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𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗚 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗠𝗘

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
what doesn't kill me makes me
want you more

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REAL LIFE

"LUNA!" MARY JANE shouted from across the hall, somehow louder than the music Luna was blasting from her room — the current song being what's your problem?.

The girl in question turned in the direction of the door. It was only noon, but Luna had managed to get a lot done already. Currently, she was in the midst of trying to clean her closet — key word trying. Her closet was an absolute hot mess, swimming with clothes and shoes scattered everywhere. The goal was to donate a bunch of things she didn't wear, but as she stood in her room basically drowning in clothes, she didn't know where to start.

"Yeah?" Luna called back.

"Have you seen my white Converse?" Mary Jane asked. "The ones with the flowers on them? I thought I let you borrow them at one point in time."

Luna sighed, glancing around her room, before spotting a peek of white and a pink flower underneath a black hoodie. "Yeah, they're here."

"Oh, thank God. I thought I lost—" Mary Jane suddenly stopped, and Luna saw her in her doorway with her eyes wide. "Girl, what happened? It looks like a tornado went through here."

Luna let out a small laugh and grabbed Mary Jane's shoes from the floor. "I'm cleaning out my closet." She handed her the shoes. "I'm separating them into keep, donate, and Mary Jane clothes that somehow ended up in my closet piles."

Mary Jane squinted at her. "I knew you were a thief."

She laughed again, placing her hands on her hips. "You going somewhere?"

"Yeah. Karl is dragging me with him to get coffee. I'm not really sure how I was chosen to go with him, but here we are. You want anything?"

"An iced caramel macchiato would actually save my life. You're my hero."

Mary Jane, once again, looked at her mess of a room, her shoes now on. "Is your only plan for today?"

Luna scratched her head for a moment before pushing her hair back from her face with her fingers. "I was going to stream later if I finish this, but I have a feeling that I'll be here all day."

"Maybe invite Noah over?" Mary Jane suggested. "Maybe he'll help."

There was a sort of inclination in Mary Jane's voice, as well as a flash in her eyes. It seemed to be teasing almost, or maybe realization. Luna stopped for a moment, tilting her head at her best friend. What did that mean? Luna usually read Mary Jane like a book, but for the life of her, she couldn't figure out what this was.

"Uh, sure, maybe," Luna responded, trying to seem casual. "We definitely wouldn't get anything done, but I can try."

Mary Jane shrugged. "You never know. You two are a good team."

Luna blinked — she was horribly lost. "Thanks?"

She winked at her. "No problem." Mary Jane then turned around, starting to head down the stairs. "Bye Princess, love you."

"Love you more."

Luna stood in the same spot, staring at the place where Mary Jane once was in utter confusion, until she heard the front door shut. In all honesty, Luna had no idea what just happened. Why did Mary Jane say everything and look so knowing? Unless . . . no way. Mary Jane couldn't have known. And even if she did, she would've been acting mad. Right now, with all the thoughts swirling inside her head, she was debating just letting her closet swallow her whole.

She shook her head. Focus on one thing at a time. Luna bent down to the floor and picked up a long-sleeved black skin-tight dress — keep. She had worn it on stage before with a black bow in her hair, and it ended up being one of her most iconic outfits. Luna picked it up and put it on her bed before grabbing the black hoodie she had moved off of Mary Jane's shoes. It was Foolish's hoodie — keep, obviously. Not just for her, but for him. It was his, after all.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the light across from her bedroom turn on. Luna glanced up from folding Foolish's hoodie to see the owner of said hoodie walking into his bedroom. He was wearing the simplest outfit ever, which basically described him in a nutshell — a mauve and white marbled long-sleeved and a pair of shorts, but the shirt oddly complimented him. His long hair seemed slightly wet, so he must've just gotten out of the shower. His outfit with the wet hair and the chain glinting around his neck was enough to make Luna's heart start to pound against her chest.

Foolish glanced up, and at the sight of her, he smiled wide and bright and waved at her. Luna giggled to herself before waving back. Foolish then grabbed his pad of paper and his pen from his bedside table. Luna put the folded hoodie on her bed before grabbing her own paper and pen and walking up to the window she had been at.

He held up his paper to the window. LUNA !!!!

