This feral unruly atmosphere truly stung sixteen year-old, Belinda Rose Antona’s aura. Her bleached blonde hair was perfectly straight down to her hipline; showing a perfect display of her lavender highlights. She straightened out her long snake-like necklace on top of her baby blue sequenced tank-top. Grabbing her black sweater out of her locker along with a new plain spiral notebook, she locked her locker and somehow tried to cope with the rowdy hallway. She planted another false façade for the world to see. Placing her fake grin upon her face, she showed off her fierce amount of black eye liner and smoky silver eye shadow as she strut down the undomesticated hallway full of students, she called “animals” in her world.
Walking into her first class, the bell rang. “YOU’RE BOTH LATE!” exclaimed the art teacher, giving off a detestable glare.
She realized the teacher had said the word “both”, but usually she was the only one late. That’s when she noticed that distinguishing white smile and perfect completion that made Belinda’s flashy honey brown eyes stare with curiosity. There was this girl, dressed in all pink with wavy, dark, wine-like hair that draped down beside her shoulder. Her clear face and flawless skin looked so smooth and her astounding ocean deep eyes were exposed, out of all the minor details Belinda listed in her mind.
The girl began to realize Belinda was staring. Belinda blushed and quickly turned away before the girl would notice.
Then a gentle soothing voice came from behind and said, “I apologize for my tardiness, Mrs. Lurken. It won’t happen again; I assure you.”
“Yes Luna, I sure hope you keep your promise.” ‘Luna—her name was Luna; it suite her delicate complexion’, Belinda thought. “As for you, Belinda; I’m writing you up for another detention.”
See, Belinda knew Mrs. Lurken too well. She knew that she wouldn’t write her up; she only says it in front of the class to scare the students, making them believe she would write up if any student even tried missing her class. But, if she did write up Belinda and get her in trouble, she knew she would lose one of her best young artists in the school.
“Alrighty, Mrs. Lurk”, Belinda muttered to her while walking off toward her deserted area at the last table in the back, as usual. None of her friends took the same art class as her, at least not during same art period. Her friends Lova and Ali had art during period nine and ten, and switching into that class was no use since it was full. Belinda was stuck with first period art, and she managed to deal with it. It was actually nice to have peace and quiet for once where she can imagine freely on her own.
For the first week of school, it always smelt squeaky clean, considering that was the only time they cleaned out the whole school, for once. But for Belinda she seemed to be the only one that noticed. She saw many things others didn’t, like how the lights in the art room always flickered in the back of the room at exactly seven fifty-three in the morning. She also noticed how there was only two blonds in the class. And how she could tell the teacher was having difficult times in her marriage. How did she know this? Well, it was obvious the way Mrs. Lurken looked at the photo of her and her husband during the times the students worked diligently. Belinda could see how gloomy and miserable she looked through her eyes when Mrs. Lurken wasn’t looking. It was heartbreaking to watch, but Belinda tried to keep it on the back of her mind, and to herself.
She was dazed by how she never noticed this girl in her class before; she stood out from all the rest. Belinda observed the red head; there was no one around her table, and she sat alone in the front left hand corner of the room adjacent from the teacher’s table. To think that she never noticed Mrs. Lurken’s desk was disserted from her students, except for peculiar Luna.
She couldn’t help but ponder on Luna’s flawless looks and why everyone stayed away from this girl she had never even noticed before. She had to get her mind off of it. Later that day, after school, she texted Allison and made plans to pick up some drinks at the downtown liquor store.
**********
It was a pleasant day out when Belinda was waiting around the store in the dreary alley. It smelt like something died there; or maybe it was just the rats that swam in the garbage dump. Two older men past her and gave her a sinister look that gave her the chills. She wasn’t sure what to do, but kept waiting for Allison.
She waited so long that sat on the pavement and looked up at the sky. She scrutinized the way each cloud looked as they gradually passed by. She saw some that were round like a balloon; some looked fluffy and puffy like a cotton ball, and others looked like animals. A tranquil feeling came over her that made her blackout.
She had an abrupt dream; a quiet dream. It started off as a dark murky room of nothing and it mysterious began to rapidly flood with ocean water. Belinda panicked and lost control of herself. She began to bang on the black walls and cry out for help, but it was no use. No one was coming, it was only her and the water she had to battle. It felt like it would perpetually go on and she would drown in sorrow, but the room began to diminish and unexpectedly she saw these ocean deep sapphire eyes that stung her. It was the same eyes she saw that morning; it was Luna’s.
“Hello?” a mellow voice spoke aloud out from the distance. Belinda was unsure to answer. “You must wake up Belinda—Wake up… WAKE UP!”
Belinda shot up off the brick wall with broad eyes staring at skin tight black skinny jeans belonging to her lovable twenty-two year-old neighbor, Allison Farlight. If there was one thing she knew about Allison for the past five years, she knew she always leaned on her right leg when she stood with her hand on her hip when she was bored. Belinda slowly looked up at Allison and saw she was wearing another black tank top with a bright neon yellow hoodie. With her long black charcoal hair that was perfectly straight draped over her mesmerizing turquoise eyes. Her high cheekbone dimples that set on each side of her cheeks complimented her perfect clear skin; she could have been a striking model. She had the body of an anorexic, but had talent of a true artist with her creative mind and masterful doodles, and Belinda knew she had that potential. Sadly, the way she got high on anything gave her a less chance to focus in on anything.
Belinda yawned and spoke. “You look rather dashing today.”
Allison smiled. “Thanks. Now get up, I’m craving for a nice bottle of Corona,” she moaned as she began to walk away.
Belinda laughed. She got up and shouted over to her, “I want the clear stuff!”
When she caught up with her she saw the two gruesome men from before lurking around the liquor store. She tried not paying attention to them since she had Luna’s ocean eyes stuck in her mind.
As they walked through the doors of the shop, Belinda shot toward the Absolut Vodka bottles. Allison knew it was her favorite and grabbed the clear florescent bottle and placed it to the counter. She walked toward the freezer section and grabbed a six-pack of Corona and placed that on the counter also. There began the same routine as usual. Allison grabbed the drinks while Belinda waited for her at the counter. It was the same amount as it always was when they came. Allison paid forty-six dollars and forty-three cents, nothing more and nothing less.
They casually walked out of the shop and Belinda didn’t see the two men anymore, which made her relieved. They went off back to their development and went to Belinda’s house. It was Wednesday, that was the day her mother always worked over time, so she wouldn’t be home till midnight.
Once they arrived at Belinda’s home, the house was a mess as usual. With clothes scattered everywhere and piles of her mother’s junk scattered from room to room, they settled in the basement which was the only decent area in the household. Belinda was so excited and snatched the bag out of Allison’s hands. She ripped the bag to shreds and placed the bottles on the coffee table. It was times like these that she was happy to have a friend over the age of twenty-two. It was useful once in a while.
Opening up the clear bottle, she placed her petite lips onto the rim of the bottle. The sheer translucent liquor slid down her throat. She placed the bottle down offering some to her friend, and her friend laughed at her. Belinda smiled, and went up to the kitchen to find a bottle opener. Slowly, but surely, she could feel the stinging sensation the liquor always gave her. The soothing feeling came over her as she came back downstairs to open the Corona’s. The thoughts of Luna came rushing into her mind, which was bad. When she drinks, she always spoke her mind, and she spilt out her curiosity for Luna.
“I sorta met a girl today—“, she started off saying very giddily.
Allison laughed, “You’re getting drunk; you’re turning just on time.” What she meant was that Belinda’s face was turning red. This always happened to her when she had any kind of alcohol. “Did she at least have a big bust?”
“Uhhhhh-hmm. She has pretty brown hair; and her ocean eyes—they were so—so oceany.” Belinda handed over the drink to her.



