THE MOON OF MARS

EPISODE ONE PART TWO

♀♀

12:40 pm

When the bell rung, Moeko took a deep breath. Her eyelids fell heavy, pupils staring at the textbook featuring America's horrible history. Especially with presidents, recently anyway. A debate fell through leading to a heated argument between some of the smarter students about having a black president. Usually, she would be the one to fuel the fire, gassing up whoever is correct. Today, she has no energy to do so, even though Urla Peneda was beating Tobias Moody, using her words like bullets each time he said something stupid and racist. Kian Bender took Moeko's role, happy to hype the quiet girl up against the rat bastard for a change.

"Having a black president won't change anything." Tobias grew frustrated. "He's just black, whatever. Don't vote for him cause he'd black, Ursula."

Urla grits her teeth, nearly breaking her neck to look back at him. "Are you just going to ignore he'll be the first black president? Don't know if you pay attention in class, but America hasn't been treating black people good at all. It's time for a change, and that change is having a president who is not only passionate but has the same skin tone as minority whose been unfairly treated since they were forced here on boats."

"Obama is not passionate, he's a puppet." Tobias barks.

"You're a puppet, Tobi!" Kian deepens his voice. "At least he has a chance, while you sitting here mad he's black and successful."

"I'm not mad, I just want a good president."

Urla comes back. "And Obama can't do that because he's black?"

Tobias lowers his eyelids. "I didn't say that."

"You implied it, Tobi. Geez." Moeko barged in, leaning her head on her palm. Her body was shutting down from sitting for too long. That's when the bell rung, and she hightailed out of Mr. Gonzalez' class. No goodbye this time. She felt bad once she made it to Dawg Diner all the way across the school.

Moeko's definitely gained weight, and not just from her nameless daughter. She had to catch her breath at the study nook. Again, she noticed her shirt was rising, so she lifts her sweats over her stomach and cover them with her t-shirt. A tap on her shoulder makes her turn around. When she does, she must refrain from rolling her eyes.

"Hey." Vehren Voegeli says with a blank face.

"Hi." I reply with the same lack of energy.

"You look tired. Have you been sleeping?"

"No, actually. Not lately."

"Why?" He asks strongly.

I look both ways before saying, "Because I'm pregnant and stressed." I blink.

So does he. "Me too." His brown eyes have a blue ring around the iris, hints of hazel sparkle with life. They hit the tiles upon opening his mouth. "Are you mad at me?"

"For what?" I ask.

"Breaking up with you." Those striking eyes catch mine. But I look right, seeing a redhead standing at the entrance of the cafeteria. Her arms folded as she leans on her left, blinding red Jordan's sneaker. There's a similar dead glare in her vibrant eyes as Vehren's. He notices her but awaits my response.

"I don't know."

"You know by now, MK." His eyelids lower, but his face remains soft.

"I do. I'm not ready to tell you."

His brow c***s. "When will you be ready?"

I think for a second. "Maybe when we decide a name."

"You don't know her name?"

I can't help but smile. "What's her name?"

"Eilish."

I'm taken aback. "'Eilish'?"

"'Eli' for short. Irish, it means 'pledged to God'. I discovered it a while ago, a customer had that name. It got stuck in my head."

My smile grows. "That's beautiful, Vehren."

"So, you agree?" The corner of his mouth rose.

I nod fast. "Yup! Eilish it is." I look down at my stomach, tilting my head. "Eli."

"I want you to pick two middle names. Just like us."

"Okay." I nod, glancing at Isavella, who switched legs to lean on. I mouth, "I'm coming."

"You can go." Vehren commands.

I glare at the giant, slender teen. A man. legally, since he's eighteen. He's about to turn nineteen and has been a server at B-Dubs for nearly a year now. The perfect job to maintain his popularity. Before I could speak, the Greenjackets-kings of South Ypsi High-requests Mr. Popularity. Kobe Keyes, the big boss, leads the pack of Spartan-like black boys. All handsome, all arrogant.

"You comin', Voegeli?" Kobe strides by with pride and a star smile at me.

"Yuh, hold on." Vehren doesn't look his way. "I'll see you later."

"My appointment is Monday."

"And the dinner is Sunday." He rolls his eyes. "I have a calendar, MK."

