Page 16 of We're At It Again

As we worked on the project, an awkward silence settled between us. I’d never been one for uncomfortable tension.

“Do you still collect those weird dolls?” I asked, causing her to pause writing her notes.

“What?”

“Those Chucky-looking dolls you had on your shelves?”

Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t hold back a smile.

“No,” she said. “I realized they were creepy.”

I chuckled at the memory of Luna’s refusal to enter her room until the dolls faced away.

“I tried to tell you.” I shrugged. “At least you came to your senses.”

“Says the guy that would only wear blue for a year.”

I folded my arms across my chest and kicked my legs forward.

“It’s still my favorite color.”

She grinned, but it faded as fast as it appeared. As if she remembered she was supposed to despise me.

“Let’s just get back to work.”

I tilted my chin upward.

“It’s okay, St. James, you can admit it.”

She glanced at me over her shoulder.

“Admit what?”

“You forgot how entertaining I can be.”

She scoffed and turned back around, directing her attention to the paper on her table, but I saw a hint of a grin on her lips. Just like old times.

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9

LUNA

THE PUTRID SMELL OF NARCOTICS wafted through my nostrils, and I felt my stomach clench. No matter how often I smelled it, it seemed more repulsive. Intoxicated teenagers filled Austin’s spacious living room. The hot air made breathing hard as the sweaty bodies paraded throughout the house.

I maneuvered through the herd, trying to avoid colliding with someone, and retreated to the kitchen, a perk of knowing this house like the back of my hand. I glanced around the room, avoiding the gazes of the few inhabitants, and concocted a drink in one of the cliché red cups and took a small sip, wincing at the pungent flavor. Obnoxious laughter flittered through my ear, mixed with the booming music.

Austin and his friends were standing outside the kitchen, jabbing each other, making jokes at the expense of one another. Each of them clutched a red cup in their hands as they glanced down at something on Austin’s phone, which he placed back in his pocket when I approached.

“Hey, babe.”

He bent to place a chaste kiss on my cheek. The sickening essence of beer overbore my nostrils. I scrunched my nose and offered them the smallest of smiles. Austin wrapped an arm around my waist as they continued their antics. I sighed in relief as I spotted Maya approaching and fled the rowdy group towards my best friend.

“Don’t hate me, but I brought a friend.”

Before I could question who, the figure appeared beside us.

“Hope we’re not late.” He said with a cocky grin as he glanced around the living room.

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