Chapter 18 Math Problems
SadSweetie: [No.]
SadSweetie: [dead inside.jpg]
BuffTheQueen: [Then let me copy yours when you're done.]
SadSweetie: [I can't even pass math. You want to copy MY answers?]
BuffTheQueen: [I dare. I got a nine on my last math final.]
SadSweetie: [...]
Luna had no words.
A nine-point player. She really had nothing to lose.
SadSweetie: [How do you even get a nine?]
BuffTheQueen: [Bad luck. Only guessed one multiple choice right.]
SadSweetie: [...]
SadSweetie: [I'll send it when I'm done.]
BuffTheQueen: [Yay! Hehe. Thanks, Luna.]
BuffTheQueen: [You're the first person who'd let me copy.]
Luna coughed. Sent Mila a meme. Went back to the problems.
Focused. Patient. Dedicated. Hardworking...
She couldn't take it anymore. Luna leaned back. The expensive chair adjusted with her automatically.
Luna sank into the chair. She opened her phone, scrolled through her contacts, and paused on the default profile picture.
Never mind.
She backed out and opened the forum. Big mistake. She almost jumped.
99+ DMs.
What did she even post? Why was it this crazy?
Luna opened the DMs. The screen was full of toxic messages. Haters. Trolls. Everywhere.
"..."
Luna scrolled. The comment she'd left dissing Hayes had pissed off his fangirls.
"Wow."
Luna scrolled through the comments, deadpan. She switched to battle mode. Replied to each one with two words.
"Same to you."
By the time she finished, another half hour was gone.
Luna hesitated a long time. Then she went back to that default profile picture.
SadSweetie: [You there?]
SadSweetie: [Can I see your Physics and Math tests?]
X didn't reply.
Luna waited. Then she swallowed her pride and messaged the class rep.
The class rep was a guy who wore plaid shirts and glasses. Sweet. Honest. The dependable type.
SlackerFish: [Sorry, Luna. I went to a lecture with my parents today. Haven't done the homework yet.]
SadSweetie: [Okay.]
Luna clicked her tongue. Adding insult to injury.
-
"Why isn't he replying?"
Rory frowned at the screen. All green. She'd been texting Hayes since school let out. Nothing back.
She tossed the phone, hurt.
She grabbed her empty cup, opened the door to get water, and ran right into Jax coming in.
Their eyes met. Jax looked away fast.
They'd been stepsiblings for almost ten years. But they were never close.
Rory had always been friendly. She wanted to be close with Jax. But Jax was ice cold every time.
"...Jax."
Rory called after him.
Jax stopped. Deadpan. "What?"
The living room felt small. He was tall. Hands loose at his sides, knuckles elegant like fresh bamboo. He turned slightly. Looked at her. No expression. And Rory felt a jolt of fear.
That had never been there before.
They'd never been close. But at least he'd never scared her before.
Like looking at someone who held all the power.
...
How could that be?
Rory forced a smile. "I was just wondering. Why did Luna give you a cupcake this morning?"
Jax's voice was flat. "What's it to you?"
"Jax, I was just asking." She pouted. Her big dark eyes brimmed with hurt. Anyone else would've melted at those eyes. They spoke. They pleaded.
Jax knew exactly who she really was.
Not a shred of pity. "You say 'just asking.' But you care a lot."
She hadn't expected him to call it out. Exposed, her face burned red.
The standoff broke when Penny came through the door. Grocery bag in hand. Discount produce. She saw them and paused. "What's going on?"
Rory let out a sob. Like a kid who'd been bullied, running to a parent. She threw herself into Penny's arms.
"Mom, Jax was so mean."
Penny patted Rory's shoulder. "It's okay, Rory. Jax runs cold. He's always been like that. You know that."
Jax watched them hold each other. Like they were the real mother and daughter. He twitched his lips. "I'm going to do my homework."
Penny jumped. "Yes, yes, go ahead."
Jax went to his room. Sat at his desk. Unzipped his bag. Pulled out the half-finished math test. His phone was dead.
He found the charger and plugged it in.
He finished the whole math test before checking his phone. Saw the messages from SadSweetie.
"..."
The seventeen-year-old Luna should have hated him.
Yesterday she'd asked to copy his homework.
This morning she gave him a cupcake. This afternoon she went out of her way to explain.
Jax tapped the phone case. Habit. Two seconds later, he photographed the math test and sent it to SadSweetie.
Meanwhile, Luna was green in the face, flipping through formulas in the textbook.
Four years without math. Everything she'd learned was gone. Returned to the teacher, untouched.
The phone buzzed. She grabbed it. A message from X.
Luna's eyes lit up. She opened it. Two photos. The entire math test, page by page.
SadSweetie: [I could cry. Thank you.]
She used to copy from Hayes. But Hayes always played games. Made her beg first.
Compared to that, Jax was a saint. An actual saint.
X: [No problem.]
X: [Physics isn't done yet. I'll send it when it's ready.]
SadSweetie: [Oh, thank you.]
In that moment, Luna's conscience kicked her. Silently. Hard.
Luna, Luna. You used to bully him.
This was a top student who shared his answers without a word. How could she have been so cruel?
Luna copied fast. Sent the answers to Mila.
Mila was touched.
Math done. While waiting for Physics, Luna buried herself in Spanish homework and finished it.
She propped her chin and scrolled through short videos. The local feed pushed a cosplay video to her.
The creator was pretty. In the final shot, she wore a red historical robe. Carried a sword.
The more Luna watched, the more familiar the creator looked.