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Chapter Text

Love is a funny thing. Not funny in a “haha” way, but in a “are you serious” kind of way. It doesn’t pick and choose when it comes either. It’s kind of like a cat in that way. You might want it from time to time, but at the end of the day it comes and goes of its own accord and waits till you least expect it to slap you upside the head. And today, of all the days, it did.

I was sitting outside after school, strumming mindlessly on my guitar, as I normally do. It always helped me unwind from the day, before I got back home and rewind myself due to my family. I try to play it cool around them but let’s be real, in a family of 11 kids, several pets, and practically no privacy… That’s basically a pipe dream.

So there I sat, picking out the guitar part to “Gimme Shelter”. When I play, I don’t just play. Music is a full body experience, I can’t help it. as soon as I pluck the first string, I feel every cell in my body energize. It’s the greatest high I could imagine. There are no drugs or sport, no adrenalin rush, like listening to my axe sing at the command of my fingers. I start to sing along,

“ Oh, a storm is threatening . My very life today .”

My axe and I continue, no one stops to listen. But I don’t need them to. This is between us and the lyrics. Closing my eyes, I let the tunes and lyrics paint a picture in my mind’s eye.

“ If I don't get some shelter . Oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away.”

I keep going, singing the song and strumming the lyrics made famous by one of the greatest rock bands of all time. My soul lights up with the words as they dance across my lips. Suddenly, I hear a voice join mine.

“ War, children, it's just a shot away . It's just a shot away”

I open my eyes in shock. No one, not even in my own family, ever sings this song with me. The words might as well be a lost art to people my age, time having warn them so that now their message didn’t resonate with them. I stop, not prepared for the slap across the face love had prepared for me that day. Because standing beside me, with torn jeans and a shirt from “The Who” was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. Her blonde hair was only offset with a streak of rebel blue that fell down around her eyes. I don’t know how long it took me to realize I was staring but she was waving her hand in front of my face. I shook my head trying to get my thoughts back on track.

“Dude, you alright?” She asked, and I felt my heart skip for a second.

“Yeah… yeah totally. Sorry, it’s rare that anyone knows the rolling stones.”

“You mean, one of the single greatest bands to ever rock the planet? What, do they live under rocks or something?”

“THAT’S WHAT I SAID! Like, how can you go through life not knowing who they are?”

“I feel that dude, I’m Sam by the way.” She says as she offers a hand. My cheeks flush red. It’s hard to explain, but it feels like a goddess of rock as flown down to earth and has seen fit to grace me with her presence. After a moment I shake her hand,

“I-I’m uhh… Loud. I mean Luna. Loud is my last name. But most people just call me Luna.”

She laughs and my guts turn to goo at the sound.

“Luna Loud huh, that’s a rocker name if ever I heard one. Your parents must have known.”

I try to laugh, but it comes out more like goofy giggle. ‘Play it cool dude, please for the love of rock play it cool.’ I rub the back of my head and try to act aloof.

“I guess so.”

“Well, I’ll see you around Luna Loud.” She says before turning and walking away. Immediately I let out the breath I had no idea I was holding. I feel like I just ran a mile in five minutes. Luan comes up beside me and snaps her fingers in front of my face.

“What? Huh?”

Luan sighs. “you’ve been standing there for like two minutes staring into space. What gives?”

I blush and rub my neck.

“Nothing, don’t worry about it.” I turn to walk towards the house

“No, not nothing. You’re as red as my clown nose. You got a crush!” she says as she darts around me, hands clasped behind her back.

“Oh, Em, Gosh! Luna has a crush?!” I cringe and look back to see my older sister Leni on the verge of a squeal. I quickly silence her with a finger over her lips.

“No Leni, No crush. I don’t have a crush. Both of you knock it off!” I say as I walk ahead of them, keeping a fast pace to avoid the conversation. It couldn’t be a crush, I mean I just met her. I knew I liked girls, I mean… I don’t really see people in terms of gender. Why limit yourself for something as silly as that? But I never really found someone that tugged my heart strings. There was that cute guy that Link had tutor him… God he was man pretty. And then there was Ms. Demartino. But when I thought of them, it was purely physical. It wasn’t a crush, not really. But this Sam girl… I don’t know. It feels different somehow. Could it be a crush?

I walk through the door just in time to be grabbed about the shoulders by Lori.

“You, me, girl talk. NOW!” She says as she yanks me into her and Leni’s bedroom. Before I know what is happening Lori, Leni, and Luan have a blanket fort made and are giggling like teenage girls. Which, to be fair, we are. Lori sat with her head resting on her tented hands, Leni and Luan on either side of her.

“Alright Luna, spill, who is it?” She says with a wry smile that is reminiscent of a tiger showing its teeth right before I takes down its prey. I shutter a bit.

“It’s no one, I don’t have a crush!” I say

Luan rolls her eyes, “Luna, we may have been born at night, but it wasn’t last night.”

“Of course it wasn’t Luan… We’re teenagers. And I don’t think I was born at night at all.”

Luan and Lori facepalm, “No Leni, we’re saying that she isn’t fooling anyone about this crush.”

Leni nods emphatically, “Ohhhh, I get it.”

“You don’t really… do you.” Lori asks, though it isn’t much of a question as a statement of fact.

Leni’s smile fades and she droops her head. “No..”

“Look, girls, this is sweet and all, but I don’t have a crush!”

“So then, you going gaga for that blonde rocker chick was a coincidence.” Luan chides. My mouth falls open in shock. She was there?!

“You heard me and Sam?!” I almost scream before I cover my mouth with my hands.

“And we have a name.” Lori says giving Luan a high five. My whole face goes red and it feels like it’s a million degrees under that blanket. I put my face in my hands and pull my knees to my chest.

Leni crawls over and gives me a big hug. “Luna, it’s ok. We love you, no matter who you crush on.”

It makes me oddly feel better as I lean into her hug. Lori and Luan join in shortly after and I let out a sigh. “Thanks girls, it means a lot. I’m not sure how I feel still but..”

I put a hand to my chest, “I felt really weird when I was talking to her. I don’t know how to explain it.”

Lori puts a hand on my shoulder. “I know what you mean. It’s like when you see them smile, it feels like sunshine inside.”

Leni nods “and when they notice you, it feels like nothing else in the world matters in that moment.”

Luan smiles, “That’s called love sis. You may not know her, but you do like her.”

I hug myself as a smile creeps across my face. They are right, I won’t say it out loud… But they are. Sam is something special, and for the first time I can remember. I’m excited to go to school tomorrow.