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𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗞

CHAPTER FOUR
oh my God — she's insane! she
wrote a song about me!

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REAL LIFE

"MARY JANE!" LUNA'S voice shouted from downstairs. "If you take any longer, we're going to be late."

There was a lot on the agenda today. First, Mary Jane and Luna would be doing a Genius interview together about Risk — which was a dream come true, honestly. Then, after that, they would be going straight to The Echo, a small venue in LA, where they would be rehearsing and then performing a show together, which is what Luna had been planning since last month.

And Mary Jane was usually a punctual person — or at least she tried to be — but this specific morning, she was not.

She wasn't sure why she was so frazzled. Mary Jane had performed in front of large audiences before — she was sure that it wasn't performance anxiety. She wasn't shy about interviews or anything like that — that came with being an actress, and she had gotten better at it over the years. So what was it? Whatever it was, it had made her struggle to get ready and even sleep last night. Well, maybe part of the not sleeping was that she was a little jetlagged, and that she was replaying her completely embarrassing interaction with Ellum last night on a loop in her head.

Why did she act like that? Why did she say those things? Did he think she was weird? It was all a complete mystery to Mary Jane.

"I'm coming," Mary Jane called back.

She grabbed her black high-top Converse in one hand and her purse in the other. Mary Jane shut the lights off in the room and descended down the steps, still in her socks. Luna was standing at the bottom by the front door, her hands on her hips. Mary Jane gave her a sheepish smile and sat down on the bottom step.

Luna tilted her head at her. "When I said we have to go at twelve, I meant it."

"I know, I know," Mary Jane said, pulling on one of her shoes. "My head's just not on right this morning."

Luna's eyes glittered with worry. "You sure you're okay? Is something going on?"

She shook her head. "Considering I can't even figure out what's wrong with me, nothing's going on." Mary Jane pulled her other shoe on and started to tie them. "I'll be fine, really."

Blau — who was hanging around the house for the day — suddenly rounded the corner. "Hey, Lunes. I know you invited all of us to the show, but is it cool if I invite Meena?"

Mary Jane blinked for a second, standing up from the stairs now that her shoes were fully tied. "Meena? Who's Meena?"

"Meena Patel," a new voice answered.

And, just like that, Mary Jane felt her heart stop. She looked over to see that none other than Ellum had entered the room with them. Her mind started to spin just a little bit, and her stomach felt all weird. Jesus fucking Christ. Was it normal for a singular person to have this much of an effect on her? Probably not.

But suddenly, suddenly, Mary Jane realized why the fuck she had been so nervous. Because he would be at the show, and he would be in the audience, and he would be watching her. And that? Well, that was enough to send Mary Jane off the edge. She suddenly wanted to run back into the bedroom and hide under her covers, which was completely ridiculous. Being so nervous around a boy was a foreign feeling to her, and she wasn't sure if she liked it or not — probably both, because she had never felt this way around anyone, but it was as sure as hell making her look dumb.

"That's his . . . actually, I don't even know what they are," Ellum continued.

Blau gave him a look. "Friends. We're friends."

Mary Jane raised an eyebrow. "Why am I getting a feeling that you're not just friends?"

"Exactly!" Ellum exclaimed, gesturing to her. "Even MJ can see it. Come on, Blau."

MJ. MJ. MJ. That was her usual nickname, but hearing him say it, especially with his accent, made her cheeks flush a light shade of red.

"Okay, that's enough," Luna interjected, although she was grinning. "MJ, Meena's a GTA streamer. We've played Valo together before, and she's incredibly sweet. She's pretty close with everyone in the house as well . . . especially Blau, as we can see."

Blau looked completely done with all of them. "Can she come or not?"

Luna let out a small laugh. "Yes, Blau. She can come. I can't believe I didn't invite her in the first place." She then looked at the time on her phone. "And now we're going to be really late. Come on, MJ." She waved at the boys. "See you at the show."

Mary Jane waved at them as well, following Luna out the door. "Bye. Can't wait to meet your girlfriend, Blau."

"Friend," Blau corrected, but it was drowned out by the sound of the door slamming. He sighed, looking up at Ellum, only to see him looking at the spot where MJ once was. Blau smirked, elbowing him slightly. "You're staring, you know."

Ellum blinked, looking down at him. "I am not."

"Whatever you say," Blau said in a sing-song voice, turning around to go back into the kitchen. "Quit being obvious if you don't want me to say anything."

"Shut your ass up, and go text your girlfriend to come to the show."

"Friend!"

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REAL LIFE

MARY JANE PACED back and forth behind the curtain, running her sweaty palms down on the fabric of her skirt. She could hear the chatter of the crowd outside, and somehow, someway, she could hear a distinct British accent among them. Her and Luna were due to go on stage in about two minutes, and she couldn't shake the nervous energy off of her no matter how hard she tried. Usually, people looked out into audiences and felt better when they spotted a certain person. This was the complete opposite. Mary Jane knew that when she looked out into the audience and saw him, it would just make her stutter.

