JULIE's POV
~Friday, after school~
The week seemed to fly by...
I ended up skipping classes again yesterday because I felt overwhelmed. I didn't feel like seeing Daniel and I also didn't feel like hearing more rude comments about my breakup. The only reason I came to school today was to grab some class notes and library books to help study for the weekend since that's probably all I'll be doing. Luckily, using the excuse that I was sick made my teachers not hate me too much, so they agreed to email me the assignments that were due next week.
I also had to turn in my cheer uniform and gear.
I hated how I was feeling. I was truly confused why my life seemed to flip upside down so quickly. One moment I was super popular, boys would try to get my attention, and everyone seemed like they enjoyed being around me. Now, I'm just a joke. A friendless joke.
With a huge sigh and a weird feeling in my stomach, I walk into the gym where the cheerleading team is practicing their warm-ups. It feels weird to be around them again. It's only been one week since I was kicked off the squad, but everything feels so distant. I spot Dana, Ladelle, and Becca standing along the sidelines as the other team members warm up. Their heads turn my way as I approach them closer.
As Dana makes eye contact, an evil smirk is on her face. Ugh, why does she look like she's plotting something? I glance at Becca who is leading the team in their warm-ups. She grins at me and I grin back, releasing a huge sigh.
"Julie. What brings you here today?" Dana asks as she looks me up and down.
I take my bag of cheer stuff and set it on the table. "Here's my uniform, my poms, my shoes, and everything else."
"Oh, right. Look at you being on top of your stuff. I appreciate it." She walks over to reach for the bag but stops. "It's all been washed, right?"
I sigh and cross my arms. "Of course."
She gives me a fake smile. "Great. Well... that's all then." She turns her attention back to the squad, pretending to do some work. But I'm not finished yet.
"So that's it? You kick me off the squad for no reason and I'm just supposed to be okay with it? Did you secretly hate me that much? Can you honestly tell me what I did that was so wrong?" I plead with a strong voice. This caught the attention of Becca and other members.
Dana looks amused and walks over to me, guiding me away from the others. "Listen, Julie. Didn't we explain the rules? You were kicked off the team because of YOUR actions. It's simple as that," she says.
"You kicked me off the team because of some rumors. But I didn't do anything!"
"I can understand you're hurt, but what's done is done. It's unfortunate. You were a great addition to our team. But... your time is over, okay?" Dana fake smiles before patting my shoulder and walking away.
What the heck? I ball up my fists, my breathing becoming more rapid. I quickly turn to walk out of the gym, feeling super annoyed and angry.
"Hey, Julie!"
I turn around at the sound of my name. "Becca?"
She looks concerned as she wrings her hands. "Hey, um, I'm sorry. It really shouldn't have ended like this -- I really wish you were still on the team."
I clench my jaw while taking a hard glance back at Dana. "You and me both..."
"I just want you to know that I'm on your side. Even if we can't be cheer buddies anymore, doesn't mean we can't be friends."
I look down at Becca. Her eyes are so soft and the grin on her face feels so natural. I can tell that she really means what she's saying.
I nod my head, unclenching my fists.
"Um, anyway. I couldn't really talk to you because you weren't at school, but me and Sam were going dress shopping tomorrow. This is probably a weird time to ask, too," She glances behind her. "But you could hang out with us if you want."
I nod again. "Thanks, Becca. Um... could I call a rain check? This weekend is just..."
"Oh, no-- yeah. No problem! Whenever you want," She replies with a grin. "I gotta get back to practice, but see you later. Okay?"
"Yeah. Okay."
She waves before jogging back to the cheer squad.
***
With another sigh, I make my way out of the gym. I decide I need to go to the bathroom, so I make a left down the first-floor hallway towards the girls' restroom. About halfway down the hallway near the staircase, I hear some guys' voices talking about who knows what. The restrooms are just to the right, in a little corner area, so I wouldn't need to pass by them. Just as I pressed my hand against the restroom door to walk inside, I heard someone say my name from the stairway down the hall. I stop moving.