"Just checking." I walk forward. Vehren allows me some feet before he joins behind me. I know he's looking at my ass. I allow him to.

Isavella gives Vehren a stabbing side-glare as he passes her. He returns the stare, facing his buddies heading towards the growing line. "What did he say?" She asks.

"We came up with a name. 'Eilish', or 'Eli' for short."

"That's cute." She looks at my belly, "Hi, Eli."

I smile, seeing the line for the food wrap around the corner of the cafeteria, reaching the other exit that sits under the school banner. "Wait in line for me?" I ask with a pout.

"You got money?" She c***s her half-unibrow.

"Yeah, I do." I go into my purse, pulling out my yellow wallet. "A spicey chicken sandwich, please."

"You're craving spices, now?"

I pause, thinking for a moment before realizing, "I am craving spicy foods."

Isavella chuckles. "Okay, Mama."

I hand her a ten-dollar bill. "Keep the change, broke bitch."

"Okay!" She yanks the bill with a s**t-eating grin. Her tongue clicks the gap in her teeth as she heads to the end of the line. Isavella got a fat ass. It jiggles when she walks. I watch before peeling away towards to the trash cans. My team sits in our usual spot, and I join them. Everyone calls us the 'Volley Lesbos', which is a name I appreciate since I'm bisexual-like most of the girls on the team.

"Hey, sisters." I greet them as I plop next to Marisol. Summer sits across from me besides Penny, whose reading her book silently. Neither Rhodi nor Crystal are here, which lead me to ask where they were. "They're usually here first."

"In that beast of a line." Summer says with her arms folded under her big breasts. "I'm not going until it's shorter."

"I'm not hungry." Marisol rests her cheek on her knuckles. "I'm just ready to go to Vo-Tech."

I put my head on the table. "I'm ready to go home." My mouth forms a smile. "So is Eli."

Marisol looks at me, confused. "Who's Eli?"

"My baby." I perk up. "We named her Eilish."

"After the librarian?" Summer asks with a similarly confused face.

I think and remember. "Oh yeah, her name is 'Eilish'."

"It's still pretty." Marisol consoles me. "Have her middle name be 'Rose' like her sister."

"That's actually not a bad idea. Though Vehren wants two middle names like we have." My cheeks fall into my palms.

"Any ideas?"

"Not particularly." I say as Crystal comes around the Meatheads, plopping her full tray and butt next to Summer.

"I hate Domino's." She grumbles, taking a bite out of the slice.

"Why are you eating it, Crys?" I ask with a c****d brow.

"The chicken sandwiches suck and I'm hungry as fuck." She drops the greasy pizza. "They like to starve the poor."

"Your lunch isn't paid for?" Summer frowns.

"No. My dad makes too much at the factory." Her eyes roll. "He's a dollar over the limit."

"Ridiculous." Marisol scoffs. "That's why I don't eat."

"Exactly." Crystal chomps the slice with a frown.

My eyes glance to Penny. She's still silent, deep into the pages of her book. I lean closer to her, asking, "What're you ready, Penny?"

"Stephanie Meyers." She responds without looking up.

"Which one?"

Penny flips over the cover, revealing the black backdrop with a red ribbon laid diagonally. "Eclipse."

I see she's far ahead, nodding as I say, "Have you read the House of Night series yet?"

"Not yet. It's next after this."

"I think you'll really like it." Red out of the corner of my eye causing me to look behind. I see Isavella and a taller, bleach-blonde clone with a Coach purse besides her. They stroll pass the Meatheads, both Isavella and Sevastyan Veselov give the beefy boys lingering stares before reaching our section. "What's up, Seven?"

The Seven Twins sit simultaneously, Isavella's thigh touching mine. She and him both smile at me, but Sevastyan is the one to speak. "Sup, Moe? You good?"

I nod. "A little better now we are about to go to Vo-Tech." I rest my elbow on the table as Isavella slides her lunch tray to me. I gleefully snatch the tin foiled sandwich, unwrapping the chicken sandwich. It's spicy juices wetten me.

"Same. I passed my geometry test. So, I'm officially on honor roll again." Sevastyan picks in his purse for his iPhone.

"Smart-ass." Isavella teases, shoving his shoulder. "Good for you."

