Juliana

2. Just a run in

*Two Days Later*

My phone buzzed on the granite counter.

Aaron: Hey- you and Sam going to youth tonight?

"Sam! Sam! Sam!" I yelled at the top of my lungs repeatedly, still sitting on the barstool.

"Robert!" Mom narrowed her eyes. "You stop being lazy and get up off your tail end and go find him. No need for all this yelling, child."

Groaning, I stood up. "Fine..."

I made my way over to the stairs and marched up the slew of steps. Then, I barged into my little brother's room.

"What do you want, Robbie?" He asked exasperated, turning around in his desk chair.

"Aaron was wondering if we're going to church tonight. I'm planning on going, but I didn't know if you were." I said as I flopped down on his unmade bed and grabbed a pillow to start tossing up at the ceiling.

"Yeah..." Sam furrowed his eyebrows. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I dunno." I stopped throwing the pillow and shrugged my shoulders. "You could have had some movie thing."

"If I did have an acting thing to go to, it would have been in LA and not in Star, Mississippi. I'm home and you shoul-"

I cut him off, "No need for some long dissertation. I get it. Be ready in twenty minutes because that is when we're leaving." I got up off the bed and strolled out of his room.

You would have thought that when I asked Sam if he was going to church or not tonight that I had told him that the world was ending. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and texted Aaron back.

Me: yup. we'll be there. leaving here soon.

Aaron: See y'all real soon then.

***

Aaron, Allie, Ruth, Sam and I were all standing in line, waiting to get in the auditorium to get a good seat. Allie is Aaron's little sister; she's best friends with Ruth and Sam. To me, Allie and Ruth were just two more little sisters in addition to my biological one. There was no doubt that Allie and Ruth were chatting it up.

I shifted my weight, accidently bumping the blonde girl who was standing in front of me.

"Sorry." I quickly apologized.

The girl turned around, "You're fine."

I scrunched my eyebrows. "You look kinda familiar."

She rocked side to side. "I recognize you too." Her eyebrows furrowed. "Are you my new lab partner?"

"I don't know... Am I?" I cocked my head to the side a little and smirked a little.

"Well..." She let out a sigh and put one of her hands on her hips. "if your name is Robbie, and you're taking AP Chemistry with Mr. Saltzstein, chances are pretty certain that you are my new lab buddy."

I nodded my head. "I suppose I am then." I paused for a second. "You're, Blondie, right?"

"No." Aaron stepped in between us. "She's Hottie."

Blondie laughed and adjusted her glasses. "I'm Juliana and had I known two guys were going to be hitting on me tonight, I would have worn my contacts."