by C. Lymari
“Hey, Juliet.” I jogged up to her.
“Did I forget something? Don’t worry, I don’t need the pizza back. Your mom overfed me.”
“You brought a pizza?”
Juliet nodded.
I groaned. “Blake probably ate it already.”
“It’s cool.”
“Give me your number.” I handed her my cell phone and almost groaned when she bit her lip.
I wanted to taste her lips. I used to fantasize about them in art class. I used to fantasize about a hell of a lot.
When Juliet handed me my phone back, I immediately opened the camera to take a picture of her.
“Smile.”
“Jake,” she shrieked, but I couldn’t stop staring at my phone.
I caught her by surprise. Her mouth was slightly parted, but she looked fucking gorgeous.
“If it wasn’t for this cast, I would try and throw snow at you.”
“You know you’re gorgeous. Now drive safely and text me when you get home.”
Juliet huffed. “Bossy much?”
Still, she waved goodbye to me with her casted hand, and I watched her drive away having no idea where to go from here.
Brooke didn’t break me. She just made me see the truth. Some people weren’t made to be together. The pieces would never fit, and with Juliet, they never did. They never would.
Why even bother?
16
Juliet
Sophomore Year
Have you ever had a restless night, only to fall asleep and wake up with unbearable pain in the pit of your stomach?
I have, and it sucked. I couldn’t get dressed. My fingers shook as I put on jeans and a blouse instead of wearing the outfit I had spent a whole day picking out.
I was ready as I was ever going to be. I grabbed my bag and went to knock on my brother’s door.
“Hey, Jules, what’s up?”
Max had just gotten out of his shower, and he had a towel wrapped around his middle. That’s when I looked down at my watch and realized how early it was.
“Can I get a ride to school?” I asked.
My brother made a face.
I was getting ready to lie to him to tell him everything was okay. Because why wouldn’t it be?
“Sorry, Jules,” he said. “I have something to do before school. Ask Prescott. I’m sure he’ll be happy to take you.”
And just like that, my brother, who I thought was always there for me, closed the door on my face. Any other time I would have felt shitty or prodded him, but today I didn’t care. Turning around, I went to the other end of the hall.
“Come in,” Prescott’s voice rang from the other side of the door.
I opened the door to find Prescott already dressed, his laptop on his lap while he leaned against the headboard and worked on his homework.
“What’s wrong?” He took his glasses—the ones he never wore except when we were home—off and put aside the laptop.
“Can I have a ride to school today?”
“What’s wrong, Julie?”
“Nothing… Can you or not?”
“What’s wrong with your car?”
“Forget it.” I turned around, ready to head out and just drive around town until time ran out and I had to make it to school.
“Did he hurt you?” Prescott asked before I was out the door.
“What?”
“The guy who was making you happy—did he hurt you?”
I turned around to find my big brother standing right behind me, his brown eyes dark, his jaw ticking as he waited for my response.
“No,” I whispered. “But I will.”
Prescott swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. He turned his head, glaring to the other side of the hallway toward our father’s office.
“Come on.” He led me to the bed, where I watched him finish his paper.
I was so out of it that I forgot to text Jana that I wasn’t driving, but Prescott took care of it because we pulled up to her house.
“Hey, guys.” She smiled at me and gave my brother a shy glance. Jana used to have the biggest crush on Pres—that was, before Gary.
“Here, come through this side,” Prescott said.
I didn’t have it in me to scold him for making Jana blush. His coupe forced one of us to get out, and I didn’t think it was entirely for my benefit that he didn’t make me do it. I kept tapping my fingers in the window, watching the morning sun come out, how it could look like happiness outside when I wanted to cry.
I almost did cry.
When we got to school, I stayed seated while Prescott and Jana got out of the car. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and let it all go.
“I’m Juliet Dunnett,” I reminded myself.
There were things I could and couldn’t have, and my father was right. I was overreacting. I was young, and Jake was never going to be up to our caliber. Prescott opened my door, threw his hand over my shoulder, and walked me to my first class, giving me strength.
Before he left me, he kissed my cheek. “You know I’ll always have your back, no matter what, right?”
I managed to avoid Jake all day. It was lunch, and I was dreading having to go to art class. The last thing I wanted to do today was sit across from Abigail. My life wasn’t any of her concern. All I hoped was that one day she got what was coming for her. I hoped one day she finally got what she wanted, only for it to be ripped out of her claws. I went down to the lunchroom, taking the long way.
I stopped midway when I heard a voice I recognized.
“I can’t take this anymore.”
My hand reached out to stop the door from smacking when I heard my brother’s voice. I walked slower, peeking over the railing to the lower level, and wasn’t at all surprised at what I found.
“We agreed to next year.” Freya Pratt had her hands around my brother’s neck while he had her pressed against the wall. I think the door could have closed with a loud thud and they still would have been in their own little world.
My brother bent to kiss her. “I just want to do this whenever I want.”
When Freya started to smile at him, I turned around and took the standard way to lunch. My brother was right in keeping his relationship a secret. Our father would never understand.
