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?"
Luna shrugged. "I bought it last year."
"And you haven't worn it?"
"I have a few times," Luna admitted.
Tessa rolled her eyes. "I don't know why you don't wear it more, working at your mom's autoshop has done you so many favors."
Luna frowned. "Qué quieres decir?"
Tessa huffed. "Luna, you know you got some serious abs, right?"
Luna's eyes went wide. "Yeah, but–"
"No buts," Tessa said, cutting her off. "You're wearing this today."
She tossed the shirt onto the bed, then returned to looking through Luna's closet. Soon, she pulled out a pair of high-waisted, ripped jeans and said to herself, "Yes. This for sure." It was tossed on top of the shirt, and Tessa kept looking. "And then for the finishing touch... Ah, yes." She took out a blue and green letterman jacket, holding it up. "Perfect."
Luna frowned. "Tess, I haven't worn that since middle school. I don't think it fits me anymore."
"Why not?" Tessa asked.
Luna huffed. "Cause I got boobs now."
Tessa snorted in amusement. "Indeed you do." Turning to put the jacket on the bed, she went on, "But it doesn't have to close around your chest. As long as you can fit your arms in it, it works." She picked up the outfit and handed it to Luna. "Put this on. I know you're gonna look great."
"Te odio tanto," Luna muttered.
Tessa rolled her eyes, snapping her fingers and pointing to the bathroom. "In you go."
Luna glared at her friend, but went into her bathroom anyway. Once she had changed into the outfit, she came back out, putting her hands behind her back as Tessa looked at her with wide eyes.
"Oh my god, yes," Tessa said excitedly. She walked over to Luna, grabbed her wrist and sat her down in front of her vanity. "Now let me do your hair and makeup and then we'll be good."
"Tessa," Luna whined. "Seriously, hair and makeup too?"
"Yes. Now sit still."
Tessa stood behind Luna, picking up a lock of Luna's wavy hair and looking at it before nodding to herself. Then, she grabbed a black hair tie from a drawer and tied Luna's hair up into a high ponytail. After a pause, she took one of the silver Mardi Gras beaded necklace Luna had hanging on her mirror, then picked up a pair of scissors and cut the necklace. Tessa then wove the necklace into the hair tie, allowing the ends of it to drape down on the sides of Luna's head. Next, she picked up a simple black choker from the desk and put it around Luna's neck before spinning her around, taking out a tube of rosy pink lipstick and applying it to her lips. Finally, she gave Luna some winged eyeliner and mascara, then stepped back to admire her work.
"Okay, you need to see yourself," Tessa said after nodding. "Stand up."
Luna stood up, and Tessa led her over to the tall mirror by the closet. Luna gasped at the sight of herself; she hardly ever got dressed up for anything, so looking like this was new for her.
"It's like I said," Tessa said. "You are beautiful."
An hour later Luna stood in front of Miles' house. She and Miles always went to Midtown together, walking to the subway station before taking it to school. But this was the first time she had ever went to school looking like this. She was known as the girl who dressed simply and casually, always wearing T-shirts, tank tops, or hoodies paired with jeans in an effort to not be noticed. But with this on, she was definitely going to be noticed.
Taking a deep breath, Luna rang the doorbell to Miles' house. A few moments later, Miles' mother, Rio, opened the door, her eyes widening when she saw Luna.
"Ay Dios mío, Luna, you look beautiful," Rio said. "Any special occasion happening today?"
Luna shrugged. "Other than the first day of school, nothing."
Rio smiled. "So I'm assuming that dressing up wasn't your idea."
Luna shook her head. "It was Tessa's."
Rio chuckled. "No me sorprende." She motioned for Luna to enter. "Come in, Miles should be down in a minute."
Luna grinned, following Rio inside. Luna had always loved the simple, homely atmosphere of the Morales household, which was why she often came here after a long day. Rio and her husband, Jefferson, were very kind to Luna as well; they treated her like she was family, and she appreciated the respect they gave her.
Luna sat down on the couch, folding her hands in her lap as Rio walked into the kitchen.
"I made some pan dulce this morning," Rio called. "Would you like some?"
Luna shook her head. "I'm good, thanks."
There was a comfortable silence as they waited for Miles. Then, after a moment, Miles jogged down the stairs, putting his backpack on.
"Hey Mom!" Miles called. "Has Luna come over ye-" He froze, stopping mid-sentence when he saw Luna. "Oh. Hi."
Luna put on her most convincing smile, waving at him. "Hey, Miles."
Miles stared at her for a moment before he blinked, seeming to snap out of a daze. He then walked over to her, giving her a smile. "Lemme guess." He gestured to her outfit. "This was Tess's idea?"
Luna rolled her eyes. "No, Miles, I decided to dress like a teenage cheerleader from Disney channel just cause I felt like it."
Miles chuckled, holding his hand out to her. "Come on, let's go so we're not late."
Luna smiled, taking his hand and allowing him to pull her to her feet. She stumbled a bit, bumping into Miles who caught her before she fell. Her eyes went wide when she realized how close they were, and they stared at each other for a moment before Luna quickly stepped back, rubbing the back of her neck with one hand. "Sorry, I'm such a klutz."
"It's fine," Miles said. "But seriously, we should get going."
"Miles Morales," Rio said sternly as the two friends started to leave. Miles froze, and Luna winced; they had completely forgotten that Rio was there.
Miles glanced at his mother. "Yeah?"
"You are not leaving this house without eating something." She walked over to the two, giving each of them a food item which was wrapped in a napkin.
Luna peeked inside, her eyes widening at the realization of what it was. "Rio, you didn't have to give me this."
