Chapter 9 Hayes Gets Hit by a Car
X: [Which questions can't you do? I can teach you.]
Luna blinked.
She hadn't expected that. Jax seemed cold and aloof, but he was actually kind.
She said, almost guiltily: [All of them.]
X: [.]
He didn't say anything else. He just took photos of the worksheet and sent them.
She could've looked up the answers on her phone, but searching them one by one would take until dawn.
Copying was faster.
Luna finished four worksheets in half an hour. She changed into pajamas, feeling great, and flopped onto her bed.
She scrolled through videos for a while, then eagerly opened a shopping app and browsed with relish.
"Miss." Helen knocked twice on the door. "Dinner's ready."
"Coming."
Luna grabbed a claw clip from the vanity shelf, twisted her long hair up loosely, and headed downstairs.
In her previous life, after the Harringtons lost everything, Helen had gone back to her hometown.
She hadn't had Helen's cooking in a long time. She'd missed it.
Only Leo was at the dining table.
Stella never ate dinner.
Luna stopped. "Where's Dad?"
Helen: "Sir isn't back yet."
Luna nodded, washed her hands, and sat down next to Leo.
Leo's chopsticks paused.
Because usually, Luna sat as far from him as possible.
The long table seated twelve. Every time the four of them ate together, it felt like they were sharing a table with strangers.
Seeing the siblings sit together, Helen smiled pleasedly and opened a bottle of juice, pouring a glass for each of them.
"Thanks, Helen."
Luna was sweet about it. She took a sip of the sweet orange juice and looked at Leo.
Leo tapped his bowl with his chopsticks. "Do I have something growing on my face?"
"I'm just looking out for you." Luna asked earnestly, "Did you have fun shooting pool this afternoon?"
Leo figured she was being weird. He gave a perfunctory nod. "Sure."
Then he lowered his head and took a bite of chicken wing.
Luna chewed a mouthful of rice for ages, then asked, "Are you going again tomorrow?"
"I have class tomorrow. How would I go?"
Lincoln High had mandatory evening study hall. Kingsley Prep's was optional — you could stay or go home.
"Oh~" Luna said. "Forgot."
She started making small talk again. "Is the chicken wing good?"
"Try one and find out."
"Okay."
Luna picked up a chicken wing.
The rice was perfectly steamed, each grain distinct. When the chicken wing landed on top, the glossy sauce clung to the rice, making it shine.
She took a bite, thought for a moment, and asked, "So besides shooting pool, what else do you like to do?"
Leo set down his chopsticks and asked, with genuine sincerity, "Are you possessed?"
"I just want to know what kind of stuff you guys are into." Luna mumbled around her chopsticks.
Leo's expression went cold again. His long lashes cast a thin shadow over his eyes. "That explains it."
"What..." Luna didn't follow.
Leo didn't answer right away.
He was just thinking: no wonder she'd suddenly come looking for him. No wonder she'd suddenly taken his side.
He'd kept spacing out while shooting pool this afternoon, actually thinking his sister had turned over a new leaf.
His thin lips curved into a faint smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Then you're going to be disappointed. A slacker trust fund kid like me — how could I have anything in common with a straight-A student like that?"
"A straight-A student?" Luna repeated. "You mean Hayes?"
Leo said nothing. His dark eyes locked on Luna.
Silence meant agreement.
Luna's head was full of question marks. "What does this have to do with Hayes?"
Leo: "Keep pretending."
Luna nearly choked. She held up three fingers and swore to the sky: "If the question I just asked had anything to do with Hayes, then I—"
Luna went silent for a few seconds.
Leo scoffed. "If you don't have the guts to finish that, don't swear."
Before he could finish, Luna said, "I'll make Hayes get hit by a car and die tomorrow."
"..."
The siblings fell silent.
Staring at each other.
Luna snorted. "Who doesn't have the guts?"
Leo was genuinely stunned this time.
He said nothing, just stared at Luna, as if trying to see through her skin to check if she'd been possessed by a spirit.
Luna knew her current attitude was a bit strange.
That morning she'd happily attended the banquet — because Hayes was there.
And by afternoon, she was cursing him to get hit by a car.
She coughed, took a sip of orange juice, and said, "Actually, I think I get it now."
Leo: "Get what?"
Luna: "That he will never like me."
Luna had liked Hayes since she was little, because he was good-looking — better-looking than any of her childhood friends.
Once they started school, Hayes was always at the top of the class. Never dropped below third.
Luna was drawn to excellence. She liked him even more.
While she chased Hayes one-sidedly, he had never once given her a kind look.
Instead, he'd always had a soft spot for stubborn Rory.
In her previous life, once Luna gave up on Hayes and went cold, his attitude toward her actually improved.
Hayes was a textbook sadist.
Give him a warm smile, and he couldn't care less. No challenge, no fun.
Give him the cold shoulder, and he comes running.
A guy like that wouldn't stay interested in anyone for long.
He craved the conquest, the challenge. Winning someone over gave him a sense of accomplishment.
But he'd get bored fast.
Leo didn't speak for a long time.
He pressed his lips together, unscrewed the juice bottle, and refilled Luna's glass. No sarcasm. He just said, "You and Rory have one thing in common."
Luna touched her earlobe, eyeing him warily. "Did you just compliment me?"
Leo gave a cold laugh. "You both have terrible taste."
Luna: "...I'll take that as a compliment. His taste in people is pretty terrible."
After dinner, Charles came home carrying a small bucket.
Leo stood up and went straight upstairs without a word.
Luna sighed.
The four of them were, honestly, worse than strangers.
Strangers could at least exchange a few words.
"Dad, how many did you catch?"
Luna walked over and looked down at Charles's bucket.
It was completely empty.
Charles coughed. "Dad's not very good at this."
Luna was baffled. "Don't you go fishing every day?"
Charles: "It's about talent."
Luna: "...Really? I'm a trusting person. Don't lie to me."
Meeting his daughter's clear, earnest eyes, Charles sighed. "Dad's not a very fast learner."
Finally, he nudged Luna's head and said, "You have school tomorrow. Go to bed early."
Luna watched his back.
As far back as she could remember, Stella and Charles had been a couple in name only — going through the motions while barely tolerating each other.
That was just how old money marriages worked. It wasn't surprising.
But in his previous life, before Charles went to prison, he had done everything he could to find Stella a safe place.
His warm hand had patted Luna's hair. "Don't trust your uncle. Protect your mother."
If Stella hadn't walked right into the trap to save Luna, she would have lived.