Chapter 7-
At lunch time Lucy just flopped into her seat next to Juliette and started eating her sloppy joe. Juliette watched Lucy scarf down the burger and then stared at her own. Eventually she placed it back onto the tray. Lucy looked over at her and felt bad. She knew Juliette used to be Bulimic and lately she had been feeling badly. Juliette caught Lucy staring at her and said, "What?" Lucy shook her head her mouth too full to speak. She was starving, "You think I'm a freak, too, don't you? What do you even know about me?"
Lucy swallowed and spoke, "No, I don't think your a freak. Mostly what I know about you is you're really cool and you've got some kind of a secret built up inside you that no one else knows. And trust me, I've been there and done that." Lucy started on her fruit salad.
"Yeah right. You've got a perfect life compared to most of the kids here." Juliette said. Lucy couldn't help laughing. If only Jules knew, "Why are you laughing? It's true."
"I know pretty much nothing about you but you know even less about me." Juliette made a look as if to say 'Like what?'. On impulse Lucy whispered so quietly Juliette could barely hear, "Like the fact that Peter's my father." Jules' eyes grew to the size of half dollars, "Yeah so I know quite a bit about secrets. I also know that if you don't tell someone those secrets you'll eventually burst."
Juliette, also on a whim, whispered, "I've been throwing up again. I don't even know why. I guess I'm getting depressed is all." Lucy pressed her lips together and stared at her food. She didn't know what to say or do, which was unusual for her. Luckily Juliette spoke before Lucy had to, "Don't tell anyone, okay? I'll tell Sophie after classes."Lucy nodded and went back to her eating.
Unfortunatly, though, that was interrupted by Peter, "Lucy, can I see you for a minute?" Juliette and Lucy looked at each other and as Lucy stood up Juliette squeezed her arm and smiled. Lucy smiled back and followed Peter to the deck outside. He looked down at the deck as he said, "I was wondering if you wanted to go out for dinner with me tonight. As a way to get to know each other." A rush of comfort flooded over Lucy and she let it settle. It was like an agreement between the two of them that everything was okay between them. Lucy didn't know why or how but she willingly let it come. She nodded at him and he smiled. Then for the first time in 13 years Peter gave her a hug and a kiss on her forhead. It was what Lucy wanted for those 13 years and she smiled to herself. Her dad was back.
Back at the cabin that afternoon Lucy, Shelby, Daisy, Sarah, Jules, Charli, and Kat were all hanging out talking. Lucy was getting ready for dinner with Peter and the rest of the girls were just laying around. Lucy searched through all her clothes trying to find something that was okay to wear. She wanted to look nice for this dinner even if it was only at Rusty O'Brien's- the local hangout. Nobody except Juliette knew why Lucy was getting dressed up or that Peter was her father but they were all curious, "Hey Luce?" Daisy asked, "Why are going through all your clothes? Do you have a date or something? Cuz, you know, we're not allowed to have dates."
"I know that. I'm not stupid." She said thinking on her feet. Then she came up with an idea, "And I'll tell you if all of you answer one question each from me." The six other girls looked at each other and slowly nodded their heads. They wanted to know everyone else's secrets so much they'd give up they're own, "Okay, I'm going to dinner with my dad . . . Peter." All the girls except for Juliette gasped.
"No way!" Sarah almost screamed.
Lucy simply nodded and said, "Okay, Sarah. Your turn. Why are you here?"
"I have to learn to keep my mouth shut." Sarah giggled, "But okay. I'm here because I stole a bunch of cars and sold them to these people who do something with them. I'm notr even quite sure what but whatever. Anyway, it was either coming here or going to jail for 10 years. I chose this."
Everyone was quiet for a minute. Sarah didn't seem like the kind of person that would do that kind of thing. It seemed more like she'd come for the same reason as Jules- an eating disorder. But for some reason they all believed it just the same. "Shelby, how far have you gone with Scott." Daisy had told her all about Shelby and Scott, plus Lucy had seen them together all the time during the day.
"Not as far as everyone probably thinks. We've only made out." Shelby told them all.
Lucy nodded and moved on to the next interesting topic, "Charli. Who's father of your baby?"
Charli was silent for a long moment. Finally, while staring out the window she said, barely audible, "Auggie." Juliette, who was practically in love with Auggie, didn't seem surprised at all. Lucy figured Auggie had already told her but Lucy was surprised. Out of anyone she thought it would Jake, a 17 year old Skyhawk that Charli was friend's with. But Auggie? That seemed like an incredible odd pair.
"Wow. Okay then . . . Jules." Juliette looked scared. Like she knew the question would be about her eating disorder. And it was going to be. Until Lucy saw that scared look on Jules's face. Then she changed her question to, "Did you know Auggie was the father of Charli's baby?" Juliette smiled a relieved smile and nodded, "Kat," Lucy moved on quickly, "Is it true you snuck into Peter's house and was going to sleep with your boyfriend?"
Kat smiled, "Yeah. Unfortunatly Sophie caught us. I hated her for that."
The girls giggled knowing all too well that feeling of hatred, "And finally, Daisy." Lucy smiled at her, "Do you truly like Ezra?"
Daisy was quiet for a long moment before finally replying, "Yes." Before anyone could say anything else Sophie walked in and told Lucy Peter was waiting for her in his office so Lucy had to get changed and leave. When Lucy reached the bathroom she smiled to herself. She felt like the girls in there were her sisters. Now they all knew a lot about each other and she felt a connection with them. She finally felt like she belonged.
