Loving His Broken Luna

Chapter 26

Fvck her life. For real. Any gossip that got out, traveled fast, like wildfire. Renee’s eyes darted around, following whispers and phone messages without a clue as to what they were really talking about.

Fear gripped her though. There was too much wrong with that. Their differences in species for one big fat obvious one. She was a good girl… Renee would never…

“There’s more to give than an “O”, Gavyn,” Jason countered.

“Not when poking her is the activity,” Gavyn shot back.

“Can you guys stop talking?” Renee stressed. “Nothing happened!”

“Aww, you poor thing,” Gavyn tisked. “Nothing happened, Jay. You should fix that.”

“No one’s fixing anything,” Renee hissed as she squeezed her legs together.

“Alright,” the bell chimed after her teacher spoke, making her wait.

Once it was over she pushed up her purple reading glasses and asked everyone to pass their homework forward. Paper churned in notebooks, the telltale rip at the coils came next, as each one of their fourth two complied.

“Did you go?” Gavyn interrupted Renee’s thoughts again.

“Go?”

“To practice? I don’t think I saw you.”

“You didn’t. Someone didn’t want to bring me,” she shrugged.

“Oh,” Gavyn chuckled. “You can come with me if you need a ride.”

“I’d rather walk… thanks,” Renee ignored Gavyn.

The boys didn’t mean what they were saying. It was just a ruse to get her to react and, well… Renee knew all about that too. It seemed everyone did it. Even Colla. Renee’s heart sank. She just had to let her guard down while she hoped for a friend.

Renee shook her head. She was running her own race, literally.

Throughout class she multitasked, answering questions while she mapped out her physical challenges in a language she made up on her own. Not even Jason was able to figure it out, yet, so she listed:

Just graduate.

Learn to cook.

Perfect salad bar.

…

Her dots. Oh, those dots. They signified figuring out exactly how to leave her family behind without a trace of actually writing it. Leaving an indication of her problems would put Jason on her tail, stronger than he was. He already stressed her out. Good could he possibly do?

“Ms. Tucee?” her teacher pulled her from her doodling.

Renee’s attention peaked over Gavyn’s shoulder.

“Guidance,” she said.

“Again? I practically live there,” she murmured to Jason.

“Ms. Zuronz said you missed your appointment.”

Renee gaped at her teacher. Something was amiss, but what?

“Okay…”

“Maybe you should send Jason too,” Gavyn chuckled to which Renee glared at him. “What? I'm just sayin’… it could really mess with a guy knowing he can’t perform!”

“You’re a real as.shole, you know that?” Jason replied, kicking Renee’s chair hard enough to send Gavin forward.

“Oh so strong,” Gavyn continued, teasing Jason more.

“That’ll be enough, boys,” their teacher admonished. “This meeting is only for Renee. Go along.”

“I don’t need a pass?” Renee asked.

“Grab the one meant for the bathroom so these two don’t think they’re getting out anytime soon.”

Renee smirked as she reached for the wooden brick.

“Are you serious?” Gavyn whined. “Not all of us are were-animals!”

Gavyn’s protests died as the door swung shut.

The quiet hallway is an unfamiliar but welcome sound. Some chatter came from classrooms filtered in, but it was no bother, and so she continued, bag and pass in hand.

… I miss this; being on my own.

… No one to stifle me.

… Where I can actually breathe.

Renee rounded the corner, hearing a whisper repeat her last thought.

“Jason,” she grumbled. “If that’s you, it’s not funny.”

A gust of a sigh rattled lockers. A normal human might be scared or put off by it, but Renee rolled her eyes. It could have been any one of the magic wielding creatures within the facility. She wasn’t going to fall for it and be a laughing stalk too.

“Who’s Jason?” Renee heard as the energy shifted.

“Gavyn, you can fvck right off too,” she murmured then looked behind her shoulder.

There was no one. No indication of life to be found anywhere. Renee panned her gaze around slowly, settling on the guidance office once again, only to feel a tug on her entire being.

“It’s enough now,” Renee protested.

“So you can put your foot down?”

The question rolled off of “his” tongue in an expert tone.

“I can put my foot somewhere else too, if provoked,” Renee assured the unknown entity.

His hum was soft, almost nonexistent. Deep down Renee wondered if any of Jason’s replies would be on his tongue next, yet none came. It wasn’t him.

“What’s your name?” Renee challenged.

