Chapter 12
Shannon
Perusing the metaphysical bookshelves at Powell’s felt a lot like chancing the restricted section as a child. Then again, was thereevera time Shannon didn’t feel like a million eyes were on her while she checked out romance and erotica? Even in the comforts of her own phone, she was convinced that the NSA kept a carefully curated list of every piece of smut she had ever read, both on Amazon and AO3.
She didn’t know why she was so surprised to find a Metaphysics section in Powell’s, when it was the bookstore witheverything.If she wanted to find a Lebanese cookbook, she would have her pick of a collection of family recipes or a recently published edition from New York that came complete with glossy pages and slick photography. Same with fiction. First Editions and collector’s copies ofJane Eyre?Check. Signed copies of a local comic book collection? Gee, did Shannon want it written in pen or pencil?
But until she reconnected with Jess, she had completely passed by this part of the bookstore in favor of more… mainstream books. When she turned the corner and found a brightly lit aisle featuring books about astrology, astral projections, and chakras, she instantly pulled up the hood on her jacket and pretended she was lost.
The other people in the aisle looked normal enough. A young woman with a light brown ponytail flipped through“The Only Astrology Book You’ll Ever Need.”A man with a clean goatee and an outfit made entirely of thrifty finds was curled up against the wall with,“What to Know When You Exit the Plane.”Two teenagers, one wearing an anime sweatshirt and the other sporting pink pigtails, giggled over their love computability. One was a Leo, and the other an Aries, based on what Shannon overheard.Those are supposed to be compatible, right?Was that what Jess had said the other night?
She didn’t know why she was so curious about exploring these books for herself. Maybe this was Shannon’s ironic way of taking control of her life back from the powers that be. For so long, she had been content to go with the whim of the world and do whatever her lover of the moment suggested. Move across the country? Sure! Why not?
She bristled to think of Andrew. Last she heard, that jackass was yucking it up in his new home and already posing with new women on Facebook. She wondered if those women thought he was as lame in bed as she had.
When the teenagers finished giggling over their love signs and exited the aisle, Shannon looked around to make sure nobody was spying on her. Once the coast was clear, she snagged a similar book and hurried to open it to her sign before anyone could see the cover of her book. The shocking, bright pink didn’t help to deter people from catching her in the embarrassing act of consulting an astrological textbook.
Her finger ran beneath the lines until it foundLIBRAnext to “Best Signs for Maximum Romance.”
Great. At least Jess hadn’t been lying about that.
“Aquarius and Libra are a match that can never stagnate,”the block of text began.“They’re both high, philosophical thinkers who are concerned for the state of the world and the betterment of their fellow man. Libra, the indecisive, idealistic pursuer of all things fair and balanced is prone to stressing herself out because she cannot commit to any plan. Aquarius has the cautious ability to sway her decisions in a way that is beneficial to all parties involved. Likewise, when Aquarius inevitably becomes hotheaded because life isn’t bending to his views of the world, Libra can smooth everything over with effortless charm and that innate beauty that brings Aquarius to his knees.”
Shannon narrowed her eyes when she looked up and stared at the spines of other books. Not that she read them. She was too busy contemplating how true that might be in her own life. After all, Jess had made it clear that astrology was, first and foremost, about understanding one’s own psyche as opposed to divining the future.
“Aquarius is ruled by the Rebellious planet Uranus, and Libra bows to Romantic Venus. Aquarius’s stubborn nature and inability to follow society’s whim makes him vain and aloof. Libra understands vanity well, being quite capable of it herself. What better match is there than two people who understand what it means to be in love with one’s self? Even better if they see the same things in each other.”
This still didn’t make any sense. It didn’t help that a strange feeling swelled in the pit of Shannon’s stomach, as if fate were about to come crashing around the corner.
***
Memory #12
I came home from a meeting with my advisor to find Kelsey stewing in our living room. Whenever her hands squeezed her arms like that, I knew she was about to blow her metaphorical top. From the way she glared at me, I knew I was the subject of her ire.
Oh, God, what had I done this time? Did I accidentally leave my yogurt cup in the sink again?
“Guess who dropped by while you were gone?”
I sat down in my favorite chair without having removed my jacket. Surprised Kelsey didn’t ride my ass about that, because it had been raining outside. Nobody hated a soggy couch more than my best friend. “Campus safety? I knew Abigail was gonna get us in trouble because she plays My Chemical Romanceso loudly.” Not my favorite band, either. Talk about a strike against Abigail, who was always more Kelsey’s friend than mine.
“No. That girl who’s got it bad for you.”
I didn’t flinch. “Jess?”
“Uh huh. She came by here to give you a message. Bet your ass she was pretty sad that you weren’t here to receive it.”
I remained silent.
“Says that she wants to hang out at The Boar’s Head for Friday night drinks. Something about her birthday.”
I shrugged. “Yeah? I said I would buy her a drink in exchange for what she did for me the other night. Remember? When I…”
“Oh, I remember.” Kelsey shook her head. “I know how you’ve been since Nick broke up with you, Shan…”
“I broke up with him, thanks.”
“…And you’ve been a damned mess. First you’re sleeping with random Belgian dudes, then you get a gross old sugar daddy to toy with,thenyou go and play Hide the Pearl with a bunch of frat guys… now this?”
