Catch a Falling Star Read Online Free PDF

did.”
    I didn’t miss the look Chloe and Alien Drake exchanged.
    At sixteen John had been diagnosed as a compulsive gambler
    and had spent the last three years in and out of various support
    programs. He’d burned through too much money to count and had
    severed most of his relationship with my parents when he’d stolen
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    from the café safe at the end of my sophomore year. Chloe and
    Alien Drake had gone through most of it with me, talking to me
    when I wanted to talk, but also just knowing when to not talk
    about it.
    Right now was starting to feel like one of those times.
    “That’s good,” Chloe offered, peering back into the telescope.
    Alien Drake must have sensed my unease because he changed
    the subject. “Oh, I was going to tell you, I had a great idea for
    our blog.”
    Relieved, I sat up. “What is it?”
    “Well, obviously we should mention something about
    Hollywood being here. Sky stars. Movie stars. It’d be a good
    topic.” Chloe and I waited for him to elaborate; sometimes it took
    a while to see where Alien Drake was going with an idea.
    Crunching chips, he said, “So I was reading on Universe
    Today that the most massive stars are often the shortest lived.”
    He went on to explain that we could write about how many
    movie stars often burn big and bright but flame out. “It’s an
    interesting comparison, right?” He tilted his head, waiting for
    our response. “I mean, especially considering what a mess
    Adam Jakes is.”
    He had a point. I pulled a notebook into my lap so I could jot
    down some ideas. Adam Jakes was the most famous thing to walk
    into our town in the last decade partly because of his storied past.
    Chloe had already informed us that one of the reasons they were
    shooting a Christmas movie in June was because Adam Jakes had
    been in rehab the past few months.
    Chloe, always quick to defend her beloved Hollywood,
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    frowned at us. “You know, a lot of celebrities get better. I read
    somewhere that Adam Jakes is really trying to focus on his career
    again. That’s why he’s doing A Christmas Cheryl .”
    We stared at her blankly.
    “The movie they’re shooting right now.” Annoyance crept into
    her voice. “It’s a remake of A Christmas Carol . It’s supposed to be a
    really sweet family movie.”
    “A really sweet publicity stunt.” Alien Drake stuffed another
    handful of chips into his mouth.
    Chloe shrugged. “You don’t know that.”
    Alien Drake chewed. “Sure I do. This is his management’s
    serious attempt to get him through phase four.”
    Chloe rolled her eyes. “Is this the Alien Drake Five Phases of
    Child Celebrity theory?”
    He grinned. “Why, yes, it is. Thanks for asking.”
    A theory of Alien Drake’s I hadn’t heard? “What is that?”
    Chloe groaned. “Don’t encourage him.”
    Alien Drake chewed another mound of chips. “Phase one:
    adorable child actor in a well-known series or film.”
    “Check.” I smiled.
    “Phase two: branches out, enters teen years, people who care
    about that sort of thing hold their breath.” He nodded exaggerat-
    edly at Chloe, who stuck out her tongue at him.
    “Check.” I held up two fingers.
    “Phase three: the train wreck of predictable behavior. Clubs,
    drugs, depression, rehab. Fill in the blank with disorder of choice.”
    Chloe was trying not to laugh. “You’re a very cynical young
    man, Mr. Masuda.”
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    I held up a third finger.
    He grinned at Chloe before continuing. “Phase four: the
    comeback.”
    “A lot of them make comebacks, real ones,” Chloe insisted.
    “People like a comeback story.”
    “Did you read that in Celebrity Comebacks ,the paperback edi-
    tion?” Alien Drake crumpled the chip bag, stuffing it back into the
    brown sack.
    She made a face. “Some of us who care about that sort of thing do
    like a comeback. You know, real, honest-to-God comebacks. Not
    everyone hates Hollywood like you two.”
    “Hey, I love movies!” I told her. “We don’t hate