toxic | j. baker¹

thirty-one

✧

Luna tapped on the screen of her phone, kicking her legs as she sat on a stool at the kitchen island. It was early in the evening, she had been waiting for a text from Liv to tell her when to come over so they could go to the cafe and eat but until then she was waiting at her house.

Maria played with the flowers in the center of the kitchen island, staring curiously at her daughter. "So...who are these from? Because they're not from Peter."

She looked up from her phone, suspiciously staring at her mom. "Peter told you they're from Jordan, didn't he?"

"Yeah," Maria nodded. "What's that about?"

"There's not much to the story," she answered. "We got into an argument and it kind of got out of hand. So he sent these as an apology."

"So...my daughter is still single?" Her mother rolled her eyes, playfully.

"Yes, I'm still single!" Luna gasped. "Jordan and I agreed to a clean slate. Friends, that's it."

"Laura and I will see how long this lasts," Maria sighed. "You and Jordan can't just be friends."

Luna rolled her eyes, standing up from the stool and grabbing her keys in the process. She informed her mother that she was going over to the Baker's but was quick to tell her that she was just going over to see Liv not to see Jordan. She wasn't sure why her mother was rooting for her to be with a boy that had broken her heart but for some reason Maria and Peter both were.

Luna quickly made her way over to the Baker's due to Liv's directions, telling her to stop at the house first because she had some last-minute homework. She shut her car door humming to herself as she approached the doorstep, doing a double-take once she noticed another person was right there.

It was as if the universe had wanted her to face all her issues head-on because Simone Hicks was right beside her. Simone had even tried to talk to Luna, but she didn't bother talking back to the girl causing her to let out a few snarky remarks her way.

Jordan swung the door open, dropping his jaw in shock once he saw them on the doorstep. "Luna, Simone...Hey."

"I'm just here for Liv." She pushed past him.

He let an amused expression wash over his face once she walked past him, quickly reaching for her wrist and stopping her. "Is that my flannel?"

"I guess it is," Luna shrugged.

She couldn't help but blush at the memory of this particular flannel that she had stolen from him. It was the first night they had spent together, she needed something to cover up the obvious marks he had given her along her collarbone and the first thing he threw at her was his flannel and Luna had kept it all this time.

"God, you took forever," Liv was quick to blurt out once her friend walked through the door. "I was starting to think you crashed into my neighbor's fence...Oh wait, you already did that."

"That was your brother," she corrected, sitting on the edge of her bed. "Dude...I'm never coming over, again."

Liv turned around in her desk chair and shot her an offended look. "What did Jordan do? I swear, I'll kick his ass!"

"I ran into Simone Hicks on your doorstep," she scoffed. "It was awkward and Jordan looked like he pissed himself once he opened the door and saw us standing next to each other."

"As he should," Liv pointed her finger in the air. "He saw the girl he's madly in love with standing next to the girl who he almost got pregnant and also ruined his relationship. I'm surprised he didn't shit himself."

"He's not in love with me," Luna denied. "He literally sent me friendship flowers."

Liv tilted her head, crossing her legs, and shook her head. "It's crazy you still think that after all this time, Jordan is not in love with you. Like, you're very book smart but when it comes to common sense all your knowledge goes out the window."

"Are you finished with your homework, yet?" Luna narrowed her eyes. "Because if I don't eat, I'll kill myself."

Liv stood up from her chair, shaking her head and mumbling something about how Luna shouldn't say things like that. She grabbed her personal water bottle and held her hand out for her friend. "Ready when you are, lover."

"What's up with your water bottle?" Luna questioned. "I feel like you have it with you 24/7."

Liv's face had paled before it was replaced with a fake smile. "It's an emotional support water bottle. Come on."

Luna shrugged, waving it off, and followed after her friend down the steps, running into Jordan and Simone who were sitting at a respectful distance on the couch and watching a movie. She still found it strange that they hung out but if Luna and Jordan were going to be friends then she would have to keep her remarks about Simone Hicks to herself because clearly, she was not going anywhere.

"I'll get the food," Liv glanced at the counter, eyeing Spencer.

Luna nodded, not bothering to utter a response as she went to find a table in the cafe. She watched their somewhat awkward interaction from afar and she couldn't help but wonder if this was due to what had gone down in Vegas. This seemed to be the root of everyone's issues, they all had some secret linking back to summer but no one wanted to admit to anything which was causing strained relationships to happen all around them.

"Luna?" Liv snapped her out of her thoughts. "Where did you just go right now?"

"Vegas," she confessed, causing Liv to falter. "I messed up, Olivia."

"You only call me Olivia when it's serious," Liv raised her eyebrow. "Or to get your point across."

"Because this kind of is serious," Luna bit down on her lip. "And clearly, something happened with you, too. So, spill."

"I can't," Liv shook her head. "I just want to forget about this summer, Luna. There's no need to relive any of this. And I think...I think you should do the same. Forget about what did or did not go down between you and Jordan."

Luna was taken aback by her response, not expecting Liv to be the one to want to forget something. She was always the one who tackled her issues head-on but summer changed a lot of things for everyone, so she brushed it off and tended back to the food in front of her and didn't mention anything else about summer for the rest of the night.

3x04