She grabbed the bottle. “Oooh. I’d like me a brunette with blue pearls. Now that’s a keeper right there.”
“I like dudes and—“
Then Allison cut her off. “And? I’m not saying you need to make-out with the girl. Just make friends. You’re somewhat good at it.” She was right; and that’s what Belinda did.

**********



The next day in art class, Belinda was, once again, late. She saw Luna came right on time; she was sitting alone with her pink Louis Vuitton bag. She was wearing a plain white Abercrombie t-shirt with navy blue skinny jeans to go along with her brown Uggs. It was a simple look and Belinda loved how natural it looked compared to her. Belinda wore a strapless rosy lace top that complimented her skin tight black leggings that showed off her bottom figure. She walked right on over to Luna’s table in her black heeled ankle studded boots.



“Hey there”, she began. “I’m Belinda.” Luna stared at her with those ocean deep eyes, and they looked confused. “Can I – umm sit with you?” she said shyly. The girl looked at her and slowly nodded as Belinda sat in the chair beside her.

It was awkward in the beginning, but something about this made Belinda feel safe, and she knew that there was something about her that was special. Maybe it was the look in her eyes that made Belinda smile, or maybe it was how her face was so perfect.

Luna sat their gazing off at the board, while Belinda wondered what could possibly be on her mind. Suddenly, Luna reached over for her notebook and grabbed her pencil. Her hand swiftly jerked the pencil and began to draw some figure. As Belinda watched, she noticed her little doodle was starting to look more like a stick, possibly a stem of some sort.

