She shrugs. “It’s interesting. It certainly doesn’t explain everything about a person, but it’s surprising to me how dead-on it can be.”
I should leave it at that, leave altogether, but I really just want her to keep talking. “So, what’s the opposite of Taurus? The least grounded, least rational?” I stop myself from sayingmost irrationalwhen I see that ire return to her eyes.
“Not my sign,” she says tartly.
“Oh?” I tease.
Those nostrils flare again.
“Actually, the direct opposite on the Zodiac, which would be the sign directly six months apart, is Scorpio, but Scorpio and Taurus actually have some traits and values in common, so they aren’t contrasts of each other if that’s what you mean.”
I feel the corners of my mouth turn up, and I really can’t help it.
“Don’t laugh at me!” But her scolding falls flat when she can’t even yell at me without laughing.
I shake my head, wanting to show contrition, but unable to keep a straight face. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. You just take this so seriously. I’m…” I search for the right words. Words that will leave room for my extreme skepticism while still showing her respect “I’m not used to considering things from… a less than scientific perspective.”
“Ascientificperspective,” she echoes, and the way she emphasizesscientificactually makes me a little nervous. Like I’ve just entered a debate I haven’t really prepared for.
“Yep.” I sound far more confident than I actually am.
She nods as if agreeing with me. “Well,sciencereally just meansknowledge, right?”
I side-eye her, cautious now. “Sure…”
Evie nods again. “And science is really just the knowledge people gather after making observations, right?”
“I guess so…”
“Mmm-hmm. Well, I think our ancestors, the ones who looked up at the night sky for answers to how the universe worked, were scientists in their own way,” she says, wearing a thoughtful expression. “I think they made observations and noticed patterns, night to night, season to season. Year to year.”
She steps closer to the fence and carefully leans her forearms between the chain-link spikes. “And, yeah, they made up stories based on what they observed that are not technically scientific, but it doesn’t mean they don’t hold truth.” She gives me a half-smile that actually makes my heart thump harder for three whole beats. “I mean, mythology has been around for a long time. People retell the same stories over and over again. And even if they aren’t empirically true, they still may have something to teach us.”
I think she must be onto something because I want to keep listening to her even if nothing she tells me is true.
So I ask, “Okay, then, which one of these magical, astrological signs were you born under?”
Her mouth firms as she tries not to smile at my question. “I’m a Pisces.” Then she gives me a conspiratorial wink. “It’s the best one in case you didn’t know.”
And I’m laughing again. “Oh, really?” I think of the guys in Hickory dorm. If they could see me now, talking and laughing with this beautiful girl, wouldn’t they call me a fool? I can just hear it.
Look at that bimbi. Who does he think he is, talking to an Alexia? Ain’t he got more sense than that?
“Mmm-hmm. Pisces are generous, compassionate, intuitive, and gentle,” she says, the note of pride clear in her tone.
I should tell her goodbye and go inside, but instead I move closer to the fence and stand just a couple of feet away from her. “Let me guess, then. If those are all the traits about being a Pisces, then what could go wrong?” I study her, and I know without even having to think about it. Everything about her tells me she’s vulnerable. This girl might as well have a neon sign above her head blinking “Take Advantage of Me.”
“Someone who’s too generous and compassionate and gentle gets stepped on and used,” I tell her. “They don’t see danger when it’s staring them right in the face.”
I watch her swallow, but she doesn’t take her eyes off mine.
“A person like that would be too trusting for her own good.”
Evie swallows again and straightens her spine. “I did say we were intuitive, which means we’re good at reading people.”
I frown. “But you don’t deny being stepped on and used.”
Color rises to her cheeks. “Well… I mean… it’s not like that never happens. That’s bound to happen to everyone at some point.”