Julie loved parties. She loved mingling with people, having a good time, and jamming out to the music, even if she had to fight off entitled assholes (re: her creepy, grabby stranger). It also helped that the pretentious asshole (Luke Patterson) she thought she would have to hate for the rest of her life, actually turned out to be pretty sweet.
The only thing she hated about parties was having to go back to school the following day. Waking up this morning had been a challenge, but actually getting out of bed? That had been pure torture.
But she made it. She was standing in front of her locker, staring mindlessly into it; she was debating if she was small enough to fit in it and take a nap. Even though she had AP English next period, she was considering throwing it all away, purely for a nap. The quiet silence didn't last for long because before she knew what was happening, her locker door was slammed shut, nearly clipping her nose in the process.
Julie turned to the figure responsible, noting Nick's furious eyes.
Uh-oh.
"Julie, what the hell is this?"
He shoved his phone into her face and she grabbed it spitefully. It was open to an Instagram account run by someone who goes to their school; this account was notorious for posting videos, photos and stories of social events. The post in question was a video of the party, and she could clearly spot herself and Luke in the kitchen, laughing at something stupid (re: adorable) he probably said.
After the incident that occurred yesterday, she was glad to get a distraction for the rest of her night. She loved it even more that it came in the shape of a cute soccer player (even if he technically was off limits.)
As Luke led Julie back into the house and towards the kitchen, she was on high alert. She had to avoid Nick (and by default, Carrie) at all costs, or else it would be a total disaster; he would lose his mind. Even though she knew he would be upset, she couldn't help but want to spend some more time with Luke. He was cute and sweet, and he was kind enough to help her out when he didn't need to. She wanted to see what would come of this.
And it helped that he seemed to want the same thing.
"Here you go," he drawled, as she pushed a red solo cup into her hands. "It's just soda; is that okay?"
Julie nodded. "Yeah, that's perfect, thanks!"
She had to admit; it was much easier to talk to him when she "hated" him because the sass flowed out of her naturally. Now, she had to actually try and make an effort and oh god, does this mean she has to flirt with him?
"So, your name?" Luke raised an eyebrow. He was grabbing his own cup.
She was momentarily distracted by his ministrations and the way his biceps looked, just doing a small task (seriously, why wasn't he wearing sleeves?). "Hmm, what?"
"You said you'd tell me your name if I got you a drink," he moved his cup to touch hers, "I did that."
His hazel eyes were solely focused on her now and god, was it hot in here?
"It's Julie. Julie Molina," she replied, taking a sip from her cup. She was literally overheating.
He smiled at her; the corners of his lips crinkled when he smiled and one side always quirked up before the other. "It's nice to officially meet you, Julie," he affirmed, "I can't say I've ever seen you at any other games, and I think I would notice. You and Miller are close, right?"
Julie's eyes nearly rolled into the back of her head because goddamn, he was smooth. "I'm not one for sports," she admitted, ignoring the way his words were making her heart flutter. "And yeah, Nick is my best friend," she sent him a pointed look when she said Nick's name, earning a laugh. "I don't usually come to the games. Honestly, I find them super boring."
She didn't even realize she was saying all this to the captain of a soccer team, until she caught on to his teasing grin. "You're breaking my heart, Molina."
Julie wanted to scream. How the hell was he so damn charming?
"Uh — your friends," she blurted because her brain was short-circuiting. "They seem really cool."
A blissful, large smile overtook his features. The way his face lit up when she mentioned his friends was making Julie's heart skip a beat. "Yeah, they're really amazing," he gushed, "we're also in a band - Alex, Reggie and I; Sunset Curve."
Julie paused for a moment.
He was cute, he played soccer, he had manners and now he was in a band?
Jesus take the wheel.
"You're — you're in a band?"
"Yeah," Luke nodded, "I play guitar, and I guess I sing a bit."
Julie was about to lose her damn mind. How the hell is he interested in her?
"Oh," Julie swallowed, "that's amazing. Sunset Swerve, you said?"
Luke's eyes snapped up to meet hers, a shit-eating grin on his face; he can't tell if she's messing with him or not. "That's cute; it's Sunset Curve. Don't get it wrong in front of the boys. They're very sensitive."
Julie feels her sassiness come back to her. "Yeah, they're sensitive," she snorted.
Luke was about to retort when she noticed Nick and Carrie enter the living room. They seemed to be looking for something and Julie paled; they were probably looking for her.
"Shit," she cursed, noting Luke's concerned expression. "I'm sorry, I have to go. Nick is right over there and I can't — I don't want to get into this with him."
Luke looked puzzled at everything she was throwing at him and he panicked when she turned to leave. "Wait!" He called. Julie turned around, but she kept throwing glances behind her. "I hope — I mean, I had a good time here — with you," he could tell he finally secured her attention again as her eyes went soft. "I hope you did too. Can I maybe, get your number? Is that okay?"