At lunch time Lucy just flopped into her seat next to Juliette and started eating her sloppy joe. Juliette watched Lucy scarf down the burger and then stared at her own. Eventually she placed it back onto the tray. Lucy looked over at her and felt bad. She knew Juliette used to be Bulimic and lately she had been feeling badly. Juliette caught Lucy staring at her and said, "What?" Lucy shook her head her mouth too full to speak. She was starving, "You think I'm a freak, too, don't you? What do you even know about me?"
Lucy swallowed and spoke, "No, I don't think your a freak. Mostly what I know about you is you're really cool and you've got some kind of a secret built up inside you that no one else knows. And trust me, I've been there and done that." Lucy started on her fruit salad.
"Yeah right. You've got a perfect life compared to most of the kids here." Juliette said. Lucy couldn't help laughing. If only Jules knew, "Why are you laughing? It's true."
"I know pretty much nothing about you but you know even less about me." Juliette made a look as if to say 'Like what?'. On impulse Lucy whispered so quietly Juliette could barely hear, "Like the fact that Peter's my father." Jules' eyes grew to the size of half dollars, "Yeah so I know quite a bit about secrets. I also know that if you don't tell someone those secrets you'll eventually burst."
Juliette, also on a whim, whispered, "I've been throwing up again. I don't even know why. I guess I'm getting depressed is all." Lucy pressed her lips together and stared at her food. She didn't know what to say or do, which was unusual for her. Luckily Juliette spoke before Lucy had to, "Don't tell anyone, okay? I'll tell Sophie after classes."Lucy nodded and went back to her eating.
Unfortunatly, though, that was interrupted by Peter, "Lucy, can I see you for a minute?" Juliette and Lucy looked at each other and as Lucy stood up Juliette squeezed her arm and smiled. Lucy smiled back and followed Peter to the deck outside. He looked down at the deck as he said, "I was wondering if you wanted to go out for dinner with me tonight. As a way to get to know each other." A rush of comfort flooded over Lucy and she let it settle. It was like an agreement between the two of them that everything was okay between them. Lucy didn't know why or how but she willingly let it come. She nodded at him and he smiled. Then for the first time in 13 years Peter gave her a hug and a kiss on her forhead. It was what Lucy wanted for those 13 years and she smiled to herself. Her dad was back.
Back at the cabin that afternoon Lucy, Shelby, Daisy, Sarah, Jules, Charli, and Kat were all hanging out talking. Lucy was getting ready for dinner with Peter and the rest of the girls were just laying around. Lucy searched through all her clothes trying to find something that was okay to wear. She wanted to look nice for this dinner even if it was only at Rusty O'Brien's- the local hangout. Nobody except Juliette knew why Lucy was getting dressed up or that Peter was her father but they were all curious, "Hey Luce?" Daisy asked, "Why are going through all your clothes? Do you have a date or something? Cuz, you know, we're not allowed to have dates."
"I know that. I'm not stupid." She said thinking on her feet. Then she came up with an idea, "And I'll tell you if all of you answer one question each from me." The six other girls looked at each other and slowly nodded their heads. They wanted to know everyone else's secrets so much they'd give up they're own, "Okay, I'm going to dinner with my dad . . . Peter." All the girls except for Juliette gasped.
"No way!" Sarah almost screamed.
Lucy simply nodded and said, "Okay, Sarah. Your turn. Why are you here?"
"I have to learn to keep my mouth shut." Sarah giggled, "But okay. I'm here because I stole a bunch of cars and sold them to these people who do something with them. I'm notr even quite sure what but whatever. Anyway, it was either coming here or going to jail for 10 years. I chose this."
Everyone was quiet for a minute. Sarah didn't seem like the kind of person that would do that kind of thing. It seemed more like she'd come for the same reason as Jules- an eating disorder. But for some reason they all believed it just the same. "Shelby, how far have you gone with Scott." Daisy had told her all about Shelby and Scott, plus Lucy had seen them together all the time during the day.
"Not as far as everyone probably thinks. We've only made out." Shelby told them all.
Lucy nodded and moved on to the next interesting topic, "Charli. Who's father of your baby?"
Charli was silent for a long moment. Finally, while staring out the window she said, barely audible, "Auggie." Juliette, who was practically in love with Auggie, didn't seem surprised at all. Lucy figured Auggie had already told her but Lucy was surprised. Out of anyone she thought it would Jake, a 17 year old Skyhawk that Charli was friend's with. But Auggie? That seemed like an incredible odd pair.
"Wow. Okay then . . . Jules." Juliette looked scared. Like she knew the question would be about her eating disorder. And it was going to be. Until Lucy saw that scared look on Jules's face. Then she changed her question to, "Did you know Auggie was the father of Charli's baby?" Juliette smiled a relieved smile and nodded, "Kat," Lucy moved on quickly, "Is it true you snuck into Peter's house and was going to sleep with your boyfriend?"
Kat smiled, "Yeah. Unfortunatly Sophie caught us. I hated her for that."
The girls giggled knowing all too well that feeling of hatred, "And finally, Daisy." Lucy smiled at her, "Do you truly like Ezra?"
Daisy was quiet for a long moment before finally replying, "Yes." Before anyone could say anything else Sophie walked in and told Lucy Peter was waiting for her in his office so Lucy had to get changed and leave. When Lucy reached the bathroom she smiled to herself. She felt like the girls in there were her sisters. Now they all knew a lot about each other and she felt a connection with them. She finally felt like she belonged.
