Chereads / Luna's Diaries / Chapter 25 - Breaking Loose

Chapter 25 - Breaking Loose

As soon as I finished shouting the invite to Valerie's house party, I sat back down with a big smile all over my face. I glanced in Nate's way, but he was no longer there.

I looked at the girls with a smile, but Valerie was tilting her head with an annoyed face.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked.

"What we always do. Throw a party. Don't tell me now that you're backing out. Wasn't you who always dragged me to a party after school? I'm just giving what you want, dearest," I answered, rolling my eyes and not thinking about how annoyed she was with the fact that I made sure it was her party to host.

"You know that I can't--"

"Make it happen, Valerie. You don't want me to be disappointed, don't you?" I asked sternly. It made her shut up and left. I shook my head at her reaction.

"She's just annoyed Lu, 'cause you made a move on Chase," Kate said.

"She's still not over him? What good can he see in that guy? Problem is written all over his face," I asked rhetorically. Kate just shrugged. Jane was silent.

Hours later, school is finally over. I bid the girls goodbye at the front gate when their cars arrived. Kate actually invited me to ride with her, but I refused. Jane was giving me the cold shoulder, as well as Valerie, who was the last one to go.

"Val!" I called her name and stopped the door of the car before she could close it. She didn't glance my way, so I continued.

"You know the reason why I made it happen to be at your place is because Chase is coming, and I know how much you are eyeing him. It's hitting two birds with one stone. What do you say?" I asked, hoping that she could see it my way.

"I'll make some excuse to have the house tomorrow," she said and closed the door. It was enough for me to hear that she's into it. It actually made me smile because I know how great of a host Valerie is.

I checked the time, and it was already five-thirty in the afternoon. I received a message from Miss Ava saying that they need all hands on deck now. I replied that I will be late since classes ended late too.

As usual, I rode the bus towards the train station. Luckily, I found a seat by the window, which I opened to observe the surroundings. The sky was being enveloped with a shade of blood and a mix of oranges. It felt like the heavens were on fire, but the wind blew cold as it touched my face. I somehow see myself. I appear to be this fiery woman right now, trampling anyone who gets in my way, but the reality is, I'm just alone.

Still, I love the feeling of being on top. I admire that self of mine, not giving anyone a fuck about what they think about me. But somehow, living these two worlds is now making me question, which one is real and not?

Ever since before the incident, the life I know has been booze, boys, and cash. I can spend my time getting wasted, flirting with thirsty boys, and wasting money with unnecessary items like branded clothes or whatnot. And honestly, how lucky I was to experience such a grand life. Yet, after the incident, my life turned three-sixty. Although, I still get the boys, right?

The next thing I knew, it was already my stop. As soon as I left the bus, I saw a familiar man standing by the train station entrance.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked, walking past him. He grabbed my hand, but I forcefully shook it off. "Leave me alone, Nate. We're done," I said.

"No," he said. "We're not. You can't just say you're done when we haven't even started anything real yet. You're just pushing people away because you're too afraid of being alone."

As much as I wanted to punch his face, he was telling the truth. I do not want to be left alone. Not now nor ever. The feeling of loneliness is just too much for me to handle, especially now that I still haven't fully recovered from the incident.

I turned around and faced him. It felt like everything around us was walking so fast and we were just there standing in the crowd with our minds confused, and hearts are broken.

"Yeah. Let's say you're right, Nathaniel. But don't you get it? THIS IS ME. You've just entered my life recently. You don't really know who I am. Don't get so full of yourself thinking that you got me just because I went on that one date. I've been stringing you along. You were my target, and now, I'm done. So go and fuck off," I said harshly, pushing him by the shoulder to emphasize my last words. I turned around and never even dared to glance back.

"I won't stop," he shouted. It just made me break into tears.

⤬ ⤬ ⤬

It's almost midnight. We're definitely ready for the party. The house looks fantastic. I mean, there weren't really many decorations and stuff, but food and drinks were everywhere. It's accessible, plus we have a buffet by the pool. Valerie made it really grand, as if she was throwing herself a birthday party.

"This is fantastic, Val!" I said excitingly.

"Well," she shrugged her shoulders, showing off the pride of hosting great parties.

"I didn't doubt it," I said.

We're not actually at Valerie's home, but it's one of their properties. This is their pool house. Basically, they go here whenever they want to have a staycation or like what we're about to do - throw a party. The pool house definitely has a modern-esque architectural design.

By the entrance, there's enough space for a few cars to be parked for the visitors. When you enter the establishment, it's actually the main house. There's a small hallway going to the living room, where there's a large cubi sofa facing the large smart TV. The walls are painted cream with abstract paintings on the wall. I absolutely love the choice of color of the wall because it gives off a more spacious vibe. Of course, there's also the kitchen and dining room. At the far end of the house is the door leading up to the pool and the bar.