"You can be on honor roll too if you try."

"I don't want to try, brat." She puts her head down on her wrists. "I'm so tired."

"What's wrong? Why haven't you been sleeping?"

She smiles weakly. "I'll tell you later. It's not a bad thing."

I glare at her, already knowing what she's going to tell me. "Who?" I mouth.

"I'll tell you later!" She whispers.

"What?!" Sevastyan yells at us. "What are you whispering? You know I can't hear well."

Isavella faces her look-alike with annoyance. "You already know, dummy."

"I know." He flashes the gap between his upper teeth.

"Where's Demi?" Penny looks up, jetting away from Seven's intense stare. "I haven't seen him lately."

"He's in Indiana looking at colleges." Isavella leans in. "I'll let him know you asked."

Penny blushes. "No, no. You don't have to do that."

"But I will, because it's weird you asked." She laughs. "You never talk to me but you're wondering about our brother?"

Penny frowns. "Maybe he's my friend and I care about him."

"If you're his friend, he would've told you where he was, now wouldn't he?"

"You're such a b***h, Isavella." Penny slams the book shut, rising from her spot.

"Where are you going?" I ask her.

"Library. I want to check out some books." She gives Isavella a deep stare before speeding out of Dawg Diner.

"What's her problem?" Isavella asks me.

"You know her experience with crushes, Isavella." Summer scolds her.

The youngest teammate deeply scoffs. "Um, Dmitri isn't going to deny her. He's a p***y with romance, too."

"You can be a little softer when talking to her, can't you?"

"Talking to people in general." I cut in.

Her eyes roll as Marisol joins in. "Leave the malyshka alone. She's just being herself."

I look to the oldest teammate. "Penny is upset now."

"Penny is always upset when she brings up Demi. She'll be fine."

"Spasiba, Marisol." Isavella stabs me with her stare.

I don't mind her scary nature. I'm quite use to it. "You can still do better, baby."

"I can... but should I? I was just being honest."

Marisol leans over the table to eye her. "Exactly. You're fine."

"At least someone loves me." Isavella's arms fold. The bell rings, instantly leading to students rising from the benches. Not us, we remain seated until most of everyone leaves. I rise first, going to the doors of Dawg Diner and leading my team. Isavella comes by my left, Marisol on my right. Everyone else is lags behind talking to each other. Their words blend in with the crowd's conversations, but Isavella's blare in my ear. "Stop leaving me."

"What do you mean?"

"Vo-Tech. You and Sevastyan always go to Vo-Tech and its stupid."

"You shouldn't have slept through your science class." Marisol chuckles. "I feel the same. I hate you get only four classes. Lucky bitch."

I smile. "Work hard and you get perks."

"I'll take that info for my acting career. I don't need science for that." Isavella smiles with me.

"Agree. f**k history too. The books are wrong anyways." Marisol says pulling out her iPhone. "Look at my baby! I bought her a unicorn onesie." She shows both me and Isavella the photo of her big, Latina girlfriend posing in Marisol's mini playground behind her grey house. "She does look cute." I say smiling.

"Awes! I want one." Isavella pouts.

"They're selling them at Hot Topic. Oh!" Marisol nudges my shoulder. "We should stop by the mall before your party. Get you a nice dress to wear."

"I actually have a dress. It's yellow and puffy. Perfect to hide my belly and cute." I imagine the dress. "Sasha bought it for me a week ago."

"Right, Sasha took care of it." Isavella mumbles.

We make it to the Tech District, straight ahead is the front doors. Buses are parked outside, and students load inside. I stop by my locker, number zero-eighty, at the edge of Tech Ave. I put in my combination, zero-eight-nine-two, as Summer gives me a hug from behind.

"I'm going to class. Have fun at Vo-Tech!"

I turn around. "You'll be at my dinner, right?"

"Duh, girl." She pinches my left cheek.

"I'll be there too." Rhodi says.

"Good. I need all the support I can get."

"Will Sasha be there?" Isavella folds her arms.

"Yeah, she's my best friend."

Her eyes lower. She fixes her lips to speak but the bell rings. I take my bag and purse out of my locker and said bye to my team. Walking alone to the front doors, a deep voice buzzes behind my ear.

