me, her, and the moon.

cecily sat outside on a bench, her phone out in front of her as she tried to get a photo. the light wasn’t quite perfect, but she liked the backdrop and it would be so perfect for her instagram. with a slight pout, she studied the couple of photos she had taken sullenly, none of them up to her standards. a shadow passed her and she glanced up, brightening at the sight of another person. “hey! will you take a photo for me?” 

Logan was too busy looking at her phone—more specifically Twitter, did you know Justin Bieber got engaged?—or else she would have most definitely noticed Cecily. They bonded over their love of Instagram, and Logan could easily see her fitting into LA flawlessly. She gasped, as if the question was revolutionary, “Oh my god, yes, girl, of course. I’ll never say no to taking Insta pics for people.” Logan slipped her phone into her purse and plopped the bag down next to the bench, ready to spring to action, “Was there like, a certain angle you wanted?”

Since Ruby Castillo was five years old, she was interested in cars. Working on them, owning them, learning about them. When she went to Trade School for Automotive Technology after blowing out her knee, it was no surprise to anyone. Since working at Alien Auto, it was very common for people to go to Ruby for any knowledge about cars, being one of the most knowledgable of the workers there. 

Ruby was walking in when the purse fell in front of her, the Mercedes key rolling in front of her right foot. She bent down, picking it up gently, twirling it around slightly in her hands, letting the other keys jiggle next to it. Whoever owned it was either incredibly hard working and into good cars, or incredibly privileged. When she followed the path of the purse to the young blonde, she assumed the latter. Though, no matter how spoiled the girl seemed to be compared to Ruby’s below average clothes and shirt stained with tire grease (she had just come from work), she couldn’t pass up any interest in good cars. 

She looked outside to the parking lot, scanning for the Mercedes that would match the key and what seemed like the girl’s personality. Or at least she assumed, sometimes Ruby’s own car didn’t match her personality. She looked at the Mercedes outside for a moment, studying it like it was a textbook. She turned back to the girl, outstretching her arm to hand the key over. “I assume that S 560 Coupe Mercedes is yours? What is it? A 2016? 2017?” Ruby was always really good when it came to naming car brands and makes, she was just pretty iffy with the years. She was especially great with sports cars and expensive cars, which is why the Mercedes keys caught her eye.

“Huh?” Logan looked up at the voice. Even after the words deciphered themselves in her head, she was still completely lost. Her blue eyes shifted to the parking lot, glancing out the large, glass windows. Her car was the only Mercedes in the lot, so, by common sense process of elimination, that would be the car the other girl was speaking of.

“Oh, uh,” Logan gratefully took the keys and placed them on the tabletop, “I don’t know what year it is. It was a gift,” Cars were the absolute opposite of where her knowledge base would even be remotely helpful. The car was her 21st birthday present-slash-congrats for getting out of rehab present—though no one quite knew the latter. She shrugged in response to her own words, “You’re probably right, though.”

Growing up in the dry heat of the Nevada desert didn’t mean that Romy liked it any more than the average person who would enjoy getting roasted like a rotisserie chicken over a fire, but she learned to endure the scorching heat over her years as a mascot for the park. Now, wearing a simple t-shirt and shorts made a world of difference from the stuffy alien suit she forced herself into thrice a week. It made it less of a hassle to walk around searching for entertainment. She was on the verge of giving up on that altogether though until she spotted Malibu Barbie sitting outside the recently open cafe, looking every inch the silver screen starlet Romy pegged her to be. With a skip to her step, Romy made her way over, leaning against the railing beside Logan, loudly popping the gum in her mouth to catch her attention. “Sup primadonna. What brings you out here with the rest of us common folk on this toasty afternoon?” ( @thelogancrane )

Logan was trying to wipe a scuff off of her sneakers. Perched at the edge of a metal café seat, she learned quickly that licking her thumb and trying to rub it away was a total waste of time. This red dirt was ruthless, it clung to everything.

Just as she was contemplating ditching her entirety of white clothes, the unmistakeable pop of gum snapped her back into reality. Romy was the complete antithesis of Logan, in every sense of the word. She blended into the desert and this town like it was a coat she wore when it got chilly outside. And, leaning there against the railing next to her, smug look on her face and all, she somehow hadn’t completely driven Logan up a wall—yet. “What? You think I just sit around in my apartment all day? I need coffee in my life.”

Logan sighed, letting her foot fall to the ground, “Do you know if there’s any saving my clothes from this red sand because I’m like, dying over here.”

more often than not, ferris kept to herself and if she could help it, preferred to stay out of everyone else’s business. that way, people stayed out of hers, and she was free to enjoy her time alone how she liked it best. sat tucked away in the corner of the cafe, ferris was truly enjoying her personal space. she sipped slowly on a cup of steaming green tea, eyes scanning over the pages of one of her oldest and most loved books. normally she would be doing the same thing somewhere outside, enjoying the sunshine and the dry air of the desert, but something compelled her to stay indoors rather than take her drink to go as usual. 

and then, as if by some twist of fate, the barely audible clatter of keys to hardwood caught her attention despite the usual bustle of the somewhat-busy cafe. no one seemed to notice but her, not even the blonde who appeared to own the set of keys in question. ferris couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if she hadn’t been there to see it, thinking they might have gone unnoticed and lost forever or stolen by someone else. perhaps that was her purpose for sitting inside that day. it was hard to say for sure. leaving her open book and half-full mug on the table, she got to her feet and approached the blonde slowly, crouching down to pick the keys up from where they sat on the floor.

