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Chapter 11: A Slight Hitch in the Changes
Julie stomped into Ms. Santos's office after class. She had to do something! She looked up from her desk.
"Julie," She nodded, "It's the first day, I thought it would be at least week at least until I heard from you asking if you could retake your SATs. I've told you, as long as you stay involved with hockey, write a good essay and keep your grades up, Dartmouth or USC won't have any problems with you having a 1560 instead of a 1600."
"I need to be in a different Calculus class, honors not AP if that's what's necessary." Julie said sitting down.
"I know that you and Jimmy Riley aren't involved anymore, but we're not really in the habit of allowing talented to students to give up APs to avoid their ex boyfriends," Ms. Santos said, "You and Jimmy are both mature, I'm sure you can deal with it."
"Not Jimmy," Julie sighed, "I mean that would be an added bonus, I can't be in class with Nick Parsons." Ms. Santos nodded. "Ms. Santos he tried to rape me. I can't concentrate when he's there. Why did the school even let him in? I mean, you've seen Tammy Duncan's art right?"
"Julie," Ms. Santos sighed, "Nick has been in therapy, he regrets his actions from last year, if the school thought he was really a threat to you and Tammy, they would not have allowed him to enroll, I assure you of that." Julie nodded. "But if you really want to, there is another AP class, but it's when you have Italian, and I know that's important to you." Julie sighed. "Think it over, and if you still want to switch in the morning come see me, and we'll make the switch."
"OK," Julie whispered.
"And my job isn't just to get you into college," Ms. Santos said, "If you need someone to talk to about all of this, or if something happens to worry you with Nick, please come to me. We had some good talks about it last year."
"Alright," Julie stood up, "Thanks Ms. Santos." She walked out and saw Jimmy waiting. "Hey," She said.
"Hey," He looked at her, "Listen um, I was hoping to catch you, I'm really sorry about Nick." She nodded, she wanted him to say he was sorry for blowing her off too, "If you need to talk, or if you need help with your Calc homework, just,"
"Thanks Jimmy," She nodded, "I'll be OK, I'm worried about Tammy though."
"Yeah me too," Jimmy nodded. "And for that matter, Ellie." She rolled her eyes, "He hurt her too, Julie, not as much, but still."
"Yeah," Julie said, "Well, whatever, you can worry about Ellie all you want. I'll see you later." She started to walk away.
"Why don't you call Steve and tell him about how the guy who tried to rape you might be your new lab partner? Or should you call Paulo? " Jimmy said and she turned around, "I'm sure he'd be on the first plane, I mean if it's OK with his fiancée."
"That was a low blow," She looked at him. "It's none of your business what happened between me and Paulo this summer," She swallowed, "Besides, at least he knew what he was doing." Jimmy laughed.
"I don't ever recall you complaining," He moved close to.
"I didn't know any better." She whispered, "Now I do." He nodded. "There are certain things though, that he didn't know how to do, things that I miss." He kissed her gently. He couldn't help it, they hadn't been close in a really long time. "Do you remember our first time Jimmy?"
"Every detail," He mumbled, wanting to put his arms around her and pull her close. "Like I could possibly forget, the purple lace, my room, three times." She bit her lower lip. "I loved you so much."
"I should go," She said softly, "I um, would have to drop Italian to change my calc class. Since I'm already fluent, that seems to make sense."
"Sure," He nodded, "But you love Italian."
"I used to," She whispered, "Lately it just makes me sad. A lot of things I used to love make me sad these days." She walked away. He sighed and looked down. He shouldn't have done that.
"Hey," Tammy said as Julie sighed sitting down at lunch, "I was thinking we could senior year shop today after we got coffee, are you up for it? We still have settlement money and I just got my first gallery check." They'd agreed in Italy that they were just going to spend the money they'd gained from the lawsuit against Nick and those other boys from Blake. To invest it in their futures felt wrong, that money was somehow dirty and the sooner they were rid of it the better.
"Jimmy kissed me," She said. Tammy looked at her.
"When?" Tammy whispered harshly. "Where? Under what circumstances? God, I'm going to kill him!"
"I was walking out of Ms. Santos's office, we were bantering," Julie sighed, "It just sort of happened."
