"Don't let her get to you," Luna whispered to him, holding his hand with her delicate fingers. The warmth of her palm washed away all the anger from his head. "Art is about how it makes you feel, not what you know about it."
Ethan nodded, taking a deep breath. "Yeah, you're right," he murmured, his gaze fixed on her eyes.
Ethan leaned on his chair; he exhaled deeply while closing his eyes. "So, Luna... tell me more about this art club of yours," he said, glancing down at the marble flower floor beneath his feet, suddenly more thoughtful.
Luna's eyes lit up instantly. "It's so fun!! We do almost all kinds of art projects—like painting, sculpting, or just whatever we feel like!" She clapped her hands softly, smiling like a child.
"And there are some other members who are really good at this stuff. They're all super friendly!" Luna said all of that at once.
"Damn… How the hell am I supposed to fit in there?" Ethan thought to himself while sitting there quietly. "But I have to… It's not like I can't learn. Maybe I should just ask Luna to teach me?"
"Hmm?" Luna tilted her head, noticing his silence.
"Why don't you come to the club with us?" Luna asked with a soft smile on her lips. Ethan's heart skipped a beat or two, looking at her bright face.
"This way you can get a better idea." Luna leaned a bit forward towards the table; her breasts jumped a bit at the motion. Ethan noticed it and had to force his gaze back to her face.
"This guy is hopeless," Lucy murmured to herself while looking at Ethan's gaze.
"Yeah, that will be a good idea." Ethan tried to keep his voice steady, but the way Lucy was looking at him made him a bit uncomfortable.
"So when should we go?" Ethan asked her despite the feeling he was getting from Lucy. Like, what's her deal?
"How about tomorrow?" Luna said to him, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Ethan nodded. "Sounds good," he said, trying to keep his voice even.
But just as they were about to finish, Alex's voice boomed through the lunch lounge. "Hey, Ethan!!" Alex is often a quiet guy, but he is always in full spirit around Ethan. They are best bestfriend after all.
Ethan looked toward his back. Alex was waving his hand at him from the door, a broad smile on his face. Luna looked up at the chubby guy, who was standing in the doorway waving his hand like a stupid. Lucy raised her left eyebrow with a slight annoyance. His voice was a bit too loud; almost everyone in the room looked at him. But he was too focused on Ethan; he didn't notice a slight bit of expression on the people around him.
Alex approached the table; his chubby figure and innocent nature made him look a bit cute.
"You finished there, buddy?" Ethan said while smiling at him.
"Yeah, so who are you talking with here?" He said with a smile, but his steps faltered slightly when he saw Lucy sitting across from Ethan.
He looked at Ethan and then the blonde-haired girl in front of him. His eyes begging for an escape.
"I didn't know.…" He did not even finish properly; his voice was barely audible as he looked at Lucy.
"I think...I should go." Saying that, Alex was about to run from there.
"Hold there," Ethan stood from his chair and grabbed Alex instantly. "Where are you running, man?
"Pfft," Luna couldn't bear the sight and laughed slightly.
Ethan's eyes widened. "What?" He had no idea what was funny here.
"It's just, the way his face went red, like a ripe tomato," she giggled, pointing at Alex, who was still frozen in his spot.
Ethan looked at his best friend and couldn't help but chuckle as well, "Yeah, he's always been a bit shy around new people, especially girls."
Finally, Luna stood up from her chair and walked over to Alex with a warm smile on her face. "Hi there," she said, extending her hand. "I'm Luna; it's nice to meet you."
Alex took her hand tentatively, his grip firm but awkward. "Alex," he managed to say, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Don't mind him," Ethan said, slapping Alex on the back. "He's just not used to being around such beautiful women."
Luna blushed at the compliment, her hand dropping to her side as she looked down at the floor. "Oh, stop it," she said, her voice a soft giggle.
Alex's eyes flicked up to meet hers briefly before dropping again.
Lucy was just sitting there staring at them; it made him, Alex, more uncomfortable.
"Hey dude, we should go," Alex hid on Ethan's back and whispered to him.
"Alright, alright," Ethan said with a laugh. He turned to Luna. "Sorry, I actually have some stuff to take care of. But I'll see you tomorrow at the club, right?"
"Yeah, sure," Luna said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Looking forward to it."
"Cool," Ethan said and gave her a wink. He turned to Lucy, who had been watching them with a mix of amusement and annoyance. "See ya, Luce," he said, using the nickname that always seemed to get under her skin.
"Whatever," she said, rolling her eyes. "Don't forget to bring your paintbrushes tomorrow." A mischievous smile played on her lips.
After Ethan and Alex left the lunch lounge. "What was that all about?" Alex asked once they were out of earshot.
"Just Lucy being Lucy," Ethan said with a shrug. "But seriously, thanks for coming."
"Just forget that," Alex said, still breathing heavily. "So, what's the deal with you and Luna?"
Ethan sighed. "I don't know," "There's just something about her that I can't put my finger on."
"Well, she's obviously into you," Alex said. "I mean, the way she looks at you... You know."
Ethan felt a thrill run through him at the thought. "Yeah," he said, his voice low. "But I've got to be careful."
"Why's that?" Alex looked at him.
Ethan sighed, "You saw Lucy?" "They are best friends. You think it's going to be that easy?" "First, I have to tame Lucy," Ethan said with a smirk.
Alex's eyes went wide. "You're going to tame Lucy?" He snorted with laughter. "Good luck with that, bruh," he said, shaking his head. "That girl's got more claws than a cat in a bag full of rocks."
Ethan rolled his eyes. "It's not like that," "She is always around Luna, you know? And she's got a way of...complicating things."
"Well, you know what they say," Alex said with a shrug. "If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself."
"Thanks for the pep talk," Ethan said sarcastically. "But maybe you're right. Maybe I should just talk to her and see where her head's at."
"Yeah, maybe," Alex said, still chuckling. "Let's go to the class for now."
As they approached the classroom, Ethan's eyes fell on Lisa, the new girl sitting by herself. She was engrossed in her phone, scrolling through something with a frown on her face. Her horse-faced brother, Tobi, was nowhere to be seen. This was his chance to talk to her without his annoying shadow.
But before he could say anything else, Tobi barged into the room, his large frame blocking the doorway.
Ethan was always such a self-respecting person; despite his perverted and stupid nature, he was one of the most dangerous people in the student body. His academic prowess and sports talent had earned him a reputation that even the older students knew not to mess with. But now, as Tobi's shadow loomed over them, Ethan felt his ego burn inside his stomach. The anger rising inside of him was visible, but he knew better than to let it show. He took a deep breath and forced a calmness over himself that didn't quite reach his eyes.