Afterglow

06

He eyes me suspiciously. "Ok then... but you're seeing Juliana soonnnn." He bats his eyelashes at me.

My lack of response makes hun stop his jesters looking at me. "What did you do?"

"Nothing!" I defend myself, voice raising a couple of pitches. "Absolutely nothing!"

Devin looks me up and down, glasses sliding down his nose, looking like a judgmental librarian. "You're lying bitch. Now, tell me."

This damn man. Why did I choose him to be my best friend?

Devin nudges me. "Jace."

"Ok!" I crack. "I might have pulled Julie to the side yesterday and essentially told her to fuck off and get out of my life."

It takes a second for the words to register in his brain, but once they do, he smacks me hard on the back of my neck.

"What the hell?" I yell, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Don't you what the hell me." He sasses. "You did what?"

Another hard smack.

"Can you stop harassing me!" I block his next shot.

Devin runs a hand through his hair and down his face, squeezing the bridge of his nose. "You're an idiot Jace Lockheart. The biggest idiot I've ever known."

"I know! I messed up!" I confess. I pull at the chain around my neck. "The guilt is eating me alive bro."

"Good! It should be."

I look at Devin dumbfounded. "You're supposed to be on my side! What happened to no Juliana?"

Devin sighs, taking off his glasses completely, cleaning them with his t-shirt. "That was until I saw how much you're in love with her."

I stop in the dead middle of the hallway, kids groaning and complaining in the background. "Love her?" I choke, not believing those words even came out of his mouth.

Love Julie? Yeah right. I'm just trying to win her back as a friend, not a lover.

He looks over at my stunned expression. "Not love-love like in the romances. I mean like you like her Jace. Gosh, you're a fucking idiot."

Relief washed over me, yet a nagging feeling stays in the bottom of my stomach. Even when we were friends, I've never thought of love as a word to use for Julie and I.

Devin grabs my head, dragging me into our chem class. Like normal, Julie is already sitting in her seat. She's wearing a large sweatshirt with black athletic shorts, hair in a bun, fresh faced. Nothing against girls dressing down and not wearing makeup, it's my favorite look on Julie, but it's out of Julie's character.

She glances at us, eyes meeting, before she quickly turns away, hiding into the hood of her sweatshirt.

For the quick moment our eyes met, I could tell she's tired, sad, and the complete opposite of my Julie.

Devin pats me on the shoulder, looking at me with a 'good luck' look before taking his seat.

Now or never.

I walk over to my seat, pulling out the chair as silently as possible, while staring at Julie. She keeps hiding her face in her hood, looking the complete opposite way of me.

"Um- hey Julie. How are you?" My voice breaks, and my leg starts bouncing uncontrollably.

I don't get a response from her. Just her sinking further into her seat.

"Look- I wanted to- to—" I nervously say, twirling the chain around my neck.

"Ok class." Mrs. High interrupts. Perfect fucking timing. "Pull out your packets."