Juli's POV

Stepping into the party at Sherry's was like stepping into a completely different world.

There are so many people here. Do they even go to our school? Juli recognized a couple people, but she wondered if the others even went to her school. It was just so packed inside with people. She had barely stepped inside and it already felt hot. The music was blasting. I wonder how people even hear each other talking in here.

"So what's your poison of choice?" Garrett asked somewhat loudly in attempt to be heard over the music.

"Huh?" Juli was thoroughly confused.

"Drinks. What do you want to drink Juli?"

"Oh. Soda? Or water?"

Garrett laughed out loud. "Juli, Bryce never told me you were so funny. Honestly, vodka or whiskey? I think there's some rum. What can I get you?"

Suddenly it dawned on Juli. She would have to drink at this party. She had never had alcohol before. Besides maybe a glass of champagne at her cousin's wedding once. She wasn't so sure that counted anymore.

"Juli! You're here!" It was Dana. She seemed extremely happy, more happy than usual. "You're my best friend. I love you so much because you're always such a great friend to me, Juli." Yep. I'm pretty sure she's been drinking. I don't know what drunk people act like, but I am guessing this is what it's like?

Garrett was still waiting on an answer from Juli. "How about I get you whatever she's having?"

"You should try the rum and coke. Rum and coke is my favorite Juli. It really is great," Dana giggled a bit obnoxiously.

Oh yeah, she's drunk alright. She looks really happy… I guess rum and coke can't be all that bad. "Alright Garrett, sounds good."

Garrett walked off to get drinks. Dana hugged her best friend tightly. "Juli, this is so much fun, isn't it? I told you parties were not bad. Not bad at all."

"Yeah, you seem to be having a really great time Dana," Juli smiled. She had never seen her best friend act so silly before.

"I know your main dish is around here somewhere, Juli. Bryce! Oh Bryce, where are you?" Dana began calling, trying to compete in volume with the music.

Juli quickly pulled her best friend's arm lightly. "Dana. Sssssh! Nobody needs to know that besides you and I, ok? Please," she pleaded to quiet her down a bit.

Dana giggled. "See. You didn't say he wasn't your main dish. You do still like Bryce Loski. I knew it," Dana said triumphantly, only this part she said much more quietly.

Juli sighed in relief. Nobody seemed to notice what Dana had just done. They were probably all too drunk to notice anyways. Juli laughed. Tonight would be pretty crazy. She had a feeling.

"Alright, one rum and coke for Miss Juli Baker." Garret walked back, handing the little red cup to Juli.

"Thanks Garrett." Juli took the cup and paused for a second. She would have to drink it. She took a deep breath. Here goes nothing. With that she gathered her courage and took a sip from the cup. She felt a burning sensation down her throat. She squinted her face a little. "Wow, that was umm… a little stronger than I expected." She laughed a little at herself, feeling slightly embarrassed for never drinking before.

"No worries. It gets less intense the more you sip. It just takes time to get used to," Garrett said with a smile.

He's not half as bad as I thought. "Well, this is not as terrible as I thought it would be," Juli admitted. She continued sipping. Garrett was right, the taste of the alcohol seemed to fade the more she sipped from the cup. She kept on sipping, and before she knew it, Garrett was bringing her drink refills. It was only polite to say thank you and keep drinking, right? So she did. But Juli Baker had no idea what she was getting herself into. Little did she know, she was getting pretty wasted.

Garrett was drinking a lot too. He seemed to be refilling his drink almost twice as fast as Juli. He must be really used to this. Garrett and Juli talked a lot. But strangely, Juli couldn't remember half of any of the topics they discussed. Everything was kind of a blur to her, a very happy blur. She felt like she was smiling and laughing too much. It was a silly feeling, but she was having fun. She needed to let herself do this kind of thing more often. She needed to have more fun sometimes.

"Juli, I think we should dance!" Garrett exclaimed with a grin.

"What? No Garrett. Really, I probably have two left feet. And I don't exactly feel like the most graceful person in the world right now," she giggled.

"Come on Juli. Dance with me. It will be fun."

"Garrett, I really don't know." Juli hesitated.

"One little dance. That's all. Just try it and if you feel really awkward we can stop. I promise. Please Juli!" Garrett pleaded.