"...Julie at all?"
"Nah, man. She pretty much dead to me," The familiar voice laughs. I knew that laugh.
"She was alright... until she went and got knocked up by Dig, man. Once they knocked up, it's a wrap. Can't nobody have her!" Another voice said.
"Man..." The familiar voice laughs.
"Is she even pregnant though? She ain't showing..."
"Nah, but Chris. Is it true her and Dig broke up 'cause she cheated?" I hear a bag of chips ruffling.
"Man, true or not, she a hoe. Tryna play me and act like she loved me, but then sleep with Jake while she was with homie?! She deserves to rot!" Chris replies.
Why would he...? What is he saying?! I creep slowly down the hall, trying to hear their conversation better.
"Man, that's messed up..." Another voice said.
"I appreciate y'all writing them posts on social media, gettin' it poppin'. I heard she be missing class, too. Hopefully, she'll take a hint and realize she not welcome in MY school..." Chris says.
"Facts!"
"Bro..."
I ball up my fists once again today. I can't just sit here and listen to this. With anger running through my veins, I charge towards the staircase where the three guys are posted, looking a bit too comfortable. I stand right in front of Chris, who's leaning back against the bottom of the stairs.
"Chris! What the hell?" I yell, my voice echoing through the hall. The hallways after school were sort of dark and quiet since the majority of students and staff had left the building. The motion sensor lights only turned on once I had approached these dirtbags.
"Would you look who it is? We were just talking about you... how you been?" Chris asks while chewing on some snacks. The two dudes with him cover their faces and chuckle.
"Yeah, I heard. Don't tell me it's true... the social media rumors?" I ask in disbelief.
"Rumors?" Chris pretends to think. "Oh, about you being nothing but a cheating skank? Haha, yeah. Pretty fun, right?"
"No. Not funny at all."
"Well... maybe not from your point of view." He snickers like a hyena.
My jaw tenses up. "...I had a feeling... but I really didn't wanna believe it. It was you."
"Me?"
"For two weeks now, I've gotten nothing but hate messages from people I've never met. I've been harassed at school. I even got kicked off the stupid cheer squad because of it! Why would you do this to me?! None of it is true! I didn't cheat on anyone! I don't know why you would say all these bad things..." My voice becomes louder and filled with emotion.
"Oh, stop with the princess act. The truth is out, and if the shoe fits..." Chris shrugs while sitting up, gesturing to his boys to go. They all walk past me without a care in the world and head toward the end of the hallway.
I run up behind Chris and smack him upside the head. He turns around with the scariest expression I've ever seen from him. I didn't think before I did it, so I am just as shocked as he probably is.
"Aye, you want a problem?" He asks with a mean mug.
My eyes start tearing up as I slowly take a step back.
"Just... why? I thought you cared about me?"
Chris chuckles before glaring at me. "Yeah... guess we both made a mistake, huh? Trusting that you would be any different than these other girls. But now I know better. And you should know, too. If you even think about graduating this year... you better stay outta my sight. And that's on God..."
Him and his gang walk away, with no other words. I stay frozen in place, my entire body shaking while tears leave my eyes. I watch the back of Chris's body as he disappears further down the hallway, eventually leaving me in darkness. I can't believe I had feelings for him.
***
SAM's POV
~Saturday, at the mall~
Today, Becca dragged me out to the mall to help her find a dress and some shoes for my mom's wedding. It's all she's been talking about since I told her. So we've been store hoppin' to find the best gown for my bestie. Mom and Antonio decided that the wedding colors would be violet and white... but that's only for the groomsmen and the bridesmaids. So we're looking for any other colored dress and maybe some accessories, too. Since I'll be one of the bridesmaids, I don't have to worry about a dress because it's picked out already. But I could definitely use some extra bling to make me pop.
"So, before I ask you about the wedding stuff, tell me about the birthday party! How was it?" Becca asks with much enthusiasm. I follow her around as she looks through several racks of dresses.
