Dark Moonlight: Lunar Rising

by N. M. Williams

  “You sure you’re okay? You haven’t been yourself since Jason looked at you.”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I just can’t believe that hit. Who hits that hard? I don’t even think the professionals hit that hard!”

  “I know, it’s crazy. But I guess some people have different strengths. Maybe Jason’s strength is his hitting.”

  Skye thought about it for a moment. Roxy was right. Everyone is good at something. Maybe playing defense is what Jason excelled at. Skye looked up in the stands and saw her parents and Roxy’s parents chatting up a storm. It was nice knowing how well their parents got along.

  “Alright, girls, five minutes until the second half!” Maddie was gathering everyone up as the Jaguars marching band was finishing up. Skye jumped up from her seat ready to go. “I just need to shake off that hit and I’ll be alright,” she said to Roxy as she helped her up.

  The Jaguars and Cougars were both exiting their locker rooms as the Jaguars marching band was marching off the field. Both football teams took to the field for a quick warm-up before continuing on with the game. Jason looked over at Skye as he was running yards and just smiled.

  “Something isn’t right with that kid,” Skye said laughing. She did not know why but she just wanted to know him better.

  The referee blew his whistle to signify kick off. And just like that, the game was back on. Skye, Roxy, and their squad were cheering away for their Jaguars. Skye, Roxy, Maddie, and Krista were all being held up in a hold, shaking their pom-poms, and cheering so loud they were losing their voices. It was moments like this that Skye lived for.

  The referee blew his whistle to stop play. The girls came out of their holds to see what happened. Jason was coming back to the sidelines, holding his helmet that had the face mask ripped off. Skye looked at him confused as to what happened. She looked at the field to see another Cougar's player down.

  “What happened now?” Skye asked Jessica.

  “Not sure, I was more worried about not dropping you,” she said with a smile.

  The Cougar player was laying on the ground with both hands on his chest, making a fist. The kid was in pain. Skye could hear the coach talking to Jason about the hit.

  “What did you do?” asked the coach.

  “He was going to try to take me down, so I planted my feet and went in for the hit. He didn’t have his pads tied, so my helmet got stuck in-between it and I couldn’t get it out. All I did was pick the kid up when I lifted my head and just kind of slammed him to the ground.”

  The Jaguar’s football coach did not know what to say. He has never seen something like that before. He did not even know if what Jason did was legal.

  The referee came over to the Jaguar’s sideline and asked the coach what had happened. He told him the same thing Jason said.

  “Another kid leaving the field on a stretcher. How many times are we going to see this tonight?” The coach looked at Jason. “You have got to stop playing so rough or they’ll eject you from the game.”

  Jason looked at him, telling him he understood, before catching Skye’s gaze. Skye pulled away embarrassed to be staring for so long.

  The referee came back over to the Jaguar’s team and told the coach the kid had left with chest pains from Jason’s hit. “If fifty six injures one more player,” the referee said, “then I’ll have no choice but to remove him from the game.”

  The coach and Jason both understood. “Anyone have a helmet for Jason?” The coach asked the team. Brad did not hesitate to give Jason his helmet. With a player like him, he did not want to see Jason not go back in because of that.

  The referee blew his whistle after the third ambulance arrived to the stadium. There were only three minutes and forty two seconds left in the fourth quarter. The score was 21 to 21. Jaguars had the football on the Cougar’s forty five yard line. If they can hit drive after drive and go in for at least a field goal, they would win the game.

  Skye, Roxy, Krista, and Maddie were back up in their holds. They were waving their pom-poms and cheering on the Jaguars. They were determined to get the crowd going again.

  The Jaguars were now at the thirteen yard line. Fifty three seconds to go. They were in perfect field goal range, but the coach wanted more. He knew that even if the quarterback got sacked, their kicker would make it.

  Their quarterback, Bobby Phillips, threw deep into the end zone where Anthony Ranger was waiting. Defensemen were all around Anthony and with one, big jump he caught the football for the touchdown win.

