Under the Moon

Prolouge

                                                                                           Drake

Luna and I. That's all I can remember. Ever since we were kids, it's always been us two together.

We grew up as next door neighbors, and no, unlike those cliches, our windows were not next to each other's.

Our parents are best friends, we've been hanging out with each other since our diaper days. She's the only true best friend I've ever had.

Luna and I are both entering our junior year of high school. This is finally going to be the year I tell her: the year I tell her I love her, the year I make her my girlfriend.

I don't know how she's never noticed I love her, really. It was always the small things I did that gave it away. Whether it was touching her arm, or hugging her when she was upset, I was always there for her.

I watch as she smiles at me, her lips moving, but I don't hear a word that comes out of them.

Right now, I'm focused on her features. Luna's Mexican, with chestnut brown hair, her eyes a light shade of auburn with a dark shade covering them, and has darker olive skin too. She's a object of attention around the school, with a lot of people noticing her. Although her optimistic personality had a lot to do with that too.

"Drake . . . ! Drake . . . ! DRAKE!"

I'm snapped out of my thoughts when she taps me on the shoulder.

"Yeah Luna? What's up? Sorry, I got lost in thought."

"You weren't listening to me," She sighs, and I smile at her.

"I'm listening now, pal," I say.

"Well, as I was saying, I'm going away on a vacation for a week, since my parents and I have to go out of the country for a while."

"What?" I exclaim. A whole week without my best friend! "You know you can just stay at my house! My parents don't mind!"

"I'm sorry Drake, but my parents wanted me to go, they said it would be a good opportunity to make new friends and enjoy some time with my family. They think I spend too much time with you and that I need to meet new people." New people are my weakness. She doesn't need anyone but me.

She must have seen my displeasure because she came and gave me a hug. I hug her back. My heart starts beating faster.

I pull back and she smiles sadly at me. "Today's my last day before I have to leave."

My eyes widen. Realization finally hits me. She's leaving for a week. One whole week without my Pal. "I have an idea of what we should do on our last day. Let's go!" I tell her as I pull her away.

-----

Less than a block away, I stop and turn around. She crashes into me before I catch her from falling. "Drake, where are we?" I don't answer and instead turn her around and cover up her eyes.

"Just follow me." I tell her as we start to walk.

She giggles and after a couple of steps, I slowly bring us to a stop.

Slowly, I bring my hands away from her eyes letting her see where I have brought us. She gasps and then turns around and smiles a huge smile at me. "Oh Drake, you didn't!"

I smile. "Oh, but I did." I had brought her to the place where our seven year old selves used to spend every afternoon at, the cliff.

"How did you even remember how to find this place? We hadn't been here in years!"

"I just found it recently when I was searching for inspiration," I tell her. I love to take photographs and to draw them out. Unknown to Luna, I have several drawings and photos of her carefully tucked away as well.

She laughs. "Alright Mr. Explorer, what are we doing here?"
I groan playfully. "Do you seriously not remember the reason our seven year old selves used to come here in the first place?"

She shrugs. I roll my eyes. "We came here because the city lights were too bright," I try to explain.

Her eyes light up like they always do in class when she knows the answer to a question. "We came here to spend some time under the night sky."

She nods. "I remember. I always used to wish how we could and will always be best friends when we grow up."

I flinch at that dreaded word, friend. She, although unintentionally, just friendzoned me. While she was wishing we could forever be friends, I was always hoping we could somehow, someway, someday, be something more.

I smile sadly and then take her hand and lead her away. "Come, let's go lay down."

She lets me lead her away, before abruptly pulling her hand away. "Hey! Where are you going?" I shout towards her.

"I'll be right back!" She yells back.

I wait patiently for ten minutes before she returns, this time, with a blanket. "Where did you get that?"

She smiles. "Did you know our neighborhood is only three minutes away?"

My eyes widen. It had taken us almost ten minutes to get here! How were we only three minutes away?

She laughs. "Did you just realize this?"

I feel my cheeks redden. "Maybe."

She rolls her eyes before setting the blanket down on the floor. "Come sit down."

I do as she asked and sit down, next to her.

We soon lay back, my arms around her waist, her head on my chest, both of us staring up at the moon.

The moon and earth are like us. Without earth, the moon wouldn't be here, it's the earth's gravity that keeps the moon in its place.

Luna is my earth. Kind of ironic really, considering in Spanish Luna means moon. Luna is my Earth though, and me, her moon. I don't really make a lot of friends. Sometimes I'll hang out with Luna and her group, or my close friends, but . . . still. I can tell her anything! Except how I feel about her. That, on the other hand, is completely out of my circle of expertise.

I look up at the night sky, hoping we could stay in this position forever; but we can't. Luna is going on vacation for a week to see her 'countless' family members, and I'm going to be stuck at home, sulking because Luna is the one person who I actually like to be in company of. Other girls are always trying to flirt with me, which gets annoying real fast, and the boys are always wanting to use me to get close to Luna. No one deserves her.

I close my eyes, just listening to the rhythm of Luna's breathing. Soon enough, I fall asleep, with Luna at my side, staring up at the starry sky. This is perfect.