"How sweet is that p***y?"

I turn to the tall blonde with chopped hair down the sides of his sullen, pale face. I smirk. "You wanna try it?"

Sevastyan shakes his head with a frown. "No, thanks." He walks forward. "Anyways, I'm pumped to learn how to do highlights."

I walk beside him to the front doors. "Me too. I might try it on myself if it's really easy."

"Hot." He speeds up, nearly hopping on the bus. I happen to look back and see Vehren with his posse. They aim for the bus behind us. Vehren's eyes lock on mine, and he flashes a soft smile before breaking away and continuing.

♀♀

2:50 pm

The long, yellow bus pulls into the circular lot, parking in front of the high school entrance. Moeko peaks out the tinted window, reading the 'TROJANS' sign colored in pencil, and sighs. The bus hisses once it brakes. Captain Jack opens the slender doors, and Urla gets off first. Students pack into the aisle, taking turns politely by letting the row before them go first. Sevastyan stands, lopping his massive, bronze Gucci purse over his shoulder. He stares down at Moeko, doubled-colored eyes covered by his long lashes. "Wanna go to the salon?" He asks plainly, pointing to his blonder roots. "I have to touch up my roots, if you haven't noticed."

"I noticed." I smile, looking up at him as I rise. "After today, I want purple highlights now."

"That's cute." He leaves the seat and I follow, thanking the student who waited for us. We stroll down the aisle and say goodbye to Captain Jack. Hopping off the bus, I take my keys out of my purse soon as my feet hit the pavement. I nearly bump into Sevastyan just as he says, "Look at Vehren and Astrid talking."

I reluctantly do so, peeping past him to see the second bus. Vehren walks with Kobe's posse, strolling behind to talk with Queen Astrid. She laughs with him, completely keeping his head turned away from my direction. I say to Sevastyan with a low tone, "I don't care."

"Weird." Sevastyan tilts his head at me. "All I said was look."

"Shut up, Sevastyan. I said, 'I don't care'." I stay put until they go all the way inside.

"Okay." Sevastyan goes forward, zigzagging through teens past Bus Nine, Vehren's bus. He'll be back soon. I parked my car in direct view of the entrance. I'll be able to see if he leaves with her.

"Shut up." I said, following behind him with my head down.

"I said nothing!" the boy yells back with a smile.

"You're heavily implying." I pick up my pace, reaching his side. He stands much taller than I, but smaller than Vehren. "Stop it."

"Okay, MK." He teases one more time before I raise my hand. Sevastyan jets forward, laughing. "Okay, okay. I'm done." He struts ahead with a sway in his tiny hips, leading to my van over the patch of snow. My snow boots sink into the white ice, then crunch over blue salt. It's bright out, blindingly so. Every breath casts a puff of steam. When I get in the car, I flip the advisor down.

Sevastyan gets in, shivering, "I hate the cooold." He shakes his legs over his pale palms.

"You're Russian, your blood is cold." I turn the engine on and turn the volume down of Nirvana.

"I'm half-Afghani, sooka." He giggles in his puffed jacket, jittering his gapped upper teeth. The heat blows cold, and he hisses. "Nooo." He moans like a girl as he shuts the vents, returning to his warmer position. "Isavella better hurry her white ass up!"

I lean back in my seat, getting comfortable as I ask, "How's your boyfriend?"

"Which one?" He grins.

My eyebrows rise. "You have another boyfriend? Again?" I say with a chill tone.

"Yuh." Sevastyan bites his lower lip. "His name is Kister."

"Kister?" I think for a second until a face shows up. "Kister Para? I know him. Haven't seen him since the seventh grade."

"He's so f*****g cute. And he has a big dick."

"That's cool. Does Teddy like him?"

"Loves him." He goes into his pocket, yanking out his iPhone. Unlocking the screen, he finds a picture of Teddy, him, and Kister on the right. I take the phone to get a closer look. He is a cute boy. White, unlike his main boyfriend, Teddy. Kister has blue hair, straightened, and cropped like a scene kid with many piercings. He looks kind. There's a softness in his crystal eyes. "Isn't he beautiful? He doesn't believe so."

"Awe. He's a cute guy. How old is he?"

"About to be twenty." Sevastyan says casually.

