Chapter 5

“So Luna, how have you been? Was your summer ok?” Luna felt like screaming ‘let’s skip the fucking small talk and get this shit over with.’ But figured that would be a bad idea and so just tried to relax into the chair in front of the principal’s desk. The principal herself chose to sit on the front corner of her desk instead of behind it and this made Luna tense even further.

“My summer was hectic between my job and making time for my friends and my mom. How was your summer Mrs. Consuela?” she asked, referring to the principal by her first name as the principal had asked her to do multiple time over the course of many meetings between the two since the fire. Who knew that putting a kid on homebound teaching involved so many talks with the high school? Well ... Luna’s mom knew very well at this point, as did Luna.

“Oh, well my wife and I took this lovely trip down south to visit my family in Venezuela. It was hectic but so much fun. Now...” Luna could see her gearing up to confront her head on so she tensed in the chair unintentionally. “I heard that there was ... an incident between you and Ms. Ward.” Even Malissa’s last name had Luna flinching. “ ... could you tell me about that?” Luna pasted on a smile and shrugged.

“Yeah ... that. It was a rough break up and I’m guessing a bunch of rumors...” Luna struggled not to emphasize the word. “are spreading around school like the plague. So what did you want to know?” the nonchalance with which she asked that made her feel like a liar before she even got to the biggest ones that she would have to tell today. Most of those being to herself.

“Well ... Luna may I be frank with you?” when Luna nodded, Principal Consuela continued in a softer tone. “The rumors flying around include some extremely concerning elements. If any of them are true then we need to have a serious meeting. Not just with you and Malissa but also with your parents and, if necessary, the police.” Luna must have gone straight from her normal pale to ashen grey at this because the principal placed a hand on her shoulder, only to yank it away when Luna went ridged.

‘This dance is going to take forever if you don’t just spit it out. “If you’re talking about the rumors that I hit Malissa? Those are true only in that I did put my hands on her, but only to push her away. I didn’t hit her and she didn’t hit me.” An ugly, sarcastic voice in Luna’s head popped up ‘yeah, you just managed to burn her, no big deal. See how she tries to deal with covering up the scar.’ Luna shut down that thought before the panic could rise back up in her throat.

“Alright so you didn’t hit each other.” Luna was shocked at her easy acceptance of that and it must have shown because Consuela continued. “I spoke with Ms. Ward this morning and you both attest to there being a bit of shoving but no punches being thrown. Now, I have to ask, what precipitated the shoving, Luna?”

This was the part that Luna hadn’t come up with a story for so she hesitated and took a breath before popping out with the first thing that popped into her head that was as close to the truth as she could get.

“Well ... you know how I don’t like my scars being seen. You came to visit me in the hospital enough once you found out what happened after ... the accident.” When the principal just nodded, Luna felt a bit more emboldened and continued. “ Well ... m-Malissa” just her name stuck in Luna’s throat. “and I were hanging out and she kept insisting on seeing them and when she tried to...” here, Luna’s stomach rolled and she thought she was going to hurl so she kind of rushed through the last bit. “so when she tried to push up my sleeves...” You mean pin you down and push up your shirt’ her mind corrected ‘Oh that and the fact that it wasn’t seeing your scars that she was after “I panicked and shoved her away from me. We yelled at each other some. I’m not too sure exactly what was said” her brain played a flash of Malissa clutching her own shoulder in pain and screaming ‘what the fuck did you just do to me?’ “So I stormed off and we haven’t really spoken since”

Principal Consuela nodded along, giving Luna looks of encouragement and also looking like she wanted to hug her but was holding herself back. “Yes that was about the gist of what Malissa said as well. Did you discuss this with either of your parents, Luna? Yours or hers?”

‘Not the truth, no’

“Yes ma’am. Well ... I discussed it with my mom and I would assume Malissa discussed it with the gov ... with her mom.” Luna shrugged here and felt like a wretched actress. The principal just kept nodding and giving her sympathetic looks.

“Alright well if you two have it handled and can be civil to one another, this matter doesn’t seem to be one that needs police involvement and neither of you two has ever had an incident like this before so inclined to let this matter be settled. I will still have to talk to both of your parents but your stories line up and neither of you two appear to want to take this matter further ... Do you?” She asked, examining Luna’s face but when Luna just shook her head, she nodded and stood up.

“Alright well how’s about you go head on to class. I’m sure Ms. Thornberry has your schedule printed out. You can collect that and head on out. Thank you for meeting with me to discuss this.” She reached out her hand and Luna shook it firmly before collecting her things and slipping out as fast as she could.