“There you are.” Abigail smiled at me.
Something had changed in me last night; usually I didn’t play the game my brother said we all needed to play. I saw no need for it, but today I couldn’t help it. I smiled at Abigail and sat next to her.
“I heard you had tea with my mother.”
She went rigid but quickly covered it up. “Oh, I just stopped by to see if anyone wanted some of my baking.”
Leaning into her, I smiled. She stiffened, and I liked the way that made me feel. I was in control of the person who caused me pain.
“My brother already has a girlfriend. He has for a while.” My voice was low enough for her to hear. “And if you so much as go with this to my parents, your father might just find out his little Southern belle is a whore.”
I turned my head and ignored her the rest of lunch, leaving her to wonder who Max was dating, and when my brother and Freya made things official, it could eat her alive. That little jab made me feel a bit better for what I was going to do next, but it didn’t prepare me for the sight of Jake.
He was already in our seats when I walked into class. He looked gorgeous—light jeans and a black T-shirt, and his hair was mussed as if he couldn’t stop running his hand through it. My throat felt sore, and my lips trembled, but I forced myself to sit with him.
“Dunnett.” He said my name in a husky tone, and that was all it took for all my mental preparation to weaken. “You look beautiful.”
That was a lie. I looked like shit. The way Jake was looking at me, you wouldn’t think so though. His eyes weren’t roaming my body. He wasn’t biting his lip suggestively. He was looking at my face with a tender look in his eyes. Yeah, no way I was telling him off right now. I need
ed one last memory before I became exactly what everyone around me thought I was.
“Thank you.” The smile I gave him was the sincerest one I had ever given, and it was laced with regret, and he didn’t even know it yet.
While I worked on my end-of-the-year project, I kept stealing glances at Jake, wanting to memorize him not hating me. Every time he caught me looking, he gave me a smile, and God, his eyes went all soft. Instead, I bit my lip to stop them from trembling and added words hidden in the cotton snow I had created in my canvas.
When the teacher told us to put our stuff away, I closed my eyes, knowing this was the last time I was going to enjoy art class. Thanks a lot, Dad. You found a way to ruin it for me after all.
I got up when Jake did, enjoying his company before it all went to shit. He grabbed our projects and put them at the top shelf. When he turned around, we collided. His hands came to my cheek, and I closed my eyes, thinking I could take this one thing. Just one kiss that I could take with me. Just one kiss to prove that it was real.
“I want to kiss you, Dunnett.” His hot breath was in my face and I felt the glide of his nose over my cheek. I knew if I opened my eyes, he’d be right there looking at me.
I leaned into him, my eyes still closed, scared he could see the impending betrayal on my face. Jake chuckled. The sound had me snapping my eyes open and glaring at him.
“I’ll wait… for now.” He gave me a wink and pressed his lips to the top of my head.
In dazed confusion, I watched him walk away.
Before he left the class, he turned back to face me. “Tonight, though, all bets are off.”
And instead of feeling butterflies like I should have, I felt disgusted. Not with him but with myself.
A few hours later, when the final bell had rung, I made my way to my locker, grabbing my things for the weekend. It took no time at all to find Jake. He was already by his truck, his brother Clark with him.
Great, all I needed was an audience to make it worse.
“Dad can pick me up. Just don’t tell him I have detention—tell him it’s for a study group.” Clark grinned at Jake and walked away.
“Hey,” I said.
Seriously? I was going to cancel my date, and I went with hey? What was wrong with me?
“Hey,” he said, flashing me a smile. “I’ve got to go home real quick. You want to come with me, or do you want me to pick you up in a bit? I figured we can leave early since it’s almost a half-hour drive.”
“No.”
“Okay, I’ll pick you up.” He scanned the parking lot. “Your car’s not here. Want me to drop you off first?”
“No. Jake—”
“That’s okay, give me forty and I’ll get you.”
Shit.
“Jake, I can’t go,” I blurted.
Jake’s eyes met mine, his eyebrows scrunched. Great. He was worried about me, and that made me feel even more like an a-hole.
“Do you feel sick?” Jake took a step forward.
No, but I’m about to feel like vomiting in a second.
“It’s not that… Listen, Jake…”
“Juliet…”
“I never should have agreed to this date in the first place.”
I made the mistake of meeting his eyes as I said those lies. I saw the hurt reflected on those baby blues, and it made my throat clog up.
“We aren’t going anywhere. You’re leaving for college, and, well, I’m a sophomore.”
“Babe.” His face softened as he tried to take another step toward me.
God, why was this so hard? Why couldn’t he get the message, hate me, and leave?
“We don’t know what’s going to happen tonight, tomorrow, or the next seven years.” Jake’s voice was soft, and I knew he wasn’t going to let it go.
“We’re never going to work! I’m Juliet Dunnett, and you aren’t anyone. We come from different worlds.”
He wasn’t a match for my father. This time when I looked up, I saw Jake finally had gotten the message.