  The cheerleaders, football team, and crowd were going wild. The marching band began playing their fight song. The Jaguars have one their first game of the season. There was not anything better than that. Skye and Roxy hugged each other and began jumping up and down with the rest of their squad. That was how a football game should go.

  Chapter 7

  Skye was standing on the field, looking at everything. This was her last year being a cheerleader and she wanted to take everything in. She has stood on the same field for the past four years. She knew nothing changed about it, yet somehow it felt different.

  Her parents had left to head home, telling Skye and Roxy the door will be open when they get there. Roxy was in the stands talking with her parents. Everyone else on the cheerleading squad had left to go home. No one from the football team was seen. The marching band had left for the night. It was a calm, relaxing place for Skye to absorb every sight, every smell, every emotion.

  She heard someone walk up behind her.

  “Can you believe this, Rox? I mean, how weird is it going to be next year when we aren’t standing here anymore.”

  “Well, I can’t answer that since I’ve only been here for one season.”

  Skye abruptly turned and saw Jason standing there. “Oh, I thought you were Roxy. I didn’t know you would still be here.”

  “Sorry to surprise you,” Jason said with a smile. He had that smile that would turn any girl into a puddle of slush. His white teeth were straight. He had those little fangs that really gave it a personality. It was perfect.

  “You okay? I’ve heard you’re never speechless.”

  Skye broke out of her daze and just said “Yeah.”

  Jason laughed a little. “After a game like that I thought you’d have more to say.”

  Come on Skye think of something you idiot!

  “Yeah, no, it was a really good game. I can’t believe how strong you are!” Skye said as she reached out to touch his bicep.

  “Hah, yeah. So I actually came over to see what you were doing tomorrow night. I heard there’s a really good movie playing that I thought we could go see.”

  “Oh, really? And what movie might that be?” Skye asked playfully.

  “I was thinking Night School. I could use a good laugh after tonight.”

  “That sounds great to me. What time will you be picking me up?”

  “Umm, well, how about seven?”

  “Great! Here’s my number. Just shoot me a text later,” Skye said with a smile. “Roxy’s waiting for me so I should get going. I”ll see you tomorrow, though!” And with that Skye left Jason standing on the field as she walked up the bleachers to meet Roxy.

  “So, what was that about?”

  Skye just could not help but smile. Before she could get any words out Roxy had put it together.

  “Oh, I see. Someone has a date with a cute football player,” Roxy said all teasingly.

  “Yes, now shut up!” The girls laughed as they left the stadium.

  Skye felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She pulled it out to see a text reading,

  Can’t wait until tomorrow night :)

  She stood there looking at her phone, smiling. She added Jason to her contacts.

  “Oh my gosh, Rox! What if I’m actually falling for a guy?”

  “Then I’d say it’s about time!”

  Skye and Roxy walked back to Skye’s house for the night. Just when Skye thought her night could not get any better, Jason asked her on a date. S
he was filled with such joy that it would be impossible for something to ruin it.

  Chapter 8

  It was almost time for Skye’s date with Jason and she had no idea what to wear. She was Snapchatting Roxy pictures of different outfits all day. There was not anything in her wardrobe that was amazing enough for her first date with Jason.

  “This is hopeless!” Skye said as she fell back on her bed. She laid there looking at her ceiling. I’m just going to the movies. It shouldn’t be this difficult.

  She felt her phone vibrate next to her.

  Jason: Hey beautiful! I can’t wait until tonight. I’ll be there around seven.

  She did not even bother to reply. Instead, she FaceTimed Roxy.

  “Rox! Please tell me you know what I should wear. I’m running out of time!”

  “Breathe, Skye. It’s just a date to the movies, not a fancy gala. Just throw on a pair of your jeggings and that red sequin top I love so much.”

