Unexpected

Chapter 9

The music was pumping as the girls walked into Carrie's palatial beachside mansion. Her dad had been a popular rock musician from back in the day. (A fact she liked to throw around to anyone that would listen long enough). While he was usually busy trying to stay relevant, he often left Carrie unattended, which ultimately led to big, loud parties at least once a month.

The house was crowded with a lot of people Julie didn't recognize, which made her feel out of place. She really wasn't one for parties, preferring to hang out in the comfort of her own home with a small group of friends.

"Let's get something to drink." Flynn suggested for something to do, and the girls headed for the kitchen.

Julie grabbed a bottle of water and scanned the crowd for a familiar face as she took a sip.

"Hey Molina." A voice greeted her from behind.

Julie nearly spit her mouthful of water out when she turned and saw Nick there.

"Nick, hey!" She sputtered as she tried to contain her choking coughs.

"Hey, Nick." Flynn greeted him with a smile. "Nice to see you. Doesn't Julie look great tonight?" She asked getting straight to the point.

Julie shot her a deadly look.

"She does." Nick agreed looking Julie over, smile plastered on his face.

"You two should totally go talk where it's quiet." Flynn suggested and wasted no time shoving them out of the kitchen.

They smiled awkwardly at one another and walked out onto the back patio. Julie was grateful to find there were far less people here, and the only noise came from the muffled music inside and the waves of the ocean crashing to shore. Nick motioned to a small empty bench where they could sit down. Julie tucked her hands under her thighs and looked around, not sure what to say.

"Nice night." Nick began with a little chuckle.

"Yeah." Julie agreed, giving him a quick smile. She brought her hands to her lap and picked nervously at her nail polish.

"How'd you do on Mr. Suarez's quiz?" Nick asked after a moment.

"Ok, I guess. Number three really got me." Julie admitted.

"Nick?" A shrill female voice pierced the air suddenly causing them both to jump.

They turned to find Nick's ex-girlfriend, and the party's host, Carrie, eyeing them with disgust.

"Hey, Carrie." Nick greeted her, swallowing hard.

"Hey Julie." Carrie said flippantly, ignoring Nick's greeting as she turned to sit down between the two.

Julie quickly scooted over to avoid being sat on, being pushed further to the side as Carrie settled in. Just before she tipped off the edge of her seat, she felt two strong hands gripping her arms to steady her from behind. She turned her head to find Luke smirking at her.

"Easy there, Jules."

"Luke, hey." Julie said surprised to see him there. She stood to her feet and turned to face him.

"Hey" He replied, sliding his hands down her arms sending a warm shiver through her.

"What are you doing here?" Julie asked feeling her heart flutter excitedly.

"Nice to see you too." He said giving her a wink. "You know, I think your boy may be a little preoccupied." Luke said rolling his eyes after glancing over her shoulder at Nick and Carrie.