Glass & Steel

BC & SS (Prequal Part Two)

"In my cousin's bedroom," As the word's left Sol's mouth and their eyebrow raised, Luna's eyes widened like a deer in headlights.

Her hand flipped back, peach dress ruffling, as she feigned shock in a foppish Terran accent. "Not hooking up with him, if that's what you're insinuating, I am a lady of honor . . . and very much a lesbian," Gesturing outside the window, Luna sighed. "Just needed some fresh air. My friends can be . . . a lot." Leaning over, they could make out a pair arguing next to the pool. Kelp with short green hair trying to calm down his hammered friend. Maxine , the former water polo captain, dressed head to toe in garish pink. The other party goers had migrated to the opposite end of the balcony.

Another sip of the vile liquor. Why did I think it'd taste better the second time? "Need a drink?"

"No, I'm okay," She pulled out a small translucent amber bottle filled with small green pills. "Endocrinologist says I'm not supposed to drink. Anyways, I thought you didn't drink either?

"I don't normally." The reply fell into deaf silence, as a thought suddenly burst from their mouth. "Hey... Did I do something?"

"What?"

"For the last month you've been avoiding me."

Her lip began to quiver. "No I haven't"

"Okay, that's a lie," Sol almost laughed as they leaned against the wall. " You literally made eye contact and ran the other direction when you passed in the campus center on friday." Dork. The image of the lanky anthropology major running like a frazzled rabbit in a vibrant skirt would have been funny, if it didn't hurt.

"You don't do anything," Luna fiddled with the fabric of her peachy dress. "Life has just gotten complicated."

"Complicated how?

Her pale face scrunched. "Complicated in the way I'm not supposed to get distracted."

"I'm a distraction? A smile crept.

"No you're," She stood up, and paced in a loop, as dark blush burned her cheeks. "You make it very hard to be the cool and mysterious one here." What a dork.

"I think you're doing a fine job," Sol had to stifle a laugh with their hand, as Luna frazzled, flopped onto the bed. "I like your zodiac charms.

"Missed talking to someone who knows their shit about the pre-collapse." She pointed towards them, while she stared through the window. "What was your favorite myth again? You kept referencing it in Anthro last year."

"Garlan's Pagen," Sol sat down beside her, as their mind began to race as their chest eased. Garlan! Xexus - 3! The Sagittarium Concord! "The pirate hunting ship. Ambushed and left to drift. Yet, it Kept fighting, even after it was dead in space."

Luna turned to look, scrunching in musing. "Eh, I still think the myths of Old Terra are better." Gently swatting their jacket. "Space pirates and wars are cool and all, but gods and ghosts, fortune telling and astrology, things beyond the borning grey that is physics."

"Ooh, a dig at my minor."

"You're the one who made fun of my paintings."

"All I did was say they were creative ."

She giggled.

"You are terrible at lying."

"Well, so are you." They couldn't keep from laughing at this point, or smiling, as goofy as they found their own grin. "Ms 'I can't hang out because my cat ate my homework.' Even I know that's a lazy excuse, and Toaster actually ate my bean germination assignment,"

"Tchotchke and Calliope are absolute gremlins," Her chest falls with a calming breath. "And, who's Toaster?"

"My pet crow"

Her head snaps towards them. "You told me you didn't have any pets."

"Well, not last time we talked," Sol pulls out their smartphone, flitting through photos of the dandy corvid. "He was a birthday gift."

"Oh fuck," Luna's voice dropped in pitch for a second. "I missed your birthday."

"Yes you did," Their chest tightens. "I sent you a text."

"Well now I feel even more like an asshole"

"Dude, it's fine," Sol sighs. "It's–" A bundle of brown paper suddenly pokes into their cheek.

"Happy birthday." Sitting up, she drops the small parcel into their lap.

"You had a gift for me," What's in this thing? "Were you just carrying it around?"

"It was just in my pocket," Luna lightly punches Sol's shoulder. "Don't overthink it Sunny D"

"Thanks." Sol asks. Tearing the paper, it revealed a small deck of old playing cards. Very old. A few hundred years or so by the weathering and print. "Do you have any plans yet for winter break?"

"Besides dressing T and C in funny hats? Not much." She watches a meteorite streak pass, a bolt of silver light above the neon haze, as they watch her. "Annie wont give me any shifts off for the holiday. No rest for the wicked I guess. You celebrating with your family?"

"Yeah," Looking at a poster on the wall, of a sun and moon, they think for a moment. "My folks are throwing a big party. If you want you can co—"

The bed wes empty next to them. She's gone? Again?

"Luna?" They snapped their head around.

"Come on Lulu, we've gotta go," Maxine shouted from below. "Party time is over. Plenty of time for flirting with uppercrusters later."

"Sorry Sol," Her purple and pink head peaked back over the open windowsill. "See you round?"

"Uh yeah."

"Inside and outside thoughts Max," Kelp sighed before shouting up at Sol. "Tell Fabe the party was fun."

"Look who's a chatterbox all of a sudden." Maxine jibes at her friend.

"Oh one last thing." Luna pops up from the fire escape.

"Yeah?" Sol squeaked.

"I like your jacket," She gave a thumbs up, and ducked below. "You should wear it more."

And like that she disappeared.