach for the stars."

He smiles at this. Not the cocky smirk I had begun to get acquainted with. It was a full blown smile, one that had his own face blushing red and his deep dimples popping out even more.

"For the kind of creative part, I saved up some money and got this. You always told me you wanted to write your name in the sky, and I guess this is the only way I could help you do that."

I pull out this piece of paper, handing it to him and stepping back again awkwardly. His eyebrows furrow as he reads over the text on the document before those beautiful eyes snap up and beam at me.

"You bought me a star?"

"Yeah, well, I named it after you too. I know you like that movie A walk to Remember. I'm not very creative so I thou-"

I'm cut off when he wraps his arms around me, pulling me towards his chest. I freeze immediately, not use to this kind of touch. But before I know it, I'm wrapping my own arms around his neck.

"Thank you," he breathes, pulling back.,"Angelina, I think I lo-"

"Okay class, we've go to board the bus so we can hurry up and see Derek's project. I want to have you all in bed by 10:30 pm at least." Mrs. Kentwood claps.

Derek gulps before backing away from me, shooting me a smile, grabbing Haden and speeding off in a matter of seconds.

Now it's me staring at his retreating back in confusion, and it takes Autumn's hand sliding into my own to snap me out of it.
**

Within minutes, we're pulled up at a new location.

I recognize it immediately. That tall tree that stands all by itself on the gigantic mountain top. What I didn't expect to see was the Angel lights tied neatly around the tree.

The sight had me gasping out loud, moving in closer to get a better look. Nothing could prepare me for  seeing the little pictures that were also strung up around the tree.

Most of them were pictures I had forgotten he even took, or just in general didn't know he had. My fingers brushed lightly over each photo, warmness starting to spread through my entire body at the sight in front of me.

"Oh, Angelina," Autumn whispers, her own fingers sliding over Derek's handy work.

Derek and Haden sit back whispering to each other while the rest of us gawk at the tree. It was obvious he'd put a lot of effort into it. I'd never had anyone put effort into something about me.

"Hey, I'm Derek. My partner's Angel- Angelina." He clears his throat awkwardly; his own nervousness starting to get the best of him.

"So, when we were younger, Haden and Autumn dared Angelina to climb that tree. None of us actually thought she'd do it. She'd always been to afraid to do anything before. We kind of teased her about it." He looked down at the ground when he said this, kicking rubble with his boot.

"I guess she decided she was going to prove us wrong that day. She started climbing the tree. We all knew she wouldn't be able to do it, we thought she'd just give up. But she didn't. She kept going and going until she fell and dam- I mean dang near killed herself."

I felt the smile I was no longer trying to hold start to blossom. This man was making a mess of me.

"I think she was a dreamer in that instance. I think we all knew she wasn't going to make it, but she refused to accept it. I think that's the thing that's sometimes good about being a dreamer. You try hard to reach something, to believe in something, even if you know it's going to be hard. Angelina acts like a realist now, but I think she's still a dreamer. She's just so stuck on over thinking, she doesn't realize she could already have the world if she wanted it."

His eyes hold mine for a moments, and I have to blink my eyes rapidly to stop the tears that suddenly want to fall. I wasn't a cryer anymore. I don't know why I suddenly felt like crying.

"So, for my project, I made an Angel tree. It's kind of stupid now that I think about it. She loved this stupid tree for some reason, and even after she fell, she kept climbing after she healed until she could eventually reach the top. I think that's one of the good things about her. She never gives up."

Now it was my turn to look down at my feet. His words were contradicting everything about me. I'd given up on everything. Friends, family, love, life.

"I think that's one reason why I lo- why everyone loves her so much. She focuses on the bad things people think about her, so she doesn't even have time to hear all the good. And I think, Angel has more good in her pinky then the rest of us do in our entire bodies."

He concludes his project with the nod of his head and everyone claps.

After that, it was pretty much a blur. All of us rushing home and to do our own thing. I didn't even get a chance to thank him for the project.

So instead, I lie in bed. And I let myself dream for the first time in a long time.

I KNOW I SAID GOODNIGHT BUT ONE OF MY FRIENDS WANTED A DOUBLE UPDATE SO HERE WE ARE.

The book is really almost over now 😭.

I'm in love with the projects both Angelina and Derek did but it just reminded me that I'll never get a fucking angel tree or space station or a STAR!

If y'all haven't noticed, I'm obsessed with stars. I just sometimes lay outside and watch them twinkle in the sky.

Don't judge me I know it's weird 💀

Anyways, goodnight, for real this time. I love each and everyone one of you and I really want you all to know that you can reach for the stars, and get whatever you want out of life.

You can do it. I believe in you.

Much love,

A.