LUNA STOWER. college sophomore; nineteen. hayley law. OPEN.
and, as lisa swenson once said:
"Why? Well, ah, it’s kind of like askin’ why all the guys chew Copenhagen, you know? I mean - If you’re 17, and you’re not a total fry, it’s just what you do.”
BEFORE THE PARTY;
Growing up as one of the eldest of seven had never been easy for Luna. In her mind, her parents were always distracted, fiddling with one of the younger siblings or fawning over whatever accomplishment her older brother had achieved that week. Between all of them, it was easy to feel forgotten about, to be pushed aside for the sake of placing attention onto someone else, and the problem only seemed to get worse when Pete left for college in New York. With him gone, she was forced to assume the role of the oldest child, almost acting as a third parent to the rest of them while also trying to figure out a way to raise herself.
But Luna didn’t resent him for it – if anything, she was happy that he was finally living his dream of escaping Rosewood, just like he had always planned. Getting away was what had brought them together in the first place, and Luna knew that once her time came to leave Rosewood, she’d be putting herself on the first flight to New York to join him at NYU. But for now, she was stuck in Rosewood, idly going through her days and feeling as lost as ever without the one person who seemed to understand her.
Unfortunately, Luna wasn’t gifted like her older brother was. Academics didn’t come quite as naturally to her as they had with him, no matter how hard she tried to reach to his level. To make matters worse, she didn’t come from money either – her parents worked run of the mill office jobs, and deducted half of her pay cheques from local library in order to pay the bills. Pete had made it to NYU on a scholarship, but there was no way Luna could do the same. So along with doing whatever she could to up her grades, Luna discovered another venture for money – beauty pageants.
Luna knew there were easier ways to make money. Being a beauty queen was no joke, and she was alarmed to discover that the bills she reeled in as a result were almost as high as the ones she received at home. But they did give her a chance to score some extra cash for her college courses, as well as to network around and meet people who might have had a connection to NYU. It helped that it gave her the chance to meet more girls like her – Luna had always been effervescent by nature, her tongue-in-cheek humor and unshakeable coolness somehow working in the pageant scene. Judges loved her for it, and so did her competitors, and that was a lot more than what she could say about the people at Rosewood or her parents.
That was exactly how she had become friends with Beverly and Rosie. The two of them seemed to be on top of the pageant hierarchy, but weirdly enough, they had accepted her with open arms almost instantaneously. Considering how lonely Luna had been without Pete around, she fell for it instantly, even going as far as to ignore some of their more sadistic traits for the sake of finally having friends. Beverly was competitive and cruel, and Rosie went along with it like a sheep, but it was all in the harmless name of pageants. It wasn’t as if they ever got into any serious trouble together, and even if they did, Luna wasn’t sure if she would care. Having people on her side for once was just too nice of a feeling to sacrifice, and living in blind ignorance wasn’t a problem if it meant keeping them around.
But that all changed once Arden appeared on the scene. Beverly instantly hated her, making snide comments behind her back and threatening to trip her whenever she so much breathed in their direction. Luna didn’t understand where it came from – sure, she wanted to win just as much as everyone else, but the way Beverly looked at her was like a wolf praying on sheep. It was menacing, and even a little terrifying if she analyzed it enough. To add to the confusion, Arden always seemed lovely, like the kind of person you would want to befriend rather than make an enemy out of. Luna had even gone as far as to try and talk to her when Beverly wasn’t around, and it only took a few brief conversations with the girl for Luna to start adoring her – in every sense of the word.
But she could never tell Beverly or Rosie that. Being rejected by them wasn’t an option as far as Luna was concerned, and neither was talking about her crush towards the one person she was supposed to hate. So instead, she pushed any friendly feelings she had towards the girl aside, and went back to pretending as if she barely knew the girl. It was difficult and even a little lonely at times, but Luna just told herself what she always did – that after the next couple of months, it wouldn’t matter. She would be in New York soon enough and starting fresh, and anything that entered her life between then was insignificant and temporary.
That was, until Beverly approached her with a plan. A plan that would shatter that mentality with one, swift hit.
DURING THE PARTY;
She’d been given a task. One that she wasn’t really a fan of. Luna was tasked with getting Arden to the party happening that night. Apparently she hadn’t been as slick as she’d thought she’d been, with Beverly finding out about their friendly conversations through the pageant grapevine with little to no effort. Of course, she had scolded her for it. Reminding her that Arden wasn’t one to warm up to, but that actually came to a stop. Only once she figured out it could work to their advantage. Luna didn’t exactly have a problem with the idea – even in the current circumstances, texting Arden still sent a rush through her chest, and seeing her in person only amplified that.
But that was until she found out why it’d work in Beverly’s advantage.
For a while, it felt like nothing was wrong. The four of them drank, laughed and even got Arden in on the fun, getting her wasted. But it was all apparently to distract her. Distract her into not thinking that what was going to happen to her home was a result of their actions.
Eventually Beverly tapped Luna on the shoulder and told her it was time to go, and Luna kissed goodbye to the last good moment she’d ever have with the beautiful blonde.
The seriousness of the situation didn’t hit her until they were actually there. Was Beverly for real? She understood that this was serious to her. She got that. But destroying someone’s home? That was a bit too much for her.
But Beverly wasn’t playing games, and it showed in the way she got to business right away, pouring gas around Arden’s trailer before striking a match. They’d run off almost immediately, getting into the car and driving off with Luna in the back and Rosie at the front. The two girls seemed to be riding the thrill of it, while all Luna could think about was what the hell she had just done.
The guilt was overwhelming, and she couldn’t seem to leave it behind. Not even as she took one last glance towards the flames.
alternate faceclaims and prompts.
