The Luna Choosing Game

Seeing it hurt me in ways I couldn’t have imagined before.

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He’d kissed me in the hallway. He’d almost kissed me in self–defense practice.

I hadn’t considered he would be kissing other people too.

“Piper…” he said again, softer.

I couldn’t even bear to look at him. I turned my shoulder to him and dropped my gaze to the floor.”

Please go clean up. Then we can talk.”

He was rarely uncertain, but he shifted awkwardly on his feet now. “Very well. I’ll be right back.” He

turned toward the door, and I did not look up again until he had walked through it.

Both Mark and Charlotte were looking at me. I felt judged.

Charlotte glanced away but Mark didn’t. He didn’t say anything, didn’t even hold an expression, but I

feel his disapproval radiating off of him in waves,

my heart, I understood

had been doing, and whoever he had been doing it with, he had dropped all of it to

was okay. In order

only trying to make the best of a bad situation. I knew, maybe better than anyone, the amount of pressure he was under to find a Luna suitable

been unkind to him.

I borrow your handkerchief?” I asked

then produced a soft blue

you’ll excuse me a moment,” I said, and rushed out the door.

was only a few steps down the hallway, aggressively

“Damn it all,”

I approached behind

voice, and quickly turned. His eyes

the handkerchief and

lips and chin

very still

lowered my hand. “I’m sorry,” I said. “It’s not my place to keep you from the other girls. But when I thought of you with

voice was monotone. His face, impassive. He gave

deny it out of sheer embarrassment,

for myself, when we both know we can’t be together. But