"I just got off the phone with Noah," Luna revealed, coming out of the corner where she had been on the phone as she stuck her in-ears back in. "Kind of sad he isn't here, but I yelled at him to spend time with his sisters. He wished us luck."

Mary Jane sighed. "Thanks. I'm gonna need it."

Luna crossed her arms across her chest. "MJ, you've been freaking the fuck out since this morning. What's going on?"

She groaned. "It's him. Because I have a horrible feeling that if I look out into the crowd and see him, I'm going to forget all of the words and then look stupid. Not to mention we're singing Risk. What if I glance at him once and he figures out that the song is about him?"

"That's not going to happen," Luna reassured her. Her hand suddenly reached up to her in-ears she had in. "It's show time." She reached out and put her hands on Mary Jane's shoulders. "You've got this, okay? And I'll be here the entire time. If you ever get lost, follow my lead."

Mary Jane took a deep breath. "Got it." She grabbed one of Luna's hands and gave it a squeeze. "Let's do this, yeah?"

Luna smiled, squeezing her hand back. "Hell yeah."

Then, together, the two of them ran out onto the stage together. Mary Jane grinned at the sound of the crowd cheering for them, and she waved at them, basking in how they waved back excitedly. Her eyes then slid over to a corner of the venue, which Luna had blocked off for their friends. She instantly spotted Ellum first because he was so fucking tall, and just like she suspected she would, Mary Jane felt all of the breath leave her. The only thing that brought her back to reality was Luna hitting her shoulder in excitement. Mary Jane snapped herself out of her trance and turned back to Luna, grinning wide.

After introducing themselves, along with making very Mary-Jane-and-Luna-esque jokes, they started their concert. It was just them, the small crowd, and a guitar — it felt extremely intimate, but it was meant to be that way. They sang I Knew It, I Know You, I Love You, I'm Sorry, and Blowing Smoke before it got to the one song Mary Jane was so fucking nervous about.

"So, we actually wrote a lot of these songs together, but I think this one was the one that stood out to us the most," Luna explained. "Right, MJ?"

Mary Jane nodded. "This song was written from my own delusions." She laughed a little with the crowd. "Luna taught me that it's good to write my feelings down, and this was no exception. And from that, Risk was born."

"So, this is Risk."

"Look at me now, said I wouldn't do it, but I hunted you down," Mary Jane and Luna sang together as Luna strummed on her guitar. "Know you had a girl, but it didn't work out, know you bought a house, but you had to move out, and . . ."

Mary Jane didn't dare look at Ellum during the song, because she didn't want to make it seem obvious or cause herself to trip up. Ellum, on the other hand, couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from her. She looked ethereal under the light of the theater, her painted-red lips grasping his attention. He couldn't help but be captivated by her ever since they met last night, even though she had seemed a little nervous. They hadn't had much interaction besides that and the small one earlier in the morning, but there was something about her that just drew him in.

Ellum leaned a little closer to Tina as the two girls up on stage started to sing the chorus. "Is this MJ's first time performing?"

"Well, in this capacity, yes," Tina answered, speaking a little louder so he could hear. "She's never performed as a music artist like Luna until now. But she has been involved in musical theater. She was in Cabaret in London and Little Shop of Horrors in New York."

Ellum nodded, standing up a little bit straighter. He continued watching her, suddenly realizing how much he didn't know about Mary Jane — and how much he wanted that to change.

Mary Jane suddenly felt like she could breathe a little easier once Risk was done. Their show continued on, with more jokes in between, as they sang Let It Happen, That's So True, Normal Thing, Our House (a cover of a song they both enjoyed), and finally, Close To You. By the end of the show, they were wearing silly gold headbands that stuck up and had gold streamers on them that were gifted to them by fans in the front row.

They said goodbye to everyone, encouraging them to listen to The Secret of Us when it came out, before going backstage. Once they were behind the curtain, Luna instantly tackled Mary Jane in a hug. Mary Jane giggled at her, wrapping her arms around Luna tightly.

"We did it!" Luna exclaimed. "Oh, MJ, that was so much fun. And, hey, you didn't mess up."

Mary Jane squeezed her a little tighter before letting go. "It's because I avoided all eye contact and pretended he didn't exist for the entirety of Risk."

Luna rolled her eyes. "You're going to have to face him eventually, you know." The sound of voices, very familiar voices, then got closer to the curtain. "Like right now."

Somehow, Mary Jane knew she was right. As much as she wanted to ignore everything about this and bury her feelings deep down, she couldn't avoid Ellum forever. Maybe she would learn to not make a fool of herself (Mary Jane was confident this wouldn't happen at all — he would probably always make her nervous).

She was cut out of her trance by a loud squeal. Mary Jane looked up, only to see Rae had completely barreled into Luna's arms. Tina, Leslie, and Miyoung were right behind her, then followed by Blau, another girl Mary Jane didn't recognize that she assumed was Meena, and finally, Ellum. She smiled softly as her heart warmed, watching all of them for a moment. Seeing Luna have such a solid group of friends like this was honestly so amazing to see.

