The next day

I woke up and got out of bed and stretch my arms and legs. I went to my bathroom and took a shower. I dried my hair and did my morning routine.

My hair

My outfit

I grabbed my bag and headed downstairs. After stepping out the door, I walked to my Jeep and got in. As I drove, I noticed a red balloon in the middle of the road. I stopped the car and got out. There was a kid standing by the sewer, talking to someone or something. As I walked closer, the kid turned around to face me, and I froze. He looked exactly like my cousin, who had passed away. I had been so close to him, and seeing his face again, even though I knew it couldn’t be him, hurt.

But then, something changed. The kid smirked, and in an instant, he transformed into a clown.

"I will make you float, Luna," the clown taunted, blood dripping from his mouth.

Before I could react, he vanished along with the balloons. I stood there, stunned, for a moment before climbing back into the Jeep and driving off.

I pulled into the school parking lot and parked. As I got out, I turned around to see Beverly and Bill.

"What’s up?" I asked, walking over to them.

They shrugged, saying they were just waiting for me. We headed inside, and I sat in class. My teacher asked me a question, and I answered honestly, "How the hell am I supposed to know?"

"Do you want to go to the principal’s office?" she asked, folding her arms with a smug smile, clearly thinking she had the upper hand.

"Yes, please," I smirked, watching her face drop in surprise.

I heard snickering from my right, and I glanced over to see Victor laughing.

"You’re one funny girl," he said, still chuckling.

I rolled my eyes and went back to my notebook, starting to doodle.

---

Skip time

I walked into the bathroom and saw Greta with a new group of girls. They were about to dump trash on someone in a stall. Without hesitation, I walked up to Greta. Her smirk vanished when she saw me.

"Get in the trash can," I ordered.

Her girls exchanged uncertain glances and stepped back.

"I will not do that," Greta said, taking a step back.

"I SAID GET IN THE DAMN TRASH CAN, NOW!" I yelled.

Reluctantly, Greta climbed into the trash can and sat down, looking like she was about to throw up. I turned to the two remaining girls.

"Names," I demanded.

"Chelsea and Kat," the blonde one answered.

I pointed to the door, and they both bolted for it.

The girl they were picking on stepped out of the stall, revealing Beverly, who was grinning.

"My new BFF is a badass," she said, putting out the cigarette she’d been smoking.

We walked out of the bathroom, and I bumped into Henry and Victor, who had been watching the whole thing. They both smirked at me before walking off.

"What’s their deal?" I asked Beverly.

"They must like you or something," she said, tossing her bag over her shoulder.

I rolled my eyes and walked outside to my Jeep. Beverly and the boys came over to me, and we were talking when the Bowers gang approached, shoving them around. I sighed and looked straight at Henry, who had noticed. He immediately dropped Bill and ordered his gang to let everyone go.

I watched as the Bowers gang realized I was the reason Henry had changed his mind. They quickly walked off, and Beverly and the boys came over to me.

"How did you do that? You just death-glared that guy, and he dropped us," Richie said, doing some weird celebratory dance.

I drove home, arriving just in time for dinner. After eating, I ran upstairs, but then I froze. There, sitting on my bed, was the clown.

I stared at him.

"Why don’t you just leave me the hell alone?" I demanded.

"Because you're different. And that bugs me. I can't eat you," he smirked, his eyes gleaming with hunger.

"You're kind of dumb, aren’t you?" I shot back, folding my arms. "Now leave, clown."

With a laugh, he disappeared.

I grabbed a book and started reading when my phone rang. It was Beverly.

"Luna, there’s a clown. He’s trying to kill me. He made blood and stuff come out of my bathtub!" she said, panic clear in her voice.

"I’m coming over. Stay put," I told her, hanging up.

As I glanced around my room, I couldn’t help but wonder: Why does he want me? What’s different about me?

I changed into my sleep clothes, went through my night routine, and climbed into bed, still thinking about the clown.

An hour later, I set my book down, picked up my phone, and scrolled for a while. A couple of hours later, I plugged in my phone to charge, turned off the lights, and fell asleep.