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“That’s how they get you.” I cap the green after finishing the doodle. “Yellow highlighter.”
Luna hands it over and tries to steal a glimpse of my drawing.
I shield her eyes with my hand, the burning cigarette between my fingers, so I avoid getting too close to her. “Only when it’s done.”
Her lips inch up.
I smile and then drop my hand to my mouth, sucking on the cigarette. We both finish off our cigarettes, flicking them to the ground. I stomp hers out, mine out, and then Luna finds her vape and smokes a little more before passing it to me.
While I put my lips to the vape, she focuses on adding more orange to her brightly-colored galaxy. “It’s been years,” she says. “I shouldn’t let her get to me anymore.”
I let smoke billow out of my nostrils again. Once its cleared, I say, “I know what it’s like to be shit on by the Jeffras of the world.”
Her gaze draws to mine.
“I was pushed in hallways as a high school freshman. I was rail-thin, hungry all the time, and easy to pick on because I stunk.” Remembering my past isn’t something I like doing—talking about it is in the same ugly boat, but maybe it’s a boat she should see, at least a glimpse of. “I wanted to be there, though. I had some bad friends who always hung around my family, who kept me from going to school, and I didn’t wanna be like them. That’s all I knew, so I’d do anything to stay away, but they’d catch up to me.” I take another drag and pass the vape back. “I started thinking, Paul, you’re a confident, strong, good lookin’ fucker, and no one’s going to bring you to your knees unless you want to be there.”
Luna smiles a little more. “What’d you do then?”
“Tried to go to school. I got in a lot of fights. I’d run away so no one would beat my ass that badly. I was pulling mostly Fs, not able to make up the days I missed. I was gonna be held back, so I dropped out.” I touch the yellow highlighter to the skin of her hand. “I was fifteen. A year later, both my parents were in prison and my grandmom was supposed to be looking after me. Instead of trying to go to school, my new goal was just trying to get away from home.”
“South Philly?” She’s confused.
“Nah, I love South Philly,” I murmur. “I mean my family. And anyone around ‘em.” I cap the highlighter and give it back, our fingers lightly brushing. “People think they’re kicking me down, but all they’re really doing is kicking me sideways. Helping me move away from them, and I don’t look back. You don’t look back.” She’s holding my gaze longer, and I breathe, “Sometimes, I know it still feels like they’re catching up to you.”
It still feels like that for me.
Her eyes fill, nose flaring with emotion. “It kinda feels like she caught and tackled me today, and I’m just so…I’m so tired, Donnelly.” She rubs at her eyes with the side of her fist, shoulders caving forward, and I slide my arm across her slender back.
“Rest your eyes,” I say. “What happened before is already gone. Right now is now, and nothin’ can touch you on your planet.”
Luna relaxes her weight against my side. Her head softly on my arm, I stroke her hair out of her eyes and behind her ear in a melodic motion. Over and over, my fingers grazing the ribbons she tied throughout her light brown strands.
“Your hair is dope,” I whisper.
Her lips rise, eyes reopening. This time, she sees the Sharpie doodle on the top of her hand. A green alien making a Vulcan salute. On the alien’s head is a crown made for a queen.
I watch her trace the crown with her thumb, and just when she’s about to speak, comms sound in my ear.
“Frog to Donnelly, I need your location like now. Xander wants to see Luna and make sure she’s okay—as do I, her real bodyguard.” She speaks more hushed in the mic to add, “And Ben Cobalt just showed up, so I think Xander is trying to avoid his cousin. They don’t get along still, right? It’s like Titanic shit. A sinking friendship. I’ve seen the viral vids where they fought at the Cobalt Estate during some party.”
Luna sits up off me, feeling me tense, maybe. I wasn’t expecting Frog to seek me out this soon, but maybe it’s been longer than I think.
I touch the mic attached to my collar.
“It’s your radio?” she wonders.
I nod. “Frog is coming here with Xander.” I speak into the mic, giving her our location. Luna is already shoving the markers and highlighters into her backpack. Vape goes in, too, and once she’s on her feet, so am I.
