LUNA'S POV

The incandescent sun filters through the window, casting gentle shades of light under my eyelids. Groggily, my eyes flutter open, accepting the sudden brightness, however reluctantly. I'm quick to notice that there's a lack of company beside me. The area where Sam once lay is vacant, the bed still warm.

I must have fallen asleep, I denote, especially seeing how my sleeping bag remains neatly rolled up on the floor where I left it. I sit up, gazing at the clock. 6:03. There's still another 57 minutes to catch the bus.

Taking my time, I stand up, taking off my nightshirt and throwing on my bra from yesterday. I riffle through my bag, heart sinking as I come to another realization. I don't have any clothes. I swear, dumping out the contents of my bag. How could Lori forget to pack my clothes?

Groaning, I stand back up from my crouch, hands on my hips. I huff irritably. Just when I come to the conclusion that I might as well request to borrow some of Sam's clothes, my heart drops to my stomach. The doorknob to the bedroom door is slowly turning. Someone is coming in.

Heart hammering, knowing there's not nearly enough time to put on my nightshirt, all I can do is stand stock still as the door opens. Hair sopping wet from having just got out of the shower, Sam enters. She closes the door behind her before looking up to meet my eyes. Hers widen. For once, it's Sam who blushes wildly.

"Luna, I'm so sorry! I had no idea you were-here, I'll let you…" Sam's voice falters as she casts her gaze to the ground. She makes a move to leave, but I quickly clear my throat.

"Sam." My voice is groggy from disuse, as it is every morning. My girlfriend halts with her hand on the doorknob, an evident blush to her cheeks. "Here's the thing… I… don't have any clothes." I murmur, rubbing my arm awkwardly.

Slowly, surely, Sam turns back to face me. She stares me dead in the eye, her gaze unwavering. "Do you want to borrow some of mine?" Blushing, I nod feebly.

"Of course." Sam says sweetly. She makes her way towards the dresser drawer, shielding her eyes from me. I laugh at her reaction, releasing the unwanted stress I had gained so early in the morning. "You can look at me, Sam." I state, only increasing Sam's embarrassment.

"A-are you sure?" The girl asks, suddenly much smaller in stature. "I won't embarrass you?" I shake my head, chuckling. "Dude, I'm pretty sure you're more embarrassed than I am anyway." I tease.

Having directly called the poor girl out, Sam shrinks back a little, her cheeks a deep red. "Ok, I'll stop teasing you." I chuckle, watching as Sam finally meets my eyes. Quickly, her eyes trail over my body.

"You should be able to fit into my clothes. One second." Sam states before rifling through her drawers. Finally, she draws out a black T-shirt with a white treble clef in the center. "Here," She says, handing me the shirt. "It's to make up for you letting me borrow your Mick Swagger sweatshirt." She says, winking, and we both smile fondly at the memory.

"Thanks, love." I say, pulling the T-shirt over my head. Snug as a bug. A few moments later, Sam throws me a snug pair of jeans. The feeling of the pants is strange at first, seeing how I don't wear tight pants often, but I get used to it fairly quickly.

"Thanks, hun." I say again, wrapping Sam into a tight hug. My girlfriend holds me back tightly, nuzzling her face into my neck. "Hmm, you're warm." I gush openly, and Sam giggles. "I like hot showers." Is what she replies with before kissing my cheek.

"When you're ready, feel free to come down for breakfast." Sam states. "The bathroom should be free." I nod before departing to the restroom.

Turns out the bathroom isn't free. Simon, mouth full of froth and a toothbrush protruding from his mouth, gasps as I enter. "Wait, you're still here?" He questions incredulously. "Yup, little dude." I nod, tousling the boy's hair. "I slept over."

"Where did you sleep?" Simon asks as I begin applying some of Sam's purple eye shadow. "I brought a sleeping bag." I state, which is essentially the truth, although it's lacking the greater, and more important details. I can't begin to imagine Simon's shock, and possible discomfort, if he discovered that I had "slept with" his older sister.

I quickly run a brush through my hair, satisfied enough with how it looks. It's both surprising, yet expected that I'm not experiencing the amount of stress that I usually do when preparing for school in the morning. My bag and guitar case are still in Vanzilla from last night to be received upon arriving at school. Two less things to carry. Even getting a chance in the bathroom is a rarity when you're living with 10 siblings.

"Simon! Are you ready? It's time to go." Mrs. Sharp calls upstairs two minutes later as the rest of us await departure. Breathless, Simon arrives downstairs, his binder half unzipped. "Sorry, I had to grab something." Is his excuse before the four of us depart.

Another Royal Rumble rehearsal is scheduled for this afternoon, and all of my friends try providing advice and pep talks before rehearsal begins. Seeing how they're all speaking at the same time, however, I can barely process their words.

