Bullied by Him, Wanted by His Rival

[Luna’s POV - Inner thought] Luna: Rule #1 of surviving Westwood High: Never let them see you break. [Hallway - 8:17 AM. Bell screaming. Lockers slamming.] Luna: [walking fast, head down, earbuds in] No music. Never was. They’re armor. Luna: [dodging elbows] Two years. 730 days. 17,520 hours of perfect invisibility. Luna: I sat in the back. Ate in the library, third table from the window. Luna: Said exactly 4 words per day: “Present,” “Here,” “Yes,” “No.” Luna: I was Luna Vale, the ghost with a 4.0 GPA. Luna: [stops at locker 247] 27... 14... 9. Luna: [lock sticks] Always does on Tuesdays. Luna: Then Zayne Cross noticed me. [WHAM! A palm slams the metal above her head.] Luna: [flinches]... [Hallway goes dead silent.] Zayne: [leaning in, breath on her ear] Vale. Luna: [fingers freeze on dial]... Zayne: You ignored me. Luna: [throat dry]... Kayla: [pushing through crowd, phone up] Oh my god. He’s doing it. Brittany: [whispering to Kayla] Record this. Luna: [barely audible] I’m sorry. [Luna’s POV - Inner thought] Luna: Rule #2: Apologize. It ends faster. Sometimes. Zayne: [tilting his head, studying her] You should be. [BANG! His fist slams her locker.] [Her chemistry textbook crashes out. Spine cracked.] Crowd: [laughing, phones up] OHHH! Jock #1: [yelling] FIGHT! FIGHT! Zayne: [pointing at floor] Pick it up, Vale. Luna: [drops to knees, tile cold]... Luna: [grabs book, cheeks on fire]... [Her black notebook slips out. No label. Corners worn soft.] Luna: [eyes go wide] No. [Luna’s POV - Inner thought] Luna: Not that one. Not my poems. Not the letters to Dad. Not page 47. Zayne: [snatching it before she can touch it] Well well. Zayne: [flipping it open, one-handed] You write about him. Luna: [ice down her spine] Please don’t. Zayne: [holding it up, projecting] EVERYONE! Luna Vale thinks I’m a monster! Crowd: [screaming] OOOOH! READ IT! READ IT! Zayne: [clearing throat, dramatic] “Dear Diary, Today Zayne Cross looked at me and I wanted to—” Luna: [leaping up, grabbing at air] GIVE IT BACK! Zayne: [holding it above his head] Beg. Crowd: [chanting, stomping] BEG! BEG! BEG! BEG! Kayla: [zooming in on Luna’s face] Cry for us, ghost girl! Brittany: [laughing] She’s gonna pee herself! [Luna’s POV - Inner thought] Luna: If I beg once, I’ll beg for three years. If I beg once, I’m his. Luna: [hands fisting, nails digging into palms]... Luna: [turns, walks away, slow]... Crowd: [parting for her, whispering]... Student #1: [yelling] Did you see her face? Student #2: [yelling] She’s gonna shoot up the school! Student #3: [yelling] She’s too quiet for that! [Girls’ bathroom - 8:22 AM] Luna: [slams into last stall, locks it]... Luna: [slides down door to floor]... Luna: [whispering, rocking] 27-14-9. 27-14-9. 27-14-9. 27-14-9. [Luna’s POV - Inner thought] Luna: I wouldn’t cry. Crying is losing. Crying is blood in the water. [Heels click on tile. Three sets.] Kayla: [outside stall] She’s probably cutting herself in there. Brittany: [outside] Zayne broke another one. That’s like, six this year? Tiffany: [outside] He didn’t even touch her. She’s just dramatic. Kayla: [outside] Ugh, did you see her face? She looked like she wanted to die. Tiffany: [outside] Maybe she will. One less weirdo. [They laugh. Lip gloss clicks. Sink runs. Door slams.] Luna: [waits 1 minute. 2. 5.]... Luna: [crawls out when it’s silent]... Luna: [turns faucet, cold]... Luna: [splashes face until it hurts]... Luna: [looks in mirror] Mascara = raccoon. Eyes = red. Hoodie = wet sleeve. [Luna’s POV - Inner thought] Luna: Just one bad day. One. Tomorrow I’ll be invisible again. I’ll transfer to online school. I’ll— [English class - Third period - 10:45 AM] Luna: [slips in last, head down]... Luna: [stops dead]... [Her notebook. Taped to whiteboard. Open to page 47.] [“Reasons I Hate Zayne Cross” #1 circled in RED MARKER: “I wish his smile would rot off his face.”] Mr. Ellis: [adjusting glasses, looking ill] Whose... whose is this? [Thirty heads swivel. Thirty pairs of eyes land on Luna.] Student #4: [pointing] HERS! Student #5: [whispering] Oh she’s expelled. Zayne: [two rows over, twirling pen, not looking at board]... Zayne: [looking at HER]... Luna: [choking, voice tiny] M-mine. Mr. Ellis: [reading, voice shaking] “I wish his smile would rot off his face.” Luna, we don’t promote violence. Mr. Ellis: Detention. One week. Starting today. [Bell rings. Students explode out of seats.] Zayne: [drops her crushed earbuds on her desk as he passes] Oops. [Library - Lunch - 12:03 PM] Luna: [hiding behind Fiction, JANE EYRE open but not reading]... [A peppermint appears on her table. Red and white. No one there.] [Luna’s POV - Inner thought] Luna: Mom’s favorite. Before she stopped saying my name and started screaming Dad’s— Luna: [stops. Feels eyes.]... Rook: [leaning against shelf, leather jacket, scar through eyebrow]... Rook: [not reading. Staring at her.]... Luna: [gathers books, heart pounding]... Luna: [tries to walk past him, fast]... Rook: [low, rough, stops her cold] You’re bleeding, Luna Vale. Luna: [freezes]... Luna: [looks down] Paper cut. Thin line of red on her palm. From the notebook. Luna: [voice shaking] How do you know my name? Rook: [holding out black handkerchief, eyes never leaving hers] Rook. Rook Mercer. Rook: [beat, voice like gravel] And Zayne Cross just made the biggest mistake of his life. [Luna’s POV - Inner thought] Luna: Because he looked at me like I was a person. Luna: And he knew my name. [END EPISODE]