Bullied by Him, Wanted by His Rival

GHOST DON'T BLEED

[Luna’s Bedroom - 11:59 PM. Phone screen = only light.]

[Luna’s POV - Inner thought]

Luna: Rule #4: Deadlines are death lines.

Luna: 11:59. 60 seconds to become Zayne Cross’s property.

Luna: 60 seconds to sell my name, my face, my choices. All of it.

[Phone BUZZES. Unknown Number.]

Text: *Clock’s ticking, ghost. Yes or no? - Z*

Luna: [staring at notebook, page 51 ripped out, crumpled in her fist]...

Luna: [fingers trembling] Page 51 was supposed to die with me. Not be evidence.

Luna: [types: NO. Deletes it. Types: GO TO HELL. Deletes it.]...

Luna: [types: I’LL TELL THE POLICE. Deletes it.]...

[Luna’s POV - Inner thought]

Luna: Police. Right. Against Principal Cross’s son. Rule #0: Westwood doesn’t call cops on royalty.

Luna: [hits send]...

Text: *No.*

[12:00 AM. Read. Blue ticks.]

[Luna’s POV - Inner thought]

Luna: I did it. Rule #2 is dead. I didn’t beg.

Luna: My hands won’t stop shaking though. So maybe I’m still begging, just with silence.

[Three dots appear. Disappear. Appear. Longer this time.]

Text: *Wrong answer. Check Westwood Confessions. - Z*

Luna: [blood runs cold]...

[Luna opens i********:. Fingers slip on the icon. Refreshes @WestwoodConfessions.]

[Loading...]

[Luna’s POV - Inner thought]

Luna: Please be lying. Please be bluffing. Please let it be a photo of his shoes.

Luna: Please let it be anything but page 47.

[Post appears. 12:01 AM.]

[PHOTO: Page 47. Her handwriting. Black ink. “I wish his smile would rot off his face.” Circled in red. 2,847 likes. 312 comments.]

Top comment from @KaylaK: *TOLD Y’ALL SHE WAS PSYCHO 💀 #GhostGirlExposed*

Reply from @BrittanyW: *she’s in my chem class omg I’m switching seats*

Reply from @TiffanyA: *this is why she’s a ghost. freak.*

Luna: [phone slips from her hand, hits carpet]...

[Luna’s POV - Inner thought]

Luna: Invisible. 17,520 hours. Gone in 60 seconds.

Luna: 730 days of “Present.” “Here.” “Yes.” “No.” Erased by one page.

Luna: Dad always said words were weapons. I just didn’t think mine would shoot me first.

---

[Westwood High - Main Hallway - 7:15 AM. Next day.]

[Luna’s POV - Inner thought]

Luna: Rule #1 failed. They all see me now.

Luna: And they’re hungry.

[Whispers follow her like smoke. Phones point. Recording lights red.]

Student #1: [whispering] That’s her.

Student #2: [louder] She wants Zayne dead.

Student #3: [yelling] Psycho!

Student #4: [laughing] Someone check her backpack for a knife!

Luna: [head down, hoodie up, walking fast] Locker 247. 27... 14... 9...

Luna: [hands shaking so bad she misses 14] 27... 13— no. 27... 14... 9.

Luna: [yanks it open]...

[Something falls out. Lands at her feet.]

[A single red rose. Thorns still on. Stem wrapped in black ribbon. Note tied to it.]

Luna: [picks it up, hands shaking]...

Luna: [thorn pricks her thumb. Blood beads.]...

[Luna’s POV - Inner thought]

Luna: Great. Now I’m literally bleeding in the hallway. Rule #1: Never let them see you bleed. Failed again.

Note: *“I wish his smile would rot off his face.” — Me too. - R*

[Luna’s POV - Inner thought]

Luna: Rook.

Luna: [looks up, scans hallway]...

[He’s there. End of hall. Leaning against locker 301. Leather jacket. Scar cutting through eyebrow. Watching her. Not the rose. Her.]

[Rook nods once. No smile. Eyes say: *You okay?*]

[Luna’s POV - Inner thought]

Luna: He saw it. The post. Everyone saw it.

Luna: But he wrote it back. He took my worst line and owned it.

[ZAYNE’S VOICE - booming from behind her]

Zayne: [to crowd, arms spread] She turned me down! Guess the ghost likes monsters better!

[Crowd: OOOOOOH! Phones lift higher.]

Zayne: [shoulder-checking Luna as he passes, hard enough to make her stumble] Hope juvie was worth it, Vale.

Luna: [catches herself on locker]...

Zayne: [stops, turns to Rook] You hack my phone again, Mercer, and I’ll make sure you go back. Permanently.

Rook: [pushing off locker, walking slow toward Zayne] I didn’t hack anything.

Rook: [stops chest-to-chest, voice calm] I just told your dad you were blackmailing a student.

[Silence. The hallway actually goes quiet. Someone’s vape cloud hangs frozen.]

Zayne: [face drains, laugh false] You’re lying.

Rook: [smirking, head tilt] Am I? Check your texts, Cross. Daddy’s mad.

[Zayne yanks out phone. Scrolls. Face goes white, then red.]

Zayne: [to Luna, venom, smile gone] You think he’s saving you?

Zayne: [steps close, voice low so only she hears, breath smelling like mint and cruelty] He’s the reason my dad locked that detention door.

Zayne: [laughing, but eyes aren’t] Ask him why he was in juvie, ghost girl.

[Rook: GOES RIGID. Whole body locks.]

Luna: [looking between them]... What?

Zayne: [walking away, calling over shoulder] Have fun with your killer, Vale!

[Hallway EXPLODES in whispers.]

Student #5: Did he say killer?

Student #6: Rook Mercer killed someone?

Kayla: [screeching] I KNEW IT! HE’S A PSYCHO TOO!

[Luna’s POV - Inner thought]

Luna: Killer? The boy who left me a peppermint? The boy who gave me his handkerchief?

Luna: Zayne lies. Zayne always lies. But Rook just flinched.

Luna: [turns to Rook] What is he talking about?

Rook: [jaw tight, eyes on Zayne’s back] Don’t.

Luna: [stepping closer, rose still in hand] Rook. Why were you in juvie?

Rook: [looks at her. Really looks. Like page 51. Like she’s not invisible.]...

Rook: Because someone like Zayne didn’t get stopped soon enough.

[BELL RINGS. Violent. Final.]

Rook: [walks past her] Stay away from me today, Luna.

Luna: [grabbing his sleeve, leather warm] Wait—

Rook: [pulling away, not mean, just... tired, like he’s carried this for years] You picked a war. This is what it looks like.

[Rook disappears into crowd. No one follows him. They’re too busy staring at her.]

[Luna’s POV - Inner thought]

Luna: He saved me. Then he warned me.

Luna: Rule #5: There’s no such thing as invisible anymore.

Luna: [looks down at rose in her hand, thorn still bloody, then at page 47 trending on her phone: 3,102 likes now]...

Luna: So if I’m gonna bleed, I’m gonna make it count.

Luna: Zayne wanted a girlfriend. Rook warned me about a war.

Luna: Neither of them asked what I wanted.

[She drops the rose. Steps on it. Petals crush under her Converse. Walks to class. Head up. Eyes forward.]

[END EPISODE 3]