Chapter 11 Does Hayes Even Like Rory?
He quickly pulled his hand back. His dark hair fell across his forehead, his skin cold and pale, his lips a thin red. The contrast only made him more striking.
Lia's cheeks flushed. She whispered, "Thank you."
"Don't mention it," Jax said coldly. "I just didn't want you falling on me."
He'd been standing right behind Lia in line.
Lia's face turned even redder. This time from embarrassment, not shyness.
Rory tugged Lia's sleeve, signaling her to drop it.
Her stepbrother was impossible.
Rory whispered, "Why'd you provoke him?"
Lia's eyes welled up. "He's so mean."
Jax just found it annoying. He put in his other earbud, his gaze sweeping past Luna ahead of him.
Then he lowered his eyes.
-
At the front of the line.
Hayes was silent for a full minute. "What did you say?"
His knuckles were still white around the pen.
Luna stared him down. "This cupcake isn't for you. Don't flatter yourself."
She dropped the words and couldn't be bothered to look at him anymore. She turned to the student council member next to her. "Am I done? I'll be going."
The member scratched his head awkwardly. "Yep, you're good."
Luna gave a small nod and didn't linger. She walked past the frozen Hayes and headed straight into the school.
The breeze caught the ends of her hair, carrying a faint trace of jasmine straight to Hayes.
Hayes turned his head before he could stop himself.
Luna walked away without a backward glance.
"Mr. President." a member reminded him, voice trembling.
Hayes pressed his lips together and moved on to checking the next student's badge.
He figured Luna had just switched to a new tactic. Playing hard to get.
-
Given a second chance at life, looking at seventeen-year-old Hayes, Luna felt nothing but disgust. He didn't stir her heart anymore.
Hayes, you're really not all that.
I just had on rose-colored glasses that were too thick.
There was a saying online that was pretty accurate. Most men's attractiveness exists entirely in women's imaginations.
"Lulu."
An unfamiliar voice came from behind.
A hand patted Luna's shoulder.
Luna stopped and turned around.
A face with too much makeup filled her vision.
The girl's thick false lashes fluttered, her colored contacts a shade too light. Her voice was sugary sweet: "How come you just left the dinner party yesterday?"
Once Luna recognized who it was, her expression turned complicated.
The girl waited a minute. When Luna didn't respond, she pouted, sensing the dismissal. "Oh, right, I forgot. You heiresses are all the same. You look down on me."
She tossed her hair and turned to leave.
Luna called after her. "Mila."
Mila stopped. Her backpack was shaped like Hello Kitty, pink and cute. Her dark red curls fell over one shoulder. She hooked a strand of hair with one finger, annoyed. "What?"
Luna pressed her lips together. "I wasn't looking down on you."
She scrambled for an excuse, awkward and unconvincing. "I spaced out."
Mila blinked, then believed her immediately, brightening as she leaned in. "Really?"
"Really." Luna gave her a genuine smile.
Mila had been a small-town girl. When she was thirteen, their neighborhood was bought out for redevelopment. Her father took the payout and invested it. He got impossibly lucky, and within a few years, they had a foothold in New York.
But gaining a foothold and keeping one were two different things.
Among the heiresses of New York's elite circles, Mila was just new money.
With her mother gone early and her father never remarrying. Just throwing money at her. Mila didn't understand the unwritten rules of high society. She couldn't even do her makeup right. Every banquet she attended, she stuck out like a sore thumb, the butt of everyone's jokes.
In her previous life, Luna hadn't interacted much with Mila.
She'd had too many friends. People kissing up to her had been a dime a dozen.
But when the Harringtons lost everything, her so-called friends had scattered overnight, terrified of being dragged into the mess. Only Mila had reached out, offering her a bank card.
Luna had turned her down in the end.
By then, her uncle Caleb Harrington had seized all of Charles Harrington's shares, making him the largest shareholder of the Harrington Group. The one who called every shot.
The Sloans were barely a shell of a company. There was no reason for them to cross the Harrington Group. A behemoth. On her account.
Mila went "Oh" and asked again, "How come you left yesterday without saying goodbye?"
Luna explained patiently, "My dress got stained. There was no reason to stay."
"I see," Mila said. "Actually."
She paused, then waved Luna closer.
Luna understood and leaned in.
Mila whispered, "I think Rory spilled that drink on you on purpose."
Luna was surprised. She hadn't expected someone so quiet to be this perceptive.
"What makes you say that?"
Mila twirled her hair, looking smug. "Because I figured it out. Rory likes Hayes."
Luna: "Does Hayes even like Rory?"
Mila's hand stilled in her hair. "Do you really want to know?"
"I do." Luna nodded.
Mila clicked her tongue. "But it'll make you sad."
Luna smiled. "It won't. I don't really like him anymore."
Mila squinted, studying Luna's face. "Really? I heard your vision's been clouded for almost ten years. Has it really cleared up?"
Luna's mouth twitched. "Setting everything else aside, his looks and grades are pretty good, right?"
Mila blinked. "But when it comes to dating, do grades and looks really matter?"
Luna didn't have an answer.
Mila went on, unconcerned. "Grades are completely useless. Looks might count for something. At least when a guy's hot, it takes the edge off your annoyance. And the kissing's better."
Kingsley Prep's campus was large. The two walked slowly, and many students passed them by.
Luna asked, lost. "Then what does matter?"
"His attitude toward you, obviously," Mila said, her voice sugary sweet.
"My dad said I should find someone who treats me well. Someone who remembers my period, knows what I like and hate to eat, understands my personality. Someone who'd hoist me up at an amusement park so I can see the fireworks, and bend down to tie my shoes."
Luna was quiet for a long time.
She realized she'd never thought about any of this before.
She'd liked Hayes because he was better-looking than the other boys, because he was tall, got good grades, and came from money.
By Mila's standards, Hayes. Mr. Perfect himself. Was nothing.
"Wait."
Luna spotted a familiar figure and grabbed Mila's wrist.
Mila stopped. "What?"
"Wait for me. I need to give this cupcake to someone." Luna tossed the words over her shoulder and took off.