Everything According to Juliana

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Family Friends

That same night, Toby was at Brittany's aid as he helped her clean the bloody scratch on her face in the bathroom of Max's house.

"Thank you for being here with me," she said to him as he set the first aid kit beside the sink.

He had a smile on his face as she jumped up on the counter. "Well, who else would be here with you?"

She laughed, nodding her head. "That's true. No one really likes me. You're the future dentist here, anyway, so I'm in better hands with you than anyone else." He chuckled at her comment. "I probably shouldn't have punched Juliana in the face but it needed to be done."

He searched through the first aid kit as he chuckled. "I mean... that was pretty badass. I didn't think you would be able to throw a punch like that."

Brittany looked at him with an eyebrow raised as he gathered a few bandaids. "Are you kidding? Do you even know who I am?"

He looked up at her as he laughed. "I guess that's true. Madison definitely made you take a self-defense class or something," he laughed as he pulled out a cotton ball. He knew Madison was a very tough mother. "You have nail marks on your face from Juliana."

"I know. That hurt," she told him, turning around to look at herself in the mirror. She had a large scratch under her left eye along with fingernail indents on the apple of her right cheek. "Oh god... I look terrible. I look like the girl version of Jordan when Parker beat the shit out of him."

Toby laughed as she turned around. He remembered Jordan's black eye and cuts along his face. Brittany looked a lot better than he did. "The only thing missing tonight was the guy you like running to your rescue."

She didn't laugh. "Yeah,"

"Can you give me another hint about who this guy is?" He asked as he lightly blotted the cuts on her cheek with rubbing alcohol.

Brittany knew it was now or never. She didn't know if it was the alcohol giving her confidence or if she was actually ready to tell him that she had feelings for him. Whichever one it was, she knew she had waited too long for him to make a move. This was a sign she had to.

"I think you already know who I like," she told him, a wave of anxiety flushing over her. She felt like she was going to pass out.

Toby looked at her blankly, conjuring up potential suitors in his head. Was it Parker? It couldn't have been. He knew Brittany disliked him and deserved better. Was it Jordan? He doubted it. "Why do you say that?"

"Because you keep bringing it up," she said, watching as he furrowed his eyebrows. Had he really brought it up that much? "And I think it's kinda obvious."

Toby was drawing a blank, unsure who she was referring to. He didn't think they were on the same page and he didn't want to play anymore guessing games. "Just tell me."

Brittany turned away from him, looking at the wall of the bathroom. She breathed heavily, trying to calm her racing heart. She knew this would change things for her and Toby once he found out how she really felt. She had a feeling it wasn't going to end well but she would rather die knowing he knew her feelings instead of living in fear.

"It's you," she admitted, not having the courage to look at him. She couldn't bear to see his facial expression.

Toby ran a hand through his light brown hair as he felt his heart beating unbelievably fast in his chest. He chuckled nervously, shaking his head in disbelief. "You're joking, right?"