Fixing Luna

17

Kyler had been staring at the ceiling for the last three hours since he came home from Luna's place. The party was cut short for reasons completely unknown to him; all he could remember was France Miller running inside the house like it was on fire. The twins, Levi and Finn Black, followed suit, and Fiona, France's assistant, handled the rest of the party guests so professionally that no one could seem to remember the ruckus. Or was it the alcohol? Whatever it was, Kyler knew something went wrong, and he was so sure it had everything to do with Luna Cooper.

Picking up his phone, Kyler dialed his cousin's number. It was about damn time that Paynes talk, it's been weeks since the incident inside the hospital, surely, he was not planning to go MIA on him far longer than that.

"Kyler?"

"Can we meet? Now."

Kyler was out of his place in a heartbeat, driving late into the night straight to his cousin's place. The familiar beige exterior with a huge dark green gate welcomed him, Paynes opened the door looking disheveled and haggard as ever. Looks like he wasn't the only one having a rough time tonight.

"You're scaring me, what makes you come here this late?" Paynes was on his neck before he could even take off his keys from the ignition.

"Are you alone?" Kyler asked looking around the front yard, hoping that his girlfriend wasn't around. Paynes was annoying enough, he didn't need another human to interact with.

"Woah, you're not planning to kill me, right?"

"Shut up,"

They made it into the living room and judging by his cousin's natural ability to be messy, the place looks more of a dumpster than a luxury home. A pity, but Kyler has better things to let off his chest than the mess around him. Settling on the only couch who looks a bit more decent and cleaner than the rest of his furniture, Kyler heaved a sigh out of frustration.

"Everything okay?" Paynes handed him a bottle of cold water that he gladly took as he occupied the space next to him.

"I think I'm in trouble?" Kyler confessed, it wasn't part of his plan, honestly, he doesn't have a plan at all. But confessing to his cousin of all people seems like the right thing to do. For one particular reason that he knew Luna Cooper.

"Okay? Is this illegal?"

"Maybe? I don't know, Paynes, you tell me,"

"Wait, why me?"

"It's about Luna," the words was out of his mouth before he could even stop himself. It was too late now anyway.

"Oh dear,"

Kyler narrated everything that went on between them, he was too busy talking his heart out to care about Paynes making funny faces at him. It was silly, he knows it himself, it's completely out of his character to be this invested in anyone or anything, but Luna Cooper breaks his barrier so easily he didn't even see it coming. And now he was stuck in his cousin's place, confessing his sin of falling in love with Luna Cooper, a woman who he knew was already married.

"Okay, I wouldn't say I didn't see that coming," Kyler threw him a glare, "now what do you want to know?" What does he want to know anyway? He was thinking about it the entire ride from his place to his cousin's house, but the list was too many to count, and Kyler needed a place to start.

"You said she was married," he started, the word married leaving a bitter taste on his lips, "where's this husband of hers then?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I told you, I left halfway through senior year, thanks to mom. I only told you that she's married because she was using that guy's last name,"

"So, you're not sure?" He was mulling over the fact that Luna was married for the last few weeks, and if it turned out all wrong, Kyler would be more than willing to wring his cousin's neck in a heartbeat.

"Well, around 75%?"

"Paynes!"

"What!?"

"I need you to be sure of it!"

"Fine, fine, no need to be a bitch you know,"

Paynes was calling someone as he remained still next to him, waiting for the other line to pick up. He wasn't sure whoever he was calling could help them, but Kyler could only hope.

"Yow Paynes, 'sup bro?"

"Still alive in kicking my friend, listen, I'm in a bind here, would you mind helping me?"

"Sure?"

"You remember Luna Greene from Class A?"

"Hell yeah! Who could forget that chick anyway?" Kyler jaw clenched; the comment doesn't sit well with him. Paynes mouthed him to calm down and it took everything in him to do just that.

"Right? Well, I saw her on TV earlier, did she marry Toby? You know the nerd on their group, Toby Cooper" Paynes lied so flawlessly, it was no wonder the guy sells properties like pancakes.

"No shit bro! You didn't know?"

"Marcus, I left on spring that year remember?"

"Oh right, that makes sense,"

"So? Do you know anything?"

"That Cooper kid? He died the summer after graduation, I'm not sure how he died but there was a funeral and everyone's in school attended i--" Kyler blocked the rest of the information, Marcus kept talking about that Cooper's funeral, yet his head could barely remember anything, but the words died, funeral and lost.

"Now, I didn't see that coming," Paynes mumbled when he ended the call after god knows how long. Kyler poured him a freshly opened bottled of vodka that Paynes downed in an instant. The two sat in silence, completely lost in their own thought.

"What are you gonna do now?" Paynes sighed, finishing the bottle of vodka on his own. Kyler doesn't like vodka to begin with, but it was the only thing on his cousin's kitchen.

"About what?" Kyler knew what he meant, but everything changes now that he knew what happened to that Cooper guy.

"About Luna, you know it's not gonna be easy, right?"

"I don't know Paynes," Kyler felt like he just lost the fight before it even begun. How can he compete with someone who was six feet under anyway? He wasn't even sure if making a move now would be a wise choice or a suicide mission.

"I'm telling you Kyler, I don't think it's gonna be worth it," Paynes opened another bottle of vodka, "You see, Luna has too many guys around him right now, and I'm sure you know it,"

"What do you mean?" He was already aware of Lexus Peterson, and now the Black Twins, does he want to know more guys around her? Hell no!

"Lexus Peterson, he's not someone you can just bypass. France Miller, that two-faced jerk too. Those two were bad news. She's not someone you can just approached just because you can, it's always been like that since high school,"

"Aren't you being too harsh on those two? They seem fine to me," Kyler lied, it was the only way to make Paynes talk more about the things that he was too stubborn not to ask directly.

"France and Lexus? Oh, hell no! Those two can ruin someone's live without batting an eye, the only reason they seem fine to you was because of Luna,"

"What do you mean?"

"Those two will go to hell and back if it means protecting Luna, did you know that they drove everyone away from approaching her way back in high school? Same goes with Athena, their other friend, we broke up because of them, well Athena didn't know about it of course," Kyler stared blankly at him, not really sure if his cousin was just exaggerating things like he always does but choose not to stop him from talking.

"I swear! I didn't even know they're still around her like a bunch of germs, I don't even wanna think about them after the last time,"

"Oh right, what happened after that scene in the hospital?" Paynes face turned a shade lighter, downing another glass of vodka. The night went on with his cousin rambling but for some reason, Paynes refused to talk about what happened after that incident in the hospital. His mouth was shut sealed about it, and no amount of vodka and drunken talk could make him spill the tea.