Becoming the Luna

"When am I going to stop going to school?" Shana wails dramatically, flinging herself against her desk.

I just quietly pack up my bag, grateful that for some strange turn of events I had luckily not run into Elise all through the period of exams.

"But exams are already over." I tell her, impatient to get out of school before I push my luck with Elise, I hadn't seen her ever since the first day and I really wanted it to remain that way.

"I know." Shana continues to whine, red roots showing under her pink hair. "But there's going to be more, there's always more."

I ignore her panic episode to concentrate on getting ready to leave school, we'll have to pass by our lockers to get our books out.

I'm busy calculating but not distracted enough not to notice when the class goes silent and curious whispers startup, my heart jumps to my throat. Was it Elise?

I peek up slowly to see Dale leaning against the doorjamb, hands in the front pockets of his jeans, he has a leather jacket on, and his heated green eyes remain fixed on me.

The notes I had stacked together slips out of my rubbery hold and crashes to the ground, I let out a small sound of dismay at this and the next thing I know, Dale is at my table, helping me gather my strewn notes.

The entire class turns to look at my direction at this and I try not to die.

Shana sidles up to our table and whacks Dale over the head with her English textbook. "This is all your fault, if you weren't staring at him like that, this wouldn't happen." She accuses and a wide blush paints my cheeks, now more than ever I wanted to leave school before my life got ruined.

"C-Can w-we j-just go?" I stutter out, hands over my ears because Dale was looking mighty pleased and I wasn't sure I could handle them saying all those incriminating things in the middle of the class.

She gives him the stink eye but huffs back to her seat to pack up. "Fine, where's Virgil?"  She asks Dale, they are in class A while Shana and I are in class B.

"Had to do something."  He says vaguely, taking my bag and slipping his hands in mine.

I try not to die from all the eyes on me as we make our way out of the class, would I survive the Spring Dance with Virgil as my date?

That reminded me. "Um, Shana?" 

"Yeah?" She glances at me as we make our way down the hallway.

"Do you have a date for the dance?"  I ask curiously, peering up at her.

"Yeah." She says under her breath, looking at everywhere but me, a faint dusting of pink on her cheeks.

I throw my head back in shock. "Really?" I ask with wide eyes, pulling on Dale's hand to get closer to her. "Do I know them?" Shana is bisexual so I'm not sure who to expect.

"Actually, you do know them." She says in a subdued voice and my interest is piqued now of who the person could be.

"Who? I'm curious now." I say intensely, pulling on Dale's hand to get even closer because she keeps moving away.

"It's Mae." Dale finally eases my curiosity and my mouth falls open.

"W-What?" I blink, staring at Shana who's glaring daggers at Dale's head. "My neighbor?"

"Yep, that one, I don't know why she's being so dramatic about it." Dale continues blatantly ignoring Shana's glares.

We get to our lockers and I open mine. "But she's not at our school yet." I note.

Shana shrugs at this. "I don't think it matters, there's no rule about your date having to be a student of Pine Creek High."

I hum to this, the hallway was crowded and I hoped Elise didn't show up or at least just swept by, but then again now that I had thought about it, it was bound to happen.

The hallway goes eerily quiet when she makes her entrance and whispers start up almost immediately like it was a taboo to talk normally in her presence.

She pauses at the top of the hallway, her blonde topped head swiveling around predatorily and I hope she's looking for someone else.

Her search stops and she and her hench girls make their way towards us and I die a little, I had almost escaped unscathed.

"Dale darling." She says in her annoying accented voice, sidling up into him.

His hand still holding onto my hand, tightens and I glance up at him in worry.

"What?" He bites out to her who either is really oblivious or is just pretending because she practically throws herself all over him like a blanket.

"Can't I want to check up on my date?" She fake pouts, throwing me an evil glance.

I shrink into myself, wanting nothing but to get away from her cold gaze but Dale's grip just gets tighter.

Dale uses a hand to yank her away from him. "I don't know where you got that idea, Lisa." He growls in a frosty tone.

I blink, what? Lisa?

"I only agreed to be your date so you would stay away from Hayden, I don't see you doing that?" He raises an eyebrow at her.

The shock on Elise's face is almost funny, almost because it soon turns to a murderous glare directed at me.

Once again I try hard to escape from Dale's hold but he's not having it, the next thing is my back against my locker, his grip not relenting on my wrist.

His other hand slams against the metal, caging me in and I blink up at him.

What??

"Where are you running off to?" He asks me in a dark voice, eyes darker and I gulp, were we still in the school hallway? Because I couldn't see anything but him.

"I-I." I stutter, my heart beating ridiculously fast and my skin keeps burning up, Dale is so close that our bodies are touching.

I glance to the side to see Elise staring at me with her mouth open comically wide, then her icy blue eyes darken and I actually feel the threat come out of her frosty blue eyes and become life-like.

"Hey, hey, I'm up here." Dale whispers to me, using his hand to gently angle my eyes to his, and I die, like my brain starts malfunctioning because I can't process words again.

I just stand staring at him with wide eyes, trying to remember what he asked or my name.

"What's going on here?" Virgil's unhappy voice cuts through my haze of confusion and I startle, the entire hallway is still watching so I'm praying hard that they don't begin one of their rivalries here.

Dale just ignores him, his hand on my face keeping our eyes locked. "Ready to go?" He says casually to Virgil, raising my wrist in his hold to out over his broad shoulder. "You'll drive?"

Virgil is quiet at his questions, no doubt fuming.

I close my eyes briefly, hoping that he doesn't push Dale away or do something equally as life-ending.

"Fine."  Virgil finally bites out in a growl. "Toss me the keys and keep your hands off Hayden if you don't want a black eye." He threatens subtly.

Dale grins at this but eventually lets me up, tossing the keys to Virgil, he still doesn't let go of my hand and I'm seriously considering the thought of just giving the hand to him if it'll save me from constant mortification.

We make our way through the shellshocked hallway full of students and I keep my head down, nothing like tripping right now to sprinkle flavoring on the event that had just occurred.

The air is still tense when we get to the car and I hope we wouldn't spend our last day of school grumpy with each other, well it's mostly Virgil that is grumpy but you get the picture.

"Move moron." Shana bodily shoves Dale out of the way when he tries to get into the back seat with me. "This is my spot." She pokes his chest. "So scurry on."

Virgil snickers at this and just like that everyone is friends again.

"Renee said she made cake." Shana waves her phone, after a short spell of silence.

I make a face, "Why are you texting my mom?" I ask, staring at her suspiciously.

She shrugs. "She's cute."

"I did not just hear you say that." 

"Renee baked?" Virgil asks, surprised.

Realization dawns on me and I make a face of horror.

The look on Shana's face matches mine. "Shit, step on the gas V."

"Why?"  Dale asks, obviously confused.

"You'll see." She replies ominously, her hands flying over the screen of her phone. "I'm telling her to stay away from the fire extinguishers." 

"What??" I exclaim in a panic. "I thought you hid them all Virgil."

"I did." Virgil defends himself.

"She bought more." Dale shrugs.