Feelings
Lux gripped the steering wheel a little tighter than necessary as she pulled out of the school parking lot, her mind still replaying the fight with Jinx. The city streets blurred past her, but she barely registered them—just the same old fancy buildings, the same bright streetlights flickering on as the sky darkened.
Why did she have to be so difficult? Lux had tried. She really had. But Jinx refused to take anything seriously. She acted like nothing mattered, like failing wasn’t a big deal, like Lux was just some annoying girl wasting her time.
And then that look she’d given Lux when she mentioned Silco. Like Lux had punched her in the gut.
Well, maybe she needed to hear it. Shimmer wasn’t medicine. Silco wasn’t some noble savior. She had been raised to know these things.
Still, Lux could feel her stomach twisting with something unpleasant—guilt? No, that didn’t make sense. Jinx was the one who stormed out, not her.
She exhaled sharply, pulling up to her house. The Crownguard estate was massive, looming over the well-manicured lawn like a fortress. The windows glowed with soft, golden light, but the place still felt cold. It always did.
Lux parked in the driveway and grabbed her bag before stepping inside. The air smelled faintly of expensive cologne and polished wood, a scent she’d grown used to over the years.
Her parents were already in the foyer, dressed impeccably—her mother in a navy blue gown, her father in a sharp black suit. They looked like they belonged at a royal banquet, not a council meeting.
Her mother barely spared her a glance as she adjusted an earring. “You’re home late.”
Lux set her bag down by the stairs. “Tutoring ran long.”
Her father checked his watch. “We’re leaving soon. Garen’s at his wrestling match, so you’ll be on your own tonight.” His tone was matter-of-fact, like he was confirming a business arrangement, not addressing his daughter.
Lux nodded stiffly. Like always.
Her mother’s gaze flickered over her, assessing, before returning to fixing her dress. “Make sure you eat dinner,” she said, as if reading from a script.
Lux fought the urge to roll her eyes. “I know.”
Her father gave a curt nod, and then, just like that, they were gone—out the door without so much as a how was your day? or you look upset, Lux.
The moment the door clicked shut, Lux exhaled, rubbing her temples. The silence of the house pressed in around her.
She needed to talk to someone before she lost her mind.
Lux sighed and pulled out her phone, scrolling through her contacts before tapping on a name.
A few rings later, the call connected.
“Hello?”
“Hey, uh—could you help me with homework?” Lux asked, trying to make her voice sound casual.
There was a brief pause before Seraphine’s voice came through, light and amused. “Lux, you never need help with homework.”
Lux groaned, flopping onto the couch. “Fine. I just need to rant. Please.”
Seraphine giggled. “Go for it.”
Lux didn’t even hesitate. “I hate Jinx.”
“Oh, wow, shocker,” Seraphine teased.
“I’m serious! She’s impossible! She doesn’t even try in tutoring, and when I called her out on it, she got all dramatic and stormed out!”
“Classic Jinx,” Seraphine muttered.
Lux exhaled, pushing herself up from the couch. “Okay, so first of all, she was late. Again. She showed up at 3:30 when she scheduled the time for 3. Like, if she doesn’t care, why even bother?”
Seraphine made a sympathetic noise. “Yeah, that sounds like her. What did she say?”
Lux rolled her eyes. “Oh, she just strolled in like she owned the place, smirking like it was funny.”
“And the flirting—oh my God, the flirting!” Lux threw herself onto the couch. “It’s constant! She says the most ridiculous things, calls me ‘princess’ like it’s some inside joke—I hate it!”
Seraphine giggled. “The nickname’s kind of cute, though.”
“No, it’s not!” Lux huffed, ignoring the heat creeping up her neck. “She does it on purpose! Like she knows it gets to me.”
“It definitely gets to you,” Seraphine teased before humming thoughtfully, “I doubt she means it though, it’s probably just to get in your head. No offense, but you’re totally not her type. And, like, everyone knows you and Ezreal are a perfect match.”
Lux frowned slightly at that but brushed it off. “Whatever. She’s just—ugh, so frustrating.”
Lux groaned. “Anyway. I tried to get her to focus, but she was just spinning her stupid pen, barely paying attention. So I asked her to answer one question—just one—and she got it right! Which was a shocker. But then I gave her another one and she started whining and refusing to do it! She didn’t even try. So I called her out on it, and she just shrugged like it didn’t matter.”
Seraphine sighed. “That’s so frustrating. You’re literally trying to help her.”
“Right?!” Lux paced across the room. “So I told her that if she didn’t start putting in effort, I wasn’t wasting my time on her anymore. And she just laughed, like it was a joke! So then I said—” Lux hesitated, gripping her phone tighter.
Seraphine’s voice softened. “Lux?”
Lux sighed. “I said she only made it this far because Silco’s a drug dealer.”
There was a long pause. “…Oh.”
“Yeah.” Lux sat back down, running a hand through her hair. “And she snapped. She got all stiff, and she looked at me like I’d just—I don’t know. Like I’d crossed a line.”
Seraphine exhaled slowly. “I mean… you kinda did, Lux.”
Lux groaned. “I know…But I wasn’t wrong! I mean, Silco is the reason she gets away with everything! She never takes anything seriously, but somehow, she’s still here, still skating by like none of the rules apply to her.”
Seraphine was quiet for a moment. “Yeah you’re not wrong about that…What did she say?”
“She got mad,” Lux admitted. “She said Silco isn’t a drug dealer, that he’s a doctor, and that Shimmer saves lives.”
“Shimmer isn’t saving anyone,” Seraphine scoffed. “That’s total bullshit.”
“That’s what I said!” Lux exclaimed. “I told her that’s not what I’ve heard, and she just—she lost it. She called me ‘Crownguard’ like it was an insult and stormed out. Slammed the door so hard I thought the door was going to fall off its hinges.”
Seraphine let out a low whistle. “Yikes. So, what now?”
Lux rubbed her forehead. “I don’t know. I mean, I still have to tutor her, but she’s probably not coming back after that.”
Seraphine hummed. “Maybe that’s a good thing. I mean, do you really want to keep wasting your time on someone who doesn’t care?”
Lux hesitated. The answer should have been easy.
But for some reason, it wasn’t.
“Right.”