Justin
Jazmyn tapped my shoulder.
Turning around, I bowed my head to reach her gaze. She held her book Anna and the French Kiss under her arm. In her bag behind her – somewhat similar to Coke Girl's – I was adamantly certain that she had the sequel to that book in there. She had been badgering on about it last night in my room when Mom went out. She didn't come back until the early hours of the morning. Mom was called Pattie.
"Mom said we need to get home as soon as possible after school," said Jazmyn. "She said she's going out tonight to... to..." She grimaced, contorting up her face. "Bone Mike." By the look on Jazmyn's face, I knew it pained her to say that. "So we need to be home early."
"She said that?" I replied, both aghast and disgusted she'd say that to Jazmyn who was not only the youngest, but the most innocent and naïve girl. "How could she?"
"You won't leave without me, will you?" she questioned coyly.
A part of Jazmyn reminded me of Coke Girl. Both talked quietly, but Coke Girl did talk less than Jaz. I wouldn't be surprised if she couldn't hold a full discussion with someone. I wonder what she was like to her parents because I've seen the way she "engages" in conversation with her two best friends. Both of them are the complete contradictory of Coke Girl.
"No, I'll wait for you at the end of the day, alright? By the gates."
Jazmyn nodded before peering around my side and behind me. She turned back to me and scratched her hair near her bow. "The girl you were conversing with left."
"Wait, what?"
Unsurprisingly, when I shot around, Coke Girl was scurrying off down the corridor, out of sight. I exhaled deeply, my chest deflating as I watched her turn a corner. I turned back to Jazmyn who was staring at me repentantly. "Sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have come up to talk to you."
"No, it's fine, Jaz. I've got your back, okay?"
"Thanks, Justin."
Jazmyn went off in the matching direction as Coke Girl so I began to amble to where Ryan and Chaz were, unknowingly deciphering when the next time I could talk to Coke Girl would be. I've known her since... uh, a long time, I guess. We've both been born here and we've never moved houses. It's only been this year where I really noticed her. Well, she's trapped in this trembling ambiguity ball and she's crying out to be rescued.
After lunch it was time for P.E. and both the girls and boys would be amalgamating with one another. We were all separated into groups and we turned round clockwise to another activity. There was badminton, table tennis, a small volleyball game etcetera inside the sports hall. Some people went into the actual fitness gym upstairs. That included Ryan, Chaz and I.
Running on the treadmills, we have a flawless view of the entire sports hall. That also meant we had a good view of where Coke Girl was at all times. I should probably cease calling her Coke Girl and her actual name which is Juliet, I mused. Then again, I was a lot harsher than I thought I was but I guess that just comes from years of sticking up for Jazmyn and I against our mom.
"She doesn't know much about sport," commented Chaz.
Neither Ryan nor I had to enquire him who he was muttering on about. But he did have a point. She was there in the middle of a group, detached from her friends and looking more alone than ever. Most of the people in her group were tall and some were even jocks which meant that they wouldn't put up with her lower capability in sports. She just needs someone to toughen her up.
"You know, you should date her, Justin," said Ryan. "Like those bets they do. We'll give you money if you date her."
"No," I said firmly, slowing down my running on the treadmill so I could talk freely to the two lazy-bones who were walking to my right. "We'll end up dating and then one of you will spill and tell her and even though I'll get the money, she'll find out, she'll hate me and wham, we're over. And then suddenly, a month down the line or whatever, we'll get back together. It's all the same and I'd rather not spend my senior year like that."
Ryan was gaping at me, still walking, whilst Chaz had his jaw ajar and had completely forgotten about walking and instead, he went flying off the back of it, landing on his backside on the carpet floor of the gym. Ryan chucked at him momentarily as he grumbled, getting back on it when a teacher came round.
"Don't lose focus and break the machines, Somers," said the teacher, his voice stern and gruff. "They're expensive."
"Sorry, Sir," grumbled Chaz. He slowed the machine down to cool off since he was back on it.
"Justin, you know you just said something that only a girl would say," articulated Ryan, turning his awareness back to the sports hall. "About the bet and dating."
"Actually, I've just summed up many books in pretty much three sentences," I pointed out, pointing a finger at him. "So speed up, Ryan."
