The Luna Choosing Game

I sneaked out of the bathroom while Nicholas stayed to clean the lipstick off and adjust his clothes. As the leading man, he had to be certain that he looked perfect. I insisted. Someone would be sure to notice if even a hair of his was out of place, and then our relationship could

be threatened.

As I entered the room where most of the others waited, I looked around for Julian, but he

wasn’t waiting with the others. Perhaps he was watching the show?

I checked in with Elva. She was with Veronica now. Most of Veronica’s scenes were over so she could watch her during Susie and my remaining scenes. Knowing Elva was in good hands, I sneaked out of the sitting room to peak in on the play itself from the actual

backstage.

Admittedly, I cared more about finding and confronting Julian than I did about the actual play, but I ended up hitting two birds with one stone.

Julian was onstage, in a scene with Bridget, and they were arguing.

“You act like I’m the villain, but where is my restitution?” Julian demanded. “All these years, I’ve followed you. I’ve loved you. And now you are casting me off for someone you’ve

known for mere weeks?”

“Love is not a competition,” Bridget said, which I always thought was a strange line, given our current circumstance. The entire Luna selection process was a big competition. “I met him, and I loved him.

The love between us had time, but never blossomed.”

“For you,” Julian spat. His acting was exceptionally good today. He was always a talented

actor, but the sheer amount of raw emotion in his voice made me shiver. He was even putting Bridget to shame. “I have loved you from the moment I saw you.”

“It’s not enough,” Bridget said. “I’m sorry.”

“You’ve never appreciated me. All I’ve done. All I’ve sacrificed –”

“You’ve sacrificed?!” Bridget’s voice rose now. “What of my sacrifices? I had turned my

heart off for so long! How can you not be happy that it’s now come back to life? If you truly loved me –“}

“I should be pleased you love another man?!” Julian’s voice rose to match.

“If you truly cared!”

#+15 BONUS

“You are delusional!”

“Am I?” Bridget demanded.

My thoughts paused a moment. I didn’t remember some of those lines from the script. Did they decide to improvise? Was that what they were truly doing last night?

If they were even together.

Yet even if they talked about this, which I honestly doubted, the fire and passion under their words seemed too real. It could have been that they were both just very good actors, which they were. But I had a suspicious feeling not all these feelings were for show.

“You are the one holding me here,” Bridget said, bringing it back to the familiar words of the script. “You threaten terrible things. You were never in love with me. You’ve only ever been obsessed with me.”

Julian growled. “You will regret those words when I make you my bride.”

“I will never be your bride,” Bridget said firmly.

They stared each other down.

The curtains closed. The crowd erupted in applause.

Julian stormed off the stage.

He was coming my way, so I tried to step into his path. “Julian –”

“Not now, Piper,” Julian said and sidestepped around me.

“But I…”

He didn’t wait to hear me out. He just kept walking toward the sitting room where the

others were.

At that same moment, Nicholas was coming out from the room. Julian smashed his shoulder into Nicholas’s as they walked by each other.

“Julian?” Nicholas called, but Julian didn’t turn. He continued to storm forward.

Slowly, Nicholas made his way over to me. “What was that about?” Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

“Tough scene, I think,” I said, and motioned toward the stage. Bridget was still there. She

had a solo scene next.

“I don’t think it’s just that,” Nicholas said. “He’s been off all day. I’m a bit worried about

him.”

I didn’t want to break Julian’s confidence, or blab some rumor that Bridget said before I could verify the truth with Julian himself. So I couldn’t tell Nicholas everything that was going on. I wasn’t even sure I could tell him anything. 1

We faced the stage side by side as the curtain opened for Bridget’s solo scene. In it, she lamented Julian’s terrible treatment of her. How he was so terrible for making him choose between the two of them, and then forcing her hand when she refused him. 1

I knew it was theater, not real. But for all the similarities between the play and their actual situation, it made me so mad at the possible implication that Julian would attempt to force her.

“You know more than me,” Nicholas said, side–eyeing me. “Julian confides in you more than he does anyone else. Except perhaps Brian, though I’m not sure there’s counts as a friendship.” 1

“He hasn’t confided in me about this,” I said. “Not fully.”

Nicholas hummed. We continued watching Bridget’s performance for a moment. Soon Nicholas would have to go onstage to rescue her from the tower where Julian’s character had trapped her.

I had so many questions for the three of them: Bridget, Nicholas, and Julian. Sometimes it seemed like Nicholas was the only one who would give me a straight answer. Though his memory seemed skewed. I wasn’t sure he knew all the truths of what was going on around

him.

Maybe he knew this, though.

“Nick. Do you know how Julian feels about Julian?” I asked.

“His puppy love crush?” Nicholas said. He smiled at first, but it quickly flitted away. “It never meant anything. Julian never means anything with his feelings. He finds excitement, grows bored, and moves on. He’s always been that way, even with Bridget.”

“But what if…” I struggled to find the correct words. “What if it’s real with Bridget?”

“Can’t be,” Nicholas said, as dismissive as if I had suggested Julian grew another arm, or flew to the moon. Impossible. Ridiculous. 1

Nicholas wasn’t even considering the possibility of the words. In Nicholas’s opinion, Julian would never have true feelings.

That seemed short–sighted.

“He might find love eventually,” I said. “He’s not immune to it. No one is.” I wanted to suggest it without pressing too hard. I could risk revealing Julian’s secret. Facts were, I knew that he definitely felt he was in love with Bridget, and had been for years.

Maybe Nicholas was right. Maybe it wasn’t real love. But to Julian, it felt like it was. Wasn’t that enough to take it seriously? Julian deserved support. How would he even know what was love or not if no one ever heard him out?

“Nick, I really think –”

“Trust me, Piper,” Nicholas said. “Whatever is going on with him, it doesn’t have anything to do with love.” He looked at me then, again. His eyes were worried. He wasn’t a terrible brother, just one who thought he knew Julian better than he did. “Will you find time to talk. to him? Make sure he’s okay?”

“I will,” I said, and it was a promise, not just to him, but to myself.

I couldn’t believe what Bridget had said to be true, that Julian had said all those terrible things.

We were friends. That was real.

I had to speak to him, and find out the truth.