"You were amazing," Ellum's voice said.

For a second, she thought he was talking to Luna. But when Mary Jane blinked, she noticed that he was standing right next to her, his gaze right on her. Mary Jane suddenly felt all of her breath leave her, and her feet felt glued to the floor.

You're going to have to face him eventually, you know.

Now or never.

"Thank you," Mary Jane managed to get out, trying to will her heart to calm down because holy shit he just called her amazing. "And thank you for coming. I'm sure it means a lot to Luna . . . and — um, me too."

He shrugged. "I like supporting my friends. You're now under that category."

Her heart did not calm down whatsoever. "We're friends?"

"Of course. Only if you want to be."

He had no idea.

She grinned up at him. "I'd love to be."

He smiled back at her, one that was so warm she felt it in her bones. "Cool." Ellum then reached up and poked one of the sticks on the headband. "These are fun."

Mary Jane felt her face get warm — she had totally forgotten she was wearing them, and she must've looked like an idiot. "Really? I think I look silly."

"Not at all," Ellum responded, but Mary Jane gave him a look. "Okay, maybe a little bit. But you look good."

You look good. Oh God, he might've just punched her in the chest given the fact she suddenly couldn't breathe anymore. She felt her heart give a little stutter, and she locked her hands behind her back to hide how they were shaking.

She giggled, which was the only sound that managed to come out of her mouth before words. "Thanks." And before she could think about the consequences, she just blurted out her response. "You do, too."

"MJ!" Tina then shouted, bringing her whatever trance she had been in. Mary Jane barely had time to register anything before Tina hugged her tightly. "Good job! You were awesome!"

"Oh, thank you, Tina," Mary Jane replied.

And over Tina's shoulder, Mary Jane caught Luna's eye. Luna winked at her, and Mary Jane felt her face get hot all over again. She was jumping in the deep end already, and Mary Jane wasn't sure how it was going to go.

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maryjanebrooks we played a show together at the echo we're just so cool

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username it was rare I was there
— username OMG LUCKY
— username it was rare I was there (aka feverishly refreshing tiktok and twitter for more videos)
— username okay that's so real username

lunahayes that's so true!!!
— username I see what you did there
— username WHY IS IT ON THE DELUXE LUNA I WANT THAT SONG ON THE ALBUM N O W
— username most unhinged song you've written so far
— maryjanebrooks real
— username they're everything to me

foolish_gamers there's only one cool person in that picture
— username dude.
— username adding this to the "foolish is down bad for his girlfriend" list, don't ask me what number we're on I've lost count
— username mj get behind me I'm so sorry about him
— maryjanebrooks and considering you're not in it we know it's as sure as hell not you
— username CLOCK HIMMMMM
— username mj always comes for him I love her

username my #1 duo forever and ever

karljacobs and I wasn't invited?
— username oooh . . .
— nolanhansen yeah wait a second
— username the nc squad means so much to me ENOUGH
— maryjanebrooks maybe don't tell me you couldn't wait for me to be gone next time
— username she stays being no man's peace
— username SPEAK YOUR TRUTH

username printing out this picture and hanging it in the louvre brb

username anybody finding it weird that foolish isn't there?
— username luna said that he was visiting his sisters and that she wanted him to spend time with them, nothing to worry about
— username oh okay. I just miss style duo :(

tinakitten the most beautiful most talented girls in the world!!!
— username brb SOBBING
— maryjanebrooks love you forever and ever tina, my shining star ❤️💫
— username tina and mj are an underrated friendship and I will stand on that fact
— username the girlies :(

valkyrae LEND SOME TALENT FOR THE REST OF US JEEZ
— username AHHHHH HI RAE
— fuslie FOR REAL
— username :O LESLIE
— kkatamina leslie I do NOT want to hear it from you
— username MIYOUNG TOO OMG
— maryjanebrooks not the argument in my comments oh no
— username there's something about mj becoming friends with them that means so much to me

username I was the one that gave you two those gold headbands! thank you for the best night ever!
— maryjanebrooks omg! thank you for the headbands, we love them <3 and WE LOVE YOU TOO!!!
— username HOLY SHIT OH MY GOD
— username NO WAY CONGRATS!!!!

username honestly maybe it's a good thing I wasn't there because there's a high chance I would've collapsed on the floor
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ellum so fucking cool :D
— username woah bingle's back
— username oh hey ellum
— maryjanebrooks :)
— username hm
— username this is . . . interesting to me
— username developing friendship? I'm here for it

-ˏˋ ✩✩✩ ˊˎ-

they're so paralyzed by btr coded ugh

meena is lucy's oc in her blau fic and if you're not reading bed chem then I'm not quite sure what you're doing GO READ BED CHEM 🗣️🗣️🗣️

the meena patel + mary jane brooks & luna hayes cinematic universes are connected YIPPEE!!!!

also so sorry for the late chapter wattpad was being so fucking weird like I could still publish things in this book but this specific chapter was a problem and idk