Part 1- Momentum

September 3, 1998

Julia Jensen walked through the doors of Mt. Abraham High School unintentionally late. She wiggled her foot into place in her sleek patent leather pumps. Julia sidled into her homeroom class and scanned the room for a seat. A slender blonde girl pointed to an empty desk.

"Late on the first day, Miss Jensen?" the teacher asked.

"Sorry."

"It's the first day. Buses are usually late in the first week."

"So I see. Thanks, Katie," Julia said. Katie smiled at Julia and then motioned over to a boy with deep blue eyes and dirty blonde hair.

"Isn't he hot?" Katie asked.

"Isn't he a Senior?"

"Why?"

"Looks Senior-esque to me."

"He is. He's friends with my cousin Tod. Why don't you ask him?"

"I dunno. He looks kinda outta my league."

"Julia, he looks right in your league. Talk to him!"

"What do I say?"

"You ask him if he is a Senior and if he's free Friday night."

"If you say so. Hey, you!" Julia called. The boy turned and looked at Julia.

"Hey. You're the late one, right?"

"If that's how you choose to remember me."

"Alex Browning."

"Julia Jensen. Aren't you a Senior?"

"Yeah. Are you?"

"Oh, no. I'm a Freshman."

"Oh, really? I thought you were- you just looked like a Senior. Sorry."

"I take it as a compliment. Don't sweat it. Oh, this is Katie Fenwick."

"Hi, Katie Fenwick."

"Hey."

The announcements came on and their conversation was put on hold.

"Good morning, Mount Abraham High School, and welcome to the 1998-1999 school year. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance." The whole class rose at this moment and recited the Pledge, then sat back down to the point that you could hear a pin drop in the room. Julia looked out the window, and as she did she stole a glance at another boy with spiky blonde hair.

The boy was looking out the window, but when he turned around, his eyes fell upon Julia. He saw her hazel eyes and her light blonde hair. She looked at him and saw his baggy jeans and green eyes. They turned away from each other as if they had not noticed each other. Julia went back to her conversation with Alex and Katie but did not feel as into the conversation as she had been before. She instead listened to an announcement of a start-of-term dance which was to be held on the sixteenth.

"Are you going to that dance on the 16th?"

"What, are you trying to ask me?" Katie asked playfully.

"Oh, yes, Katie, be my date to the dance!" Julia retorted sarcastically.

Julia and Katie went shopping for party outfits after school. Katie chose a slinky little black dress and Julia chose a sparkling red halter dress for her petite size 5 frame. As time went by, the dance drew nearer. The boy wanted to ask Julia, but could find neither the time nor courage.

On the night of the dance, Julia's older sister, Jennifer Jensen, picked up Katie and Julia and took them to school. Jennifer was nineteen, and had graduated the previous year from Mt. Abraham High. She attended a local college for the daytime and worked as a waitress at night.

"Julie, I'm getting married! Evan proposed at Tucker's party!"

"Did he? At a party? Jen, you should rethink marrying Evan. He's a conceited loser who checks out other women behind your back."

"Okay, that's it. Julia and friends, out of the car! You're here, go on."

"Mom wants us back by midnight."

"I know, Juliebean, she told me when she asked me to be your chauffeur. Now would you go!"

"Thanks for the ride, Jenny."

The two girls walked into the dance together and Julia immediately got on the floor. Joining a crowd of her friends, Julia danced with them to "Waterfalls" by TLC. The boy who had a crush on Julia came up behind her and tapped her shoulder. Julia screamed, as she was very easily startled. An older Backstreet Boys song started playing and Julia went toe-to-toe with the boy. She looked up at his face, as he was slightly taller than her. He had pretty green eyes.

"You're in my homeroom, right? You have a name?"

"Tim Carpenter."

"Julia Jensen."

"I saw you dance earlier. You dance well."

"Thanks. You're pretty spry yourself."

"I don't normally dance."

"Then why are you dancing now?"

"I wanted to ask you to the dance but-" he began. Julia cut him off.

"I came here alone."

"I didn't think you'd accept my invite."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I dunno. I get shot down a lot. Figured you'd do the same."

"No. I don't shoot people down when they work so hard to impress."

"Will you go out with me, then?"

"Well, yeah. When and where?"

"Tomorrow night do you wanna go see a movie?"

"Sure. Pick me up at seven."

Julia danced until the song ended and found Alex.

"Having a good time?" he asked, serving her punch like a true gentleman.

"Good enough for me," Julia laughed. A slow song came on, and when the bassline played, Julia recognized it automatically. Alex extended his hand.

"May I have this dance, milady?"

"Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much."

"But palm to palm-"

"Shut up and dance with me." Julia led Alex to the floor and they danced to this slow jam. Tim and his group of friends watched Julia from the tables.

"You've got strong competition, Tim. Browning? No chance. She's into him too much. Look at him then look at yourself." said his best friend, Matt Adams.

"At least he's not that football jock."

"No, he's nailing Julia's cousin, Terry, or so I hear. Terry's a slut, I swear."

"Shut up, Matt. They're both hot."

"Yeah, Terry and the older sister, Jennifer, are both really hot but Julia... Julia is the hottest one. She's the different one. Jennifer's a little superficial, Terry's just an outright bitch, but Julia's sweet."

"I know."

"How do you know?"