The secretary luckily had already place her schedule on the desk so Luna just snatched it up and slipped out the door.

The second she was out the door she was standing face to face with a guy that Luna vaguely remembered from attending Drakes soccer games. She mumbled an apology and stepped aside to let him pass but he stayed where he was but turned in place to keep her in his sight. She could not for the life of her remember his name though. However, he apparently remembered hers just fine.

“Hey Luna. Long time, No see. How are you doing?” Luna froze in place and blinked as she tried desperately to place a name to the blonde. He stood at a couple of inches taller than her and she had to admit he was pretty objectively handsome but for the life of her, she couldn’t place a name and the moment was stretching to be a bit awkward.

“Yeah. I’m doing fine. How are yo-ou” There was break in the last word that she tried to cover with a cough. She had been hoping that she would connect a name to him if she just gave herself time. No such luck. When his face fell a bit, she felt really bad and tried to encourage him with a smile which he then returned

“It’s Ian. I’m on the soccer team with your friend Drake. You came to some of our matches last year even before you joined the school.” Luna was grateful that he didn’t let her flounder for long but was also shocked that he had recognized her enough to note her presence like that.

“Umm ... yeah I did. You guys had them a lot before the girls’ team’s matches so it was easy to come for both.” There was another awkward pause where he just kept staring at her so she supplied “My best friend A.J is on the girls’ team. She’s the blond with blue tipped hair?”

“Oh yes. I know her.” When he didn’t add anything else, just kept staring at her, examining her, she got a twisting feeling in her gut. She remembered what Gabriel had said this morning. ‘Trust your instincts.’ But then she thought ‘He’s probably just here to stare at the gold-digging lesbian freak with the abusive streak.’ That made anger fill her gut and she suddenly wanted to be anywhere but right there.

“Well it was good seeing you again.” She said before straightening her backpack and stepping away from him. She almost flinched when his hand shot up. It stopped before he touched her and he seemed to have caught himself. His cheeks went red and shock seemed to cross his face.

“Yeah. It was good seeing you too. Maybe we could hang out sometime, with you back at school and whatnot. Maybe after one of my games?” Luna got the impression that he wanted to keep her there longer and she realized with a jolt that he was nervous and trying to ask her out. ‘Does he not know what the hell happened with me and Malissa? That’s maybe a good sign.’ While she had no interest in going out with him, it did make her relax a bit to know that not everyone was hyper focused on her and her ex. Not that she was going to lead him on though.

“Yeah. Maybe you can join me and the gang after for a celebratory shake. That is if you win. Hell we could see if both teams want to go. I’ll talk to the gang about it. See you later ... Ian” She gave him a bright smile and then turned away before he could say anything else. The bell just rung for the switch to second lunch so the hallway was suddenly filled with a deluge of students that Luna easily got lost in.

Luna quickly shook off that encounter in favor of looking over her schedule and noticed with a sigh of relief that she had second lunch, meaning she could just head outside to the eating area out there or to the indoor one. Taking out her phone, she texted A.J, Drake and Brandon in a group text.

L- Ive got second lunch today. What about you guys?

A- Fuk. Got 1^st today so I’m missing lunch. Gunna see if teach will let me gt 2^nd

D- I’ve got 1^st as well. Need to put phone away but we should post our schedules here.

B- Ive got 2^nd. Meet you at the indoor caf L?

L- Sounds great. How do I get there again?

B- down 2 basement and straight ahead. Its covrd in doors and hard 2 miss.

A-SUCCESS. I’ll meet u guys at indoor caf. Sorry you can’t join D.

There was no reply from Drake so Luna just assumed that he had to put his phone away for class. He was the only one of the group that Luna didn’t have to mama hen into doing that when she would text them periodically through the day when she was on homebound.

As Luna headed down stairs, alone as she rarely was, the crowds of unfamiliar kids around her kept pushing past her and making her shirt rub uncomfortably against her scars. The heat of the summer and the often inadequately deodorized, hormonal teens surrounding her created its own suck oven. Her head seemed to swim a bit. She wasn’t often like this, but between the lack of sleep, the ... run and that mornings attack, her tank was nearing on empty already.

Her gaze swept the still unfamiliar hallway in search of the water fountain she remembered being on each floor and found herself zeroing in on a tall male figure in a black t-shirt bent over what had to have been the fountain. She pressed passed the other bodies that where finally starting to disperse as the second bell trilled.