“ i don’t think you want to forget these, ” she said softly as she got back to her feet, holding them out to the other as she got a good look the other. immediately, she felt timid and shrunk back a little. there was something about her energy, she thought, that was too big for a place like moon valley. too pretty to be hidden away in some small town like this. “ sorry, i um—i didn’t mean to interrupt. ”

Logan ran a hand through her hair, nails catching on a scraggly knot at the base of her neck. She gave a sigh and tugged through it, not even bothering to smooth her hair after the fact. 

‘Summer in the desert is like,’

That’s all she had of her blog post so far. Admittedly, Logan thought she’d done a pretty damn good job of setting up her tripod in the middle of an empty field (more like a red dirt patch) just outside of town to snap some pictures of her outfit and the cool new shoes she’d ordered online. The pictures looked more professional than just a girl with a camera she barely knew how to use, but, the words to go along with it were nowhere to be found. It usually wasn’t this hard. Maybe she should’ve paid more attention in her English classes.

Lost in her own mind, she almost didn’t even hear the other girl’s soft voice, noticing her shock of desert-red hair before anything else. She turned, wiping the mystified stupor from her eyes before spotting the keys in the girl’s hand.

“Oh!” Logan shook her head, giving a dismissive wave to her open laptop, “No, oh my God, it’s fine—uh, thank you. I legit was not paying attention at all. I didn’t even notice they fell.”

“you’re welcome” lee smiled. he was already ready to continue his mission to find an empty table to sit on, when he realized that there really was none. he felt like his social anxiety was shouting him to just drop his order and instead go home for a coffee. he looked at the woman again. she seemed nice enough.

“actually, could i sit here? it’s kind of….full everywhere” he waved his hand at the full cafe, realizing later that it was stupid since the girl sitting on the table probably had noticed already that it was full. he hated himself from always overthinking everything he said and did. he signed as he took a sip of the coffee that was almost burning his tongue.

Logan didn’t even try not to act surprised. Her eyes bulged a bit, giving way to a quick nod. Not because the request was absurd, but, because she felt more people in this town steered clear (of her at least) more often than decided to sit down and talk. Or maybe she was so used to stuck up LA starlets and wannabes that it was the other way around. Either way, it was a welcome change.

“Oh—I—sure,” She nodded, moving her laptop in closer so he had room on the other side of the table, “I guess since this kinda is really the only coffee shop it fills up pretty fast, huh?”

With a nod and a small smile, Hayden lingered by the girl’s table. He had done his good deed for the day, right? But still, he was enjoying messing with her. She had a good smile and it seemed like her attitude was okay. It was better messing with her than his usual victims in the town. Hayden turned towards the table behind him and took the empty chair at the table. He pushed it towards the girl’s table and sat down, making himself comfortable.

“Do you really want to know?” Hayden asked, raising his eyebrows playfully. “Honestly, I’ve only used it on you this morning. Did it work?” Hayden smiled at the girl and held out his hand. “I’m Hayden, by the way. Do I get to know your name too or are you going to play a mysterious act for me?”

“It worked in taking my mind off of boring work. So if that’s what you’re going for, then sure.” She said simply, glancing down at her coffee as if that’d make it taste better. Truly, talking to anyone was better than feeling her brain melt out of her ears trying to write words that wouldn’t come. And, a charming kid with a used-up line as basic as ‘forgetting you would break my heart’ was better than a stale, old man asking her to move tables so he could sit in the sun. That was just yesterday. She slid her laptop partially closed and moved it to the side,

“I’m Logan.” She shrugged in response to his question. Definitely no poet or wordsmith, but at least she was honest. “Being mysterious is too emo and overrated.” 

He needed coffee. He needed it ASAP actually, needing his fix to get through the day cause he decided to sleep in, Moon Valley having a strange effect on his usual up and ready attitude. He was very much a seize the day kind of individual, but Moon Valley took time… it wanted you to dawdle and never find its truth… least that’s how is brain was working it out currently as he waited for his black coffee and sugar to be passed out to him, already devouring the banana-nut muffin he’d ordered.

The blonde was looking around the room, taking in the surroundings, taking in the people, which is when he noticed a small blonde knock over her purse near him, her keys sliding out which coaxed him into action, “Hey,” He laughed as he stepped over, scooping the keys up and offering them over, “You’re gonna lose your stuff,” He teased eyes going to her face now and letting out a surprised sound, “Holy shit, hey, you’re Logan Crane huh? I follow you on Instagram.”