Julie shot him a wide smile and his nerves went away. "Yeah, that's okay."
At Luke's prompting, she grabbed his phone and entered her number quickly. When she handed it back to him, and spotted his bright smile, she impulsively leaned forward and placed a kiss on his cheek. Luke went rigid, not expecting the sweet gesture.
Julie leaned back, biting her lip and whispering close to his ear, "thanks for tonight, Luke."
With that, she turned around and fled the room.
Luke was left standing there, scratching the back of his head with the widest smile he's sported in a while.
He needed to find the boys to tell them all about this amazing girl.
"I don't understand," Nick continued his rant and Julie snapped out of her thoughts. "He was such an ass to you at the game! I've told you a million times how awful he is, and then I see this? You didn't even say anything to me about it!"
Julie interrupted him while she had a chance to. "You haven't even let me speak!"
"Because I'm pissed, Julie!" He yelled, then thought better of it when he looked around and realized where they were. "You know I don't like him. Why would you go behind my back like this?"
Julie rolled her eyes. "That's not what this is, Nick."
"Then what is it?" He snapped. "Because I don't like finding out my best friend is fraternizing with the enemy."
"Okay, fine Nick, I get it, you don't like him," Julie scoffed. "But listen to me. You can't tell me who I can and can't hang out with; that is not how this works. I needed help last night for something, and he was there, and we just kept talking. That's all it was."
Nick still didn't look impressed, but he was starting to soften. "I just don't want you to get hurt. I've known him for a long time; I don't like him for a reason."
"Have you ever stopped to think that maybe you just don't like him because you're competitive and he's your one competition in the game?"
Nick didn't reply.
"From what I saw last night, he doesn't seem like a bad guy."
"Do you like him?" Nick asked, pursing his lips.
Julie paused, contemplating her thoughts. "I don't know," she admitted honestly, "we only spent a little bit of time together last night. But I think I do like him; I want to see where this goes. But I don't want to do that if you're going to be against it," she added sadly. "Things between him and I might not work out; hell, I don't even know if I'm reading way too into last night. But I want to try, and I want you to be by my side as my best friend. Can you do that?"
Nick stared at her for a few moments; Julie wasn't able to read his face.
"If he isn't into you, then he's even dumber than I originally thought," he finally said, a smile cracking through his stoic features. "I just want you to be happy, and you should be able to figure that out without me being a dumb asshole."
Julie grinned excitedly, punching his shoulder. "Thanks Nick, I appreciate it."
"I promise to be on my very best behaviour," he added with a tease of sarcasm.
Julie rolled her eyes, closing her locker and pulling him along as they walked to class. "Relax. We had fun yesterday, but who knows? Things might not work out."
"Sure, Jules," he scoffed, shooting her a knowing look. "From what I saw in the video, he looks at you with hearts in his eyes. And as much as it makes me want to punch him in the throat, I can't deny what I saw."
Julie knew she was blushing; she could feel it in her cheeks.
"By the way, what the hell happened yesterday that you needed Patterson's help?"
Julie's eyes widened and she turned and grabbed his arm. "Oh my god, wait until you hear this story…"
Later that day, Carrie and Julie decided to stop by Mel's for milkshakes. Carrie also heard everything second-hand and she was dying for details. It was odd that Julie hadn't told her everything right after it happened, but she didn't want to say anything without knowing how she'd break everything to Nick. Instagram took care of that for her.
"Jules, I can't believe it!" Carrie squealed, completely ignoring her banana milkshake because she was just so excited. "He's cute! You did so good!"
Julie was blushing again. "Stop. We talked for like twenty minutes because I had to hide from you and Nick."
"Well, if I had known, I could have definitely stalled him or something," she replied pointedly.
"It was all so in the moment," Julie defended her actions. "He was just so charming and adorable; I was literally about to combust into flames."
Carrie smirked. "I don't blame you. I love Nick but Luke is a snack."
"I know!" Julie cried, covering her face shyly. "I haven't heard from him since and I know it's barely been a day so it's fine but," she bit her lip nervously, "I really want to hear from him soon."
"You will, Jules," Carrie agreed, reaching over to squeeze her hand. "You're a catch, girl."
Julie was about to reply with some sarcastic comment to ruin the moment, but she was distracted by a tall blond entering the restaurant. An equally tall brunet followed behind and Julie recognized them as Alex and Willie, some of Luke's friends.
"Shit, Carrie. Luke's friends are here!"
Carrie didn't look the slightest bit panicked as she whirled around in her seat and flagged the boys over. She sported a smirk the entire time and ignored Julie's quiet protests.
"Well, shit."
oh my goddddd! i hope you guys liked it!
i had a lot of fun with this and i can't wait to continue!
also: if you guys want to chat with me on tumblr ruzek-halstead
i'm posting the story there as well with some bonuses! i've created twitter profiles for all the characters and will have a special surprise at the end, so check it out!
stay safe everyone xx