CHAPTER TWELVE
BADASS ROCKSTAR

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     After days of practicing in the abandoned music room, the group decided that they were gonna do another show to get enough money to pay for the soundproof equipment. They just needed to decide when and where. To be fair, Luna had been wanting to do another show after the rush she felt at their last one around the beginning of school. She absolutely loved the feeling it gave her and how it made her feel high and she was addicted to it like a drug. If there was any chance to perform on stage again, she would grab it in a heartbeat.

     When Luna got out of bed and took a shower, she got dressed in a crimson red sleeved turtleneck and a pair of black overalls. It hadn't gotten that cold yet but Luna would still like to keep the bitter winter air away from her skin as much as possible. She pulled her hair up into two messy high pigtails and decided to go with some thick flick eyeliner and some black lipstick. A little bit of casual and a little bit of extra. The best of both worlds.

     As Luna was heading downstairs to grab something to snack on before heading off to school, she saw two folded newspapers on the table. The headline on the first one read "Justice For Jason" and there was a mugshot of a middle aged man with dark slicked back hair, brown eyes and a stubble on his face. His name was FP Jones. She heard the news about him circulating around the school like wildfire. The second one was an article that said it was actually Clifford Blossom, Jason's father who pulled the trigger. Now that was new. "It's finally over," her mother said from the end of the table while holding a mug of tea.

     "Jason Blossom was killed by his own father?" Luna questioned as she read the subtitle and the first few lines of the latest article. "And why am I finding this out almost two weeks after it happened?"

     "You've been busy with school and working on your band. And honestly, when the newspaper said it was FP Jones who killed him and that he was the leader of the Southside Serpents, it didn't shock me. It only proved why I wanted you and Rosie to be careful around the Serpents you go to school with. But then the truth came out and I never thought the Blossoms could be capable of killing their own children. It makes me wonder what else they're capable of," her mother said.

     "The Serpents we talk to aren't so bad so you have nothing to worry about, Mom. It is insane that Clifford Blossom had the guts to kill his fifteen-year-old son like he meant nothing. But at least we no longer have a murderer on the loose," Luna said as she grabbed a small box of Pocky sticks and some canned coffee. "I'll see you after school, Mom."

     "Be safe out there!" her mother called as she was almost out the door.

     "I know!" Luna called back before closing the door and walking down the sidewalk.

     She had her ear buds in so she could listen to music as she was chewing on a chocolate covered biscuit stick from the box with her can of coffee in the pocket of her jacket. Since things were getting a bit chilly after the first snowfall, her mother had been on her case as well as her sister's about wearing their jackets whenever they left the house. She felt a presence next to her so she paused her music and took out her ear buds to allow her to hear them.

     "What are you listening to?" Toni asked with a smile on her face.

     "Orianthi,"  Luna replied as she smiled back at the brown skinned girl.

     "Is she a badass rockstar like you?" Toni asked while playfully nudging her shoulder and Luna laughed.

     "I'd like to think I am half as badass as her and Avril Lavigne," she said as the snow stuck to the bottom of her worn out sneakers.

     "Are they your inspiration?" Toni questioned as they neared the school.

     "Actually, most of my inspiration comes from Shonen Knife, Supercell and Nano," Luna said as she threw out the empty box and opened her can of coffee.

     "You are seriously drinking canned coffee," Toni said and the raven haired girl nodded.

     "My mom ordered a whole case of these the other day and I like to have one in the morning on my way to school. Wanna try some?" Luna asked as she offered the drink to the pink haired girl.

     Toni accepted the offer and poured some of the cold liquid into her mouth before handing it back to Luna. "You know, this is pretty good. I might get you to tell me where your mom buys these. Maybe I wouldn't be so damn tired in the morning," Toni said and both girls laughed as they entered the school and went through the metal detectors while security watched them closely.

     Once they were through, they separated to head to their lockers and get their stuff in order before the first class started. Luna never thought she would make friends with the Serpents and after FP Jones' arrest, it would seem even more likely but Toni didn't seem like a threat and neither did Fangs or Sweet Pea. Like she said to her friends, they had their backs before. Maybe it wouldn't be wise to trust them one hundred percent, but it wouldn't hurt to let them in a little bit.