Juli sighed. Garrett seemed very determined to get her to dance. "Alright, ok. Fine. I will dance with you." She walked with him towards where all the couples seemed to be dancing.

Garrett pulled her close to him. The music had a good beat. She let her body follow it and Garrett helped lead a little. She had not danced this close to a guy before. His face was literally inches away from her face. Garrett did not seem to back away at all though. The music seemed to drown away everything going on around her. It felt nice to just let go and dance. She was in her own world, when suddenly someone tugged her away from Garrett.

"Alright Garrett. You win. That's enough." That was all Juli heard.

What had just happened? She felt herself being pulled gently by the arm outside. Everything was a little hazy. She had no idea who had taken her away from dancing with Garrett. She felt disoriented. How would she get home? Would her parents be awake and question what she had done that night? Would they know she was drunk? Would she get in trouble for it? She made her way outside just in time to sit in a chair. Everything went dark, she blacked out.

Bryce POV

Bryce had been glued to Sherry's side practically all night. She was really good about making sure he stayed right by her side, like he was her pet or something. He really felt ridiculous sometimes about the things he did to be her boyfriend. He glanced around at the people there, wondering if Juli had arrived yet. All he could think about was her.

"Baby, you were so great today at the game. I think later on I'm going to have to give you a reward for it," Sherry said seductively.

Bryce didn't answer. In fact, he didn't even hear what Sherry said. His mind was still on Juli.

"Bryce? Bryce, did you even hear what I said?" Sherry seemed somewhat pissed off at this point.

Bryce was not sure he could do this much longer. He knew one thing. Tonight he would be honest with Sherry, for the first time in his life. "No, Sherry. I didn't hear a word you said."

Sherry gave him a look. She obviously was not pleased. "Well aren't you at least going to bring me a drink or something? You're my boyfriend. You're supposed to do that sort of thing."

Bryce sighed. He would probably end things with Sherry tonight, but she was right. At the moment, he was still her boyfriend, and he was raised to be a gentleman. It would be rude to not bring her a drink. "Yes, Sherry. I'll be right back with that."

Bryce walked towards where the drinks were set up. Everyone was being so loud. Bryce used to think parties were fun, but now they just seemed a bit obnoxious to him. As he served a drink for Sherry, he finally found Juli. She was standing with Garrett and talking. Both of them were laughing and smiling so much. His heart sunk. Juli is so beautiful when she laughs, when she smiles. Even when she's not smiling, there is always something beautiful about her. It's just inside of her.

He returned next to Sherry, bringing her a drink. He felt miserable. He made sure to stand where he could get a good view of Garrett and Juli. He wanted to keep an eye on her and make sure Garrett took care of her. Bryce could see Garrett getting Juli drunk. He was a little worried about it, but who was he to march over and tell Juli she shouldn't drink? Who was he, her mother? Besides, he had gotten wasted many times in the past, so it would only be hypocritical of him to tell Juli she couldn't do it. She looked like she was having fun too. He didn't want to ruin her fun with Garrett.

As the night passed, Bryce saw Juli and Garrett getting more to drink. The more they drank, the more touchy-feely and comfortable they were around each other. They're acting like they've been friends forever. This is ridiculous. Garrett used to make fun of her and Juli never liked him. You hand them a few drinks and suddenly they're best friends? Bryce could feel the jealousy level within him rising.

"Would you stop staring over there, Bryce?" Sherry seemed really annoyed, and maybe even a little bit hurt. "Look, I know you want to look at Juli Baker all night, but could you at least pretend you're the least bit interested that I am standing right next to you? I mean, I know it's no big deal, I'm only your girlfriend Bryce!"

Bryce sighed. This was not fair to himself, or to Sherry. He had made the resolution to be honest with her tonight and he had to do that. He had to be honest. "Sherry, why are we doing this?"
"Doing what, Bryce? You won the football game tonight and we're all having a good time tonight. That's what we're doing." Sherry tried to avoid what Bryce was getting at.

"No, Sherry. You know what I mean. Why are we doing this? Look, it's been really nice. But let's be honest here, I don't think either of us has been in this relationship for the right reasons."

Sherry said nothing. For the first time, she was silent. Bryce was not used to her not saying anything.