I feel my cheeks pull up in a smile. "It was good..."
"Ooh, girl! Look at your face! What happened? First of all, how was Jake's mom? Was she cool? Was her family cool? What did his house look like? Was the food good?" She asks five thousand questions at once.
"Yo, chill," I reply, peeping around the empty store and making eye contact with one of the employees near the back. That lady - she gotta be the manager - been watching us since we came in here. Guess she's not used to seeing teenagers in a high-priced dress shop at 9 o'clock in the morning.
"Sorry... hehe. I'm just excited!" She says with a huge smile.
"Clearly." I sigh before continuing. "The party was really fun. His mom was super nice, and his aunt and cousins were there, too. Everyone was pretty cool. They seemed real close."
"Ooh, that's good. Was it, like, awkward at all?"
"Nah, not really. I mean, we ate and talked a little bit, then we played some games with Jake and his cousins, and that's it."
Becca nods. "Super fun and super chill. I like it. Good for you, Sam. I'm so proud of you!"
We walk over to another section of dresses in the clearance area. There were a lot of spaghetti-strap dresses for under $100. Not bad.
"Why are you proud of me?" I ask with a stank face.
"You were nervous about meeting his family, but you followed through with it, and I'm happy. I just-- I love this for you. You and Jake are so good for each other," Becca enthuses.
"Ugh, you always say that--" I roll my eyes.
"'Cause it's true! Y'all are like soulmates..." She giggles and I look at her strangely.
"Now that's going too far. We just started dating."
"So what? Once you meet your soulmate, you know. Instant connection," she says.
I scoff in disbelief while feeling the silky fabric of one of the dresses on sale. Why does that remind me of what my boss said to me last week... so weird.
"If that's the case, then why weren't we soulmates three years ago when we were freshmen?"
Becca pauses to think. "Well... you could've still been soulmates, but just not dating. You didn't really warm up to him until months later, right? I mean, when we first met, you were... not the easiest person to befriend."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" I ask, offended.
"You were kind of grumpy when we met. We had one class together and then I'd really only see you during basketball practice, remember? We all sort of had to warm up to one another -- well, mostly you. I'm a people person, but it takes you a while to trust people. You told me that," she replies.
Thinking about it, she's right. I remember my parents just got divorced before I entered high school. My emotions were super outta wack and I just wanted people out of my face, students and teachers. I was probably mean, but who cares. People are annoying. Looking back, I'm kind of surprised anyone besides Diggy would wanna be friends with me. But I was also the type of person who wasn't thirsty to meet new people. I just did my thing and minded my business with the people who knew me, which was mostly Diggy. He was the only friend I cared about when I first came to Wesley High. Until I met the rest of the crew.
"So with Jake, you two didn't really become friends until the year after," she continues. "Diggy had to introduce you to him since they were on the same basketball team."
"True... but you still didn't answer my question. If me and Jake are soulmates, we could've dated in sophomore year." I shrug. Honestly, back then I didn't look at Jake the way that I look at him now. Maybe since we're more grown? I don't know. But I still wouldn't call us soulmates, that's kinda too much.
"Well... thinking about it, you didn't date anyone else did you?" Becca asks, eyeing me instead of the rack of dresses for the first time during this discussion.
"Nope."
Becca chuckles as she throws her wavy brown hair over her shoulder, carrying her long fluffy coat in her arms. "Can I be honest, chica?
"Um, sure?"
"...I never told you this, but I swear you and Diggy would end up dating. That's probably why you haven't dated Jake until now... because... you were maybe waiting for Diggy?" She asks while searching my eyes.
I immediately frown and gag at the thought. "What? Diggy?! Ew... girl. No."
Becca chuckles at my reaction. "I'm just saying what I thought. You two were best friends since diapers, no? Like, that's how all great romances begin..."
"Ew. Okay. Remind me to block you from watching any more lousy romance movies. No more!" I walk to the other side of the store, looking at some accessories as I think about what she just admitted to me. Me and Diggy? Together? Psh... no way. Never. Ever. Ever.