  Skye thought for a moment. “Yeah, I guess that would make a cute outfit. But what shoes? Do I wear a jacket?”

  “Wear your white converse and yes, wear a jacket. You get cold easily. I’d wear your black blazer. It would look super cute with it. And maybe throw on your black Michael Kors belt since your shirt is a crop.”

  “Rox you’re seriously a lifesaver! I better go change and get ready since it is six fifteen. I hope I don’t keep him waiting too long,” Skye joked.

  “Sounds good. You better let me know how your date goes, missy! I want all the details!”

  “You know I will! Love ya girl!” With that, Skye ended her call.

  “Okay, now all I have to do is change, do my makeup, do something with my hair, and call it a day. I can do this in forty five minutes, right?” Skye was talking to herself like she usually does when she has a task at hand. She decided getting dressed was the easy part, so that should be last.

  She grabbed her makeup brushes, foundation, eye shadows, lip glosses, mascara, and liners off her vanity and sat in front of her tall mirror. If she can do her makeup in ten minutes before leaving for school then surely she can do it in ten minutes before leaving for a date.

  She used her hot pink, shimmery eye shadow first. She was going to add some extra glitter but liked the way it sparkled on it’s own. She then took her black, liquid eye liner and gave herself a nice wing on each side of her eyes. She added a little bit of liner to her waterline on the bottom of her eyes and applied mascara to both the top and bottom lashes. Since her eye lashes were naturally long she did not need to bother using fake eye lashes. That was one thing she was proud of. Finally, she put on her deep red lip gloss and puckered in front of her mirror.

  “Alright, make up is done!” She checked her phone and saw it was already six forty. “Now what am I going to do with my hair on such a short amount of time?”

  She began looking around her room. Nothing was coming to her. She decided to get dressed while she thought. There was no use in sitting around when she had to get her butt moving. Instead of wearing her white converse, she decided to wear her black booties. She thought it really put the outfit together.

  As she was about to give up and just leave her hair natural, she caught sight of her burgundy hair bow. “Perfect!” She pulled her hair to a side french braid and added the bow at the end for an extra touch. At six fifty seven she heard the doorbell ring. Must be him.

  Skye took one last look in her mirror. She was satisfied with what she saw. Her makeup made her blue eyes pop.

  “Skye! Jason’s here!” Tom was heard yelling up the stairs.

  “Be right down!”

  Skye was smiling so big. She had to calm herself down before walking downstairs. The last thing she wanted was for everyone to know she actually had a crush on someone. She took one last deep breath and walked out of her bedroom.

  Coming down the stairs, she saw Jason looking at her. He was dressed in Affliction jeans, a white t-shirt, and a black and blue flannel shirt that he had rolled up to his elbows. “Wow he looks good,” Skye said under her breath as she made her way over to him.

  “Ready to go?” Jason asked as he was admiring Skye.

  “Definitely.” Skye just looked at him and smiled. “We’ll be back later.”

  Jason and Skye walked out of her house. He walked her over to where he had his Dodge Charger sitting. It was a beautiful car. Everything on it was black with red accents.

  “This is your car?” Skye asked in awe.

  “Yeah, she’s my baby,” Jason laughed as he told her that. He opened up the passenger door to let Skye in.

  “Thanks.”

  He walked over to his side of the car, got in, and fired up his Charger. Jason had his iPhone playing through his bluetooth. Slipknot’s Wait and Bleed came on.

  “Oh my gosh! I love this song!” Skye said as she sang along in the passenger seat.

  “You listen to Slipknot?” Jason asked, surprised. “I didn’t take you for a rocker chick.”

  “I’m full of surprises,” Skye said as she smiled and winked at him.

  The drive to the theater was enjoyable. Jason let Skye play DJ and pick whatever songs sounded good to her. Their music for the drive ranged from Slipknot all the way to Florida-Georgia Line. Skye was just as surprised to see such a range of artists on his playlist. It was a good surprise for both of them.