“Kris,” his answer came all too fast.

“What?” Renee asked again only to be left alone.

“Rey?” Colla’s voice carried over the male’s. “We need to talk.”

… We just did.

“It’s going to have to wait, Colla,” Renee grumbled, then turned away from her into a jet back space that only widened.

“What is with this DAY!?” Renee hollered expecting someone from the guidance office to seize her.

“Shh,” the male’s voice eased her.

“Don’t you shush me,” Renee bit out. “You’re just a voice. You’re not real. Just… just a manifestation of my fvcking stress!”

“Oh, easy…” he rushed out. “Don’t run off in here.”

Renee gaped into the darkness that surrounded her on nearly all sides.

“Wait. This is an actual place? Like I’m not at school anymore?” she shot her questions out one after another.

“N-not exactly. It’s kind of hard to explain.”

“You best get to explaining because if the demon I have tracking me gets word of this, you’re dead.”

“Is that a threat?” the male voice asked.

“Take it how you want to. I haven’t escaped his prison yet but this frail thing isn’t a match for him.”

Renee refocused on the void around her, pinpointing where the light changed. Her head whipped around all too quickly, blurring her vision as Colla approached.

“I was just trying to give you peace,” she worried over the crystals in her cowl. “Jason is awful to you and you just let him do it. Why?”

“Why do you care? Why does anyone care?” Renee hollered.

“Because you deserve better,” the voice said.

Renee closed her eyes and waved the unseen entity off.

“You can’t answer,” she told the male voice off with finality. “We don’t know each other. Colla thinks she does because I’m interfering with her life. Isn’t that why you boxed me in?”

“Woah! I did not!” Colla back pedaled. “You asked for this; for help!”

“I rhetorically asked for peace, Colla,” Renee sighed then turned away from Colla, expecting for whatever projected charade to be over. However, the void remained. “Release me, Colla.”

“It… doesn’t work like that,” Colla informed Renee.

“I have to go to guidance. They’re expecting me,” Renee replied, waving her palm out in front of her in exasperation.

“I may have fudged that one too,” Colla owned up to her plan.

“Oh, that’s remarkable. Did you ever think that maybe butting out would have been your only option?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“You invited me in. That’s literally Interspecies 101!” Colla roared, defending her motives.

“I’m not in college prep classes, Colla. My AP schedule has me partially through college already.”

“We’re in the same classes, Rey. What’s your point?”

Renee gritted her teeth, ready to hush away her freedom for her backup, regardless of what he really was.

“I need my sports,” Renee huffed. “I need them. My grades can’t drop past a B to stay in them.”

“Why are they so important?” the male voice carefully asked.

“I-I don’t like being home,” Renee struggled to answer.

Renee could feel Jason’s eyes on her but failed to find him. All the while Colla pinned the air with points Renee could barely see, then crossed into the plane beside her.

“Why not just get a job? Instead of struggling to stay on something,” Colla chased Renee’s answer with obvious follow up questions.

“I like swim…”

“Could you like it enough to do it on your own? Like a hobby?”

Renee shook her head.

“It doesn’t work like that with my family.”

“But Bruce can? Is that what you’re saying?” Colla pressured.

… Okay that’s it, she swore.

… No one’s coming any closer.

“Release me,” Renee demanded.

“I told you. It doesn’t work that way!”

“Figure it out, Colla,” the male’s voice came once more, concerned.

“Kris, I swear to your goddess herself,” Colla swore. “If you don’t stop, I’m taking her stone from you.”

“You… you gave this… this… mind stone to a random stranger?” Renee fought the need to holler again.

Colla raised her hands to cup her temples in exasperation.

“He’s not some rando. You don’t know him yet but your lives are entwined,” she rushed out.

Colla tapped against the darkened spaces, illuminating them with what she’s seen so far.

“You have life beyond this,” she said.

Renee rolled her eyes.

… She’d die at her parents' hands.

Disturbing images poured in; her parents and their disgust for her. Her brother and sister that aimed to use her followed.

“These people bother you?” Kris asked tentatively.

Renee tightened her lips together, unable to confirm it.

“Would you like them to stop?” his question held a weight that was both comforting and dangerous, unlike Jason’s.

Renee’s eyes began to tear up, her throat sore from the impending lump.

“I’d just like to graduate and be gone,” Renee replied, avoiding the glares from her family. “That way they can go on with their lives like I never lived mine.”