Luna

• 3 •

Are you ..in a cult?

I met Colton after school, trying to act nonchalant.

He watched me walk up to the car, his eyes narrowing. "What happened?"

I paused, "What do you mean?"

"You're acting weird." He accused.

I rolled my eyes but panicked inside. "I literally just walked up to you."

"So nothing happened today?" He asked now that we were inside the car.

"No," I huffed, annoyed at his attitude.

"So one of the steroid guys didn't take a liking to you? What's his name? Paul?"

My eyes widened, how could he have known?

My silence was a confirmation.

His hands gripped the steering wheel tighter. "Seriously!?"

"Cole," I sighed, looking out the window, "It's okay."

"No it's not." He argued, "I swear to god-we can't have a repeat of Chicago!"

"We're not going to!" My voice turned harsh, "I'm allowed to have friends! It's not like he gave me a ring, we just talked."

"Friends," He scoffed.

"Colton!" I turned to him getting pissed. He kept insinuating that Paul was a bad guy and for some reason, I needed and wanted to defend him.

Colton's jaw clenched but he said nothing more. 

•••••

It was the next day and I was once again, standing outside the cafeteria alone. After texting Colton, I was impatiently waiting for his response. 

My phone buzzed. I glanced to it and sighed, snapping my phone shut. Cole claimed that he already had a project due next week and would be skipping lunch in order to hole himself up at the library and finish it. 

I know he is mad at me for talking to Paul, but ditching me during lunch on our second day of school. Seriously? 

I sighed and looked to the school doors, is it even worth to go inside the cafeteria at this point? I could go to the car for an hour, listen to music. 

"Hey." 

I whirled around to see Paul standing behind me.

A gasp of surprise left me before I could mumble hi. 

My anger towards Colton numbed out for a moment and a sense of calm spread over me as soon as Paul was next to me. 

"Uh you going in?" He gestured to the lunch doors. 

"I was..." I trailed off. 

"and?" He pressed and I could hear his curiousity. 

"And my brother ditched me." I held up my phone. 

"Well, that actually works out." Paul smiled. 

I tried really hard not to smile just because he was. "Sorry?" 

"I was gonna ask if you wanted to eat  lunch with us." He spoke, readjusting his book bag strap on his shoulder. 

"Us?" I asked even though I knew the answer. 

"With Jared, Kim and...me." He smiled slightly. 

I nodded. 

"Great!" His smile widened and he opened the lunch door for me.