Defeated, Ryan increased the speed of the treadmill and began jogging at first but soon commenced running full-out. I turned back to the gym, getting back into a steady jog while my eyes were on Coke Girl. I guess it was a little weird of me to say those things about the bets but then again, I have had to endure years of Jazmyn nagging on about the plotlines and flaws in her books. That was something she could never get over and since then, she's boycotted those types of books because she'll know how they'll end. Then again, there could always be some diversity in them and perhaps in the odd couple, the characters wouldn't get back together. But she still didn't read them.
Dammit. I really need to stop filling my brain with worthless crap about teenage romance books and instead with useless knowledge that will enable me to graduate from high school. Then again, on the other hand, I was getting straight A's across the board which did get my mom off my back. Same with Jazmyn, although she has managed to scrap through with A*'s, too. Presumably Dad had the brains in this family. But with a bit of speculation, I guess Mom was clever enough to get some jobs... even if now all that's gone to pot.
Throughout PE, Coke Girl made it through all of the activities, despite being hollered at a lot – the throwing up of the hands by the jocks were a big giveaway – and when everyone was dismissed, she scampered out of there quicker than you could say physical education. She was the first one out of the doors and I missed her coming down the stairs. I had to get water on the way down due to being too dehydrated.
"Good runs," commented the teacher from before. He was wearing a full track outfit, even though it was October. "But I think all three of you could benefit from the weights next time."
"Thanks, Sir," all three of us said, our crimson faces dripping with sweat.
Back to the changing rooms, Chaz and Ryan persisted with the conversation before and I had nothing to do with it this time. I changed in silence, sprayed some more deodorant and made it out of the antiperspirant-filled room and into the corridor where there was fresh, cold air. Chaz and Ryan were hot on my heels.
PE was actually a double lesson which consequentially now meant school had ended... sort of. We had ten minutes of homeroom left so we made our way there slowly through the throng of the crowd, ignoring all the guys staring enviously and the girls' eyes sensually raking us. We filed into homeroom with me behind both of them and we sat in the back corner away from everyone else. But there was our mistake: It gave some cheerleaders the right to encase us into the corner.
"You were pretty good on the treadmill, Justin. Shame I didn't see you with those weights," said one girl, her hair slicked back into a high pony tail.
"No, I save those for home so I don't get girls like you observing me," I retorted, reclining back on my seat so my head hit the wall gently.
The register was taken by our homeroom tutor. He was barely ever in so not many of us had bothered to memorize his name. The bell sounded and we all spilled out again. I made my way to my locker, messing with my hair first since most of it had fallen down from P.E., and got out my books to shove into my bag. Slamming the locker shut, I kept my eyes up and followed everyone else out of this school.
I waited by the gates like I declared to Jazmyn and leaned against them. Coke Girl was coming up, her head down slightly with her eyes on the blemishes in the concrete and her arms around my chest, her sleeves of her knitted jumper covering her material bracelets. She was walking up to me.
"Hey, Royal, don't you own anything else besides knitted jumpers?" bellowed a jock from the other side of the school.
"Shut up," I shouted back, turning my attention to a group of them, holding shoulders. "Get lost."
They shook their head at my glower before turning around and walking off down the streets. Coke Girl's hands were around the Coke lid as she stopped in front of me. She lifted her head slightly and in the distance, I could see Jazmyn exiting the building and locating me.
"Don't squeeze it or you'll cut your hands. It's from a glass bottle, right? That's why the jagged end cut you," I said, standing up off of the gate.
"Yeah," she mumbled. "You didn't have to say that to them."
"It's fine." I shook my head.
"Bye."
"Juliet-" I said, reaching round to grasp her arm but she was already nearly jogging past me and making her way speedily down the sidewalk. I stayed immobile and Jazmyn caught up to me. This time, her book must have been in her bag because her hands were completely vacant for once.
"Was that Juliet Royal?" she questioned.
"Yeah," I breathed, beginning to walk and follow Coke Girl's path home, wherever she lived. She always made quite a hasty departure from school and I wouldn't be astonished if she was the first one home, despite people who lived barely three blocks away.
