Luna plopped herself on her bean bag. It made a sad, sagging sound and her soul sunk into it. Another day of seventh grade down the tube. Another (mostly) speechless, boring day.

"At least it's almost over."

As she felt her arms melt into the bag and her feet plant on the carpet, her eyes lazily rolled down to her outfit. A purple shirt packed with frills accompanied by a long felt skirt. She had yet to find a single girl in the school that wore something like this. It looked like something her mom would have worn around that age (Rita had even shown her a picture of her wearing her school uniform at that time). And to think the nineties was the era of flannel and underground craziness.

Luna resented the outfit, regretted she even asked for it. She hadn't gotten the edge or new friends she hoped she would have gotten by now. The attire, she supposed, didn't help, not to mention the long ankle socks and Mary Jane shoes.

Unlike most of the other clothes in the House, this wasn't even a hand-me-down. Pinching the fabric, she recalled going to her big sister Leni and asking her to make her an outfit that would "get others to like her". She saw how giddy it made her feel, how her day was completely transformed by that one request. Luna was pulled into the room and her sister eagerly took her measurements, moving with an energy she didn't often see out of her.

When the shirt and skirt were finally presented, she knew they were bland, the opposite of what she felt was her. But those eyes, that smile. How could she say no? And she knows how much Leni loves her and how hard she worked to make that outfit. The least she could have done was say thank you (which she did). She had worn it about seven times at this point, none of which produced any new friends. Luna didn't want to blame it on the clothes (even though she felt they were too old-fashioned).

"Is it just me? Am I that unlikeable?"

Luna slowly raised her hand, brought it behind her head, and grabbed a tuft of her hair. She pulled it forward and stared at the long brown rope. She exhaled exhaustedly. Looking at its absurd length only made her tired. She closed her eyes. After a day like this, all she could think about was sleeping off her troubles.

Giggling. That familiar sound, that voice, perked her ears and snapped her eyes open. But before she could turn her head, the door opened.

"Hey Luna," a clean voice said. As she expected, it was her little sister Luan. The younger girl plopped her vibrant yellow backpack on the floor. She then looked out the window, where the sight was mostly consumed by the overcast sky. It wasn't raining, but the sun was nowhere to be found and all the houses and objects on the ground carried a muted shadow, "How was your gray? Ha ha, get it?" the girl exclaimed, pointing her finger towards the sky beyond the glass, all the while bearing a big goofy grin.

Luna sighed despondently.

"Another bad one," Luan said, her smile dropping. She knew her big sister's look any time. She knew Luna liked to sit in her bean bag to comfort herself. And her face (that defeated frown, lonely eyes) was becoming a more common feature of their room. It bothered her, made her wanna make it all better.

The older sister merely nodded.

"Oh...well you know what they say?" Luna said, her voice garnering a rising inflection. Luna simply rolled her eyes, "it's only a matter of time before they start falling in your," she then rushed to the bean bag and clamped her hands on its leather surface, "bag! Ha ha, get it?"

"Please," Luna said, groaning, "not right now."

"It sure stinks that all these clouds are out," Luan said once more, this time jumping and pacing towards the window, "I guess you need someth-"

"Luan!" she said forcefully. The younger sister froze, nervous by the tense air Luna had created, "I don't want to hear any of your puns right now."

The younger girl's spirits dampened even more. She knew that at this point, her attempts at comedy were starting to become hit-or-miss. Her own family was slowly becoming less susceptible to laughing at her own antics (especially Luna). But to her, it was the best way to lift other's moods. Even if Luna didn't laugh at her puns, she at least hoped that they would be enough to distract her from the blues she had been feeling more frequently. But had it really gotten to the point where even that wasn't working?

"Oh Luna," she said, approaching her with a small smile, "you know I still believe in you. You're my big sister and I know you can do anything."

As Luan spoke, she recalled all the other times she repeated that phrase. By now, she had perfected the delivery, the inflection, everything she needed to vocally convey what she truly felt. It was sincere. To her, Luna was one of the most wonderful role models she could have asked for. All she hoped was even after all these repetitions in succession of failed results, it would still hold weight.

Luna simply sighed, a mannerism she was using more and more often.

"Sure, whatever."

The older sister proceeded to twidle strands of her long hair. Her eyes gazed solemnly at the sight, as if they've given up trying to find some solace out of it. This style, this skirt, this (stupidly long) hair was her at this point. She tried to swallow everything underneath this new appearance.

Afternoons like this were becoming more common. The same beats, the same emotions, the same thoughts came together repeatedly to form a terribly mocking experience from which resolution seemed unlikely.

"Wasn't always like this, though."

Luna rolled her eyes upon hearing herself say this thought. Here we go again.

"Back then, things were happier! There was Alex and Rose and Velma and all those cool kids! What happened to us? One day we were playing with Ace Savvy toys! The next, they're all trying to 'fit in'! With what?!"