"Oh shit." My face contorts. "He's older than Vehren. Is that okay?"

Sevastyan looks at me. "What do you mean? My age?"

"Yeah, you're fifteen."

"So? Teddy is seventeen. I f**k older men all the time."

"That's not okay, Sev. You two are minors. Those are hookups, which are insanely dangerous for you. He's an adult. He can get in trouble with the law."

"I don't care." He says blatantly.

"You should." The final bell rings. As it ends, I see Vehren come out with the queen herself. They stroll to Bus Nine incognito, but not from me.

Sevastyan doesn't notice him. "I don't, Ma. It's fine. I'm careful."

I side-eye him, then stare at the entrance. "I'm just tired." Students pack out and disperse to the buses and around us.

"You haven't been sleeping?" He tosses his phone into his purse.

"Nope. It's been hard lately."

"Do you know why?"

"I'm pregnant." I announce, looking his way.

Sevastyan's jaw drops. "No, you're not."

I nod. "I am. It's Vehren's."

His downturned eyes widen. "Vehren's?"

I frown. "Yeah... He was my boyfriend of four years at the time I got pregnant. I don't cheat, unlike you."

"I don't know what to say." He frowns. "First, I don't cheat, I'm in a consensual, polyamorous relationship. It's all known and okay with us. He f***s girls all the f*****g time. I don't care, whatever. Two... congratulations?"

"No." I say straight. "No 'congratulations'."

"Shit." His face pinches as he hisses. "I can't imagine getting a girl pregnant at nineteen."

"I don't think you have to worry about that, kid." I smile.

He glares at me. "I may experiment one day."

"You may." I hold back laughter, finally seeing Isavella and her blazing red hair.

"Shut the f**k up, Moe." He smiles, seeing his sister as well. She struts the same way as her ten-minute younger brother. The girlie slides open my door and climbs inside with a simple,

"Hi."

"Hello." I wave. "How was school?"

"Boring, Ma." She slams the door.

"We're stopping by the salon before we go home." Sevastyan looks back.

"Good. I need a new jumpsuit."

"Also," he points his thumb at me, "she's pregnant."

"I know. She told me this morning."

"And you didn't tell me right away?" He c***s his neatly groomed unibrow.

Hers is less tamed and does the same. "No. I can keep secrets."

"So can I." Sevastyan faces me. "I can."

"I know." I say, smiling softly. I back my van out as they talk amongst themselves. Nirvana blasts quietly on the radio, 'Smells like a Teen Spirit' is closing to an end. I attempt to beat the school's traffic before it got too bad. Almost was caught, but I zoom down Will Road and whip the corner of the sister elementary schools going north on White Trail Road. "Where do you live again?"

"Desert Trail." Sevastyan answers. "It's down Will Road going the other way."

"Gotcha. The two ponds."

"Yuh." He pulls his phone out. "Do you know where you're going?"

"I think so. First, the beauty salon."

"What are you getting there, Moe?" Isavella asks.

"I'm getting purple highlights. I just learned how to do highlights over black hair, and I'm excited to try it on mine."

"Ooh, careful. You don't wanna ruin your hair."

"I can always dye it back black if something goes wrong." I shrug.

"You have Ma's card, sestra?" Sevastyan looks back again. He's not wearing his seatbelt, my alarm dings occasionally but I'm used to it.

Isavella giggles. "Of course, I do." She goes in her pink Gucci purse to pull out the matching wallet. As she reveals the platinum card, she says, "Ma misplaced it."

"She always misplaces that card." Sevastyan smirks.

"You two are terrible." I shake my head.

"We're sociopaths. Leave us alone." She barks from the back.

"But you're stealing and having s*x with adults. It's a recipe for disaster, and I don't want to chaperone it."

"I love disaster." Isavella chuckles. "Reap what you sow. I choose Hell, not Heaven."

"You have fun with that." Sevastyan falls back in his seat. "I'm going to heaven."

"The f**k you are, fag!" she laughs out.

"Sooka." Sevastyan sneers.

"Ya lyublyu khaos." She speaks Russian back, using her throat.

"No chaos around me, missy." I peek in the rearview mirror.

"I respect you, Moe. I won't do anything to mess with our relationship."

I smile, going back to the road. "Good."