His words left her mouth agape. What would’ve just been a casual thank you and back to work instead received an entire acknowledgement. “I—wow. Yeah.” Logan nodded, “You’re like, legit the first person here who’s said that.”

She had been recognized before, back at home. Not as much as maybe an actor would, but it was on occasion. But Moon Valley felt secluded from the world, like it trailed behind on modern times’ coattails. Finding someone who actually had their pulse on pop culture was surprising. “Hi. Yep, yeah, that’s me,” She stammered, taking her keys back. What, you’re here three months and you lose all ability to talk to people? “Sorry. I promise I’m actually like, a normal-acting human, I’m just, like, totally surprised.”

It was Levi’s lunch break from the dive bar, and usually he would spend it at the bar itself, either with a packed lunch or something ordered there. Today, however, he was feeling tired of the same old routine. Besides, he came to Moon Valley to switch things up, try new things, and stray away from his day to day usual tendencies. He decided it would be a good idea to make his way over to a local café for a sandwich.

After ordering a roast beef sandwich, Levi sought a table to occupy. As he was about to sit at small table for himself, he noticed a familiar face in the center of the room. Logan was someone he considered a friend, as they were both fairly new to Moon Valley. She was a pleasant distraction from the stress of searching for his half sister, as well as the conflicting feelings of his boring life. Logan was the complete opposite of Levi, but he didn’t mind in the slightest. He was on his way to ask to join her when he noticed her purse knock over.

“Careful, Blondie, you don’t want to lose these,” he picked up her fallen keys, jingling them on his finger before placing them on the table. “Mind if I join you?”

Logan looked up, flustered from the words she was trying to string together in her head and somehow get typed onto a keyboard. Everything felt like mush inside her brain. How did people even go to college and do this everyday? She couldn’t even write one blog post. But, seeing a familiar face made her smile. She was still running pretty low on friends in this town, but Levi was at least one of the few people who’d given her a chance.

“Oh, shit, thanks.” She scooped up the keys and righted her purse, “Yeah, of course you can. I need to take a break from this anyways. My head’s like, swimming and all the words are blurring together.” Logan closed her laptop and placed it back in her bag, making some room for him to join her at the table.

lee had become more comfortable with the idea of having a cup of coffee and a snack all by himself sometimes. he used to only go out with his friends, since he felt like he was more comfortable when around people who were saving him from embarrassing himself in the public while deciding what kind of muffin to order for ten minutes.  lee thought that the save choice would be what he always took; a coffee with milk and a doughnut. he paid with a bunch of crumbled up dollar bills from his pocket.

when he was looking for a place to sit, he saw an open bag and car keys on the floor. the girl sitting on the table seemed so focused on her work that she hadn’t even noticed. “i’m so sorry… - “ lee lifted the keys up from the floor. “- …but are these yours?”

Logan glanced up, surprise by the presence of another voice. She blinked, then noticed the keys in his hand, “Oh!” She gasped, “Yeah, shoot, they must’ve fallen out, wow.”

At home those keys would’ve been snatched up in a second. Bye-bye nice car, bye-bye house keys, rest in peace to that oversized pom-pom keychain that went out of style months ago but she couldn’t bear to get rid of. But here was different; People—for the most part—were genuinely kind. It was still a lot to get used to. Reaching out for the keys, she gave a smile, “Thank you.”

—  °◦ ⟡ logan crane

It was a little bit odd, but Rose loved Rosie’s Retro Diner in the mornings. The hustle and bustle of the restaurant kept her busy as she watched the regulars, usually, the men who worked construction around town, goof off and laugh at each other all the while drinking their large cups of coffee. Their mornings always seemed so happy and put together to Rose and she loved eavesdropping on the customers whenever they gossiped. She looked down at her regular meal, blueberry pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon sitting on her plate. Her coffee, two sugars, one creamer, sat in the corner next to the syrup. She took a few bites of her pancakes and eggs before moving it to the side of the table as well. It was her day off from the amusement park and she was going to use it to get ahead in all of her summer classes.

As she took out her laptop and set in on the table, she heard the ring of the door signal someone walking in. When they walked past her, Rose took out her camera. The light was hitting their hair so perfectly and the moment seemed like the perfect time to take a picture. “Excuse me, sorry, the light is just hitting you really well from where you’re standing. Can you just hang out there for a second so I can get a picture? I’ll send it to you after I take it if you want,” She asked, taking her camera in her hands, waiting for the okay.

Logan was tapping an acrylic nail against her tooth, doing her best not to gnaw at it. Nail salons were few and far between out here, which meant she had to make her manicure last as long as humanly possible before it looked too grown-out and horrendous.

She usually made breakfast at home: Something healthy involving egg whites and way too many vegetables for the morning. But, Logan had woken this morning with a craving for pancakes, and dammit, she was going to get them. Her quest for pancakes almost made her miss Rose’s voice. She came to a halt, turning around. The request wasn’t as out of place as it could’ve been. Logan understood more than most when good lighting presents itself you had to either use it right then or lose it forever. “Oh, yeah, of course,” She leaned against the counter like a natural, “Do you want my better side? Or is this good?”