The house has three rooms- one master bedroom, Valerie's room, and a guest room. We're at Valerie's room preparing before the clock strikes midnight. Kate was busy working on Valerie's hair. Jane still can't decide on what to wear. She was staring at the bunch of clothes that were in front of her. I laughed, seeing how confused she was.

I disrupted her concentration when I walked in front of her and grabbed a few of the clothes stacked on the bed.

"Try this. It's your kind of style," I said with a smile.

"You do know I hate parties and dressing up," she mumbled in annoyance. I giggled and pushed her towards the bathroom to change.

Minutes later, she walked out, and dare I say, she looked amazing. She was wearing an oversized black shirt with guns and roses print tucked in a leather skirt that hugged her waist to show off the curves. She's also wearing black stockings underneath, pairing them with ankle black boots. Simple, but definitely a rock chic look. Even Kate and Valerie complimented Jane's look.

"Thanks," she said. "No problem," I replied with a tap on her shoulder, telling her 'I got her.'

A little while after, people started to come in one by one, and before we knew it, the house was already packed and partying.

The target of today's party was actually late, which was Chase, Valerie's VIP. When he arrived, I was the one who greeted him by the entrance door.

"You do love the attention," I commented.

"Right back at you, babe. You look hot," he said as he put his arm around my waist and leaned to whisper the last words.

I was wearing a lace embroidered bralette topping it with a leather jacket and pairing it with a black tennis skirt and long high-knee boots. My hair was curled, and my makeup was done a bit edgy.

I laughed at Chase's comment. I grabbed his collar to make sure he stayed from his position and whispered, "I know babe since I was born." I turned around and went towards Valerie.

"He's all yours," I said. She smiled and walked over towards Chase.

Everyone was having fun. Booze was everywhere, and music was blasting through every wall. People were either dancing or already hooking up by the corner. I found myself sitting by the bar as I observed people getting wasted and high with music. Somehow, so suddenly, I felt empty, like something's missing.

I noticed some rando sitting beside me. He ordered a whiskey neat from the bartender. I gazed back to the pool area and pretended that I didn't notice his presence.

"You're the so-called Queen of Greenfield, right?" he asked. He placed his head over his one hand on the counter while the other held his glass of whiskey.

"And what's that gonna do with you?" I retorted back.

"Feisty," he commented with a smirk. "I like feisty women like you."

"Go fuck off, other girls," I said, then grabbed my beer and went to the dance floor. I heard him hissed, showing how pissed he was.

People were dancing to the beat of the music. Sweat and beer were mixing in the air. Every single one is skin to skin. Some are even kissing and hitting it on the dance floor. I didn't mind them but felt every inch of my body moving with the music. I closed my eyes and danced to every beat, feeling it.

I have to remember the old Luna who didn't care who was on the dance floor and just minding her own business and owning it. After a while, I felt a hand on my waist, and a man matched my move while being behind me. He put his head over my shoulder, and I landed my hands at the back of his head. I tilted my head up and swayed my hips from left to right.

When the beat hit hard and switched to a piece of sexy slow music, he twisted my body to face him. My eyes widened to see who it was. I tried to break free from him, but he was holding me closely and tightly.

"You're not going anywhere," he whispered to my ears.

I almost didn't recognize Nate because he was far from looking like a scholar nerd who got lost trying to check out the cool kids. He totally blended in! He was wearing a black shirt that hugged his torso and paired with a washed denim pants. His hair was brushed up and parted in the side. Some of his bangs were hanging on his forehead. He really looked different, like he's used to this kind of lifestyle.

It was then I realized that I really don't know who Nathaniel Cooper is.

I smirked at his comment and didn't bother to show restraint in moving away from him. Instead, I danced to match the beat and moved closer to him. We both hit the dance floor. No one is backing down. The dance has gotten hotter and sexier every second. I can feel my heartbeat rising, but I didn't mind it and just let the music overwhelm me.

Hitting the beat, I turned around and pulled him closer by tugging his collar. I can feel his arms resting on my waist. There was no distance between us. I could definitely feel his body heat. I swayed my body and slowly went down. When I was on my knees, I bent over and gave him a twerk, then turned around and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Look at me," I whispered. I slowly moved away but gave him a gesture by pointing at him with my index finger telling him to come to me.

Yet before he could even close his distance on me, I pulled a random guy from the dance floor and gave him a deep kiss down his throat. The people were getting wild and whooing us. I peeked and looked at Nathaniel's expression. I could see a glint of hurt in his eyes.

