Everything According to Juliana

Chapter Twenty-Three: First Date

"Hey!" Jake exclaimed as Juliana stepped into the passenger seat of his blue Volkswagen Beetle. "Before you judge the car, it's my sisters. I wanted a boat for my sixteenth birthday instead."

She closed the door behind her, letting out a laugh. The car was a little girly and definitely not something she would have guessed Jake would drive around the streets of West Coral, but boating around their small beach town was also a popular form of transportation, so it wasn't out of the ordinary for him to want a boat instead of a car. "At least it's not a motorcycle."

He let out a hearty laugh. "Oh, no! Don't hate on Max! His bike is badass."

Juliana buckled her seatbelt as she laughed. "I'm not hating on him. It's just... different."

Jake pressed on the gas, speeding out of her neighborhood and in the direction of Toby's house. "Yeah, for sure. I like it, though. Riding on the back of the bike was so hype. It was probably the most thrilling thing I'd done, besides boat racing my friends down the canal."

She laughed, imagining Jake and Max riding the motorcycle down the boulevard adjacent to the beach. "That does sound fun," she then remembered where they were heading. Alivia and Parker's date. She gulped. "I hope they don't see us there. That would be awkward."

"If they do, we'll just say we're hanging out, and seeing them was a coincidence," he said, stopping at a red light. He turned to her. "Have you never stalked your friend on a date before?"

"No," she answered honestly.

"Neither have I," Jake laughed, only to make Juliana laugh with him. For a split second, she thought he was judging her. "Well, actually..." he spoke as the light turned green. He flicked his blinker up, preparing to turn right down Toby's street, "last year I was on a date with Gabrielle and I saw Jordan and Margot. The girls thought we planned that but in truth, this beach town is so small that there's only so many places to take a girl on a date. I think Alivia and Parker will survive if they see us at the same restaurant."

"That's true," she said as Jake stopped in front of Toby's house. He honked his horn multiple times before Toby opened his front door, stepping out of his house.

He was wearing a bucket hat and sunglasses. Jake wheezed at his appearance. "Bro," he said between laughs as Toby opened the back door of his car. "I totally dig the look."

"I know, right?" He chuckled as he closed the door behind him. "I was fishing earlier with my dad and never took off my hat. It's a vibe."

A smile formed on Juliana's face. She thought the boys were funny.

Jake drove off, turning left down the street. "Next up, Evans."

Toby took off his sunglasses before speaking. "Jordan is coming?"

"Yeah," Jake said, furrowing his eyebrows as he looked at Toby behind him in his mirror. "He didn't tell you?"

"He doesn't tell me anything," he explained to Jake, shaking his head. Juliana's eyes widened, feeling slightly uncomfortable that she was present for this conversation. "He seems to tell you everything, though. You should ask him about the girlfriend thing."

The what? Juliana thought to herself. She was suddenly intrigued, wanting to know more about what Toby was talking about. She felt terrible listening in, but what else was she supposed to do? She was in the same car as them!

"What?" Jake questioned, confused about what Toby was trying to tell him. He remembered Jordan and Max making fun of him for wanting a girlfriend but he didn't know if Jordan had said anything new that he didn't know about.

"He's been acting weird lately. Have you noticed?" Toby asked, taking his bucket hat off before running a hand through his shaggy brown hair.

Jake shook his head in disagreement. "No... not that I know of. What happened?"