Everything I'm Not (GirlxGirl)

31. Hoodie

Alvarrez

"Hey, hot stuff," Kris greets me while I was getting things from my locker. "How was the birthday sex?"

"Oh, it was amazing." Julia pops out from behind me. "Right, baby?"

I don't need a mirror to know I'm red as a tomato right now.

Kris covers her mouth with both hands. "Oh my fuck, you actually did it?!"

Julia chuckles. "Kidding. I'll see you inside." She smiles at me, and my day has just been made.

If you're wondering what happened after Julia went back to my room, don't ask me. I fell asleep. The next morning when I opened my eyes, she was gone. Although I did remember something before she left. She whispered something I wasn't able to register, and I felt her kiss me on the forehead.

"Dude, stop it with the heart eyes it's gross." Kris snaps a finger in front of me. "I'm assuming you guys are together now?"

I shake my head, still looking at the retreating figure of Julia. Today, she's wearing light-colored jeans and a red button-down shirt. I watch how there's an unusual spring to her step and how the people in the hallway stare at her as she passes by. "I don't wanna rush it."

"You mean you guys are calling each other 'baby,' openly flirting, sleeping at each other's house doing God knows what, making out in inappropriate places, and you're still not together?" Kris asks in her mom-voice. "Add casual sex to the list and it sounds just like a normal hookup."

Once Julia turns into a corner and disappears out of my sight, I finally shift my attention to Kris. "You know me better than that. I'm serious about her, man. I just don't know if she's ready for a relationship."

"Okay, it's your call," Kris says. "If you need help in setting up something grand for your proposal, I'd gladly sign up. You guys are made for each other."

"I'm not going for anything grand."

"Why not? Girls love grand gestures. Are you afraid of being rejected?" Kris raises an eyebrow at me. "If you are, you don't have to worry. She's definitely going to say yes."

"It's not that." I close my locker. We walk towards our classroom. "I don't want to put her in a position where she'll be forced to answer. I want something simple, just the two of us."

"Speaking of two people, we're you able to contact Diane?"

I shake my head. Since yesterday, I've been trying to contact her to ask how she is, but she's not answering my calls. I tried calling Georgia too, but her phone is off. "I'll go check on her at lunch."

When we enter the room, Julia was talking to one of our classmates. She was slightly smiling. When they see me approaching, Julia holds up her index finger to her lips, making a shush gesture, and the girl chuckles before going away.

I take my seat next to Julia. "It's nice to see you finally interacting with our classmates."

"It's nothing. She just asked me about our lesson in Physics," she tells me, but I know better. I've been noticing how she's slowly warming up to the people around her, and I couldn't be happier.

Julia doesn't show it, but deep down, I know she has a good heart.

I see her eyeing my necklace. "You wore it."

Instinctively, I touch the silver pendant attached in the middle. "It's your gift. Of course, I'm gonna wear it."

"You like it?"

I nod. "Calm chaos," I say the words engraved out loud.

"I don't mean anything bad by chaos," Julia clarifies quickly. "It's just... those are the words that first came to mind when I thought about what I should put there."