I walked over to him after that scene and whispered, "That should be enough to convince you."

⤬ ⤬ ⤬

"What the hell has happened here?!"

A scream woke me up. Her voice was still ringing in my ear. I grabbed the nearest object, hoping it's a pillow to cover my face with.

"Luna? Is that you?" the woman asked and tried to remove the object I was holding over my face.

"Hngg," I protested.

"My god. What the hell happened here? I thought it was just a girls' night out, Valerie! How can you flip the entire house upside down?" the woman complained. It was only then I realized who was talking. My eyes opened wide, but I had to adjust my eyes by squinting because of the bright sun beaming over me.

I realized that Valerie was sleeping in a sitting position beside me while lying down properly on the sofa. When my eyes had fully adjusted, I saw that Kate and Jane were also able to comfortably find themselves lying down by the sofa too.

I guess Valerie and I had a girl talk and just suddenly lost consciousness in the middle of the conversation. Still, I can't even remember what we were talking about. Damn, we were totally wasted!

"Geez, even Kate and Jane are here," Mrs. Katherie said. Mrs. Katherine is Valerie's mother. She is a very known figure in society for her luxurious fashion style. She is the CEO of Amare Fashion & Co. She's a very exceptional designer, and Valerie is her icon. They are truly a tandem that any other mother and daughter would be envious of.

To be honest, I am envious of Valerie for having such a great mother and having a good relationship with her. I just don't understand Valerie sometimes when she says that she hates her mother.

"Valerie, por el amor de Dios… ¡despierta!," Ms. Katherine furiously. I forcibly woke up Valerie and whispered to her that her mom's there. She stood up right away and tried to grasp herself, but she almost failed.

"Mamá, no sabía que vendrías," Valerie said. She was clearly stammering, and I can sense that she's having a bad headache now.

Valerie and Ms. Katherine continued their Spanish conversation. Have I mentioned that Valerie has Spanish blood? Thus her beauty is really fascinating amongst all the models known in the industry.

I walked towards Kate and Jane and woke them up. I told them what just happened, and we suddenly burst into laughter. We can hear Valerie somehow begging her mom about something, but we couldn't really understand what they were saying. Moments later, Valerie walked in.

"What are you guys laughing at?" Valerie asked with an annoyed tone.

"We're wasted af!" I said and laughed. Valerie just giggled and came over towards us for a hug.

We were talking about how the night went and how wasted we were. Kate teased Jane because somehow Jane was able to attract a few men. Valerie and I didn't want to believe it, but Kate showed us a kiss mark by the neck. We gasped and told her what a bitch she was and started laughing again.

Suddenly a phone was ringing out of nowhere. We were trying to find who's phone it was and where it was placed. Kate saw the phone, and it was my phone.

"Lu, it's yours. Why's the hospital calling you?" she asked, tilting her head on the side. I snatched the phone away from her. I hoped that it didn't look too obvious that I was hiding something from them.

"Ah, hmm… I really got a bad tummy ache just a few days ago and went into an emergency. Maybe I just forgot to do something for them," I lied through my teeth, hoping that it was enough to convince them. I hope that they're still too hungover to process any information right now.

The hospital told me that mom went to a critical state just a few minutes ago. Still, they were immediately able to recover, and she's now stable. I felt my heart suddenly stop for a second because I thought I just received a call telling me mom passed away. I wouldn't be able to handle that.

"I have to go to the hospital. They said that I had to fill in some paperwork. Maybe I missed out a few when I was there," I lied, again.

"Do you want us to drop you there?" Kate asked, and Valerie second it. "Yeah, let us drop you off there and have some coffee afterward."

"Oh no. Don't even try to bother yourselves with it. Just chill for the rest of the Sunday. I have things to do for Grandfather anyways this afternoon," I said, which isn't really a lie because I did promise Grandfather that I'll be at the hospital during the weekend to take care of Mom.

Good thing I was able to get them off my back. I went to Valerie's room to get my bag and other things like my school uniform. I didn't even bother to neatly put away my things inside the bag. I just dumped it in.

As I was about to leave, Valerie was by the door looking suspicious of me. Shit, did I say something last night that made her look at me like that?

"Are you sure you don't want us to drop you off? It would be easier for you that way," she said. The way she said it was like she's trying to get something off from me. I felt frightened for a bit, but I didn't make it obvious on my face.

I stood up with my head held high, chin up, and shoulders looking strong and confident. I took a step towards her, and with every step, I showed confidence. I tapped her shoulder and said, "Don't make me repeat myself twice."

