Everything According to Juliana

Chapter Sixty: What Happened, Happened

Jordan was working that Sunday evening at the boat rental, cleaning the dock with a mop. He looked up, making eye contact with Jake who walked towards him with his hands in the pockets of his khakis shorts.

"What's up?" Jake asked his best friend.

"Nothing. Just cleaning," he told him as he continued to mop. "What are you doing here?"

Jake pointed to the boat he got for his sixteenth birthday that was anchored at the marina. "Checking on my boat," he laughed before shaking his head. "Actually, I came here because I have good news."

Jordan paused, looking up from the dock to his best friend. He raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

"Juliana came by earlier and delivered me food," he began to say as Jordan continued to clean. "And then she told me she has feelings for me."

"She what?" Jordan choked out as his eyes widened, not expecting him to say that.

"I was surprised too," he said, chuckling. "But I'm glad it happened. I'm happy she feels the same way about me. It makes my life easier."

Jordan grinned. "Well, that's good to hear. I'm glad you're happy."

"So happy," he said, the smile on his face becoming bigger. "We've been texting today and I'm going to call her tomorrow after football."

Jordan knew that Jake was a lot more mushy and sweet when it came to falling for a girl. He definitely fell the hardest in love out of all of their friends and caught feelings extremely fast.

"That sounds fun," Jordan said, trying to sound as interested as he could. But, he knew the drill. Jake would go on and on about the girl he liked, even if that meant repeating himself.

"Do you think me and her should set a time to call or should I just randomly call her after practice?" He questioned his best friend, who was betting on a long night of talking about Juliana and his feelings.

"Set a time,"

"But I want to surprise her!"

Jordan breathed heavily, feeling defeated. "Then surprise her but hope that she's not busy."

"Oh, shit. What if she is?" He was now anxious.

"That's why you set a time to call each other," Jordan said it like it was obvious.

"Okay, fine," he eventually agreed. "So, what's up with you? Have you hooked up with anyone recently."

"No," he answered honestly, alarming Jake. "It was kind of this unspoken rule that I wouldn't say anything until she was ready but I think it's been long enough," he said as Jake grew very intrigued. "I went on two dates with Cassie."

"Cassie Mendez?"

"Yes... what? What other Cassie's do you know?"

"I was just clarifying!"

"What other Cassie's do I know?"

"I don't know. It was a dumb question. Move on,"

"Anyway," Jordan resumed. "It's been going well. I told her that if she wants to be in a relationship with me, she can let me know."

Jake's complexion turned white. He looked like he was going to be sick. "So, you're saying there's a possibility that you're going to date her?"

He nodded his head. "Yeah, maybe. It's up to her."

"It's all up to her? You have absolutely no say?" Jake tried to get the gist of what he was telling him to better understand where he was coming from.

Jordan didn't understand where Jake's sudden surge of drama came from. "I'll fight for her if she decides not to be in a relationship with me... if that's what you're asking."

He ran a hand through his fluffy golden hair, feeling as if he was going to pass out. He tried to breathe steadily to stop himself from growing faint. "And I might date Juliana... oh my god," he said as he was letting out small wheezes.

"Are you okay?" Jordan questioned, watching as Jake tried to slow his breathing. "It looks like you're going to pass out."

"I might," he said as he took a few moments to calm himself down. He looked out onto the water, watching as some of the boats returned to the marina. He shook his head back and forth before speaking. "Doesn't the thought of dating two best friends again scare you?"

"I don't think Cassie and Juliana are best friends," Jordan corrected, furrowing his eyebrows. He tried to think of a time where Cassie referred to Juliana as her best friend. She never did.

"Whatever, they're still close," he said, not taking his best friend's sass. "I don't know if I can do this again after Gabrielle and Margot."

Jordan stopped cleaning, signifying that he was about to get serious with him. "They aren't Gabrielle and Margot. They never will be," he assured, shaking his head. "Margot was all about who she knew. She wanted to know so many people who were considered 'popular' in her book. She cared more about being well known than even being with me. Cheating on me with a frat guy was right up her alley. She definitely thought it would give her popularity points. Cassie doesn't give a shit about all of that. She just wants to be happy. She's so much different than Margot. I'm not scared."

"You don't think it's going to be the exact same thing?" Jake questioned. "Double dates, them gossiping about us and acting like the four of us are dating, more double dates... I was practically dating Margot too because I saw her so much."

"Again, Cassie and Juliana aren't as close as Gabrielle and Margot. I think they are two different people with different personalities while Gabi and Margot acted like the same person," Jordan tried to steer him away from his current mindset. "I can't see them making us go on like... seventy double dates."

Jake was still nervous that the two of them were going to get hurt again. He was just being extra careful for him and his best friend. "I just don't want the same thing to happen. I don't want to grieve together again."

"We'll be okay," his best friend assured. "And I think we both need to get over what happened."

"You're right," Jake agreed.

"It is what it is. It happened," Jordan let out a heavy sigh. "It sucks that it happened but it did. It felt embarrassing that we got cheated on the same night, and even more embarrassing for you that you were lied to and didn't find out until months later," he said as his best friend nodded his head in agreement. "At least now we know what we want in a girl. Loyalty."

Jake chuckled. "Oh, yeah. That's damn right," he said before turning to his best friend.

"I think this will be good for us," he told him, trying to stay positive about the future. "It will help us let go of the past."

"Yeah, I hope so."