"Everyone talks about her because of her surname. I feel sorry for her but she gets to escape when she graduates. She could travel the world and leave everyone here and leave all those people that mocked her." She paused. "I wonder where her friends are."
My stomach churned at the thought of people mocking her because we had all done it. Well, maybe bar Jazmyn since she just said she pitied the poor girl. But I shook my head, licked my lips and altered the conversation as a breeze flew in from somewhere.
"So, where's your book?"
"In my bag. I finished it in homeroom. I have the second one in my bag, but I didn't want to trip over anywhere on the way home and plus, it was too busy in the corridors and parking lot to get it out of my bag," she answered, adjusting the bow on her head. Sometimes she wore it to separate her fringe from the rest of her hair and other times, she just wore it normally.
"You can read it in my room," I replied. "After your homework."
Jazmyn smiled. "I haven't got any today because I had P.E. first and then Math and English but I did both of the homework's yesterday when I got home so therefore I have none today to do because we gave it in today as well."
"Wish I had a homework-free night," I muttered.
We used my key to get into the apartment – both doors – to find Mom already in her room with the door wide open, applying on her wad of makeup she deemed "necessary" and "date-worthy"; she also used another label but that was repulsing when you remembered she was your own mother and it pained mentally for you to say it even in your head, never mind out loud.
Jazmyn stalked right into her room, dropping her bag and retrieving Lola and the Boy Next Door which was the sequel to Anna and the French Kiss. She practically flung herself into my room after that and laid on the bed. I put my bag down on the floor near my bed, pulling out my Chemistry book and beginning the homework for that which was equations. We'd have a test on it next lesson whilst Coke Girl's group had it today. We all did the same thing, but some groups were a lesson ahead because of the timetables.
"Justin, you need to make Jazmyn dinner," said Mom from her room. "I don't know when I'll be back so you have to make sure she gets to bed at a respectable time." She paused. "And yourself!" she said a little louder.
"Whatever," I mumbled. "Yes, Mom," I said louder to her, earning a slight chuckle from Jazmyn on my bed.
Mom went out about half an hour later once I had finished my Chemistry homework and was beginning on finishing the Algebra from the preceding night. I only had a few more equations to do so that wouldn't take long. When I had finished that, I cooked dinner with the few supplies we had so it was only pasta and a few fries to share.
Jazmyn was munching on a fry when she had an abrupt brainwave. You could tell from the way she froze. "You know, you could toughen Juliet up," she informed. "She could use someone like you to help her."
I shook my head. My pasta had been devoured and I was munching on the last few fries with Jazmyn. "She has parents for that. And best friends. She's just shy; that's who she is."
"Everyone can welcome change," she replied, wiping her hands on a tissue. "You can have the last few fries. I'm full."
"How did my little sister get smarter than me?" I remarked, smirking at her. "But I'm still not doing it. But I will take the last few fries." I reached over and grasped the plate, stuffing the fries in my mouth. "Are you going back to read? I'm going for a shower."
"Okay," she called from my room.
Leaning back in my chair, I put the plate on top of my original one and reflected on Jazmyn's words. Sometimes I sit there and decipher whether it's a benefit to having a sister who's infatuated with books and the words that are make-believe and something that fashions a false trail for teenagers to believe. But it did make her wise.
Still, Juliet didn't need me toughening her up. She had survived seventeen years of life already; she could survive another seventeen without me. She had her parents for that. I wouldn't be surprised if she lived quite a luxurious lifestyle. Maybe that's why she was quiet and that's what her false trail would be: quiet to distract people from her lavish luxuries she labels reality.
"Aren't you going in the shower?" Jazmyn called.
"Yes," I said back, clearing the table first. That snapped me from my thoughts.
And I didn't think about Coke Girl for the rest of the evening.
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Author's Note:
So it was Jazmyn who tapped Justin's shoulder!! Did you guys guess correctly? Let me know please!
What do you guys think about how Justin feels about Juliet? Do you think he likes her yet? Is intrigued by her? Wants to know her more? There's plenty in store for this story as it'll be quite a long story (in terms of the number of chapters) but I have one goal at the end and you'll know what it is when the ending happens lol.
Thank you :) x