"I know," Rio said. "But made more than I needed to, and you both need to have a proper breakfast for your first day."
Miles grinned. "Thanks Mom." He took Luna's hand and tugged her towards the door, calling over his shoulder, "See you after school!"
As soon as they were outside, Luna unwrapped the napkin, smiling and taking a huge bite of the pan dulce Rio had made. "Your mom is the best," she said, her mouth full of food.
Miles chuckled. "Yeah, she is pretty cool."
Luna took another bite. "A bitch can't relate, though."
Miles snorted. "Shut up, Luna, we both know your mom's a badass."
They left the neighborhood and entered the subway station. After paying for the ride, they both got on and took a seat by the window. Luna rested her head on Miles' shoulder as the subway car sped through the city, finally giving herself time to think.
Who was that man who had attacked her at the boardwalk? Who was the Kingpin that he spoke of, and what did he want with her? And why had Raevanna decided to help her, out of all the people she could've saved? None of it connected, and none of it made any sense. So she decided that, during lunch, she would go to the library to search for answers.
"Hey, Earth-to-Luna," Miles said suddenly, bringing Luna out of her thoughts. "You alive in there?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm alright," Luna said quickly, lifting her head and nodding. "Just thinking."
"Well, save your thinking for school, cause we're here," Miles said.
Luna nodded again, seeing that their stop was approaching. She grabbed her bag, slinging the strap over her shoulder before standing up, then got out of her seat just as the subway train came to a stop. She and Miles got off the subway, going up the stairs before coming out on the campus of Midtown High School.
Luna immediately became self conscious. Everyone was pointing at her or staring, loudly whispering to each other at the sight of her.
"Look at her."
"Who the hell is that?"
"Hey, I think that's the girl who got attacked at the boardwalk yesterday."
"Who does she think she is, dressing up like that?"
"Damn, the bitch nearly died but decided to get some fashion sense instead of some common sense."
Luna's hands gripped the strap of her bag at the comments, her jaw clenching in anger. But then, Miles put his hand on her arm and whispered, "Don't listen to them, Luna. They weren't there. They don't know the truth about what happened."
Luna looked at him and nodded, relaxing and giving him a small smile. It was times like this that she was grateful for Miles' friendship.
The two entered the main building, walking down the hall and up to their lockers. Miles' locker was across the hall from hers, so he gave her arm a quick squeeze before going to his locker. Luna watched him, then turned and began to put in her locker combination.
"Well, hello there, Señorita."
Luna froze, dread, annoyance, anger, and frustration filling her body at the sound of the boy's voice. She did not want to deal with this right now.
So she ignored him, continuing to turn the dial on her lock. But then, the boy leaned against the lockers and said, "I said, hello there–"'
"I heard what you said, Aiden," Luna replied, opening her locker and taking off her bag. "Now go away."
Aiden Blackwell was one of the boys at Midtown. He had gone to middle school with Luna and Miles, but grew attracted to Luna in seventh grade and had been chasing after her ever since. A tall, muscular blonde that made most of the girls at school weak in the knees, and who happened to be the school's champion wrestler, he fit the stereotype of what a typical jock was supposed to be, which was one of the many reasons why Luna wanted nothing to do with him. Her family may have been in a gang, but she had common sense and self respect, and she certainly wasn't so desperate for love to the point of stupidity.
"C'mon, Luna," Aiden said. "You were like this all year last year, when are you gonna throw me a bone?"
Luna scoffed, shoving her bag in her locker. "When you start thinking with your head and not your dick."
Aiden simply laughed. "You're funny, you know that?"
Luna rolled her eyes as she took her books out of her bag. "No, what's funny is what'll happen to you if you keep annoying me."
"So why'd you get all dressed up today?" Aiden asked, ignoring her threat.
"If you think it was for you then you're obviously delusional," Luna replied.
Aiden took her arm, causing her to finally face him. "Why are you fighting this?" he whispered.
Luna eyes were blazing as she glared at him and wrenched her arm out of his grasp. "Cause I'm not stupid, and I'm not a puta. Got it?"
"Puta?" Aiden repeated. "What's that?"
Luna smirked. "You tell me." Aiden frowned, and her smirk widened. "You're a smart boy, Aiden. I mean, you're here for a reason, aren't you?"
She then pushed past Aiden, laughing to herself at his dumbstruck expression.
━━━━━ ◦◦◦✵◦◦◦ ━━━━━
❈ A/N: aiden:
luna:
miles:
lmao i live for memes and sassy luna hbu
anyway on December 13th (this past friday, at the time of me writing this) i saw ariana grande in concert, and let me just say if you have the chance to see her live, take it. she does not disappoint at all and her vocals and visuals are stunning. like, even my friend (who only sorta likes ariana but i dragged her along with me anyway) is a stan now after seeing ari live. she's that good.
also, camila's performance of "my oh my" on fallon the other day was amazing as usual, and tbh her outfit is kind of what inspired the look tessa gave to luna. so basically what it looks like is a combo of these two looks from our cuban princess:
and finally, since i need a faceclaim for aiden, here he is!
introducing...
LOGAN SHROYER | AIDEN BLACKWELL
❛ the jock ❜
❝i don't understand how luna doesn't like me. i mean, i am the total package. and look at this face. how can you not like it?❞
well, that's all i have to say. hope you enjoyed this chapter!
TRANSLATIONS:
Qué estás haciendo aquí? - What are you doing here?
Mi querido amigo - my dear friend
Multa - Fine
Qué quieres decir? - What do you mean?
Te odio tanto - I hate you so much
No me sorprende. - I'm not surprised.
puta - whore