"Ms. Santos's office?" Tammy said, "Why were you there? It's the first day, you can't be bugging her about your Dartmouth ap already. Unless you somehow magically switched brains with Kelly."
"No, I um," Julie sighed, "I'm dropping Italian to get into the afternoon AP Calc." She started eating her salad.
"Calc and Chem are the only APs that Jimmy is in," Tammy said, "And there's only one section of Chem," She went through it in her head, "Are you trying to avoid Jimmy?"
"No," Julie laughed, "I just don't need to be in Italian class, I mean, I'm fluent, I dated an Italian guy for almost a month and we like never spoke English. It's a waste of time and brain cells." Tammy frowned.
"You're lying," Tammy said, "What's going on? It's not like you and Jimmy to let your awkwardness get in the way of school."
"I'm not trying to avoid Jimmy," Julie assured her.
"Then who?" Tammy asked, "You love all the other AP nerds, what's going on?"
"I say we just kill the son of a bitch," Fulton said settling in next to Tammy, Portman on his other side, "Or at least give him a proper welcome." He cracked his knuckles.
"Who?" Tammy said. Julie frowned at Fulton, she had been hoping to break it to her gently.
"Nick Parsons," Portman said, "Little shits in school with us now."
"What?" Tammy said. Julie looked down. "AP Calc?" Julie nodded still not meeting her eyes, "How'd they let him in?" She started trembling. "After what he did to us? To Elena?"
"I know," Julie sighed. "But Ms. Santos said he's been in therapy or something." Fulton growled frighteningly under his breath. Even Julie was a little afraid for Nick, not that she didn't want to see Fulton rip his arm off, or something else. "I mean, a judge said that he wronged us, if we complain the administration I'm sure that,"
"OK," Luis walked over and sat down, "What the fuck man?"
"Hi Luis," Julie looked at him, "How was your summer? Oh, ours was just peachy, thanks for asking!"
"OK, Cat," He looked at her, "The dill hole who tried to rape you, and Tammy and Elena Cole and tried to ruin Olivia's life is on the other side of the room rubbing elbows with your ex boyfriend's team mates. I think we're past small talk." The other guys nodded.
"OK, before you three, and if I'm guessing Jimmy and Tommy," Tammy looked at them.
"And Brad Vanderbilt," Portman said.
"Whatever," Tammy shrugged, "Before the six of you go all lynch mob on him, can Julie and I call Bombay and then talk to the dean? Julie's right, this has to be in violation of something."
"Fine," Fulton grumbled, "But I swear if he even looks at you, either of you, I'll take his head off," He stopped, "Both of them, the little one first."
"That's very sweet of you," Tammy kissed him. "I think."
Kelly took a deep breath walking into her management theory class. It was the only class she had with Liam, and she's avoided him, and he her, for the first few weeks, but she decided that was stupid and ending now! She liked Liam, he'd been there for her when she really needed a friend and even if he had been sort of an ass about all of the sex stuff, she wanted to be friends again. She marched over and sat down next to him.
"Hi," She smiled, "How was your summer?" He looked at her and raised his eyebrows.
"Really?" He said, "We're doing this?" She smiled sweetly and looked at him. "Oh my God! The Vanderbilts brainwashed you, and you really don't remember last spring!"
"Stop it," She rolled her eyes, "I remember, I just want to put it behind us. I miss you. I think it's stupid that we can't be friends anymore because we wanted different things from our um, whatever it was in April."
"OK," He nodded, "I get that, Kel, I really do, but uh, I'm not sure its possible?"
"Honestly Liam," She looked at him, "I'm the one who should be pissed at you. You were the one who groped me in a diner in front of my ex boyfriend's cousin and then when I said I didn't want to sleep with you booted me out onto the street." He stared at her. "But I'm willing to forgive you, so can we just move on? Please?" Her tone was less pleading and more matter of fact. He's never seen her like this, all aggressive and bitchy.
"Uh, I guess so," He blinked. She smiled.
"Great," She said, "Do you want to get coffee after class?"
"Sure," He nodded cautiously. Kelly smiled and opened her notebook, Kelly Riley, Eden Hall Queen Bee was back, she just needed the summer to get there.
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