A bullied girl meets the popular new student.
*****
"Still saying that you're perfectly okay?" Max whispers.
I'm surprised to hear that his voice is shaking.
"I'm going to find who did this to you."
*****
One time, I was the most popular girl in sch...
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For a while, none of us says anything after my car stops in front of her house. I glance at Luna, who's staring down at her hands on her lap. I know that I shouldn't drop her off right at her house lobby, because she wouldn't risk her family finding out that our attires are completely different.
She really doesn't want to make her family worried and devastated. Bless her goddamn heart.
As she turns to look at me, I can see that the tears on her face are gone, because she has wiped them away. But if her family is really looking, they will see that there's still sadness glistening in her eyes.
"How do I look?" she asks, worry in her tone.
"Pretty," I say.
I did not just say that.
Fuck.
But that's the first thing that has come up to my mind when I see her face again. Crying or not crying, Luna Klein looks pretty.
Still, I must look like an idiot because that wasn't the reason why she blurted out that question.
I mutter a silent curse as I look away to the front instead, throwing my head back against the seat, raking my fingers through my hair.
I can feel that she's looking away too -- I bet that she's blushing. Wait, is she really blushing? I'm struggling to keep myself from looking at her again, because a part of me wants to see that blush.
Fucking idiot, I curse at myself again.
"I..." she stumbles upon her words. "I guess that I'll just go to my room really quickly before they can ask me any questions about the party."
"Right."
Silence falls.
Why the hell my grip on the steering wheel tightens?
"Max?" she calls, and I finally turn to her. "Thank you for tonight," she says in a small voice, unable to hide her shyness as she avoids my gaze. "I feel so much better after letting it all out. Thank you for being there for me. I really appreciate it. I never thought that Rory would pull such an act, and I'm sorry for dragging you into this, into this conflict with them."
I hear pain again in her voice, and I don't like it.
"You know that you should stop blaming yourself, don't you?" My voice turns deadly in an instant, startling her as she meets my eyes again.
What I hate the most about this situation is how she's been blaming herself for what happened. That's fucking ridiculous.
"Those people are jerks and hypocrites," I deadpan.
She stares at me like it's the first time someone said it to her, and that makes me want to break something.
"You really think that it wasn't my fault?" her voice slightly cracks as she whispers the question.
