Forbidden Love

18

Jaxon

English is my worst subject by far, but algebra comes in a close second. I don't understand how any of this is going to be useful in the future. I'm positive that math will never be used in my lifetime once I graduate. And it's not like I'm going to make a living as a doctor or a mathematician—those options aren't in the cards for me.

Luna and I are studying in my bedroom since my parents were hovering in the living room. Seriously, if we listened hard enough, we could hear them breathing down my neck. Concentrating while parents stare is next to impossible, so Luna agreed to work upstairs.

Speaking of Luna, she's almost fallen asleep ten times in the past twenty minutes. But I have to hand it to her, even tired she makes a great tutor. It's easy to know that her strong suit is most definitely literature instead of math, but she still tries her best.

Once I finish answering one problem, Luna yawns and points to the next. "Do this one."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," I wave her off. "You can go sit over there until I finish. You keep hovering over me like I'm a child."

"It's my job to hover,"

"Okay, Mom. We should've stayed downstairs. You could compare notes with my parents."

She snorts. "Fine but tell me when you're done so I can check it." My eyes follow her as she lays down on my bed and closes her eyes. I'm sure she tells herself that it'll only be for a moment, but I wouldn't be surprised if she knocked herself out. You don't have to be smart to realize that she's burned out, and I suddenly remember what she told Ms. Jacobs that one day in her office.

I have a lot of stuff going on.

Luna never expanded. And earlier today, I caught her putting eye drops in her eyes. Apparently, the girl doesn't sleep. At all. I wanted to continue our conversation at church, maybe figure out what's going on in her life, but I had to talk to Allison.

Well, talk is a stretch. We said three words to each other before she told me that she had something important to tell me. And then she proceeded to say she'd call me back later because someone was calling her.

I'm still waiting for that call back.

Putting away thoughts of Luna and Allison, I finish up the entire page with the advice Luna had given me earlier. It takes another fifteen minutes, but I get it done. Turns out, the girl is pretty good at tutoring even if she isn't a math whiz herself. I should be back on the football team in no time. Coach would have no excuses to turn me down now, not when my grades are going to shoot up.

"I'm done..." My voice trails off when I realize Luna's still sleeping. Her lips are slightly parted, her curly hair is splayed out on my pillow—even though she always wears it up—and she has a shirt in her fist. Connor's shirt. The one I hid there last week.

She looks pretty again...but now that she's asleep I could play some video games, maybe go on social media, or even call Allison back. In the end, I decide to do another page of work. But my back aches from staying at my desk, so I climb on the opposite side of the bed, sit with my back against the wall, and do the work there.

About an hour—and five pages—later, Luna shifts and lays her head on my lap. I roll my eyes and try to move her, but she grips my waist. A small noise escapes her lips, and butterflies shoot through my stomach. Butterflies. What am I? 12?

I'm an idiot.

Luna starts to mutter something under her breath. I furrow my eyebrows and put my work to the side. I should wake her, but...I really want to know what's going on. Call it a deep and sudden curiosity.

"What?" I whisper.

"Mom," She says louder. Her face twists into worry, and I comb her hair out of habit. I would do that to Julia whenever she couldn't sleep. But Julia couldn't sleep because she hated being alone. I think Luna's problem is more worry about whatever she's going through than it is about the company she's with. Immediately, Luna relaxes against my touch and her face clears up. It's obvious she needs to take better care of herself, but I'm not about to interrupt her sleep. Instead, I lean my head back against the wall and focus on running my fingers through her hair