Bullied by Him, Wanted by His Rival

Episode 2: Detention With the Devil

[Detention Room - 3:45 PM. Door SLAMS.]

[Luna’s POV - Inner thought]

Luna: Rule #3: Detention is just jail with desks.

Luna: [walks in, head down] One week. Seven days of—

Luna: [freezes]...

Zayne: [leaning back in chair, feet on desk, alone] You’re late, Vale.

Luna: [hand on door handle]...

[Door CLICKS. Locks from outside.]

Luna: [heart drops] Mr. Ellis?

Zayne: [smiling, slow] He had a “family emergency.” Told me to watch you.

Luna: [back against door] Open it.

Zayne: [stands, notebook in his hand] Page 47.

Luna: [breath catches]...

Zayne: [reading, voice soft] “I wish his smile would rot off his face.”

Zayne: [looks up] You meant that?

Luna: [shaking head] No. I was angry.

Zayne: [steps closer] You write real pretty for a ghost.

Zayne: [flips page] “He walks like he owns the school because his dad signs the checks.”

Zayne: [flips again] “If he touched me I think I’d throw up. Or worse.”

Luna: [tears burning] Give it back.

Zayne: [closes notebook] I could.

Zayne: [beat] Or I could read this to the whole school tomorrow.

Luna: [voice cracking] Please.

Zayne: [grinning] There it is.

[Luna’s POV - Inner thought]

Luna: I begged. Rule #2 failed.

Zayne: [tosses notebook on desk] So here’s the deal, Vale.

Zayne: You be my girlfriend.

Luna: [choking] What?

Zayne: [shrugging] Public. Lunch table. Football games. i********:.

Zayne: You walk beside me, you smile when I tell you, you laugh at my jokes.

Zayne: And I don’t leak page 47. Or 48. Or 49.

Luna: [stomach dropping] That’s... that’s blackmail.

Zayne: [laughing] That’s Westwood, ghost girl.

Zayne: [leans in, voice low] Say yes.

Luna: [backing into door] No.

Zayne: [eyes flashing] Wrong answer.

Zayne: [pulls out phone] Kayla’s already got the photos. One text and—

[BANG! Door kicks open.]

Rook: [standing in doorway, chest heaving] Touch her and I end you.

Zayne: [doesn’t flinch] Mercer. Finally decided to crawl out of juvie?

Rook: [steps in, door slams behind him] Last warning, Cross.

Zayne: [laughing] Or what? You’ll hit me? Your dad’s not Principal. Mine is.

Rook: [fists clenching] Try me.

Luna: [pressed against wall] Stop. Both of you.

Zayne: [ignoring her, eyes on Rook] You don’t know who she really is, do you Mercer?

Rook: [freezes]...

Zayne: [smirking, tapping notebook] She writes about you too, you know.

Luna: [blood going cold] That’s a lie.

Zayne: [flipping pages, fast] “Rook Mercer. Back from expulsion. Scar on his face like he lost a fight with a—”

Rook: [moving fast] Give me that.

Zayne: [holding it away] “—with a wolf. He stares at me in the library like he knows—”

Luna: [screaming] STOP!

[Silence. Both boys look at her.]

Luna: [breathing hard] I don’t... I don’t write about him.

Zayne: [grinning, evil] Page 51, Vale. Read it to him.

Rook: [looking at Luna] Page 51?

Luna: [tears spilling] I didn’t mean—

Zayne: [shoving notebook at Rook] Read it yourself.

Rook: [catches it, opens to 51]...

Rook: [reading, voice going quiet] “Rook Mercer looks at me like I’m not invisible.”

Rook: [continues] “Like I’m a real person. And it terrifies me.”

Rook: [looks up at Luna]...

Luna: [can’t breathe]...

[Luna’s POV - Inner thought]

Luna: He wasn’t supposed to see that. No one was.

Zayne: [laughing, cruel] Aw. She’s got a crush on the delinquent.

Zayne: [to Rook] She wrote 3 pages about your “sad eyes.” Pathetic.

Rook: [slams notebook shut] Shut up, Cross.

Zayne: [stepping to Rook] Make me.

Rook: [chest to chest with Zayne] You want detention to go longer?

Zayne: [smirking] You think Principal Cross cares if I’m late?

Zayne: [glances at Luna] But her dad might. If he was still around.

Luna: [flinching like she was slapped]...

Rook: [grabbing Zayne’s collar] Say that again.

Zayne: [laughing in his face] What, the dead dad part? Everyone knows—

[Luna bolts for the door. Locked.]

Luna: [pounding on it] LET ME OUT!

Mr. Ellis: [muffled, outside] Language, Ms. Vale! One more week of detention!

Zayne: [yanking free from Rook] See? Even Ellis takes my side.

Rook: [turning to Luna, voice soft] Hey.

Rook: [holding out her notebook] Here.

Luna: [won’t take it]...

Rook: [sets it on desk, gently] I’m not gonna read the rest.

Rook: [beat] Unless you want me to.

Zayne: [rolling eyes] God, you’re both disgusting.

Zayne: [checks watch] My offer expires at midnight, Vale.

Zayne: [walking to locked door, bangs once] ELLIS! OPEN UP!

[Door unlocks. Zayne walks out without looking back.]

[Door slams. Silence.]

Luna: [sliding to floor]...

Rook: [kneeling in front of her, not touching] You okay?

Luna: [laughing, broken] No.

Rook: [quiet] Me neither.

Rook: [nods at notebook] Page 47’s brutal.

Luna: [wiping face] You read it?

Rook: [shakes head] Zayne screamed it in the hallway. Whole school knows.

Rook: [beat] But page 51... that was just for me?

Luna: [can’t look at him]...

Rook: [stands, heads for door] Zayne’s dad can’t expel me twice.

Rook: [hand on door] So if he comes near you again...

Rook: [looks back, eyes hard] He’s gonna wish he stayed invisible.

[Door shuts. Luna alone with her notebook.]

[Luna’s POV - Inner thought]

Luna: I had two choices. Zayne’s fake girlfriend. Or Rook’s real war.

Luna: [picks up notebook, page 51] And I’d already written about both of them.

[END EPISODE]