Chapter Nine: Legging it

Friday morning had me taking the train to school.

"Cassie needs to drop her brother off first and so she's going to be late. Mike has his motorbike, but he can only take one extra person." Cara explained briefly over her breakfast of peanut butter toast.

"You go. I can take the train." I said before taking a mouthful of rice bubbles* and milk.

She shrugged.

"Okay." Then she flicked her phone's touch screen a few times before giving it a final jab. Swinging her bag onto one shoulder, she walked out the door, and I was left to shove the rest of my breakfast into my mouth before hurrying to catch the train.

I was too late.

Sighing, I walked back up the stairs and began to walk towards school. As the occasion called for something to stave off the boredom, I grabbed my old earbuds and ipod out of my bag and set some Adele playing. It was an old album, but her melancholy singing was just the thing for a walk alone. By the time I got to school, my leg was aching so much that I was almost limping. I hadn't walked this far since…well, since before I was shot, and I was beginning to regret it. And to top it all off, I was late.

"Hey Jules!" Layla said cheerfully when I came to sit with at our usual spot for lunch. "You okay? I was getting worried something had happened because you weren't answering your texts." Layla continued, shuffling over to make room for me.

I glanced at my phone in surprise, noting there were indeed several notifications from Layla. "Sorry, I keep it on silent for school mostly, I must've forgotten to check it."

"No worries, just make sure you check it before this evening – I think we forgot to tell you where Oli's place is." Layla said with a quick smile.

"Oh. Yeah. Course," I said, suddenly remembering the party. That was tonight. Right.

They talked about the normal stuff and I remained silent for most of it, only voicing agreement in grunts and one word when asked. My leg still hurt, but it had died down to a dull ache during class. I tried to subtly stretch it out without being obvious. The doctor had told us that even though it had closed up, I still might experience pain in my right leg for a long while because there had been some internal damage.

Great. Good going, Juliet. Hurting yourself right before a party! It had better feel fine by the time I get home.

School ended with a jittery burst of energy. I took the train home, which was much better for my leg, and my brain ran in circles the entire time, so the journey seemed to pass in a flash. I got off at my stop and wanted to powerwalk home but was forced take it slow by my stupid leg. I went straight up to my room and pace flopped onto my bed. I kicked off my shoes, swivelled onto my back and rested my feel on the wall behind the headboard so my legs were above me. Then I took out my phone to check the texts Layla had sent earlier.

"Hey Jules! I realised I forgot to give you Oli's address earlier, so here it is…" I glanced at it; it was at the edge of the warehouse district, not the safest spot to commute to in the dark, but close enough to be feasible. I considered how I would pitch it to Aunty Lin.

'Hey Aunty, I'm going out to a party tonight with some friends.'
No. Then she'll ask where it was or who my friends are.
'Bye Aunty, I'm going out!'
Yeah right! That sort of vagueness would be totally suspicious.
'Hey Aunty? I'm going to hang out at a friend's place this evening, is that okay?'
Better. Then she'll probably ask if I'd be back by curfew, and I'll obviously say yes, and that'll be the end of it.
Hopefully.

I smiled, then looked down at my school uniform.
Great Caesar's Ghost, I'm going to look like an idiot, aren't I?
I sort of almost definitely wished I could ask Cara since she always seemed to know how to dress so she looked both cool and casual. I didn't really want to ask her though, because she didn't seem to like Layla or her friends much at all.

I looked in my cupboard.
Jeans and a t-shirt would probably be fine – I'd seen Dee and Jinn wear that often enough and they looked cool. Grabbing a black long-sleeved shirt and my favourite pair of blue jeans, I ducked into the bathroom to change.

I glanced at my reflection and considered pulling my long-ish brown hair up. I experimented, holding a ponytail together in my hands before letting if fall back.

Yeah right. You're totally not that confident, Juliet, and it doesn't really suit you.
I snorted. Then searched the draws under the vanity for an elastic.

I ended up stealing – ahem, borrowing one of Cara's, but the end result looked rather good if I did say so myself.
Feeling slightly guilty, I also borrowed some of Cara's lip gloss, smearing some on my finger before transferring it to my thin lips. I smiled at my reflection, feeling braver and more confident.

Okay, better use that feeling to go downstairs and tell Aunty where you're going.
I took a deep breath and walked down the stairs.

"Hey Aunty?" I called out, poking my head into the lounge room.

"I'm here," She called back from the kitchen and I moved across the hall to find her sitting at the table, reading a recipe.

"So, I'm - " I stopped, forgetting exactly what I was going to say. Oops. Well, I'd better forge on now. Confidence was the key…I think. I tapped my thigh a few times and began a new attempt, "I'm – can I go to a friend's place this evening?"

She looked me up and down, smiled and said, "Sure, do you need me to drop you off?"

"No, uh, thanks!" I said relieved and smiling, "I can take the train."

"Just be back before ten, okay? I trust you, so I won't wait up, but maybe set an alarm so you don't forget?" She reminded, and the slight wrinkle in her forehead told me she was still concerned about me going out alone.

"No problem," I smiled at her, trying to convey reassurance. Then I turned to walk out the door.

"Oh, and by they way, Juliet?" I turned around, "you look really pretty."

I blushed and grinned a little.

And almost walked out the door without my phone.
Great Scott! Get it together Juliet!
I ran into Cara as I took the stairs two at a time.

"Where're you going?" She raised her eyebrows, looking up from her phone.

"To a friend's," I hedged a little breathlessly and swiped my phone from my room before charging back downstairs and out the door.

As I sat down on my train, I rubbed my poor abused leg.
Oops, probably took those stairs too hard. You're not that young anymore, Juliet!
I snorted out loud, then glanced at the quiet carriage self-consciously.

Then I grinned.
Who cares anyway? This is exciting! You're actually going to a party!

*So, look. I googled it and apparently in America, they're called 'Rice Krispies', but that just sounds weird to me (I'm an Aussie, as you might or might not know). Sorry Americans. RICE BUBBLES FOREVER! Jk lol but srsly who comes up with these names?

A/N:

Phew! That was a close one. I literally finished this chapter yesterday evening thanks to some inspiration coming from a reviewer! So thanks – I really need to remember to write more often. I tend to do a lot in one big block and then stop for weeks, then do another block. Somehow this works, even with my surprisingly regular update schedule (weekly on Saturdays, if anyone's interested).

Anyway, enough about me. Are you guys looking forward to the party? Yes, yes, I know you're not technically going, but reading is totally like a magic portal, so I'm going to ask anyway. Plus, don't you wish you could go out? I'm not in quarantine, but I know many people still are, so I wish you well.

Oh boy am I chatty today! Maybe it's infectious and Juliet gave it to me...from inside my brain?

Okaaaaay. Better sign off before your ears (brains?) go numb! J

Trix