Chapter 12: Uncovered Truths && Tentative Friendships
Author's Note:: Not sure how I felt about the last two chapters, but I like this one a lot more. I would love to read about what you though(/think?)! Anyway, here's the pre-party (next chapter's the actual thing; this one got a little too long.) I didn't really do much of a description of her costume here (at least in the block format), but there is a link to the picture on my profile! So check that out, and then the descriptions I gave will make a little more sense. Happy reading!
What Happened Last
"Besides, I've heard about you, Junia." He said her name, accentuating each syllable, as if testing to see how he truly liked to say it.
"About me?" Junia was intrigued. "Nobody here even knows my name."
"Yeah, well, I've got my sources." He seemed pretty smug about it too. If Junia was in his shoes, she would be too.
"I know your sources." Oh, wait. She sort of was.
"And I also knew that. See, I already know a lot about you. Or at least what people say about you."
October 31st, 2006
The final couple of days before the Halloween party had passed in a flurry of homework, a consistent flow of customers at Peville's and hour long conversations with Kate and Sarah about what to wear to the party and where to get ready for it. They had decided, or more accurately: Junia had been informed, that the three girls would get ready in Kate and Sarah's dorm and then head over to the party sometime around 7:30. The party started at 7:00 and would go until pretty much whenever, probably around midnight possibly even later.
Kate had reasoned it out for Junia. "Nobody ever arrives on time to a party. Everyone's always ten, fifteen minutes late. So by getting there at 7:30, there's a greater chance that the party will be in full swing and there's none of that awkward small talk or whatever that people have to do at the beginning. Besides it's not like Pogue doesn't know if we're coming or not."
Junia had headed over to the Costume City on Thursday, sorted through all of the costumes and tried on a bunch and ultimately settled on the "Hot Mumma." After Junia's last class on Friday she ran up to her room, threw all of her makeup into a plastic bag along with the costume and hurried to Kate and Sarah's dorm.
"Junia! That was fast." Kate greeted at the door, letting Junia into the room.
"I didn't want to get caught in the dorm when Amanda was there, I hope you don't mind." Junia said walking in. Amanda was still angry with Junia, not that Junia would be able to tell by any of her direct interactions with her roommate. Amanda had turned back to her old self, if not a little nicer. She had told Junia that she "wasn't worth being angry at. Too much energy for such a little cause. It's not like it made any difference in your judgment, or whatever." If Junia hadn't overheard a conversation of Amanda ranting to Kira on the phone and about how she was going to find some way to "get that little bitch back," Junia might have believed that all had actually been forgiven and that Amanda would finally leave her alone. It wasn't over yet, and she didn't know when the next attack would be made. It was best just to avoid Amanda at all costs.
"She's still holding being friends with us against you. She's so overdramatic." Kate rolled her eyes as she shut the door behind Junia. "Besides there are worse things you could do at Spenser than be friends with us."
"Like what, be friends with them?" Junia asked.
"Exactly." Kate smiled.
"Hi, Sarah." Junia addressed Kate's roommate, feeling bad for having left her out of the past conversation. Not that she couldn't have joined in.
"Hey, Junia. Is that your costume?" Sarah asked gesturing to the bag.
"Oh, yeah." Junia had almost forgotten about it.
"Ooo, well let's see it!" Kate exclaimed, and Junia set the bag down on the nearest bed pulling her costume out.
"You don't think it's bad do you? I mean, there wasn't too much left there. I could have been a mime…"
"Junia this it hot!" Kate grabbed the bottom of the dress. "I love the slits, it's so cool. It looks like it's shredded… you're going to be getting a lot of attention tonight. Sexiest mummy in town."
"I like the headband." Sarah commented picking up the piece of fabric that had fallen to the ground when Junia had extracted the dress. She wasn't nearly as enthusiastic as Kate, but then again Kate had pretty much said any comment there was to be had about the dress. Junia laughed at this as she folded up her costume and placed it back in the bag. "Hey, that's not good for it." Sarah stopped Junia, standing up from the chair that she had been sitting in up until this point. She took the costume from Junia, and moved to the closet, grabbing an empty hanger and putting the costume on it. She draped the headband around the neck of the hanger.
"Thanks." Junia said.
"Hey, no problem. I figured we didn't want to change until it got close to the time, and you wouldn't want it to get wrinkled."
