A Collection of Stories That Aren't Worth Reading

Angel Part 1

"Angel, baja aquí!!" You rubbed the sleep out of your eyes and sat up,

"Angel!" Your mother yelled again just moments later. You rolled your eyes and pulled yesterday's hoodie over your head. Luckily black didn't show dirt.

"Ya voy, Mamá."

"Vamos!" She yelled up the stairs. She was getting on your nerves a bit. Sure you love your mother. She was a bit eccentric, but she tried her best for you, for the two of you. You trudged down the stairs.

"Really mijo, black again? You look like you're going to a funeral." You walked over to your backpack and slung it over one shoulder,

"I happen to like black." She tsked at you through her teeth.

"Come. Your hair needs fixing." She walked over to you and reached for your dark hair. You ducked out of the way.

"Adios, mama." You slipped out the door. The walk to the bus was like it always was, long and relatively uneventful. You put in your ear buds. Green Day started playing and you couldn't help but mouth the words. You knew all they're music by heart, in Spanish and in english.

Someone behind you made you jump, they flipped your hood up.

"Hey nerd." You rolled your eyes and pushed your hood back down,

"Hello Luna." The (unnatural) redhead smiled at you. It made your heart leap, but you quickly masked it.

"So, who's today's anthem by?"

"Green Day. Fell for you."

"Oooh, a love song, who's it about?" You rolled your eyes at her excitement,

It's about you, you idiot is what you wanted to say, instead you rolled your eyes,

"So nosy," you rolled your eyes

"Telll meee"

"No."

"Pleeaassee??"

"You want me to say it Spanish? No." You couldn't help but smile as you shook your head at her persistence.

"Fine, but I'll figure it out anyway."

Your negative answers hadn't effected her mood at all.

"Good luck with that." You climbed on the bus behind her and took a seat. She pulled out the latest comic bo- graphic novel that she was reading and began talking about art. You couldn't help but drift off. As she talked you watched her lips move and a slight smile twitched on her lips. It went all the way to her eyes, which didn't happen often. It made her grey-blue eyes shine.

"Angel. Angel! Are you listening to me?"

"Huh, yeah, sorry. Pre-Harley Quinn Joker."

"Yes! He's so cool. After Harley he's this awful abusive boyfriend. He's super manipulative and just overall terrible to her, but before her he's like this deep dark sociopath-"

"Psychopath."

"Right, anyway..." Luna continued to tell you about her latest obsession and you continued to notice things about her you shouldn't. How her round glasses set off the shade of her face perfectly and how the odd jewelry she wore drew your attention to her collarbone.

The bus pulled up to the school at your conversation slowly died. You pulled your hood over your head as you got off the bus to avoid drawing attention. You let your headphones off though so out could still hear Luna as she talked about her school day. When you got to your first class you shot her one last smile. She yanked your hood down to say goodbye.

School was uneventful as it always was. English, Chemistry, and History, then lunch with Luna where she showed you her latest joker drawings and talked incessantly. You thought about her after lunch. How perfect she was. How much you wanted to kiss her. How much you wish you could hold her hand. By your last class, your mind was made up. You were going to tell her how you felt and you were going to do it at your bus stop.

When you got on the bus your heart was pounding, you palms were sweaty and your knees were knocking together. You slowly walked to your seat, but were surprised to find it empty. Luna was never late for the bus. She knew she'd have to walk the three miles home. The bus doors closed and not of your own volition, you stood and took off towards the front of the bus.

"I need to get off!" You panted frantically. The bus driver gave you a look, but opened the doors. You hopped down the steps and back into the cold outside air. You looked around for your best friend, hoping she would show up. If you had to walk home, at least you could do it together.

You waited on the curb for what seemed like hours. You glanced at your phone; 3:45. You'd been waiting ten minutes. Where the hell was Luna. You sat on the curb and put in your earbuds, hoping she had detention of something and would show up later. You watched the clouds passed by above you as Billie Joe Armstrong sang in your ears and the world faded away.

____

You opened your eyes to a grey sky. The sun was on the edge of evening and you were freezing. It felt like a blood slushee was running though your veins. You stood and looked around. You checked your phone. 5:04 pm, 8 missed cals from Mom. Nothing from Luna. A pang of worry shot through your chest. It had been hours since school ended and she wasn't around. She always texted if she was sick of leaving. Something was wrong. You took out your earbuds and sent your mom a text,

Sorry, got held up at school. Heading home.

Loosely translated this meant, 'I fell asleep on the sidewalk at school' and 'I'm going to Luna's'.

You hoped now like you had so many times before that you had a car and could get back to your neighborhood in the blink of an eye. Alas, since your dad left, there was no money for extra things. Luckily, someone had abandoned a bike. You ran over to it and thanked god when you found it wasn't locked. You hopped on and faster than the wind, you pedaled towards Luna's house.

Her parents wouldn't be home yet so there were no obstacles. Get there, find Luna, tell her you're in love with her, kiss her, go home, and in parenthesis: bring the bike back tomorrow. You repeated your plan over and over as you petaled. You were panting by the time you reached her house and it was almost completely dark out. Just shivers of sunlight still lacking over the edge of the horizon. You hopped up the rickety porch steps of the old White House with peeling paint and went to knock on the door. It swung open under your fist. Your heart jumped but in a completely different way than before. You walked in slowly.

"Luna?...You here?...hello?" The house was uncharateristically dark. A bad feeling rose in the bit of your stomach. It was like butterflies except the butterflies were carnivores and they were eating your vital organs. Every creak of the stairs made you jump as you walked towards Luna's small bedroom. The door was shut tight, again, abnormal. You knocked then turned the cold brass nob. It opened and your heart dropped through the floor. Nothing would ever be the same again.