A/N: Ok, so here is the deal. I am currently studying abroad and experiencing many wonderful things, but that means fewer time to write and update this story. I haven't forgotten about it though and I am determined to continue with this first fanfic of mine! I am only studying abroad until December, so until then could you pretty please bear with me on the really slow updates? I will do my best to update until then. I really appreciate the reviews, subscriptions,and yall reading the story! Xoxoxo
Bryce POV
"Bryce, wake up. We have to go." No answer. He had passed out on the couch the night before, with the phone still in hand.
"Bryce, come on. Get up." Still no response, he was knocked out cold. "Bryce? Seriously, I am not kidding. You need to get up. Alright, you leave me no choice," Lynetta shrugged in annoyance. Suddenly a stuffed animal was flung across the room, right in his direction. "HEY TURDFACE, it's time to get up."
Bryce groaned, realizing Lynetta had just thrown a stuffed Winnie the Pooh right at him. Sometimes he just didn't understand Lynetta's way of showing affection.
"Look, I know I ruined your beauty sleep but mom is waiting for us, ok? Throw on some clothes and lets go, you can sleep in the car." She tossed a pair of jeans and a shirt to him. "Catch."
Half awake, Bryce managed to catch the clothes Lynetta had grabbed for him to change into. And this is when I remember, my sister is actually cool. "Thanks."
"I'll meet you in the car, little brother." With that she closed the front door and left Bryce to quickly get ready.
He threw on the shirt and jeans as fast as he could. He wondered if his grandpa was ok. As he left his house, he saw Juli helping her father wash his truck outside. Suddenly it dawned on him, last night things had gotten a bit out of control for him and Juli. And then he just took off and left her there.
I hope she isn't upset at me for doing that. She must have understood that we were both feeling vulnerable and weren't thinking clearly. It was irrational of us, right?
But last night had felt so right. He wasn't sure why, but they both seemed to want it. Juli began walking towards his driveway when Lynetta honked the car horn. She gave him a look that said he needed to get in the car NOW.
"Ok, I'm coming," he said with a sigh. He half waved at Juli before getting in the car. I'll talk to Juli later and clear things up. But right now, his grandpa was the main priority.
The car ride was mostly silent, Bryce hated silences. He wondered if Lynetta knew anything about Chet. "Did Mom say anything, Lynetta? About grandpa, I mean."
Lynetta simply shook her head, continuing to focus on driving. She seemed about as clueless as he was about the situation. Silence again. Great, hopefully we get there soon. The waiting and not knowing anything is torture.
By the time they reached the hospital, Patsy was sitting in the guest waiting room. She hugged both her children tightly, before explaining Chet's condition. Bryce's stomach was in knots.
"Grandpa's blood pressure went down pretty severely last night, but the doctors were able to stabilize it. He is being monitored closely and it looks like he is going to be ok," Patsy said with relief.
Bryce felt the knots in his stomach loosen, one by one. "Can we go see him?"
"Yes sweetie, you and Lynetta can go in. He may not respond a lot right now, but I know he will be happy you're there."
Bryce and Lynetta walked to the room their mother said Chet was in. He was lying in the hospital bed, eyes slightly open.
"Hey grandpa," Lynetta said softly.
"Hi grandpa," Bryce echoed Lynetta's tone. He gently grabbed Chet's hand and felt a tiny squeeze, acknowledging that they were there. "I'm glad you were strong and hung in there, grandpa."
"Of course he did little brother. Gramps is too much of a badass to let anything get to him," Lynetta lightly joked.
Bryce couldn't help but laugh a little, and oddly enough, Lynetta was right. Chet was a strong, tough man, always there to protect his family. He was a good man. Bryce probably could not think of a better one he had met in his life. He hoped one day to become like Chet: caring, strong, wise, and a protector. He felt another squeeze of his hand, this time Chet was closing his eyes. "Lynetta, I think we better let him get some rest." Bryce gave his grandpa one last gentle squeeze of the hand before leaving the room. He was so happy to know Chet would be ok.
They drove back in separate cars, this time Bryce rode with Patsy. Again, it was mostly silent, but a peaceful silence. Arriving in their driveway, Bryce saw Juli sitting outside by the sycamore tree. Patsy and Lynetta went inside the house, leaving him free to talk to Juli. Once again his stomach was in knots, unsure of how to even talk about what happened the night before. He had to, no exception. Man up, you have to do this.
Juli POV
Juli watched Bryce crossing the street, towards her. She had spent most of the day worried about Chet. Bryce didn't seem upset or sad, that was a good sign. She stood up and waited anxiously for him to reach the sycamore tree.
"I have been worrying all day, part of me wanted to go to the hospital and check to see how he was doing, but I didn't want to impose. Is Chet ok?"
Bryce nodded. "He is in a fragile condition, but it looks like he will make it through just fine."
Juli hugged Bryce tightly and he held her tightly as well. The news was so good to hear and it just felt right to be in Bryce's arms. After a few seconds Bryce broke the embrace.
"Juli, we need to talk... about last night."
Juli immediately dropped eye contact, feeling slightly embarrassed and overwhelmed about last night. She had never experienced anything like that before, but she hadn't fought it at all, instead she completely surrendered.
Sure, she had spent most of her life practically infatuated with Bryce Loski, but this was a different kind of power he held over her. Last night, the slightest touch or contact would have made Juli do anything to be close to Bryce. And frankly, it scared the shit out of her, for lack of better terms.
"Juli, will you please just look at me? Last night we were both feeling vulnerable and we weren't thinking clearly. We were upset and desperate for affection. That's all it was. It's ok. There is no need to feel embarrassed about anything. We can just pretend it never happened."
Pretend it never happened?
Those words and the idea of it hurt Juli. How could she ignore what she had felt last night when it had been so strong? She was left with a yearning to explore, to know more of Bryce and to understand why she had felt the way she did. Apparently Bryce did not agree. She tried to force a smile and agree with him. "Yeah, you're right. It's already forgotten."
Bryce seemed to sense something was still not right. "You sure you're ok?"
Juli shrugged her shoulders, sinking down to the grass to rest her head on the sycamore tree. "I'm ok." She needed time to herself. "You should go check on your mom. I'm sure she needs you and Lynetta right now."
Bryce frowned a little."You're probably right. I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then?"
Juli simply nodded. Bryce planted a single kiss on her cheek before going back to his house. Juli watched him go, confusion filling her mind.
How can he be so nonchalant about it? Clearly he didn't feel or experience anything I did last night. Was it so horrible that he just wants to erase it from our memories? The circumstances could have been better, but what happened was special. Wasn't it? I have never wanted to be with anyone more than I wanted to be with Bryce last night.
Juli hated this feeling. She was going crazy over Bryce Loski. To make matters worse, he didn't seem to be much affected by her at all. She climbed to the top of the sycamore tree, watching the sunset and trying to find comfort in the situation, but no luck. There was no going back: she was rolling in the deep for Bryce.
A/N: Hopefully you found the chapter enjoyable! It was my first time writing in a while, so hopefully not too shabby as I get back in the swing of things. Please keep reading and reviewing. Thanks!