Everything According to Juliana

Chapter Forty-One: Empty Wall

Brittany almost had a heart attack in the lunch line when she realized she was standing not very far from Jake and Toby. Only three people separated them in the line. The two of them were sharing a laugh as she was quick to look away, suddenly feeling faint. Seeing them together made her slowly want to fade away and disappear.

She noticed Cassie, who was standing a good distance away from the two boys. Brittany realized in that moment she could either take the pain and stand awfully close to them, or cut in front of Cassie to save herself. The second one sounded like a better idea.

She slithered through the line before approaching Cassie without warning. "Hey! I've been meaning to tell you that I'm super obsessed with your outfit! Do you mind if I cut in front of you? I want to know where you shop!"

Cassie looked down at her pink oversized sweatshirt that covered her Nike shorts and was paired with white Fila snickers. She had a dumbfounded expression on her face when she looked back up at Brittany, who made her way in front of Cassie without her approval to cut the line. "I mean... thanks... but I look crazy. I forgot to set my alarm last night so this was the outfit I put together in two minutes this morning."

Brittany grabbed a gluten free bagel as her eyes were still on Cassie's outfit. "No, seriously. I actually like it. It's comfy but fashionable and the sneakers really pull the entire look together. I love fashion. I could talk about it all day," she told her as she looked away and in front of her. She met eyes with Juliana, who was already looking at her. She was quick to look away, then meeting eyes with Jordan. She turned back around to Cassie. "Uh oh. We have our ex-best friend spying on us!" She said as Cassie rolled her eyes. "And Jordan... but he's staring at you, not me. Obviously."

"What?" Cassie questioned, moving her eyes to look at Jordan, who was looking at his phone and not her.

"Anyway!" Brittany exclaimed, grabbing a bag of popcorn. "There's Juliana standing with Parker! Do I care? Not really. God is on my side today. I just ordered a new bralette this morning so... I mean... who's winning? Me. Always."

Cassie made eye contact with Juliana, who was glaring in the direction of her and Brittany. She then turned to Parker, who said something to her. "Why is she staring at us?"

"Oh," Brittany laughed, now staring at Juliana just as obnoxiously as she was before, "because she can't fathom that two girls she used to be friends with are now friends with each other."

Cassie's eyes widened as she turned to look at Brittany. "Friends?" She never thought Queen Bee Brittany Rivera would ever consider her a friend. But in truth, it was because she never cared to think about that, anyway.

She nodded her head as she grabbed an iced tea from the refrigerator. "Yeah," she agreed. "We sit at the same lunch table, Cassie. You're my friend."

Juliana looked away from Brittany, turning to look at Parker who handed his ID to the lunch lady. "Since when are they friends?" She hissed.

"I have no idea," Parker answered, shrugging his shoulders. "Brittany has been acting a little crazy lately... like she's the bachelorette and she can't decide between her final two because she doesn't know who her heart wants. It's laughable."

She nodded her head up and down, remembering that Brittany had sex with her homecoming date last Friday night. "Right," she nodded her head. "It just makes me sick. Cassie isn't someone who would get along with Brittany. The last thing she cares about is popularity. She's just not... one of her."

Parker lifted his tray as he followed Juliana to the utensils and napkins. "I think she is," he said as she sent him a glare. "Her brother is insanely popular, she's dating Luke Garcia, she hooked up with someone in The Wolf Pack... honestly, I think she fits in pretty well."