Luna grinned and wrote back to him. Good morning, sunshine.

Foolish seemed to smile even wider at that, making Luna's stomach feel all fluttery. What are you up to?

Trying to clean out my closet, Luna answered. After holding it up, she wrote another message underneath. My room is a literal disaster and I'm going insane. MJ and Karl are getting me a coffee so maybe that'll help.

I want to see the state of your room !!!

Luna thought back to what Mary Jane said, about how Foolish could help her. She thought about it for a moment before writing on her paper. Wanna come over and help me?

Foolish quirked an eyebrow — which shouldn't of made her face flush, but it did — and gave her a smirk as he held up his next message. What do I get if I help you?

Idk, what do you want?

A Reese's peanut butter cup.

Deal, Luna agreed.

Bet, Foolish replied.

He then put down his pen and paper. Foolish gave her a two-fingered salute before walking out of his room, flicking the light off behind him. Luna let out a deep breath — because suddenly she was nervous — and grabbed a scrunchie from her desk. She gathered all her hair to the back of her head and started to tie it into a ponytail.

The front door opened from downstairs, accompanied by a familiar voice. "Lunes?"

"Upstairs," Luna responded. She tightened her ponytail and pulled out the two front pieces as Foolish climbed up the stairs. "Hey."

Foolish paused in her doorway, blinking at the state of her room. "Wow, you weren't kidding."

"And now you're joining in the insanity."

He bent down to the floor and picked up a pair of blue Converse, inspecting them for a moment. "So, we're doing what, exactly?"

"Separating my clothes and shit," Luna voiced. "I'm going to keep or donate them, but there's a third pile that's going to be Mary Jane's stuff because I know my closet ate some." She nodded to the shoes in his hand. "Keep those, by the way. They're my standard."

Foolish nodded and put the shoes next to her bed before grabbing a red crewneck type of shirt. "Hey, I've never seen you wear this."

"I've worn it on stage before," Luna replied absentmindedly, throwing an old cropped tee she never wore anymore to her chair at her desk to donate. "Maybe if you came to some of my shows, you'd see me pull out those pieces. And keep."

Foolish tossed the shirt to the bed before blinking at her. "You're doing shows? Other than opening for Taylor Swift?"

"I mean, I hope so. I miss touring a lot." She inspected a pleated skirt and threw it on her bed. "If I want to, I have to start jump-starting things. I'm planning to release an album in February and go on tour in March." Luna then paused — she honestly surprised herself that she had that much trust in Foolish to tell him big things about her career like it was nothing. "Uh, you're actually the first person I've told that to, so . . ."

"Your secret is safe with me," Foolish promised, and she swore she got stars in her eyes from the sincerity in his voice. "You haven't even told MJ?"

"Well, I came up with the idea, like, last night during a spiral as I was trying to write."

Foolish stared at her for a moment before smiling. "Oh, there's our superstar." The teasing manner in his voice made her avert her gaze to the floor, her face feeling warm. "Taking the world by storm, huh?" He then threw a shirt gently at her head, and it landed, covering her eyes. "Luna Hayes, making moves."

Luna giggled and ripped the shirt off of her head, throwing it back at him. "Enough."

Foolish paused for a second as she moved the shirt to the side, evidently deeming that the Mary Jane pile. "I will come to your shows, though. If you want me to."

She turned to him, grinning shinier than the sun. "I would love to have you there, Noah. Only if you scream sorry back at me during 21."

He scoffed. "Oh, obviously."

Over half an hour later, Mary Jane returned, now with her own coffee in one hand and Luna's in the other. Music was still blasting from upstairs — now on Everybody Wants To Rule The World — but with it came laughter. Mary Jane's eyebrows knit in confusion, but everything disappeared when she got to the top of the stairs and peered into Luna's room. Still surrounded by clothes, but looking significantly more organized, was Luna and Foolish sitting on the floor, just talking and laughing with each other.

And now, Mary Jane couldn't help but softly smile at them, because they belonged together — and she was going to step out of the way for that.

-ˏˋ ♥̩͙♥̩̩̥͙♥̩̥̩ ˊˎ-

updating this early today because hsmtmts is calling my name RICKY BOWEN I'M ON MY WAY

anyways the next four chapters is such a saga HERE WE GO