"Just pretend that you have no idea who they are." I hear Mazzy say. "No, no." Alex's voice pipes up from beside her. "You've got to face the conflict head on. Tell them that you're not afraid of their bull crap."

I'm in a daze, my head spinning; on the verge of either vomiting or fainting, I have no idea which one. I just nod along with their words, unable to manage anything else.

The sight of Michelle and Doug doesn't startle me as much as it did yesterday, and I disregard them, pretending not to notice their presence. Mrs. V addresses the class, stating that we are to be writing and composing musical pieces for this year's summer Royal Rumble concert. The news provides me with a bout of excitement amid the drama of Michelle and Doug's return. The students set to work on brainstorming musical pieces, and I find myself straying over to the piano.

Contemplating the white keys underneath my awaiting fingers, I play a couple miscellaneous notes. Playing the keys on my own accord helps the musical inspiration come to me. I begin detecting harmonies, jotting them down in my notebook.

The content feeling that was once expanding in my chest quickly dissipates as I sense the presence of someone behind me. Two people, actually. Swallowing hard, I swivel around in my seat, coming face to face with Michelle and Doug.

"And… what are you achieving over here, young lady?" Doug questions with an air of mockery to his tone. Frozen, I decide to take Mazzy's advice, providing the two judges with a small, pained smile.

"Oh, hello. I don't believe we've met." I extended a shaky hand. "I'm L-"

"Luna, yes." Michelle interrupts, brushing aside my introduction with a sweep of her hand. "And what are you doing, may we ask?" Doug pipes up once again. He leans in to inspect my notes, and I squirm at the sudden attention and breach of privacy.

"J-just, you know, playing with musical notes." I half-life, quick to close my notebook. The two raise an accusing eyebrow in my direction, almost in unison.

"I'm not sure 'playing around' is gonna get you anywhere, sweetie." Michelle states, and my gut clenches at the sweet-natured, yet accusing tone she uses.

"Yeah," Doug agrees firmly, leaning closer to me to emphasize his next words. "Sometimes, the truth hurts, Luna." His words cut into me like a dagger, almost tangible. I don't allow it to get to me, though. Containing a snappy retort, I watch as the two of them walk away, a bounce in their step. They look gleeful, content. It makes me want to retch.

It takes until the end of rehearsal for me to realize that my fists are clenched anxiously. I relax them. Mrs. V proceeds to hand us all sheet notes to a song. "I want you all to practice performing this song-on any instrument you choose-for tomorrow, and make sure to take some notes." Mrs. V clarifies. "This will help to motivate and inspire you all to create your own songs for the summer concert."

Anxious to leave for the day, all the students nod. Finally, as if the time would never come, Mrs. V dismisses us. Sam flings her arms around me upon entering the hallway, asking if I was doing alright.

"Geez, it looked like they were interrogating you. What happened?" Alex cocks their head with profound curiosity. I tell my friends what occurred during rehearsal, and they seem exceptionally worried regarding Doug's last line, but I shrug off their concern.

"Like I said," I state. "I'm not running. I've already made that mistake. I've gotta face them head on." Evidently proud of me, Alex claps their hands excitedly. "Hell yeah, girl!" They voice enthusiastically.

Sam, on the other hand, hesitates at my confidence. "Sam, don't you-" I begin before Sam cuts me off.

"I'm just scared, Luna! What if you do something reckless and hurt yourself? What if they hurt you somehow?" My features soften as I see the frantic look in Sam's eyes.

"Sam," I murmur, on the verge of running into her arms; however, Mazzy makes it to Sam first, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Sammy, dude, relax. If anybody can be independent, it's Luna, right?" Uncomfortable with the direct attention, I manage a shrug. Sam relaxes at my indecision, and Mazzy gives me a puzzled look.

"I mean, yes, I can be independent." I quickly add. This causes Mazzy's face to brighten again and more concern to steal over Sam's features. "Luna, I'm not saying that you can't be independent. I-I just-"

"But I agree with you, Sam." I interrupt over my girlfriend, who replies with a dubious, yet relieved, look. "You do?" She questions feebly, and I nod.

"Of course. It's always good to stray more towards the cautious side of things." I state, and Sam smiles shyly at me. I return the smile with a reassuring wink.

"Hey, does anybody want to practice this song with me tonight?" Mazzy asks, changing the subject drastically. Alex regretfully declines, stating that they're busy this afternoon. As are Sully and Sam. "Sorry, I have family coming over." Is what Sam states, clearly ashamed and disappointed. Hoping for a miracle, Mazzy turns to me. I smile weakly.

"Sorry, dude. I was thinking about practicing with Chunk." I state, referring to my roadie. "He's visiting to help repair some of my instruments anyway."

"Great friends you are." Mazzy states sarcastically, though her statement causes us all to laugh. It feels incredibly good to laugh, and I allow each chuckle to melt my fears away.