"It's freezing!" Julia whined as they unloaded their bags from the bus once they reached their hotel in Lake Placid.
"It'll be colder in February," Robbie reminded her, handing her her suitcase and ignoring her teeth chattering. He always told her to dress warmer.
"Thanks for that comforting fact," Julia huffed. "If there's anything I'm not going to miss at all when I go back to LA, it's the cold weather."
"I would've thought it would be the loss of total freedom," Rammer chuckled.
"I would've guessed it would be OC," Rizzo teased. Julia just rolled her eyes at them.
"I give her three days in Hollywood before she's back because she missed us so much," Jimmy predicted with a grin.
"Oh, please! If anything, you guys will be begging me to come back. You're going to be so bored when I leave," Julia smirked.
"You definitely make life interesting," Rizzo agreed with a grin. "Maybe we'll just have to come to California."
Jack came up, taking Julia's suitcase out of her hand. She smiled at him, thinking seriously about Rizzo's words.
"You guys are welcome to come stay with us anytime. Just make sure we're not touring, of course. Speaking of which, everyone needs to tell me where you're going to be next summer so I can make sure to put aside some tickets," Julia instructed.
"We have plenty of time to figure that out, rockstar," Jack told her. "Let's go get settled in the hotel."
"We have a couple hours till the game," Julia pointed out. "Wanna go get something to eat?"
"Actually, um, Mac and I were gonna go check out the little shops in town," Jack told her as they walked into the hotel. Julia was slightly caught off guard, but she shrugged it off as they grabbed their keys from Craig.
"Well, that sounds fun. Let me just get settled and we can go," Julia nodded. Jack hesitated for a second, avoiding eye contact with her as they got onto the elevator.
"I think just Mac and I were gonna go," Jack told her awkwardly. Julia frowned, looking at her boyfriend out of the corner of her eye.
"Oooh, you got ditched by your best friend and your boyfriend," Mark spoke up from behind them. Jack and Julia both turned around slowly to look at him. Jack looked almost amused, while Julia was aghast.
"We're not ditching her, Magic!" Jack insisted, looking between Mark and Julia. Julia's face turned into a scowl, but she turned her attention to Jack.
"If you're not ditching me then why can't I go with you?" Julia questioned, her face scrunching up in distaste.
"Jules, it's nothing," Jack promised as they made their way down the hall to their rooms. He stopped in front of the room that was assigned to Julia, noticing her pout. He laughed a little bit, setting their suitcases down and putting his hands on her shoulders. "That damn pout could ruin me."
"Does that mean I get to go shopping?" Julia asked hopefully. Jack chuckled, but shook his head.
"No. I'll see you before the game, alright?" Jack assured her. He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before grabbing his suitcase and heading to his room. Julia was stumped for a minute before she saw Robbie getting off the elevator.
"Robbie! Are you going shopping with Jack?" She asked him quickly. He looked slightly caught off-guard, but then he nodded.
"And I can't come?" Julia clarified. Robbie just smirked.
"That is correct," Robbie affirmed. He knew it wouldn't be easy for them to get away from Julia in Lake Placid. He had almost suggested that Jack askthe other boys to distract her.
"You and Jack don't even like each other!" Julia pointed out. Even she knew that wasn't accurate, but she was baffled that they would be excluding her from hanging out.
"You know that's not true," Robbie rolled his eyes. "Jack and I are perfectly fine. And have you considered why your boyfriend has asked me and not you to go shopping? Could it have something to do with the fact that Christmas is in nine days?"
Julia gasped quietly, and then her face turned a bright crimson.
"Right. I hadn't exactly thought of that part," she admitted quietly. Robbie grinned triumphantly.
"I figured. I like OC, but there aren't a ton of reasons I'd go shopping with him," Robbie scoffed. "He wanted my advice on what to get you. Plus I have a little shopping to finish, so I didn't mind. We'll see you in a little while, okay?"
Julia nodded, finally conceding to the fact that she would have to entertain herself for a few hours. Robbie walked off down the hallway, while Julia took her suitcase inside her room to get settled. They would be staying for about a week, so she took some time to unpack her suitcase unlike she usually did. It took about fifteen minutes for her to unpack, but it didn't eat up nearly as much time as she had hoped it would. She laid down on her bed, trying to think of what she could do to pass the time. Her mind wandered to what Jack would get her for Christmas, and subsequently what she should get him. She would have to get some information from the boys.
Before she could think about it anymore, there was a knock on the door. She got up immediately, eager to see who was coming to cure her boredom. Once she opened the door, she was happy to see Rizzo and Magic waiting on the other side.
"Hi," Julia said excitedly. They both wore coats, furthering Julia's hope that they would be adventuring outside of the hotel.
"Hey. Magic told me that Jack and Robbie are hanging out, so we thought you might wanna grab a coffee or something with us?" Rizzo suggested. Julia didn't even take the time to answer before she grabbed her purse and her coat.
"Yes, let's go!" Julia exclaimed, walking out of her room and locking the door. "I'm so glad you guys want to hang out."
