Chapter 10 Strawberry Cupcake
Helen came out to clear the table and found Luna standing there, lost in thought. "Miss, is everything alright?"
For the first time, Luna asked Helen about the family. "Did my dad and mom used to be close?"
Helen paused, thinking back. "I started working here when you were four. By then, they'd already stopped talking much. But the other housekeepers told me that Sir and Madam were deeply in love at the very beginning."
Luna: "When did they stop?"
"That, I'm not sure about," Helen said. "I came too late."
Luna nodded and didn't ask any more.
Helen asked, "What would you like for breakfast tomorrow, Miss?"
"Soup dumplings," Luna said after a moment's thought.
"Right away." Helen beamed.
-
She slept soundly through the night.
The next morning, after washing up, Luna changed into the Kingsley Prep uniform. A white blouse and a deep navy pleated skirt, a gold-embossed ID badge pinned to her chest.
Senior Class 1, Luna Harrington, followed by the last four digits of her student ID.
0009.
When she went downstairs, only Leo was there.
Lincoln High's uniform was a simple blue-and-white.
He sat at the table, almost done with his breakfast.
Luna set her bag aside, washed her hands, and sat down next to Leo. "Wait for me when you're done."
Leo froze mid-bite. "Why?"
Luna: "I'll go to school with you."
They went to different schools, but the route was the same.
Leo popped a soup dumpling into his mouth without a word.
Luna rapped him on the shoulder, annoyed. "Say something."
Leo: "Fine."
After breakfast, Dean, the driver, was surprised to see the siblings heading to school together.
Leo always woke up early. By the time he was ready to leave, Luna would just be coming downstairs for breakfast.
Dean would drop Leo off at school, and by the time he returned to Crescent Bay, Luna would be heading out. The two never crossed paths.
There was a large shopping mall right next to Crescent Bay.
As they passed a bakery, Luna spoke up. "Dean, pull over."
Dean: "Right away."
After Luna got out, Leo's phone buzzed.
It was a sunny day. The car window was half-open, sunlight streaming in and warming half of Leo's body.
His golden hair glow even brighter in the light. His nose was straight, his lips thin and beautifully shaped. Bad temper aside, his looks were flawless. His features even more delicate than most girls', like a beautiful boy stepping straight out of a manga.
He lowered his long lashes and opened his phone.
Chloe had sent him several messages.
Chloe: [Leo, please don't get the wrong idea. I know you're good to me, but right now I'm focusing on my studies. I'm not ready for a relationship.]
Chloe: [We're too young. Love is a luxury at our age.]
Chloe: [Besides, my parents care about my grades above everything. If they found out about us, they'd kill me.]
Chloe: [That's why I pretend we're not close in front of everyone.]
Leo's Adam's apple bobbed.
Leo: [Got it.]
He pocketed his phone after replying.
The car door opened. Luna climbed in carrying two small cupcakes.
Dean waited until Luna was settled before pulling away.
"Here." Luna handed him one of the cupcakes. "Blueberry. Your favorite."
Leo glanced down.
A blue-and-white square box with a clear plastic shell, the blueberry cupcake visible inside.
He didn't take it. Instead, he looked at Luna, meeting her confused gaze, and asked, "What do you want me to do this time?"
Luna flicked his forehead. "You're my little brother and I'm your big sister. Is it so weird for a sister to buy her brother a cupcake?"
It was weird.
Because she hadn't bought him a cupcake in a very long time.
He pressed his lips together, took the box, and murmured, "Thanks."
Luna still had one strawberry cupcake left.
Leo asked, "Is that for you, or for Hayes?"
Luna said coldly, "Hayes deserves to eat shit."
"." Leo tried to hold it back, but couldn't help the smirk that tugged at his lips.
-
They reached Lincoln High first.
After Leo got out, Dean continued on to Kingsley Prep.
The road was lined with luxury cars.
Kingsley Prep had strict rules. Students had to wear their uniforms and ID badges, and every morning the student council checked at the gate.
Luna stepped out of the car. Even from a distance, she could see the group wearing red student council sashes. And at the front was Hayes.
Hayes was the current student council president. He wouldn't hand over the role until the end of the first semester of senior year.
The Kingsley Prep boys' uniform was a full suit. In the warm weather, he wore a white dress shirt with navy slacks. His face was striking, his expression cold, a clipboard tucked under his arm.
Luna took a deep breath, fighting the urge to smash the cupcake in Hayes's face, and joined the back of the line.
The check moved quickly. In less than five minutes, it was Luna's turn.
She stepped forward, bag on her back.
Hayes twirled a pen in one hand, glanced at Luna's badge and student ID, then his eyes landed on what she was holding. He frowned with a hint of disgust. "Luna, I've told you a hundred times. I don't like cupcakes. Especially strawberry."
Luna froze for a second.
A few student council members glanced at Luna with pity in their eyes.
The student council had dinners together, and Luna used to show up every single time, shameless about it. They knew the drill.
Their president had zero interest in the Harrington heiress.
Even with the title of fiancée, she was the one throwing herself at him.
The sun was warm, the breeze gentle, lifting the ends of Luna's long hair.
She stared at Hayes, bewildered.
The boy stared back, coldly.
Their eyes met. Luna's lips curved into a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "You're awfully full of yourself. This cupcake isn't for you."
Hayes's expression stiffened.
A few people around them sucked in a breath.
-
At the back of the line.
Rory and her best friend, Lia, held hands and whispered to each other.
Lia scoffed. "Look at that. Luna's throwing herself at him again."
Rory stared straight ahead.
Luna and Hayes were talking about something. Personalities aside, the two of them were undeniably a gorgeous match.
She felt like she'd bitten into a sour lemon. She lowered her eyes. "They're engaged. It's normal."
"Normal, my ass," Lia muttered. "You're way prettier than Luna."
Rory's lips curved up. She tickled Lia's side. "You just know how to make me feel better."
"I'm not just making you feel better. Hey, stop, that tickles, hahaha."
Lia was ticklish. She stumbled backward on reflex and nearly fell.
A hand caught her back.
Heart still pounding, she turned around, wide-eyed.
The boy stood with his bag slung over one shoulder, an earbud in one ear, the white cord from the other side dangling freely.