Her body sunk further into the bean bag. She stared at Luan, who was lying on her bed reading a book.

Luan. She got off lucky. Unlike Luna or any of her older sisters, Luan had attached herself to comedy probably ever since she could walk. Luna herself could barely remember her little sister getting her first joke book. She found a small group of friends that loved comedy as much as she did. Luna could at least remember her little sister bringing them over time and time again, sometimes even on the same day as her (former) friends. Thinking about it all made Luna furrow her brows and slap her eyes.

"She's never had issues. She didn't change and she was rewarded! What did I do to deserve this?!"

Perhaps it was merely the inherent dynamics of their grades. Maybe somewhere between her and Luan, kids like them made a big discovery and grew wise. Luna couldn't fathom what it was and she didn't dare ask Luan about it. She figured she would never get out of that talk without becoming more embittered. She feared she would lash out or scar her sister with a nasty glare. Neither of them deserved more suffering, Luna figured. None of them needed it.

She felt a buzz on her lap. Luna's eyes shot down to see her flip phone flashing bright yellow. From there, she could see the name 'Helen' projected on the tiny cover screen.

"At least there's you..."

Even with the soft betrayal and the tumultuous ride seventh grade has been, there was one person she could befriend. Luna grabbed her phone and opened the message.

"Hi Luna. Its me Helen. My mom is taking me to a concert tonight and theres 1 extra ticket. You seem like the type of girl that could like that thing. Do you want to come? Please write back. From, Helen"

She smirked a little at the formality (so much for texting). But to her, it was a rather nice opportunity. Too nice. Why was she just being told of this now? Did she deserve it to begin with? Clearly, some things needed to be cleared up first.

"Did u ask Leni 1st?"

She tapped the 'Send' button and watched the envelope animation as it transferred her message to the other phone. As she held her's awaiting a response, all she could ask was more questions. Why now? Was this just fate? Did she give her only true friend an opening into her true feelings, that cob web of emotions.

'1 New Message' the screen read. Luna eagerly opened it.

"I asked you both at the same time. Leni just told me she didn't want it. If you want it, it's all yours."

"Same time?!" Luna thought to herself. Pushing aside the obvious flaw with that plan, she wrestled with that notion. In the few months she has hung out with Helen, Luna largely felt like a third wheel. She figured it was bound to happen, given how she only met her because she was Leni's friend first. It was better than nothing. And now, she was getting attention. She stared at the message for a few seconds before putting fingers to buttons.

"I'll take it. Thank you."

Send.

Luna stretched her arm out, giving her eyes distance from the device. Did that just happen? She looked up at Luan, who was staring at her.

"Something up?" Luan asked.

Buzz.

Luna briefly looked down to open the message.

"Great. My mom can call your mom and then well pick you up. See you tonight. From Helen."

Seeing that message made her smile a little. It was a natural reflex, one that Luan noticed immediately. She giggled audibly, distracting enough to pull Luna's attention. While the older sister's face tried to be disapproving, her loose cheeks and barely suppressed smile blew her cover.

"What's so funny?" Luna asked, her voice succumbing to the loftiness of glee. As expected, she was met with more of Luan's laughter. For the first time in a while, such a sound was contagious.

"Seems like someone has made your day," Luan said, being quick to see her sister's phone in plain sight.

"Yes," Luna said, a little embarrassed. She clutched her phone to her chest, as if it were trying to guard her heart, "I'm gonna be headed out later...to hang out with...Helen."

Luan grinned.

"Aw. I'm glad you two are getting close," she said, "just don't tell Leni! If she finds out, she'll want you two to burn in Helen," she added before chuckling, "Get it?"

For the first time in a while, Luna found herself laughing at a Luan pun. It was far from her best work and was most certainly inaccurate. Still, Luna felt a flurry of excitement that didn't come often. What was happening?

"Don't worry. Leni knows all about this," Luna replied, turning her head to the door, "I think she'll be quite happy to see me getting closer. Besides...it could be fun."

"What have I been telling you?" Luan asked, perking up an eye brow.

Luna simply smiled. She then felt another buzz. She pulled out her phone to see 'Mom' printed on it. She opened the message.

"Mrs. Yates just called me. I'm so proud of you, plus I listened to Mick Swagger a little growing up. You two are gonna have fun! Love you, honey!"

And then that smile widened. Sure, she figured her mother would approve of this, but it was still a nice assurance.

"You were right," she said smoothly before looking up at her little sister, "You're the best, Luan!"

"Anything for you," she replied, gentle cheer in her voice.

As Luna settled in the bean bag, her body became more comfortable than stuck in there. She allowed herself to admire the squishy chill surface. And all the while, she thought about the night she would have with a friend. Who cared what it was they were going to.

"I never even heard of this Mick Swagger guy."

Luna reclined in her seat, her mind in abstract. She would leave it to the flow of time to fully form the picture of what was to come.