"Well, we figure OC isn't gonna leave you with a ton of free time before you go," Rizzo chuckled, but there was sadness in his voice. Julia gave him a melancholy look.
"We're just gonna have to spend as much time together as we possibly can before I leave," Julia suggested. She was silent as the three of them walked toward town. There were people in town for the hockey tournament, but Julia was sure it wouldn't compare to the crowds that would occupy the town in February.
"Are you excited to go home?" Magic asked her, bringing her out of her thoughts.
"I am," Julia told him honestly. "It'll be good to get back to work, too."
"Isn't your album coming out soon?" Rizzo asked her.
"Yeah, hopefully. I should get back in time for its release. Last I heard they were still arguing with the label over cover art," Julia laughed.
"Let's go here. I could use some caffeine," Magic declared as they approached a coffee shop. The three of them walked inside, greeted by the warm aroma of coffee and pastries.
"Rizzo, I need a favor from you," Julia told him as they stood in line to order their drinks. Rizzo looked to her curiously, waiting to hear what she would request of him. "I need you to find out what Jack is getting me for Christmas."
Rizzo laughed, and quickly shook his head. Magic laughed along with him.
"Not happening, Jules. I'm not telling you whatever he gets you," Rizzo told her, staring ahead with a smirk on his face.
"You don't need to tell me," Julia countered. It was their turn to order, so Julia asked for a black coffee while both boys ordered hot chocolates and blueberry muffins. The boys could tell the barista had obviously recognized Julia and was absolutely thrilled to see her. Before either boy could react, Julia paid for the order. Magic and Rizzo tried to protest, but she shut them down quickly."It's my treat, I insist. And I just need you to find out what he's getting me so you can help me get him something."
"Wouldn't it be easier to ask Mac? I mean, isn't he helping Jack shop for you?" Magic questioned as they got their beverages and baked goods, before walking back out into the cold winter day.
"That would be too obvious," she pointed out with a sigh, as if that fact should have been clear. "Jack and Robbie will have worked out some way to avoid telling me."
"OC won't care what you get him. He'll appreciate it no matter what," Rizzo tried his best to assure her. Julia stopped walking, turning to face the boys.
"This is my first holiday with a boyfriend," Julia reminded them bashfully. "I don't know what I'm doing here. I mean, at least Jack has experience with this whole relationship thing. My first real, actual boyfriend was David and we all saw how that turned out."
"Jules, as long as you put some thought into his gift, he'll love it," Rizzo repeated, giving Julia a confident smile.
"I don't even know how much to spend," Julia muttered.
"Buy him a matching Corvette," Magic shrugged. Julia's eyes lit up instantly, prompting Rizzo to speak up.
"No, no. Not a Corvette. That kind of gift is not really appropriate for your first Christmas together," Rizzo told her.
"Rizzo's right. Definitely more of a second Christmas thing," Magic conceded.
Julia's shoulders dropped in disappointment, and she let out another big sigh as they started walking again.
"Back to square one," she decided. Julia was too lost in her own thoughts to see what caught the eyes of her companions. As they passed a newsstand, the boys couldn't help but be distracted by a picture of Julia gracing the cover of yet another copy of National Enquirer.
"Two weeks in a row. Impressive," Magic mused. Julia turned to look at him, clearly confused. She followed his eyes to the picture of herself. Her head cocked to the side and her eyebrows furrowed. She grabbed the magazine, while the newsstand attendant snapped his head toward her.
"Ma'am, you have to pay for that."
Without her eyes leaving the cover, she reached into her purse and pulled out five dollars, handing it to the man. He happily took the payment and the leftover as tip, while Julia walked away slowly with the magazine in her hands.
"Can you believe this? 'Julie Brooks Moves from Rockstars to Olympians.' This is insane," Julia ranted as she flipped through the pages. She located the article about herself, reading it quickly. Rizzo and Magic shared a concerned look, standing by for moral support.
"They knew I was gonna be here. They know I've been traveling with the team and that Herb is my uncle. And they know that I'm going to D.C. to spend Christmas with my mom. And then it says I'll be back in Los Angeles. It even mentions my 'growing relationship with estranged siblings.' This is getting out of control!" Julia cried. Rizzo calmly took the magazine from her, putting a hand on her back.
"Let's get back to the hotel," Rizzo encouraged. At the very least, he was attempting to stop Julia's imminent explosion from being totally public. Julia didn't argue with him, and the three of them quickly made their way back to the lobby. No one said anything as Julia racked her brain for who could've done this.
With their fast pace, it only took them a few minutes to make it back to the hotel. Little did they know, Jack and Robbie were in the elevator heading upstairs to see Julia. In addition to the presents they had bought, they also had a copy of the National Enquirer.
"How do you think she's gonna take it?" Jack asked quietly.
"She took the first time it happened pretty well. Somehow, I don't think that will be the case this time," Robbie predicted.
Hi friends! Thanks again for your patience as my updates have gotten slower! Also, a happy belated birthday to Jack O'Callahan!