"Haha! Girl, if you wanna try to run away from the truth, then okay. Just admit you had a little crush on Diggy--"
"Stop, shh! You're making me gag!" I groan as I plop down onto a velvet bench along the wall.
Becca laughs loudly from the other side.
***
Another hour, another store. This one was more in our price range and had a variety of dresses for different occasions. I decided to take a seat on one of the couches while Becca looked for what she wanted.
"I thought you were here to help me pick out a dress?" She asks while eyeing me.
"I am."
"Then why are you sitting over there?" She kind of whines.
"Because my feet hurt!"
"You shoulda worn your sneakers instead of those flat Converse then. You know you got flat feet," she replies.
"Whatever..." I grumble as I check the time on my phone. It's almost lunchtime and I'm starving! Ooh, that reminds me. Jake should be working his shift at S'barros today. Maybe I can go get a slice if ya know what I mean--
"Sam!"
Becca's loud voice snaps me out of my thoughts. "What? Why are you yelling?"
"I said how's your mom and Antonio doing?"
"Oh. They're good... still getting on my nerves." I roll my eyes.
"Everyone gets on your nerves. What did they do now?" She rolls her eyes while holding up a sparkly dress against her body.
"As if there wasn't enough work to do in school, now I have to help Antonio pack up his boxes and move all his things into the house..."
Becca gasps. "OMG! I totally forgot. I assumed you all were living together already."
"Nope. He spent the night a few times, but he lives in his own apartment," I reply, bored.
"Wow. So when does he move in?"
"First week of February..."
"Wow. And how do you feel about that?" Becca asks, her face distorted like she can already read my mind.
"Ugh. It's just gonna be weird, adjusting to everything."
"I get that. When my mom married my stepdad, it was super weird too. Having to share a space with these new people, share food, share bathrooms..." She shakes her head at the thought. "It was a lot to adjust to, no lie. Luckily, they were cool people so we got along fairly well. And I'm sure you'll be the exact same."
Becca grins at me. Then, I sort of space out.
"Sam? You okay?" Becca's tone is a bit more serious.
I release a deep sigh. I know we were only talking about the wedding, but these new changes got me thinking about the future. What will it look like? I ain't never been this nervous before. I always sort of had an idea of what to do after I graduated... but I never could've imagined having a stepdad and a boyfriend. It's like my plans are ruined, and I know that sounds bad or maybe selfish, but it's how I feel...
I have to deal with being on the other side of the country while my mom deals with Antonio. He seems like a cool guy after getting to know him, but what if he's really a bad guy? What if my mom needs me? And then Jake... what if he gets lonely? Or what if we realize that long-distance relationships aren't for us and we split? Or he finds someone else? All these thoughts make me feel uncomfortable and overwhelmed.
And then I didn't even think about Becca. My best girlfriend. I never even asked if she was okay with me leaving for college. I haven't even asked--
"Becca..." I say in a quiet voice.
"Yes? What is it, Sam? You're kind of getting me worried..." She walks over to sit next to me on the couch. Her eyes fully focused on my every move.
I release another sigh. I can't breathe all of a sudden. "I'm nervous..."
"Nervous? About Antonio moving in with you?"
"Not just that. I won't be in New York anymore. I'm leaving my mom and my friends... I'm leaving you. It didn't even... hit me until now," I reply, still staring off into space.
"Aw, Sam. Don't be nervous! Why are you like this?" She quickly gives me a hug and makes some pouty noises. "You're not leaving me. You got me. We're friends always and forever."
"I know, but... what are you gonna do?"
"What do you mean what am I gonna do? I'll be at CUNY majoring in Dance, living my best life, and following my dreams," she looks at me, resting her head on my shoulder.
"And Khalil. He's gonna be in LA, too. You guys won't be able to see each other. The whole squad is gonna be apart!" I frown.
