Familia ✧ MILES MORALES ❨o.h.❩

5 - A Beautiful Girl

THE FOLLOWING MORNING WAS LUNA'S FIRST DAY OF SENIOR YEAR, AND TO SAY SHE WAS NERVOUS ABOUT THE WHOLE THING WOULD BE AN UNDERSTATEMENT. News traveled fast in Brooklyn, and after the weekend she'd had, she knew that she would most likely be pestered with questions as soon as she set foot on campus. And that was the last thing she wanted.

Exhaling softly, Luna rolled onto her side and picked up her phone to check her messages. There were none, thank goodness, but she did have a missed call from Talía. She sighed, slowly pressing the green call button to see what her friend/fellow gang member wanted.

"Hey, kiddo," Talía said, picking up on the second ring.

"Hey, Tal," Luna said.

"I heard what happened yesterday," Talía said. "How you holding up?"

"Good, I guess," Luna replied. "Got some nasty ass bruises on my neck, but otherwise I'm fine." She threw her legs over the side of her bed. "To be honest I think my family is more shaken up than I am."

"I'm not surprised," Talía replied. "You're one of the toughest kids I've ever met."

"Thanks, I guess," Luna said.

"But anyway," Talía went on, "I'll call you later. Dragón's out for the day, so I gotta go take care of some things for him."

"Okay," Luna said. "But thanks for checking in on me. I really appreciate it."

"Of course. Later, kiddo."

Luna smiled. "Later, Talía."

Talía hung up, and Luna sighed, getting up from the bed. But then, there was a tapping sound on her window, and she looked over to see it was Tessa. Rolling her eyes, Luna went over to the window and opened it, letting her friend inside.

"Tess," Luna said. "Qué estás haciendo aquí?"

"It's the first day of senior year," Tessa said. "And I, mi querido amigo, am here to help."

Luna huffed. "And what kind of help are you implying?"

Tessa shook her head, walking over to the outfit that Luna had picked out the night before. Picking it up, she faced Luna and said, "You seriously were thinking about wearing this to school today?"

Luna huffed again, crossing her arms. "What's wrong with it?"

"Oh, mija," Tessa said, shaking her head once more. "The busses don't go where you live, do they?"

Luna snorted. "What are you getting at, Tess?"

"Luna," Tessa said, putting her hands on Luna's shoulders. "You, my friend, are a beautiful girl. And trust me, a T-shirt and jeans are just not gonna cut it. Especially for today." She pushed Luna down into the chair by her vanity. "So today, I am going to bring out that beauty." Luna started to protest, but Tessa held up a hand. "Nope. Don't fight me, I'm doing this whether you like it or not. Okay?"

Luna huffed. "Multa."

Tessa went over to Luna's closet, digging through it as she searched for something to wear. Luna waited, her eyes narrowed, until Tessa popped up with a white crop top. "When the hell did you get this?"