⤬ ⤬ ⤬

I arrived at the hospital a few hours later. I looked through the door and saw Grandfather was sitting beside Mom's bed. I haven't entered yet. I wanted to see how Grandfather is dealing with the situation. I haven't really seen him break down or cried. He was always showing off his prideful self to us. Yet, what did I expect? Even if his daughter was lying on the bed, he did not shed any feeling of misery on his face. How cold can Grandfather be?

When I was about to enter, I heard Grandfather speak, but I didn't catch it clearly. He whispered, "... strong, Selene."

"Hello, Grandfather," I greeted. "I didn't expect you to be here at this hour."

"And I didn't expect you to be out and about partying while your mother is suffering here," he snapped back.

I wasn't able to respond to that. He was right. The way he said it made me feel so guilty, but at the same time, I didn't actually regret going to that party. I needed an escape. I needed to feel my old self back, even if it was just for a day.

"I don't need to remind you that I am still paying for your tuition in Greenfield University and that we had a deal that you will be an exemplary student or else everything will be stripped away from you. Do you understand?" Grandfather said sternly.

"Yes," I replied.

All my life, I have been chained to my Grandfather's wishes. It's as if he's a god and that his will must be done no matter what, and going against it will mean terrible consequences that will make you regret going against him.

⤬ ⤬ ⤬

It's Monday, and I just arrived at school. All eyes were on me. Some of the glares were out of envy, while others were out of lust. I showed confidence and power with every step I took, not minding their whispers and glares.

As I arrived in the room and sat by my seat, a group of girls ganged up in front of me. A girl with blonde hair tied up in a high ponytail seems to be the group leader. She put her arms on her waist, and so were the other two girls who were at her back. Clearly, they were just trying to imitate the blonde girl because fear was written all over their faces.

"Hey," the blonde girl said, but I ignored it and grabbed my earbuds and put them on.

"I said, 'hey," the blonde girl snapped and forcefully slapped my hand. The bud flew away. "Tsch," I snapped. I looked at her, and she took a step back.

Pussy. I thought.

This girl was trying to imitate my aura, but she could not even embody it totally.

"Fuck off," I said calmly.

"Why you narcissistic b--" She tried slapping me, but before she could even do that, I slapped her hard on the face first. She held her burning cheek and looked scornfully at me. I raised my brow and smirked at her, which made her angrier even more.

"You go running here fucking up my morning, but you can't even lift a finger on me? Go run to your momma," I said, mocking them. The two girls behind the blonde girl were trying to convince the blonde girl to back off already, but she wasn't quite done yet.

She rushed towards me, but I only kicked her on the stomach, making her fall back on the ground. She definitely hit her back on a chair. The other two girls also lost balance while trying to support their friends.

The blonde girl got a lot of energy today because she stood up and tried to hit me again, but I stopped her hand midway and twisted her while still holding her wrist. She's now facing the board. She cried.

"Luna! Stop it," a familiar voice shouted.

"You don't have the right to tell me to stop," I snapped back, not minding Nate, who just entered the room and was shocked to see chaos with me involved. I kicked her again on the back, and she fell once more.

She glared back at me. I saw that her lip popped because she hit her face the second time she fell. I was ready to end it with one more slap, but she screamed, and unfortunately, Headmistress Brown showed up.

"Miss Harper, that's enough," she said.

"Tsk. Boomer," I sussed.

"Miss Harper, do not let me--"

"Yeah, yeah…" I retreated.

"And you, Mr. Cooper, join me in my office with Miss Harper."

⤬ ⤬ ⤬

It was hella awkward sitting at the Headmistress' office with Nate also sitting across from me. He gazed at me with a worried face, but I didn't look back and made myself busy looking outside the window.

Shit, did Grandfather also mention to Headmistress Brown that I shouldn't be lurking around with Nathaniel? Grandfather really knows how to manipulate people and pull his strings to make sure he gets what he wants.

Nate was about to say something, but he was cut off when Headmistress Brown entered the room.

"Good, you're both here already," she said.

"Well, I'll cut to the chase… Miss Harper, you are suspended for a week. I've called your Grandfather already and let him know of your circumstances," she said without looking at me. She was just standing by the window while her back was facing us.

"Whatever," I said. I obviously knew that would've happened, especially that Grandfather was involved.

"May I take my leave now?" I asked.

"Go," she answered.

I slowly walked towards the door, hoping to hear what Headmistress Brown is about to say to Nate. If it involves Grandfather or what. It was actually making me nervous all of a sudden.

"And you, Mr. Cooper, I'll say congratulations. The university has recognized your skills and effort. You are chosen to represent our school in a regional competition. We will be taking care of your accommodations. Still, you'll have to leave by tomorrow and come back after a week," Headmistress Brown explained.

As soon as her last words were said, I left the room with a sad smile painted all over my face.