     Just like every other day at school, Luna was relieved when it was time for lunch because it meant half the day was over. As she was walking to the cafeteria to join her friends, she nearly bumped into a dark haired boy wearing a beanie and a red flannel as he appeared from around the corner. She had definitely never seen him around school before so she had to assume that he was new to Southside High. "What's up, new boy?" she asked and the pale green eyed boy looked at her with one corner of his lips turned upward.

     "That was fast," he said.

     "At Southside High, everyone knows everyone. And heads up, not many people here take it very well to newcomers so you might wanna find some friends and fast," Luna said before walking away. "No dying on your first day, new boy!"

     She didn't know what his story was or why he just started going to Southside High but to be honest, she didn't really care to find out. All she could do was hope he had half a brain to heed her advice and find a group to join so no Serpents or Ghoulies, more specifically the Ghoulies, wouldn't shank him on his first day.

     "You took a little longer to get here," Naomi said before chewing on an orange slice.

     "Had a brief encounter with the new kid," Luna said as she crossed her arms over the table.

     "Yeah, I heard he's a Jones. His dad is the one who got arrested for Jason Blossom's murder. They found the gun that was used to shoot him in his trailer and he confessed," Kai said.

     "The Serpent King was thought to be Jason Blossom's killer. Turns out it was his own dad. I bet nobody saw a twist like that," Peyton said bluntly.

     "Well, there is a killer on the loose no more," Maya said with a tight smile.

     "Don't forget, FP's arrest only made the Northsiders feel safe. Nobody gives a damn about what happens to us. While they got to sleep soundly knowing a Serpent was in jail and is still in jail, we still gotta watch our backs because everywhere we turn, there is a snake or a cannibal ready to bite our heads off. We're the only ones walking on eggshells while they were safe and comfy on the Northside not knowing that the real monster was in their own backyard," Peyton said while shrugging her shoulders.

     "Okay, you and Luna literally have no filter. No wonder you guys get in so much trouble," Naomi said as she rolled her eyes.

     "Screw you, bitch!" Luna retaliated as she leaned back in her seat with her arms crossed and one of her feet on the edge of the table.

     "I rest my case," the pink haired girl said as she opened a can of soda from her bag.

     "To be fair, Peyton does have a point," Kai said.

     "Thank you, Kai! At least you and I have a brain," Peyton said as she looked at the dark haired boy and Luna scoffed.

     "If you have a brain, then why are you already failing math class and it's only October?" she asked and the blonde glared at her.

     "You do know I can beat you in a fight, right?" she questioned.

     "You do know I can still kick your kneecaps in, right?" Luna countered.

     "Why are you two friends again?" Maya asked as she rubbed her eyes.

     "Naomi," Luna and Peyton said as they looked at their pink haired friend who only rolled her eyes.

     "Oh, hush. I did you all a favour," she said before taking another sip of her soda.

     "I'm surprised they haven't killed each other yet," Kai chuckled. "Although I feel like I might have just jinxed it."

     Luna looked over at another table and saw the new kid sitting with other Southside High students and all of them were laughing. "Seems like the new kid listens," she said as she jutted her chin out to the table he was sitting at.

     The others looked to where she was looking and Maya smiled. "I think he's gonna be okay," she said.

     "As long as those aren't Ghoulies he's chatting with," Peyton snorted and the others groaned.

     "Has anyone ever told you that you have very little faith in people?" Kai asked.

     "Many times. I can give you a list," Peyton replied as she shrugged her shoulders.

     While her friends were talking, Luna noticed four people who did not look like Southside High students. She recognized one of them as the girl from closing night at the drive-in but the blonde girl and the ginger boy were not people she recognized at all. The new kid saw them standing behind them and left the cafeteria with them and to be honest, Luna was curious. But one important rule on the Southside was to keep your nose out of business that wasn't your own.