Luna

On Sunday morning, my phone vibrated on the nightstand. I stretched, still wrapped in the blanket, and picked up the phone, not expecting anything special.

It was an unknown number.

Hi, Luna! It’s Cadence. I got your number from the theater club chat. I hope you don’t mind. I just wanted to check in and see how you’re doing. :)

I stared at the screen for a few seconds. It was rare for someone to be interested in me, and even rarer for them to text me first. After a moment of hesitation, I replied:

Luna: Hi. I’m fine, thanks.

A few seconds later, another message came in.

Cadence: I’m glad to hear that! You know, I miss you at the theater. I hope you’ll come back soon.

I bit my lip, unsure of what to say. Finally, I typed:

Luna: Thanks… I’ll try to be there.

The following Monday, during the break between classes, I was putting my books in my backpack when I heard a familiar voice behind me.

“Hi, Luna!”
I turned around. Cadence was there, with her usual gentle smile.

“Hi,” I replied quietly.

“How’s it going?” she asked, leaning against the desk next to mine.

“Good,” I mumbled. Then, before I could stop myself, I added: “How about you? How’s literature going?”

She made a face. “Not great, to be honest. This text analysis is more complicated than I thought.”

The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them. “If you want, I can help you. Maybe after school… at my place.”

As soon as I said it, I regretted it. I had never invited anyone to my house, let alone someone like Cadence. But she looked at me in surprise and then smiled.

“Really? That would be great. Thanks, Luna.”

I nodded, trying to seem calm, though inside, I was a storm of emotions.

That afternoon, when I heard the doorbell ring, my stomach tightened. I hoped my mom wouldn’t ask any embarrassing questions or, worse, start talking too much.

She opened the door with her usual warm smile. “Hi! You must be one of Celestia’s friends!” she said enthusiastically. “She didn’t tell me you’d be coming. But she’s not home right now, she’s at volleyball club.”

Cadence smiled politely. “No, ma’am. I’m Luna’s friend. I’m here because she offered to help me with literature.”

My mom’s gaze shifted from Cadence to me, clearly surprised. “Oh my, sorry! You know, Luna has never invited anyone here before! She’s always been such a loner!”

I felt the heat rise to my cheeks and lowered my gaze, hoping she would stop.

“Celestia, though, is totally the opposite! She’s always inviting her friends over! She and Luna don’t even seem like sisters! Celestia is the day, and Luna is the night!”

“Mom,” I said softly, trying to interrupt her.

But she ignored my tone and continued, addressing Cadence. “Luna is a good girl, but she’s veeeery private! She’s always doing her own thing! Sometimes, we don’t even know if she’s at home! She comes in, eats, and then locks herself in her room. We only see her at lunch and dinner. Celestia, on the other hand, always has so much to do. You know she’s the president of the fashion club? And this year is her last year of high school, the house is going to be so sad next year without her!”

“Mom!” I said, this time raising my voice. “Enough! Can we go study now?”

My mom raised her hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. I didn’t mean to say anything bad.”

Cadence gave me a calm look, and I quickly led her to my room, feeling deeply uncomfortable.

Once in my room, I slammed the door shut and sat down on the chair, avoiding Cadence’s gaze.

She looked around the room with curiosity. “You have a nice room,” she said.

“Thanks,” I replied, still mortified by what my mom had said.

We sat on the floor, surrounded by notebooks and notes. Cadence seemed at ease and spoke enthusiastically about school and the subjects she liked. Eventually, I relaxed enough to tell her a little about myself, like my passion for music and writing.

When we finished studying, I felt lighter. Cadence thanked me with a sincere smile.

The next day, during the break, I found Cadence near the library. I approached slowly, trying to gather the courage to speak.

“Hi,” I said quietly, stopping next to her.

“Hi, Luna!” she replied with a warm smile.

“I wanted to apologize for last night,” I mumbled. “My mom shouldn’t have said those things.”

Cadence placed a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry. I enjoyed meeting her. And it made me realize how unique you are.”

The sincerity in her voice struck me. I wasn’t used to receiving compliments, and even less so to believing them.

On Friday afternoon, I decided to return to the theater club. My heart raced as I walked toward the room. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I knew I had to try.

When I entered, Jasmine greeted me enthusiastically. “Luna! I’m so happy you’re back!”

Pharynx gave me a nod, and even Olivia smiled at me. But it was Cadence’s look that affected me the most. She seemed genuinely happy to see me.

During the activity that day, I felt less stiff, less out of place. When Jasmine paired us up, Cadence chose me without hesitation.

“Welcome back,” she said, with a smile that seemed to light up the whole room.

That evening, as I walked home, I felt different. I wasn’t sure of myself yet, but for the first time, I felt that maybe it wasn’t too late to change.