  Jason came around the car to get the passenger door for Skye so she can exit his car.

  “You really are a gentleman, aren’t you?” Skye asked. She’s never had that kind of treatment before from anyone.

  “You can say that,” Jason said smiling at her. He put his arm out for Skye to take it and the two of them walked to the theater. Jason paid for their tickets, popcorn, and drinks. Skye pulled out her phone to text Roxy.

  Skye: OMG he is seriously perfect!

  They made their way to the appropriate theater and took their seats. It was packed in the theater so they would not have any privacy. They were sandwiched between two other couples.

  They sat there and ate most of the popcorn while watching the previews. At that rate there was not going to be any left for the movie itself. Jason kept looking over at her. She could feel him on the side of her face. She looked over at him to catch his gaze but had to pull away to hide the fact that she was blushing.

  Night School was starting. Jason put his focus back to the screen to watch. About half way through, he took Skye’s hand in his. She was hesitant at first, but decided to go with it. She looked at him with a smile and then continued to watch the movie.

  Once the movie ended, they decided to let other people leave first. They did not want to step over anyone at the ends of their row.

  “That was actually a pretty good movie,” Skye said. “I saw previews for it, but I didn’t think it would be as good as it was.”

  “Yeah, I agree. Kevin Hart is such a great actor!”

  Skye and Jason walked back to his car, her hand still in his. The only time she let go was when he opened up the car door for her to get in. Jason drove Skye back to her house and walked her to the front door.

  “That was a lot of fun,” Skye said looking up at him, her blue eyes sparkling in the light from her front porch. “Thanks.”

  “Anytime! I had a lot of fun too.” Jason said before looking serious. “Your eyes are really something, you know that? It’s like I can’t stop looking at them”

  Skye didn’t know what to say. She just stood there smiling at him. He put his had above her on the porch so he could lean on it and really look at her.

  “You really are beautiful, Skye. Any guy would be lucky to call you his.”

  “Thanks, but I’m not the relationship type. I haven’t really found anyone worth while.”

  “Is that so? I mean, you are here with me. You don’t think of me like that?”

  Skye just looked at him. If she said yes, he would know how she really felt. If she said no, she’d be lying to him while possibly hurting him. She did not know what to d
o.

  “Well maybe this will change your mind.” Jason put his hand on the side of Skye’s face, titled her head up, and kissed her with so much passion she could feel her knees buckle. Skye felt herself smile, knowing Jason could feel it too. He pulled away and just looked at her.

  “Well?”

  Skye was standing there on cloud nine. “Yes. Yes you have changed my mind,” she said with a little laugh.

  Jason stood there smiling at her. “I guess you better head on inside. I’ll see you at school on Monday.”

  “Yeah, sounds good. I’ll see you then.”

  Skye watched as Jason walked to his car. She just looked up at the night sky smiling so big. It was almost as if their kiss took some kind of pressure off of her. She hadn’t realized it was a New Moon that night. Everything around her just felt calm.

  Skye was still standing on the porch with her hand on the door knob. He waited until she walked inside before driving away. She closed the door and just leaned her back up against it. She did not know what to think. All she knew was that she really liked Jason. A lot.

  Chapter 9

  Skye and Roxy were sitting in their anatomy class waiting for Mr. Valentine to begin. They still had a good five minutes before the late bell rang. Jason had not shown for class yet.

  “So, are you going to fill me in on your date? You didn’t even call me yesterday!” Roxy seemed offended that Skye had not called her. To be honest, Skye forgot about telling Roxy. It is not that she did not want to, she was just too busy talking to Jason all weekend.

  “Yeah, sorry Rox. It was actually pretty fun. I think I might actually like him,” Skye said with a laugh. “I mean, how weird would that be?”

  “Not that weird.”

  Roxy wanted to push Skye for more information but was interrupted by Jason walking in just as the late bell rang.

  “Hey guys!” Jason said with a smile as he looked at Skye.