"Please don't let this upset you, I am trying to be fair to both of us. Let's just say I know someone who is crazy for you and deserves you much more than I ever could. And I… well I'm kind of crazy over someone else. But I am guessing you already know who that is." Bryce's eyes wandered over towards where Juli and Garrett had been standing. They were no longer there. His eyes searched desperately to find her. He just wanted to know she was ok. Suddenly he saw Juli, dancing with Garrett. The dancing was too close for Bryce though. Garrett was not kidding about driving him insane tonight by taking Juli to the party. There was no doubt that Bryce Loski was going crazy watching them dance together. He was beyond that point at this moment in time. He really couldn't stand seeing Garrett's hands grazing Juli's body as they danced. This was crossing the line.

Suddenly Sherry began confronting Bryce. "What is so great about her anyways Bryce? She's not popular. She doesn't have the same friends as us. I mean… she's not ugly, but she's not as pretty as me. What makes her so much better? That's what I'd like to know. What could I do better Bryce? Because last time I checked, I was the hottest girl in school and everyone wanted me."

Bryce couldn't take it anymore. "Because Sherry, she is everything you're not. She's smart, and talks about interesting things, she's not self-absorbed. The world doesn't revolve around you, you know? She has a big heart, she challenges me and makes me want to be a better person. She's just, different Sherry. And to me, it's an amazing kind of different. I like it too. I like it a lot. I like her a lot. I'm sorry, but I just don't think this is going to work anymore."

"Take one more step and we're through Bryce Loski. I mean it," Sherry seemed to try to threaten him with these words.

Bryce shook his head. He hoped someday she would change. He made his way towards where Garrett and Juli were dancing. The jealousy inside of him was ready to sky rocket. It stung and made him feel sick to his stomach. "Alright, Garrett. You win. That's enough." He pulled Juli gently away from him. He would lead her outside for some fresh air. She was already stumbling a lot as they walked. He needed to sit her down first and bring her some water. He had no idea she was that drunk. He almost felt like it was his fault for not stopping it sooner. The dancing really did it though. Garrett must have known that tactic was sure to push Bryce's jealousy to the maximum level.

Juli was mumbling questions to herself. It sounded like she was worried about going home and her parents, but he couldn't quite make out what she was saying. He sat her down softly in a chair. He had practically carried her to the chair, so when he finally managed to sit her down, he realized her eyes were no longer open. She had passed out. This definitely was not good. But he would take care of her. He wanted to. He would feel better if he helped her through what would probably be her first hangover.

Should I take care of her here? Bryce considered this, but decided against it as it was Sherry's house. He had just broken up with her. This might not be the best place to stay. He carried Juli to his car. Bryce had not had anything to drink that night. Sherry had asked him to earlier, he just wasn't in the mood. Now he was glad he made the decision not to; he could drive Juli safely. Bryce gathered a few water bottles and got in his car where Juli was sleeping in the passenger's seat. He had never watched her sleep before. She looks so peaceful right now. Just like an angel. He pulled out of Sherry's driveway.

Suddenly he realized, he was no longer Sherry Stalls' boyfriend. He would probably never drive back on that driveway again. It felt good though, almost freeing. He was no longer living a lie. As he began to leave Sherry's house Bryce contemplated where he should drive to. He couldn't go to his house. He needed to help her sober up before he took her home to her parent's house. He decided to park near the bus stop where they used to catch the bus to school every morning, where the old sycamore tree had been. Juli was sleeping, and he would wait until she woke up.

Sitting in his car near the bus stop, Bryce reminisced about the way things used to be when they were young. The sweet innocence of their childhood romance was still fresh in his memory. It was such a beautiful time in their life. He wished things could be that simple again. Everything seemed so simple back then. Now everything was so complicated. His parents were getting a divorce. He was about to start making college decisions, where the rest of his life was going. He gazed at Juli and a bit of sadness came over him. What if after high school Juli and him went in completely different directions? Would they even get a chance to see if their relationship was meant to be something more? Bryce didn't even know if Juli felt anything more than friendship towards him now. He had made so many mistakes in the past. There was no way to know right now. All he could do was have faith and hope. He hoped that when Juli woke up she would not be angry he had taken her away from the party. Even more, he hoped she would be happy to see him when she opened those beautiful brown eyes. Now, all he could do was wait.