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She doesn't say anything, only watches me quizzically.
"Oh, it's okay. I was heading to the park anyway," Duncan says, his voice innocent and dumb. Duncan is dumb. Dumb Duncan.
I turn my head to face his. Reaching my hand out, I grab onto his forearm and pull him toward the swings on the other side of the playground. Luna watches me curiously, and a little nervously. "Roman?" she asks, a tremor in her tone.
I ignore her as I pull Duncan far, far away from Luna.
"Roman! What're you doing?" Duncan asks, ripping his arm from mine.
"Stay away from her," I say once we're a safe enough distance away from her. "Stay away from Luna."
He backs up a step, his feet kicking rocks as the fierceness in my tone takes him aback. I'm not an angry kid. I'm usually the playful one. The one that gets along with everyone. But not with this. Not with Luna.
"What?" His eyes widen into large circular dinner plates taking over the expanse of his face.
"Stay away from Luna. She won't like you."
He frowns at this, which slowly drips into a scowl. "How do you know? Can you read her mind or something?"
I grip his arm again, this time squeezing until I know he can feel the pain.
He flinches.
"Stay away from her, Duncan. Or else I'll tell everyone you wet the bed almost every night at summer camp the other year."
The color drains from his face, leaving him a ghostly shade of white. "You wouldn't."
I nod my head. "She's not yours to like, Duncan."
I turn away from him after that, walking through the heavy rock piles. It always makes walking slower, and I have to pick up my feet a little extra to make the next step. It makes my anger a little more aggravating.
"What did you do?" Luna asks, her eyes on Duncan as he turns the other way. He doesn't give us a backward glance as he heads toward his house on the other side of the lake.
"Nothing," I grunt, kicking the rocks and watching the dust plume around my shoes.
"It didn't look like nothing. You looked mad."
I look at up at her. My mouth opens to tell her something, I don't know what, when Harper walks up to us. "Hey, guys."
Luna spins toward her sister. "Hi."
"How was your first day?" Harper wraps her arms around Luna's shoulders.
"Good. I met some new friends."
Harper smiles. "Me too. Ready to head home? You have ballet tonight, right?"
I frown. "You start ballet tonight?" I wanted to hang out with her. Go down to the dock and sit with her, just the two of us down by the water, for one of the last nice days of the year.
I just want to be around her.
"Yeah." Genuine excitement lights up her face.
I smile with her. I smile for her. But on the inside, a part of me feels lost.
"What're you doing?" Nora asks from her bike. I don't answer, so she rings her bell that sits on her handlebars, then rings it again, and one more time.
I stand up, startling her to the point her bike nearly tumbles onto its side. I take a huge step forward and plant my hands on the handlebars, keeping her upright. "Quit being annoying."
