Lovebug ── PETER PARKER¹

22. Distraction

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          Luna had a sleepless night.

         It wasn't only because she spent the night at Mia's, who's brother found joy in keeping the girls awake until the early hours of the morning, but she couldn't stop thinking. And for once, it wasn't about a certain boy, but a certain girl. Like Spider-Man had told her, he escaped her thoughts for the night, being replaced by a girl with an award winning smile and luscious locks. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't rid herself of the conversation replaying in her head.

         She never took herself as someone who cared so deeply about labels, but it was her first relationship of some sort, the thought of wanting to correctly identify their relationship loomed over her. So Luna Giraldo stared at the ceiling throughout the night, constructing the conversation she'd be having to officially lockdown Danielle as her girlfriend.

          She'd planned to hold the girl's hand in hers, rubbing the back of her hand like Danielle had pointed out many times that she loved. She would pull her into a hug, and finally kiss the girl before asking her to be her girlfriend once and for all. It would be the perfect scene, so perfect that Danielle wouldn't be able to resist the offer.

          She didn't bother sharing her plans with her friends, knowing they'd either unintentionally ruin it, or attempt to record it. Instead, she abandoned them at the first sight of Danielle, not providing an explanation for her rush. Luna grinned at the girl, opening her mouth to begin the speech she practiced, just to be silenced as Danielle said, "Can I talk to you about something?"

          Luna slowly closed her mouth, lips tugging into a frown at the lack of her usual perkiness. It didn't matter how much pain Danielle Georgeson was feeling, she always wore her usual smile and maintained her confident demeanor. Yet right now, she looked as small as ever. Her smile was absent, and she was fiddling with the bracelets around her wrist awkwardly, a sight Luna was not used to. She slowly nodded, allowing Danielle to lead her to a more secluded area of the school.

          Danielle sighed, looking away from Luna before speaking, "I don't think we should keep this going, whatever this is." She gestured between the two of them as she spoke, and Luna's face fell completely as she could feel her heart breaking.

         "W-What?" Was all she could stutter out, too shocked to utter anything else. She'd just spent hours thinking of a way to prolong whatever was going on between them, just to have it stopped completely. As she waited for Danielle to speak, she couldn't help but think that perhaps she was destined for loneliness. It was such a juvenile assumption to make so quickly, but she was a fourteen year old girl who'd been abandoned by someone she cared for not once, but twice, in a span of a few days. It was fair of her to think low of herself at this point.