"I asked her out and she said yes."

"You are a liar, man."

"Ask her, man. Ask Julia Jensen if we're going out tomorrow."

"Then I will. HEY, JULIA!" Matt called. Julia smiled and made her way to him.

"Hey, Matt. What's up?"

"Are you going out with this loser?"

"He's not a loser," Julia said softly and quietly. Her hazel eyes shone in the strobe lights and flashed with evil.

"Are you going out with him?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out," Julia said smartly, thinking on her toes- careful of what she said in front of Alex, her new potential boyfriend.

Matt walked off the floor, only to get back on it with Chelsea Moliere, Julia's friend-turned-archrival. Alex and Julia stayed on the floor while the DJ played an 80s pop song. Julia felt Alex's hand move across her back. She whirled around so her back pressed against his chest. Katie flashed a smile their way that read "You are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO lucky!" Julia smiled right back and closed her eyes. Alex turned Julia to face him and pressed his lips against hers. She was taken by surprise at this, but she had no objection to kissing Alex Browning. As techno music started up, Julia saw Tim was alone and broke away from Alex's hold.

"I wanna dance with you now."

"Now?"

"Yes now. Dance."

Julia danced with her friends for the rest of the night until Jennifer came back to pick her and Katie up. Tim was sitting on the curb with Matt Adams.

"I had a good time, Tim. Oh, wait. My phone number is... " she said, writing it on his hand.

"See you tomorrow."

"Seven."

Julia got in the car and Katie teased her about having a new boyfriend. Julia denied the accusations even tough she and Katie knew perfectly well they were true. Julia changed into her Betty Boop pajamas and booted up her computer. She accessed the notepad and worte a journal entry about the night's exertions:

"I know it's only been two weeks since school started, but there's a guy who I like. I know I said I liked Alex Browning, but... This new guy's name is Tim Carpenter. We're going to see a movie tomorrow, but I don't know which. I really do like him. He's sweet and sorta shy. He shows up to the dance and comes up behind me and tries to dance with me, so I dance with him, naturally... lol. I'm sorry to say this but he does not have a single rhythm bone in his body! I saw Alex at the dance and he danced with me for a while. That boy is so sexy. OMG I could so date him. I would date him any day you like. Which one, though? Both of them. Katie and Tyler (her hot bf) danced for a while but then I didn't bother with them. GTG. l8r! lo0o0o0o0ove always, Juliebean."

Julia went to sleep that night and dreamt of her new boyfriend, who she saw the next day. Tim's mother, Nora Carpenter, drove up to Julia's driveway five minutes early so she could meet Diana and Robert Jensen, Julia's parents.

"I had no idea you lived so close," Julia said to Tim while they were in the car.

"I live in Castledowns."

"Wow. Katie lives a mile or so away in that nice apartment complex."

"Which one, Bridgeford?"

"Yeah, that one. Have you seen it?"

"I have a friend who lives there. You know Tyler Phillips?"

"Of course. That's Katie's boyfriend."

"Small world. So what do you wanna see?"

"It doesn't matter. Whatever you want to see is fine."

"How about 'American Pie?' "

"Okay."

Tim paid for his and Julia's tickets to see "American Pie" and came back to the seats with an enormous tub of popcorn and two overlarge drinks. Nora took a seat toward the center and Julia led Tim to the very back of the auditorium. They shared the popcorn until the movie ended and Julia ambled out of the theater, hand in hand with Tim.

"When's your birthday?" Julia asked once they were back in the car.

"May 20th. When's yours?"

"Christmas Eve."

"That's cool. Do you get double the gifts or combine Christmas and birthday gifts?"

"I just get a few gifts from everyone and split them up, you know, make a birthday pile and a Christmas pile."

"Oh, so you like to think you do?"

"If that's how you choose to put it."

"Are you an only child?"

"Hell no. I'm the youngest of three. There's my older brother Richard and my older sister, Jennifer."

"Jennifer Jensen? The Jennifer Jensen? BETA club president and cheerleader Jennifer Jensen?

"How do you know that?"

"My sister talks about her all the time. They must be friends or something."

"Your sister? What's her name?"

"Ashley Carpenter. She graduated last year."

"Okay, that makes sense. So did Jennifer. I remember her. She came over a few times"

"Yeah, she lives with her boyfriend in Virginia now."

"Virginia? What would drive a person to move to Virginia?"

"He's in the Navy. She just lives in an apartment in Norfolk while he's deployed."

"I've been to Virginia before. It was in the dead of Summertime. Fucking hot down there, I swear."

"I know. I go there every Summer because my Aunt Elaina lives down there on a farm in Suffolk."

"You poor thing."

"It's really pretty down there. Norfolk is like New York City, fun sized."

Tim saw Julia to her door and they said prolonged, drawn out goodbyes. Julia bolted upstairs to her room and hopped on her computer quicker than a cat on a hot tin roof.

"Whoah.. Tim is awesome. I've had two boyfriends before and he makes them look like total jerks. He likes to talk, and that's a good thing because so do I. Katie seemed a little jealous when I told her I was dating Timmy but who cares! If she's got issues, it ain't my problem... GTG b/c I'm sleepy. Nighty night. Love, Julie."

She showered off, brushed her hair and teeth, and soon thereafter fell asleep.

End of Part 1