Becca chuckles. "Why are you being so cute all of a sudden? Me and Khalil will be fine, and the squad will get together again. I'm sure we'll figure something out for winter break or summer break."
"I'm sorry. I'm being weird..."
Becca chuckles and lets go of me. "That's okay. I've never seen you worried so much... but I'm here for you, amiga. Always." She smiles really big. She's always been so smiley, even since freshman year. We're pretty much polar opposites when it comes to personality, but I wouldn't want any other friend in my life.
"I'm gonna miss you..." I whine, which makes Becca giggle.
"Ah, I'm gonna miss you too!" She wraps her arms around me and squishes me really tight, making me laugh. I couldn't help it.
***
After another half hour, she finally found a dress to wear to the wedding. She picked out a light pink long dress with fluffy mermaid sleeves. She also bought some heels to match. I ended up finding some purple-colored accessories to match my dress. Seems like we're all set!
We were both starving, so we decided to hop by the food court. Honestly, I just want to get a glimpse of Jake before we leave, so we stopped by S'barros just as they were opening up. One of my coworkers was at the register getting set up and I peeped Jake back in the kitchen area preparing something. He looked so hot with his apron and job uniform on, oh my gaaaaaawd.
"Hey, Sam," my coworker says as we approach the ordering counter.
"Hey," I say with a natural grin. I've only been working here for a short while but all my coworkers are genuinely cool, even if we don't talk a lot.
"You working a shift today?" He asks.
"Not today. My friend and I were just doing some shopping and got hungry," I reply. In between conversation, I glanced back into the kitchen where Jake was working. Once we made eye contact, his face brightened and he made his way to the counter.
"Ah, okay. Hi, nice to meet you," my coworker greets Becca.
"Hello."
"My two favorite ladies. Wassup?" Jake greets us in a cool tone. "You here to get some food?"
"Hey, Jake! Yeah. We were thinking about sub sandwiches though - something light," Becca replies while adjusting the shopping bags in her hand. "No Italian today, sorry."
"That's alright. I'm just happy to see you..." Jake replies, but he only makes eye contact with me. Feeling flirty, I grab a piece of my hair and twirl it around my finger while biting down on my lip. Becca peeps this and speaks up.
"Right... I think you're happier to see Sam though. For sure," she giggles.
"Uh..." Jake seems taken off guard and doesn't seem to know how to reply. So he just looks down with blushed cheeks and chuckles. "Anyway, uh... what you guys been up to?"
We fill him in on our morning and what we've been up to. As we were talking, my other coworker excused himself to take care of something in the back, leaving us three to talk. The lunch crowd hadn't quite come yet, so Jake had some time to talk.
"You work tomorrow, right?" Jake asks me.
I nod before answering. "Yep."
"You wanna hang out after work? My mom has a catering gig that'll run kind of late, so my house will be completely parent-free," he says with the cheekiest smile. How could I say no to a face like this?
"That sounds like trouble. What are you plotting?" I tease.
"Just some fun, innocent, good trouble. The only kind I condone, of course. And I'm not plotting anything..."
I look towards Becca. She's pretending to text on her phone but I see her huge smirk.
"What do you think, Becca?" I ask. "Should I hang out with him?"
"I'm just wondering what's taking you so long to answer. Yes, girl. Oh my gosh."
Jake chuckles but that smirk of his never leaves his face.
"Mkay. My best friend approves so... guess I'll go and make your life a little less boring," I reply.
"Yes!" He pumps his fist like Tiger Woods then rubs his hands together. "I have so much planned for us. You'll be in for a treat, mamacita."
Becca whines. "Ugh... y'all are so sweet it's disgusting! Why can't Khalil surprise me with some special date or something? His idea of a good time is playing video games for hours and trying to see how many french fries he can stuff in his mouth at one time."
She sulks while wrinkling up her face, causing us to laugh.
Well, anyway, I can't say I'm not excited for tomorrow! Even if we see each other practically every day at school and on work days, it never feels like enough time with him. I wonder what big surprise he has for me??