Page 166 of Wild Like Us

“Glad to be rid of that,” Luna adds.

A familiarpanghits me again. Moments when I realize I didn’t have a normal teenage experience. No walking down high school hallways and trying to beat the bell in the morning. I chose a different path, and I have no regrets, but a part of me will always dislike missing out on something. An adventure untaken. But to succeed in swimming, homeschool was the better option for me. I couldn’t walk both roads.

I plop my feet into the mud.

Moffy sits on the ledge, his ankles submerged, but I lower onto the Jacuzzi seat inside the mud bath near Jane. Gray sludge rises up to my chest as I wiggle my way into the thick, warm goop. Mud cocoons around my body like a comforting hug. Almost like I’m being held together.

I breathe in strongly.

And I cringe at the rotten-egg sulfur scent. Fuck that stinks. Even the spa’s lavender candles and incense can’t drown out the stench.

“Okay, I’m gonna do it,” Luna suddenly declares, hoisting herself onto the ledge.

Jane perks up. “Right now?” She looks excited for Luna.

Moffy looks on edge. “You need help constructing the text?”

Am I the only one really fucking confused here? I look between the three of them. How out of the loop am I?

Luna wipes mud off her hands with a towel. “Uh-huh, I’m sure. I have a text ready with the pic.”

What picture?

As she grabs her phone, I ask, “What’s going on?”

Luna looks over at me. “You know my galaxy tattoo, the one I keep hiding from my dad?”

“Yeah,” I say, remembering Luna showing me the intricate thin-line tattoo that snakes up the side of her ass and down part of her leg. Right now, mud hides her inked skin.

“I can’t keep it a secret anymore,” Luna says. “Celebrity Crushposted something on their Twitter account about how I didn’t show my legs all summer, and I don’t want my dad to jump to conclusions like I’m…” She exhales sadly.

Jane tells me, “Like she’s hurting herself.”

I nod, more understanding. It sucks that the media is forcing her hand in this. But I think it’s good that Luna is coming clean, even if Uncle Lo is going toflip.Honestly, I’m impressed at how long Luna has been able to shelter avisiblesecret. It’s literally written on her body.

The cougar attack is written on mine, but it’s not something I want to keep quiet when I go home.

“So you’re telling your dad now?” I ask Luna.

“Yep.” She unlocks her phone screen. “I’m mostly just worried about the fallout with Donnelly. I don’t want him to get in trouble for a tattoo thatIasked for.”

Moffy chimes in, “Donnelly said he was cool with you telling Dad.”

My jaw drops a fraction. “When?” How did I missthattoo?

“Earlier this morning,” Luna explains, “I talked with Moffy, Farrow, and Donnelly about telling my dad today, while we’re all here. I think it’ll give my dad some time and space to process.”

Jane lifts her beer goblet. “Cheers to courage.”

I want to smile, but little ole me is sitting here with a huge ass secret. And it’d be nice to have advice from Moffy and Jane like Luna has been getting lately.

Luna taps her finger to the goblet in cheers, then taps her phone. “Sent.” She looks more nervous as reality sinks in. “I did the right thing? Dad had to know?”

Jane holds her gaze. “Better from you than from the media.”

Moffy nods. “It was time.”

I try to give Luna an encouraging smile. “You got this, Luna.”