When she was finally behind the guy she stayed a respectable distance back now that she had room and prepared to wait but it was like he knew the second she stepped near to him because the guy raised himself back up and actually stepped to the side. Luna blinked wide before she realized that he was motioning her to go ahead.

“Oh no, I can wait until you-” Her traitorous voice cracked from her sudden dehydration and caused her to cough. “until you’re done.” She finished a bit more quietly than she had started. The smooth chuckle that left the guys throat had her eyes snapping to meet his.

“I don’t mind. I have nowhere to rush off to.” Luna couldn’t help but blink at the frankly gorgeous man. His accent was not one she had heard outside of TV shows and movies so she couldn’t truly pace it but it sounded eastern European. Or possibly Russian but it sounded too smooth for any Russian accent that she’d ever heard. It was fascinating and she had squash the urge to keep him talking.

“Well thank you.” She said before stepping up beside him, for he had only taken a step back but had not walked away, and bending down to take a long drink from the fountain. Luna could feel his presence even when she wasn’t looking at him but she couldn’t feel his stare like she could with all the students this morning. When she finally got enough water, she straightened and stepped back to offer him his place back but he just waved her away.

“Hello, I’m Skotadi. My brother, Nychta and I just recently moved here with our father.” He said, holding out his hand to shake hers. Luna hesitated, her fear of her scars showing ramping up a bit but she saw no reason to be rude so she reached out and shook his hand in return.

“Hi, I’m Luna. It’s nice to meet you.” As she spoke she got a chance to examine him. He was tall. At least 6’3 because he stood a head taller than even her own 5’7 frame. His skin was a rich tan and his hair was a deep black with a blue tinge to the strands that danced in the halo of florescent lights behind him.

The hair itself looked quite thick and was so long that it reached well past his shoulders. It was neatly brushed back into a band at the nape of his neck with only a few shorter pieces falling out and framing his smoothly tanned face. The face itself was symmetrical with thin eyebrows over whiskey colored eyes, and sharp cheek bones that lead to full lips, quirked up at the ends in a gentle smile.

The smile seemed so kind and open that Luna could feel herself relax even further from her momentary ill feeling and she got the feeling in the pit of her gut that she knew this man. She felt that she knew his face from a very long time ago and just couldn’t place it.

Letting go of his hand, she gave one of her own rare bright smiles. Deciding to give him a chance though she was not the most social of people, she hiked up her backpack and motioned to the cafeteria behind them.

“Do you have lunch this period? If so you could join me and I can introduce you to my friends.” Skotadi’s smile grew a bit as he nodded.

“I think I would love that. Would you mind if my brother joined us?”

“Not at all. I’d say the more the merrier but that would be a lie. Two is my limit on new acquaintances in a day.” Luna felt gratified when her joke cause the guy beside her to laugh outright. It felt good. It felt normal in a way that hadn’t in a long time. She could do this. She could make a new friend. ‘And hopefully get him on my side before he hears the rumors right?’ the smartass part of her brain echoed but Luna chose to bite down on that cynicism.

“Can’t say I blame you for that. There seem to be very few people that you’ll meet in a lifetime that are worth knowing.” He turned his head and shot her what she could only interpret as a playful grin. It certainly held no malice but it did hold a teasing glint. She returned it although she couldn’t quite grasp the meaning between them just yet. That fact alone had her growing a kernel of excitement.

“Yeah” she said before her brain brought up an image of Gabriel and Brandon and their family then A.J and her mom and finally of Drake standing alone in front of his apartment. “but the ones you do find...” she trailed off, unwilling to complete the sappy thought aloud. However, Skotadi seemed to understand her just fine and supplied the last part.

“You should protect and support.” At that they had reached the door to the cafeteria and so they entered in companionable silence. Skotadi stopped to hold the door open for her and she passed with a ‘thank you’ but then froze momentarily when she entered. Tables didn’t fall silent like in the movies. Instead the people at them just seemed to tense as if in anticipation and a common thread of conversation began spreading between tables “in the know”. This was a laughable expression because none of them knew a damn thing. No one truly did except her and Malissa.

Then, just as suddenly, the voices stopped all together. Luna felt a presence slide up beside her and she looked up to see Skotadi with his face looking as calm as a still lake but with eyes sharp as a knife. She felt a shiver race up her spine but it subsided when he glanced back her way and gave her a gentle smile and nodded her forward.