Luna and Isaac stood beside the bleachers, watching as the lacrosse team ran across the field. The jerseys they were for practice blended together in a blur as they moved across the large field. She adjusted the backpack on her shoulders as the weight pressed down uncomfortably, careful in her movements so as not to ruin any of the cookies.
The plan was to hand them out to the players after practice as a present to cheer them on before their next game. It was the only plan that she and Isaac could come up with without looking too strange, or making it appear obvious that they were up to something to be wary of.
"I can't believe you guys watch these things." Simon bounced on the balls of his feet, a textbook clutched in his large hands, one that he had already flipped open a few times. "It's boring."
She had to agree with him that these games were boring. But unlike him, she had someone who made them less boring to her. Her motivation for attending these practices helped to keep her mind preoccupied during them, all while taking in the captivating sight that was Adam Fisk.
"I started finding them entertaining around sophomore year. I mean, where else can you see this many sweaty guys and most of them look pretty good." Isaac practically swooned as he looked out onto the field. Simon started glaring out into the field while occasionally casting glances toward Isaac, the book in his hands forgotten.
Oh, boy. Luna had the feeling that Simon might be the jealous type. He was going to have it rough while dating the boy-crazed Isaac.
The coach blew the whistle, signaling the end of practice. Luna shrugged off her backpack and grabbed the cookies as the players started making their way to them. "Wacha got there, moon girl?" Adam was the first one to reach them.
She grabbed the pink-iced cookie from the top and handed it to him. "A cherry frosted sugar cookie. Your favorite."
"Did you make everyone's favorite?" He took the cookie from her, trying his best not to stick his fingers in the icing.
"No. I made plain for everyone else. I only know your favorite flavor." Oh, God. How obvious could she be?
Apparently, not that obvious.
Adam looked behind him in a conspiratorial way. He leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Mark loves the flavor orange when it comes to sweets." She was ready to tell him that she had no interest in Kwon when Carl ran up and slapped Adam on the shoulder. The sudden impact took him by surprise, and he dropped the cookie. Luna looked in horror as the cookie collided with the ground and crumbled to pieces. Adam only shrugged and took another cookie.
"Really? Sweets? You're taking this 'food is the way to a man's heart' a little too seriously." Kwon sneered. He went to grab a cookie from the pile but Luna moved the plate away from him. He raised an eyebrow, probably thinking that she was acting childish. Reaching with his left hand, he made a move toward the plate. What she didn't see was that his right hand was in position with the plate moving right towards it. "Better luck next time." He smiled as he took a bite of the heart-shaped cookie.
Adam came back and grabbed another cookie, shoving it into his mouth with a delighted look. As he ate, he looked around. "No water?" he asked, licking his lips. The action drew Luna's eyes up to Adam's plump lips until his words registered in her mind.
An idea hit Luna. She fished in her bag for the spare love potion that she had stored in a water bottle. It was completely full and the lid was tightened enough that it could pass as a brand new, unused bottle that she just got out of the machine. "Here you go. I just happened to have an extra." He gratefully accepted the water, and then he and Kwon walked off toward the coach.
Luna slammed the plate into the arms of a confused Carl. It worked. The plan worked. She was so excited that she could start dancing at any moment.
"Don't celebrate just yet." Isaac pointed to where Adam and Kwon stood talking to the coach. Kwon unscrewed the lid to his water and took a drink.
Fear seeped into her. She was positive that Kwon did not have a water on him earlier. She looked down at Adam's hands and saw that he no longer had the bottle filled with love potion. "No!" She screamed, her hand reaching out of its own accord, unable to touch the object of her terror due to the vast distance.
* * * *
"I could really use something to drink." Mark swallowed the last bite of his cookie. He had to admit that the girl could bake. It was unfortunate that sugar cookies always left the mouth dry and sticky.
"Here you go, man." Adam offered him the water that Luna had given him earlier. "It's too warm for me. I like my drinking water ice-cold."
Water was water to Mark. He could drink it at room temperature or straight out of the fridge.
He took the drink from him and unscrewed the lid. The water slid down his throat, relieving it from the stickiness. Something sparked through him, something that felt a lot like magic. He then started to smell a familiar scent of green tea, milk, and honey, the smell was so strong that it seemed to fill him completely. That wonderful scent that filled his every pore reminded him of Luna and the uniquely warm scent that was hers' and hers' alone.
His eyes flashed to where she was standing as a doning horror filled him. A horrified expression warped her face and her hand was outstretched, reaching out towards him, her fingers flexing frantically.
His heartbeat quickened.
He looked down at his fingers and saw them outlined in a faint pink glow. Then it suddenly disappeared and his heartbeat returned to normal. That was weird. That was definitely magic that he sensed on him. . .which sort of made sense since he thought he had felt it sparking through his nervous system and lighting up his blood vessels when he had first taken a drink of the so-called water.
Closing his eyes, he turned his senses inward to sense for any lingering traces of that magic. There weren't any. An expression of puzzlement warped his face, tugging his thick eyebrows downward and creasing the line between his eyes.
"What did you boys want to talk about?" Coach asked them, walking up to him and Adam.
"We just wanted to see how your mom was doing, coach Flaire." Adam's voice sounded like it was miles away instead of right beside him as the realization hit him.
He looked back to where Luna was still staring at him with that horrified expression. Her sidekick was standing beside her, clapping his hands to his legs as he laughed. Mark saw the crumbled cookie crushed into the ground, the one that was for Adam. He then looked at the water that he had just taken a drink of. The water that was for Adam.
Screwing the lid back on, he walked over to the nearest trash can and threw it away. Without taking a shower, he grabbed his things from the locker room. He was in a hurry to get home and confirm his suspicions.
When he arrived home, he found his mom in the kitchen. "Is dad home?"
"No. He called earlier to say that he had to stay at the office late. It'll just be the two of us for dinner. I'm making egg rolls, your favorite."