In Between ➣ Cash Baker ✔️

01. Luna

I was nine when I stood in the muddy grass, my tears mixed with the rain fell down my cheeks. I felt my aunt, Auntie Jen, grabbed my small hand in hers.

"It's okay," she had whispered, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. I didn't exactly understand why she was telling me it was going to be okay. My mom was in a better place now, right?

I watched them lower the casket into the ground, I watched the people around me cry. I turned my head, looking at the many people who I had never even seen before in my life; except one.

He stood by his own mom who was grasping his shoulders. His brown hair was matted against his forehead from the rain and his black button up shirt was sticking to his skin. I remembered his name; Cash Baker. From what I had heard, his mom and mine were best friends. They would always let Cash and I play together. Him and I would take towels and tie they around our necks as capes, running around the yard and climbing trees.

Cash picked his head up, meeting my gaze. I quickly looked away, my eyes burning into the wet grass in the ground. When everyone left, I was left with Auntie Jen and my dad.

"Let's go, Luna," my dad's voice had made me peel my eyes off the stone in the ground with my mom's name on it. My dad wasn't crying and neither was Auntie Jen and I didn't know why. Didn't they know that mom was dead? Didn't dad know his wife was dead? Didn't Auntie Jen know her sister was dead?

"Eric, you can't," Auntie Jen's voice came from the outside of the car as dad buckled my seatbelt. "She needs you."

"No she doesn't," dad sounded mad, but why? Who was she? Why did she need my dad? "She needs someone who will take care of her and I won't," my dad shut the car door and I rolled the window down a crack, listening in to what the two grownups were talking about.

"Then," Auntie Jen paused, licking her lips and avoided dad's gaze. "Let me take her," Auntie Jen had a pleading look on her face and dad stuffed his hands into the pockets on the black khakis.

"Jennifer, please," my dad held his hands up, stopping my aunt from speaking. "Her mom's gone and Lord knows I can't take care of her."

"I never said you could take care of her alone. I said I'll take care of her," Auntie Jen corrected dad. He scuffed his shoe on the ground and I rolled up the window, not wanting to hear any more of the conversation taking place.

She is me.

"C'mon, kiddo," my dad's voice made me peel my eyes open. He had my pink backpack in one hand and my hand in the other. Dad led me out of the car and to where Auntie Jen's house was. Auntie Jen didn't have any kids or even a boyfriend but I didn't care. When I would sleep over her house she let me have icecream for breakfast.

"Am I sleeping over Auntie Jen's again?" I asked, slightly excited. Dad would drop me off here when him and mom needed time to themselves. Atleast that's what they told me.

"Yup, you are kiddo," my dad nodded, knocking on Auntie Jen's door.

"For how long?" I asked, tiling my head, letting my brown hair come off my shoulders. Dad brushed the bangs out of my eyes and handed me my backpack.

"For a while, is that okay?" He asked and I nodded, giving him a grin despite missing two of my teeth. They had come out recently but the tooth fairy never came.

"When will you be back?" I had asked. Before dad could answer the door swung open to reveal Auntie Jen.

"Auntie Jen, I'm sleeping over! We can have icecream for dinner every night," I spoke excitedly, wrapping my arms around Auntie Jen.

"Maybe not every night, Luna, but we'll see," Auntie Jen stroked my hair. I pulled away and watched dad get back into his car, giving us a wave and driving away.

"Do you know when dad will be back?" I asked as Auntie Jen led me inside the house.

"I'm not sure, hun," she had answered, leading me upstairs to the room I had slept in every time Auntie Jen and I had a sleepover. There were still glow in the dark stars on the ceiling and the walls were still painted light blue.

"Why did he leave?"

"Because he had to."

"Why?"

"Because he couldn't take care of you," Auntie Jen answered. She was always one for straight forward answers.

"Why didn't you cry when mom died?" I asked, plopping on the bed, the white comforter being soft underneath me.

"Because," Auntie Jen sighed, taking my shoes off along with my socks, "she wasn't a good person. She did bad things to herself."

"Did she need help?"

"Yup, but she didn't get it. She didn't want to," Auntie Jen opened my backpack, taking the clothes out and placing them on hangers in the closet.

"Auntie Jen?" I asked, watching as she handed me a pair of pajamas. "Did my mom want to die?" Auntie Jen ran a hand through her hair before kneeling down across from me and placing her hands on shoulders.

"Get some sleep, Luna, okay?" I nodded and watched Auntie Jen closs my door and I slipped into my pajama pants and matching shirt. I snuggled myself under the covers and looked up at the stars on the ceiling. I ran my eyes along them, counting them for the millionth time.

There were 35, just like last time. I looked over at the moon that was streaming light in through the window. I always loved the moon and how silver it looked. I loved the way it produced light without trying. How people loved the sun for shining bright but people don't appreciate the moon for giving off the only amount of light it can. Maybe the moon doesn't want to be in the dark, maybe it wants to be the sun and that's why it shines.

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new story skdhdkakd so if you read the chapter title, this is luna's pov and next chapter will be cash's pov