One week later
Julie and JD had been matched up on a project for their social studies class, and Julie had not been happy. She'd gone to the teacher and asked if she could have a different partner or do a solo project, but the teacher had waved those ideas away and said, "You either work with JD or you take an 'F' on the project, which given your current grade means you'll fail this class." Julie had given serious thought to taking the 'F', but decided against it as her parents would have blown their stacks and the tension at home was high enough.
The problem, well there were a couple of problems, the big one getting some time to get together and work. There wasn't much time before school, especially since Julie was now arriving as late as possible and then staying in her car until the last late bell rang, to try and prevent her tires being slashed before school actually started. She was also spending her lunch period in her car; again a preventive measure. Of course JD had football practice after school and after the spitball and paper throwing incidents Julie wasn't going to go and wait for JD in the library. Adding in Julie's job at Applebee's which was now 4 days a week there just didn't seem to be a time. It was JD who brought up the idea of going to his house or Julie's and working there. She'd immediately rejected going to her house, she couldn't imagine how red her dad's face would get if he walked in the door and saw the son of his 'enemy' sitting at the dinner table with his daughter. She'd been against going to JD's house for the same reason; even after JD said that his dad was spending a lot of time out of town.
"You mean you're there all by yourself?"
"Well, we do have a maid and a cleaning service, but I don't really see them."
"Well, what do you do for food? I mean, your mom made all your meals, right? You don't go to McDonald's or order Panther Pizza every night."
JD looked sheepish. "I try not to order pizza more than twice a week, it's weird, the whole strict diet was my dad's thing, but since my mom left, he's been….I don't know it's like sometimes he's really strict about it, sometimes it's like he never heard of it. And the maid is a pretty good cook, sometimes I'll eat with her. Look, the maid and my dad hardly talk; if anything she liked my mom more than my dad."
In the end they had settled for meeting and working in a corner booth at Applebee's, at least for a little while. Julie made sure to park where she could keep an eye on her car which JD noticed. "You're pretty paranoid about your car, aren't you?"
Julie glared at him. "Someone's slashed four of my tires while I was working."
"Okay, well, why don't you take the bus to school and I don't know, get a ride when you're working here."
"From who? My mom and dad are at East Dillon and they're working until at least six o'clock, usually longer. And all of my friends are either over at East Dillon or…." Julie shook her head, "anyway, my friends all have stuff they're doing."
JD looked at Julie, started to speak, looked at the table, then out the window at Julie's car, then back at Julie. "I could give you a ride."
Julie sat back in her seat. "Don't do that. Don't say that."
"What? I-I'm just offering you a ride. You said that no one else will give you one, so I offered."
"Well, I don't know that no one will give me one, I haven't asked anyone, including you."
"Julie, you're worried about your tires being slashed here and at school and probably everywhere else you park. Why don't you put your car in your garage and just take the bus to school and back home. Or you could wait at school. Either way I'd give you a ride."
"Yeah, I don't think I'm gonna wait around after school anymore." Julie sipped her ice tea. "I don't even want to be there. I applied to transfer to East Dillon because my parents were there and never heard back, so I applied again, and they just said I was enrolled at Dillon High. And that was it. All of my friends are at East Dillon. Landry, Devon, even Lois. At Dillon it's me and two thousand kids who hate me."
"I'm not a friend?"
"No, you're not. And I'm not trying to be harsh or mean, sorry if that came out that way. You're a classmate. An acquaintance."
"What about Matt? Why don't you get rides from him? He'd be glad to do, we both know that."
"Matt….Matt ca—"Julie's lip trembled and a tear ran down her cheek and splashed on the table. She covered her face with her hands for a few seconds, not seeing the gleam that had sprang to JD's eyes or the smirk that ran across his mouth. "Matt's gone. And no I don't know where he is, except that he isn't in Dillon."
"How can you not know? He had to tell someone where he was going, like his mom or grandmother. He has a cell phone, haven't you called it?"
"His grandma fell and broke her leg and hip, plus she has dementia, so she's not exactly clear headed and it doesn't matter because I can't visit her, it's one of those 'family only things. And Shelby, Matt's mom, I don't know where she is. She and Grandma Saracen didn't get along very well, maybe his mom went back to Oklahoma and I don't have her phone number."
"Well, how about Landry? He and Matt are best friends."
"I don't know, I haven't really seen or talked to him."
"Why not? Do you even want to know where Matt is or if he's okay?"
"I don't know."