Non-Denominational Secret Santas

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Higher Ground characters or locations. The only thing I made up was the plot.

Chapter 3: Juliette Waybourne

[KAT]

Juliette knew she had gotten off easy. While she would have liked to have drawn Auggie's name, she was not at all unhappy with Kat's. Kat was a great person, kind, warm, generous, trustworthy. She was the one everyone went to with his or her problems. She was the eldest, the senior Cliffhanger. She was the role model, but she was never resented for her role.

Why, then, was it so hard for Juliette to come up with one simple gift? Looking around the main lodge and finding no inspiration, she sighed dramatically and flopped back onto the couch.

Auggie trudged in and caught sight of her, waving and joining her on the couch. "Who do you have?" he asked tiredly.

Juliette smiled secretively. "I'm not gonna tell you that."

"Daisy has me," Auggie said bluntly.

"Don't you mean you have Daisy?" Juliette asked.

"No." Auggie shook his head. "Daisy has me."

"I'm not even gonna ask," Juliette said. "And don't you dare think of telling me who you have."

"Okay," Auggie said agreeably. "I understand the value of keeping secrets."

Juliette giggled suddenly. "What do you bet she gives you something morbid? Like her roadkill collection or something."

"She has a roadkill collection?" Auggie looked shocked.

"Well, not that I know of." Juliette tried to stop giggling. "Wanna help me decide what to get my person?"

"I think you can do a good job of that yourself, Twig," Auggie said. "You're pretty thoughtful. I'm sure whatever you come up with will be perfect for whoever you have."

Pleased to have received Auggie's vote of confidence, Juliette stood up with new resolve. "Thanks, Aug. Guess I'll get to work."

"Good for you. Catch you later, 'kay, Jules?"

"Yup." Juliette started for the door. Perhaps wandering around in the arts and crafts room would stimulate some kind of creative urges in her. As she reached for the doorknob, she heard voices off to the side.

Turning, she saw Scott and Shelby huddled together on the wooden stairway. Juliette was pretty sure that the staff members of Horizon would frown upon the way they were cuddled together.

But Scott and Shelby were oblivious to the world around them. "When you leave here, what're you gonna do?" Shelby was asking, leaning into Scott possessively.

Juliette's curiosity was piqued, and she hesitated, hand on the doorknob, to hear Scott's response. "Dunno, really. Play college football. If any colleges want me."

"They'd be dumb not to," Shelby said.

"I got kicked off the high school team. For drugs, Shelb," he said bitterly. "Somehow, I don't think that any college is gonna look too kindly upon that."

"You'll get out," she assured him, but then her own voice turned bitter. "You'll get out and start dating all the cheerleaders. You won't want a used car like me hanging around any more."

"Don't say that." Scott kissed her. "You aren't a used car, and I will always want you hanging around." He kissed her again, holding her tightly.

"You won't even remember what I look like," Shelby went on, pulling away from his lip lock. "Someone'll say, 'Hey, remember Shelby Merrick?' and you'll look at them blankly and say, 'Oh yeah, Shelby. Didn't she have brown hair and an eating disorder?'"

Juliette bit her tongue. She wanted to hear how this would end up, but it took all of her willpower not to jump in and defend herself.

"Shelby…"

"You won't remember me after we graduate, Scott." She raised her eyebrows, challenging him. "I'll just be another name from your ill-spent past. You know, your pre-college ball past."

"Shelby, I'll never forget you. We're too much now to forget. You mean too much to me." She looked away, but Scott went on. "I came back for you. Remember? The morp? I came back because I loved you then. And Shelb, I love you now. I'll love you tomorrow, and a year from tomorrow. College ball isn't going to change that."

Shelby let him kiss her then, and Juliette rolled her eyes, leaving. Trust them to get all mushy like that. She and Auggie weren't half as bad. As she shut the lodge door, Juliette couldn't help smiling. There were some memories to be had in this school; that was for certain.

Memories. Juliette halted abruptly, an idea coming to her. Kat would be graduating this year. She'd be leaving, moving on. Leaving the memories behind. Juliette grinned and started walking toward the arts and crafts room with renewed vigor. She had just the perfect idea for Kat.