His jaw was clenched, and he shook his head in disappointment. When he walked away to his truck, I felt relief, but also regret. I never wanted to hurt him. That was never my intention. Deep down, I knew my father would never approve of Jake, but I was spoiled and selfish, and I wanted him. I said screw the consequences and got fucked right over.
Jake slamming his truck shut made me snap my head back to where he was. He was walking toward me again, this time with a square object wrapped in red birthday paper. This just got worse. Words couldn’t describe how much I hated myself right now.
“For a second, I almost believed you were different,” Jake bit out, handing me the present.
Once it was in my hands, he gave me a slow once-over, shaking his head again.
He took a deep breath and turned his back on me. “I never thought I’d ask out a sophomore in my senior year.”
What did that mean? And why did hearing those words make it so much worse? I didn’t watch him get in his truck. I turned around and ran to Prescott’s car.
It wasn’t until I was back home, alone in my room, when I opened the present. already having an idea of what I was going to find.
The kiosk in springtime.
Only then did I allow myself to cry.
17
Juliet
“Sweetheart, I’m thrilled you could come. Your father has been beside himself with worry,” my mother greeted me as soon as Esther opened the door.
Two days after my car broke down and the whole dinner fiasco, as I liked to call it, happened, my mother started to blow up my phone. It was tolerable because Jake was also texting me. After I got home the other day, he texted me at night because I forgot to report that I’d made it back safely. Jake was making sure he wasn’t going to have to start a search party for the prettiest girl in town.
At that point, I’d started smiling like an idiot, and I rolled off the bed, which caused a loud thud. Through the wall, Jess screamed if I was okay. Even though my elbow hurt, I was more than okay because Jake was flirting with me.
Unfortunately, my mother was persistent, and here I was pretending to believe Daddy gave a rat’s ass about me. My lawyer called and said Chad and I had a meeting set to divide our assets.
Ignoring all of this, I mumbled, “I’m sure he is.”
My mom grabbed a stray piece of hair and put it behind one ear. At that moment it scared me how much of myself I saw in my mother. She was thin and graceful, her red hair a tad brighter than mine, and she was spineless when it came to my father. Looking at my mother, I saw what my life could have been in a couple of years if only I’d played by Chad’s rules.
My mom didn’t look at my cast. She pretended it wasn’t even there. It was bright and purple for a reason, practically screaming at my family. I was real. Actions have consequences. None of them seemed to care.
“I know how much you love deviled eggs with caviar, so I had some shipped for you.”
I smiled at my mother. I loved caviar as much as the next girl, but to be honest, when you ate on a budget, it just seemed somewhat pointless to spend so much money on a snack when you could buy a meal’s worth.
“Thanks, Mother.”
She led me to my father’s office, and when I felt my phone ding, I welcomed the distraction.
Jake: Remind me again why I bother to open early when I know no one comes in after eleven? I’m starving.
Me: Come on, your mom probably has the fridge stocked for her Jakey.
Jake: Never repeat that
Jake: And yeah, she does.
Jake: You hungry?
Me: Jakey. Jakey. Jakey!
Me: I’m at my parents’ house.
I added a sad face to convey that I would rather be anywhere but my family’s home.
“Honey, I’ll bring you a refreshment,” my mother said as she opened the door to Dad’s office.
“Sweetheart, there you are.” My father stood up with open arms and smiled at me like he hadn’t cut
me off from the family a few weeks back.
That wasn’t the worst part of this whole fiasco. Chad, my soon-to-be ex-husband, was also there smiling back at me as he sat across my dad’s desk.
“What are you doing here?” I took a step back, my back hitting the closed door.
The last thing I wanted to do was be in an enclosed room with my father, but especially not with Chad.
“Sweetheart, Chad’s here because he feels there was miscommunication in your separation.”
My dad had to be joking, right? This was low even for him.
“He came here to talk to you since you aren’t taking his calls.” My dad buttoned his suit, shook Chad’s hand, and walked out.
Gaping after my father, I stood there astonished. My father, the man who was supposed to protect me, had left me in a room with my husband. God, did I hate saying that word. The air in the room felt like it thinned out, and I told myself I was safe in front of others.
“Take a seat, Juliet. I’m not going to hurt you.” Chad took a drink while his gaze slid over me.
Slimy. I felt dirty and uneasy. When I didn’t see him, I could pretend that nothing ever went wrong. I could pretend everything was fine and things you heard about in the news had never happened to me.
“You’ve done enough. I’m out of here. We can see each other in court.” I opened the door, ready to walk out and go anywhere just as long as I wasn’t in his presence.
“You walk out of that door, and I swear to you, Juliet, I will go after everything that you have.”
I didn’t answer him. Chad was going to do what the fuck he wanted regardless of my answer. Before I could make it out, Chad pushed me back, and I started to shiver with fear. The low chuckle proved he knew it. The erection he pressed into me showed he was getting off on it.
“The anticipation makes it that much sweeter. Every single time, wife,” he hissed.