Only minutes past as she saw this stem turn into a blossoming rose, but she had one question on her mind that had been brothering her all that time.



“I’m curious”, she tried to start a conversation again, “Why don’t you sit with anyone? You seem like a nice girl.”

Luna gazed up at her and said, “Their afraid of rejection.” Then she gradually looked back down and started doodling a rose once more. “But you don’t seem afraid.” She was right; Belinda wasn’t afraid of rejection because in her world, she knew if you didn’t like her, then they didn’t matter to her, and that was that.
Slowly, but surely, Luna finished her rose drawing and signed her name at the corner on the paper, ‘Luna Farrell’. She dated the day’s date on the bottom of her name, ‘Thursday, September 14’, and handed it to Belinda. She showed off her pearl white smile and Belinda gave off a slight grin, and that was the beginning of their blossoming friendship.

**********
These past two weeks she got to know Luna, and each minute was as intriguing as the next; it was like reading a new book and wanting to read all the way to the end. There was no dull moment with Luna; she always had Belinda on her toes. She got to know so much about her, like the fact that she had a pure passion for astronomy, just like her mother. She also loved the moon and had a full shinning moon tattoo right on the skin of her neck, and Belinda loved the way it suite Luna’s body elegantly. Luna also told her about how her mother loved all forms of art and her mother use to claim that “the earth without art is just eh” and she agreed with her. With the same passion of drawing, they both loved doodling for each other, in class and on their free time as well. However, Belinda knew she could never match with Luna’s illustrious talent. She knew in her heart she was so much better than she was, and she respected her for that.
Belinda loved to listen to Luna’s reading. A majority of the time she read her Sherlock Homes mysteries. When Luna had an opinion, and she knew she was right, she would prove her point even if it took her all night. If anyone got to know Luna like Belinda did, they could tell she looked exactly like her mother. And the way Luna described her mother, made it seem like she was exactly like her and Belinda had a feeling that Luna’s mother would be so proud of her daughter. She even gave Belinda a nickname, ‘Bea’. In two weeks, Belinda and Luna became so close and open to each other.



Belinda told Luna about her past, and how her parents broke up. She told her how hard it was for her not to see her father everyday and how her mother was so strict with her. She even told her about how much she was in love with her ex boyfriend, and her belief of how love always crumbled in the end. But somehow, Belinda began to realize that there is always a beginning point to love, and she grasped on to the concept of her beginning to have these emotions for this restful caring girl.



Boys were the type she usually liked, but what was so special about this girl that was changing what she devoted herself not to do? Belinda continuously believes that young love is ridiculous and absurd. To her, there was no point in dating and “falling in love” at a young age, because it only leads to pain and heartbreak. These feelings she began to have for Luna were not new to her at all, she once had those same feelings for her first love as well.
She’s her best friend and one true person who really knew her out of all of her friends. She was there for her through thick and thin, for all her depressing moments and all the happy times. Every secret that Belinda kept was Allison’s also. She was like her own personal human diary that walks and talks, but kept all of Belinda’s thoughts to herself. But Belinda knew that this was one secret that she had to keep to herself.

**********
It was a dull gloomy Saturday that afternoon; Belinda and Luna hung out at Luna’s place in her lavender bedroom, as usual.
“I love your bed” declared Belinda as she fell back-first toward the bed; landing her head on top of the plush pillows.
“I know this might catch you off guard and all, but I need to tell you something”, Luna shyly announced.
Belinda shrugged her shoulder and uttered, “Yeah?”
Allison’s beaming ocean-like eyes grew still as it met Belinda’s when she sat up.
“Bea,” she started off, “I want to tell you how grateful I am to have a friend like you. Nobody in this town took the time to know me. No one even acknowledged me, thinking they would be rejected by my beauty and intelligence. But you—you took that risk and I’m happy with where it brought us. This friendship we have is like no other, and I’m so thankful that I finally have a good friend I can trust.
I feel like I can tell you absolutely everything, with no secret to hold me back.” That’s where Belinda’s smile broke. She knew she was keeping a secret from her, which nobody knew. Not even her best friend knew this, and at that moment she felt the urge to blurt everything out. It has been bothering her this past week, and this would have been the perfect time to tell Luna, but she tried to not say anything. Little did she know that Luna could tell that there was something wrong with Belinda. She could see her face turn into a worry friendze.

“Is there something wrong?” Luna asked. “You look like you saw a ghost.”

She panicked and was unsure what to say. She wanted to tell her how she felt, but she was afraid of Luna’s reaction.

“Nothing”, she lied and they left it at that.