11

LUNA

I HAVE WATCHED ENDLESS SHOWS AND READ ETERNAL BOOKS, yet none prepared me for that moment. We would hear the tragic stories of heartbreak, scoffing at the antagonistic girl as she wept for the lost love and her unmendable heart. We looked down and scrutinized her until we became that girl. That's when it all made sense.

However, we need love. We want it. But not the potential heartbreak that comes with it. Everyone overlooked the conditions written in fine print. Relationships are like warranties. No eternal promises. And it seems mine and Austin's warranty has expired.

The school hallways buzzed with whispered conversations and stolen glances. My footsteps were heavy, each echoing the weight of devastation in my heart. Every glance felt like a dagger to my heart. I expected the gossip. The hushed tones and pointed stares shadowed me.

Lost in my thoughts, I moved through the hallways as my legs carried me. I rounded the corner and froze in my tracks. Austin stood amid the crowd. With his arm around Cynthia's shoulder. He whispered into her ear, and she giggled in response.

My breath caught in my throat as I watched the scene unfold. Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision as I struggled to comprehend the betrayal. It hadn't even been seventy-two hours.

Unable to bear the sight any longer, I turned on my heel and fled. My footsteps thumped through the hallways as I raced to the nearest bathroom. Pushing through the door, I collapsed against the wall, fighting back tears. My breath came in ragged gasps as I buried my face in my hands.

"Snow."

I glanced up, but the tears blocked my vision. I blinked until they washed away. Hudson stood a few feet away with an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips.

"What are you doing in the girl's room?" I asked, rubbing my eyes, not wanting to cry in front of him.

"I'm not." He said. "You're in the men's room."

My eyes darted around the room, taking in my surroundings with a sinking feeling in my stomach. He was right.

"You have got to be kidding me." I said, shoving my head in my hands. "Could this day get any worse?"

"Your ex could walk in." He said with a smile as if my heartbreak was comedic material.

"So, you heard that it's official."

"It's all over social media. The public display was a dead giveaway, though."

He reached into his back pocket and grasped his phone, scrolling through it before showing me a video. The narrow screen showed Austin and me fighting at his party.

"Five hundred likes overnight." He said as he watched the dramatic dispute.

He slid his phone back into his pocket before lighting the cigarette. My brows furrowed with concern.

"Are you crazy?" I asked. "You could set off the smoke alarms!"

He shrugged and took a drag from his cigarette, blowing clouds of smoke into the air.

"That's the plan." He said, leaning against the wall. "I didn't study for the English test."

I scoffed at his blatant disregard for education, wincing at the oncoming migraine. It worsened as a shrill alarm pierced through the air. The sound echoed in the bathroom with a deafening intensity. My hands flew to my ears as I stared at him in disbelief.

"Whoops." He glanced at the cigarette as if it had transformed into a snake. "Didn't think that would work."

I shook my head in exasperation.

"I'm getting out of here."

A large group gathered outside as everyone murmured with theories of what could have triggered the smoke alarm. I felt some not-so-subtle gazes in my direction, and I glanced down at the ground, wishing it would swallow me.

"It's so strange that the alarms went off for no reason." A husky voice said into my ear.

I glanced to my side as Hudson's lanky frame bent down at the waist to reach me.

"I heard some jackass did it."

He laughed before leaning upright with his arms folded across his chest.

"I heard he's a pretty decent guy."

"Well, you can never trust rumors." I said, earning another round of laughter.

"I'm done for the day." He said. "Care to stop acting like Ms. Perfect and ditch with me?"

I glanced over my shoulder and scoffed.

"I would rather gouge my eyes out."

"Guess you'll have to torture yourself by looking at that all day."

He pointed over my shoulder. My breath hitched as Austin and Cynthia stood a few feet away with their friends. I winced as I noticed his arms wrapped around her waist, holding her close. That's how he held me. A million different emotions simmered in my mind: anger, sadness, and more anger. The ambivalence was giving me a migraine.

"What did you have in mind?"

I could sense his smirk.

"Nothing." He said. "Anywhere is better than here, right?"

I had never been one to act impulsively. While looking at Austin and Cynthia, I experienced an unfamiliar feeling. The need to let go of everything and not think, because thinking led to feeling and that was the last thing I needed right now.

"Let's go."

I walked off without waiting for a response, but I could hear Hudson's boots trailing behind me. I strutted through the parking lot hoping to get into my car as fast as possible, but a firm grip on my wrist stopped me.

"I thought we were taking my bike."

"Why would you think that?"

He glanced at me with a sly grin and his eyes held a mischievous sparkle, as if he knew a juicy secret.

"This is your opportunity to do something you've never done before." He said with a shrug. "Because, no offense, being safe hasn't gotten you anywhere other than dumped."

His brash words were like a supernatural punch to the gut. It didn't affect me like I thought it would. I imagined myself screaming, fuming like a fire-breathing dragon. Instead, I felt nothing. Maybe I knew deep down that he was right. I'd planned my entire life around Austin, our future, given up everything to where I'd given up myself. I sacrificed for a man who wouldn't give me a coat in Alaska, duped into this charade of love, and I had no one else to blame but myself.

"You're right."

His eyes widened.

"I am?"

I nodded.

"Look where playing it safe has gotten me," I said, gesturing around the deserted parking lot. "I dedicated my entire high school career to one guy, studied my butt off to get into a college with the said guy, but here I am in a deserted parking lot with you, of all people, after you set off a smoke alarm!"

His grin widened, and a sense of triumph shined in his eyes.

"Well, let's not waste any time."

With a glance to ensure no one was watching, he grabbed my arm and led me to his bike. It gleamed under the midday sun, and the engine purred once he straddled it. He looked at me with a devilish grin. I eyed the machine.

"Come on, Snow. It will be fun."

My fingers twisted in the hem of my sweater as I bit my lip.

"I don't know."

He chuckled and reached behind him for a helmet.

"You can wrap your arms around me."

His grin widened as he offered me the helmet. With a hesitant sigh, I accepted it. My fingers trembled as I attempted to fasten it, but I couldn't. He reached over and fastened it for me. I swung my leg over the bike and wrapped my arms around his waist. His body heat seeped through my clothes. Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I felt the rumble of the engine.

With a final look back, he checked I was at ease before accelerating. The burst of speed sent a thrill through my veins.

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