"I mean could you really tell?" Kate asked before shaking her head and waving a hand. "Doesn't matter. Here, sit down." She gestured to a bed and Junia sat down on it. Sarah moved over to the other bed, presumably her own, and Kate took the chair that Sarah had been sitting in. The musical chairs seemed unnecessary, but Junia was unaffected so she didn't point it out. "So, Junia…" Kate started. It became very clear why they all had to sit down and why Junia was stuck in the middle of the two other girls. "I heard that Reid walked you to your dorm the other night. Again." Junia almost balked. First of all, she had not told Sarah or Kate about the meeting she had had with the blue-eyed boy two nights ago. She had decided to keep it as a secret to herself, not wanting to get anyone else (and by anyone else she meant Kate) excited about something that was really nothing to be excited about. And second, she had never told Kate or Sarah that she had met Reid before then either. She had told them all that they met in class, not that they shared a fairly small umbrella while walking to the dorms. Until Tyler told Caleb that she was "that girl" three days ago. Tyler. Rather than heed her (for some reason) nervous stomach, Junia decided to play it off as if it were nothing.
"Oh, yeah. He did." She nodded with the last few words as if needing to further confirm the fact that Kate already knew was a truth. Reid had talked to Tyler, Tyler couldn't keep a secret to his friends, not that he knew it was a secret per se… Kate looked at Sarah and then smiled a bit mischievously, Sarah joined in. "What?" Junia asked.
"Don't 'what' us." Kate said, still smiling. "You know. Why didn't you tell us?"
"I didn't know—"
"Come on Junia. We're not stupid. If it really wasn't a big deal you would have told us that Reid walked you to the dorms when we were all at Nicky's." Sarah pushed.
"Oh." It was a good point, and Junia really wished that it hadn't been so accurate.
"So, you like Reid?"
"I don't…I mean, I just…Ok, to be honest, I'm not sure. I mean maybe." This was the second time this week she'd been caught for liking Reid. Not fair. She should be able to keep a few things to herself without everyone finding out.
"I think maybe is as good as we're going to get." Sarah looked at Kate who smiled.
"Maybe's good. I mean, hey, he's seemed to notice you a lot."
"A lot?"
"Yeah, he asks about you. The famous Junia that he's 'never met'." She put the last words in air quotes. "Although obviously he now knows who you are. Probably Tyler pointed you out or something. They tell each other everything. More than the other Sons." That brought back something that Reid had said to her the other night at Nicky's. "Tyler told me that—actually, forget about baby-boy." So he had kept something to himself too. What had Tyler told him that he didn't want Junia to know? Well, know that he knew.
"Apparently he told Caleb that he drove you home, and then Caleb told me, and—"
"And you told Kate." Junia finished.
"Exactly." Kate confirmed with a smile.
"You know I would love to get into this little circle of people who talk about me. What do you say?"
"Things. Nothing bad. You're far too good for us to be able to even make up some flaw that's halfway realistic." Kate teased. Caleb had been able to turn one of her "good" things into a flaw.
"I'm not that good." Junia protested shyly.
"Well that works out if you like a boy like Reid."
"Why? What do you mean?" Junia tried to keep out the worry. She felt horribly unsuccessful.
"Nothing. She means nothing." Sarah said, casting an scolding look in Kate's direction before turning back to Junia. "Reid just likes to have his fun. He pushes some buttons, says stuff to rile people up, but he's really a sweet guy. Whenever someone's in need he's the first to do whatever he can to help. He really gives it his best effort too. A lot more responsible then he seems."
"She's right." Kate nodded. "I mean, just to make things clear, he's not like Aaron or Bordy or anything. He's a lot better person, not so snobbish or cruel. But he can fight fire with fire when it comes to them."
"And then everyone gets burned." Junia thought, finishing the phrase.
"But hey, you're now officially one of us." Kate said, brightening up.
"Sorry?" Junia was confused.
"She means one of us girls. Kate's dating Pogue. I'm dating Caleb. You like Reid. Up until now our friendship was purely tentative. You didn't get to become a real friend until you started to like one of the Sons. Preferably one that didn't have a girlfriend." Sarah joked.
"Oh, well, I guess that's good then." Junia was still a little confused. Sarah and Kate broke out into laughter, and even though she wasn't exactly sure what was going on, Junia joined in.
