Jackie learns early on that Julie is very, very opinionated.
She wonders if it's because they get the same trait from their dad (oh god she hopes not) or because Mrs. Rosetti is almost always heard saying "Oh Julien? He's just going through a phase."
Still, Jackie can feel her temper fraying every time Julie tries to pick a fight. She may be more mature now, but not that mature.
"I don't see why my dad has to apologize to you guys," Julie snarks once more, and Jackie wonders if her half-sister has nothing better to do than try and pick this same fight again.
"He loved my mom first and wanted to be with her more than your mom. You can't seriously think he owes you."
It's that last part that breaks the camel's back. Because their dad doesn't owe Jackie anything.
The one he owes is her mother.
"You just love shoving your own opinions down other people's throats, don't you?"
Julie sputters indignantly, denying for all she's worth but Jackie cuts her off.
"I get that you deal with people who try to force their thoughts on you, maybe even on a constant basis, but that doesn't give you the right to try and do the exact same thing! Especially with people who aren't behaving that way with you!"
"You don't get it!" Julie snaps, "And therefore you have no right-!"
"Oh, don't I? Aside from myself, my best friends are the most stubborn people I know! And yes, we've disagreed but we don't try to force people to think the way we do! I haven't argued with you or our dad-!"
"No, you just walk away like a coward! You don't even let him explain his side-!"
"His side!" Jackie screeches, "I was there! I heard everything he said! So don't you come to me with that garbage!"
Julie looks at her with wide eyes, and in some distant part of her mind Jackie realizes she's reached the peak of her temper. It's never been pretty when she's truly angry; she's petty and vindictive under her cheerful and easy-going personality. But Jackie won't let her dad smear her mother's good name.
"Let me guess, dads told you all about how evil Mrs. Wakerman took his daughter away from him and won't let him see her? How poor Jackie is brainwashed into thinking her dad doesn't love her when he really does and has been searching far and wide but just can't find her because his crazy ex-wife hides her away."
Julie clenches her teeth, and it's all the confirmation Jackie needs.
"Well guess what? We lived in the same house he left us in for five years, and I waited by the front window every day for hours, but he didn't stop by even once! My school had permission to let him see me if he wanted and he never bothered! And when we moved, my mom left a letter behind with the people moving in and when I visited them last week, they still had the letter!
"So don't you come up to me all high and mighty when you're the one who needs to hear the other side of the story!"
Jackie can feel the way her body gasps for air. Hear the way her blood is rushing through her ears. Everything she's ever held back comes rushing forward, but what infuriates her is that the one who should be hearing this is likely inside his wanted home, waiting for his wanted family.
"It's been 15 years, and it wasn't until Scarlett confronted him that he's even bothered trying to talk to me! But I don't care about that! I'm not the one he should be talking to, the one he should be apologizing to! The one he deliberately tried to hurt is my mom!"
Her eyes sting, but the tears don't fall. She refuses to cry in front of her half-sister who claims to be so open and accepting when she's the most closed minded of all.
"Ask him," Jackie dares, "Ask him what the last thing he said to my mother was. I'll bet he doesn't even remember."
Jazlee wakes up to tears streaming down her face and fury in her blood.
She barely glances at the boat in the distance before she starts to sing.