Eschew (2)

"But the spell didn't work," Isaac pointed out.

"There's still hope. Aunt Phoebe hasn't called me back yet."

Isaac looked astounded by her words. "She always responds back immediately. "

Luna shrugged her shoulders halfheartedly. "Something must have happened." It was possible that something could have come up during the board meeting. Hopefully she will hear back from her aunt before the end of the school day.

* * *

Mark paced back and forth in front of Luna's locker before coming to a standstill. He was nervous about exposing his true feelings to her while pretending to be under the influence of a love potion. He just hoped that it was a love potion that he had drunk the night before. If not then his charade will be blown in an instant.

Why was he even in this situation? Why couldn't he have been more upfront in the beginning? He only did what he did to protect the girl who had been his first friend. Now she hated him and he had no clue how to act in front of her. Who was he kidding, he never knew how to act in front of her.

"No. Please stop! Isaac!"

Mark looked up when he heard Luna's voice. It sounded desperate with her pleas. And he easily saw why.

Luna was being drawn out by Isaac. He was dragging her out from behind the wall leading to the staircase with her heels desperately trying to dig into the ground.

Isaac unfortunately covered most of her small frame with his taller one but Mark could still see some of her. Today it looked as if she dressed in a hurry. She wore a baggy hoodie that hung past her hips. Mark wondered whose hoodie it was.

Her long black hair hung loose, swaying around her shoulders with not even a single hair out of place. Her usual pale cheeks were flushed red and her plush lips were parted open as she pleaded with her friend.

Just like always, the sight of her drew out a smile. This time he let it show instead of forcing it away.

Luna's eyes widened at the sight of him and her desperate pleas fell away. The color drained away from her face. Those beautiful gray eyes that were focused on him became filled with horror and curiosity.

Before he could even wave at her and even try to approach her, she was dragged off by Isaac once again. He watched as the two retreated back behind the wall where they were previously hiding.

Mark wanted to follow after them but decided against it. That just might be pushing his luck and he didn't want to do that. He wanted as much time as he could possibly get before it all came crashing down.

Maybe he would try again during lunch. For now, he left Luna's locker so that she could grab her things without worry.

"What are you planning now?" Came Carl's accusing voice from behind him.

"I don't know what you are talking about." It bothered him that Carl noticed something already. The guy was annoying and a jerk but he was extremely perceptive.

"Whatever. Just be careful man." Carl left him after that brief warning and shoved his way to Adam through the crowd that was forming around them.

Mark wondered how he became friends with those two. His sole intention of approaching them in the beginning was for Luna's sake but that had been four years ago. He shook those thoughts from his head as he gathered the things needed for class from his locker. He needed to come up with a game plan for lunch, not reminisce on old memories.

* * *

Luna plopped her tray down onto the table and slid into her usual seat. She still hadn't heard back from her aunt and it was killing her. How was she supposed to break Kwon free from the influence of the love potion? Was he really under the influence?

It had her stumped and feeling apprehensive. Kwon consumed the love potion instead of Adam but the only noticeable change was this morning. Other than Kwon standing in front of her locker, he made no other move.

"So this is where we normally sit. Are you sure you're fine with sitting with us?"

Luna looked up from her tray where she had been staring without seeing. Isaac was coming closer to the table, nervously casting glances to the boy who walked beside him.

Simon, the third top student in the school, was taller than Isaac, though shorter than Adam. He was surprisingly athletic looking as if he exercised on a regular basis. His hair was a bit shaggy, and the red highlights in the otherwise blonde hair made his brown eyes look even redder. He was actually kind of cute which made her curious as to why Isaac never approached him before.

That was right. Isaac had made a comment before about how nerdy Simon was. He even feared that Simon's ideal date would be a trip to the library.

"Of course," Simon flashed a reassuring smile that showed off his pearly white teeth.

Isaac's eyes widened and his mouth parted slightly. She had a feeling that he just learned how attractive a nerd could be. "Oh," was all he could most likely manage to say.

One really shouldn't judge a person based on their looks, hobbies, or grades. Look at Kwon. He was the top student, which really irked her, and he was a decent athlete.

Isaac sat down, nearly missing the chair. The tray in his hands rattled and his knuckles were ghostly white.

Simon slid into the seat beside him and shot him a piercing gaze full of hunger. The corners of his lips curled up and he leaned on his elbow, shortening the distance between him and Isaac. "Cute," his voice was low and guttural.

Luna shivered, suddenly reminded of a predator on the prowl. She had a feeling that Isaac was in over his head.

Isaac looked away from Simon. His face and neck were completely covered in a crimson blush. Yep, he was definitely in over his head.

Pushing past the embarrassment that she felt for witnessing such a scene, she asked the question that she had been dying to ask. "What made you decide to ask Isaac out?" Did that sound too much like a jealous, prying friend? "I meant that you seem kind of agress-I mean that you don't seem undaunted. Like you would have approached him sooner, not wait?" What in the world was she saying! She was completely, utterly useless at conversing with people!

Simon nodded his head as he mulled over her question. "Truthfully, I wanted him to come to me first. Or at least notice me as a potential partner. Trust me when I say that it took all of my strength to hold back my urges."