Aurora
I'm worried about Julia. She's been more quiet these past days and when I ask her about it she just kisses me or changes the topic. I don't understand why she doesn't want me to be there for her. I want to be there for her but it seems like it's starting to get impossible to do so. I sent out application letters to three universities last week - NYU, Yale and Harvard - it would be a dream if I got into Harvard. It's been my dream school since I heard the name. Although, I would still be happy if I got into any of the schools I applied to because the acceptance rates are mostly low for all of them. However, even if I do I need to get in with a scholarship because I don't think mom has enough for my college tuition.
I quickly finish up my homework in the evening so I have time to explore downtown by myself. The snow covered trees are shaded under the sun, ice covers a nearby park like a blanket of white nothingness and cold breathes leave my mouth in a small cloud of air. Winter is my favorite season in the year because everything feels so intimate and close. Christmas is also a big factor that plays into why I love winter so much. The bell of the door rings when I entered the record-filled store, a few heads turn to look at me but then return to whatever they were doing. A group of girls with dyed hair giggle and chat as they look through various vinyl covers. I shoved a hand in my jacket and with my other, I flipped through vinyls trying to look for David Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars album.
I checked every section and every corner of the store in an attempt to see if they had it and unfortunately they didn't. I clucked my tounge before making my way toward the register table. The blonde long-haired boy behind it looked up at me from his smart phone when I started talking to him.
"Do you guys have any David Bowie vinyls?"
Like he had heard this question many times before, he rolled his eyes. "It's out of stock"
"Do you know when it'll be in stock?" I pleaded with him.
He shrugged his shoulders and slumped back into his chair to stare at his phone. I released a sigh and let my shoulders slump before heading out of the store. Friends and families chat animatedly and whir past me but since the desire to explore downtown has become obsolete, I slowly walk with my hands in my pockets and my head down. Before I get back home, I grab a coffee for the way and a couple of warm and gooey doughnuts from a bakery to enjoy and eat at home. The house was dark and looked empty so I flipped the light on and went inside the kicthen where I saw mom sitting at the table. Bills are spread everywhere and my mom's face gives away everything. The dark circles under her eyes and the dull look in her eyes. We're having money problems again.
"Mom. Is everything okay?" I asked, giving her a kiss on the forehead before placing the bag of pastries on the kicthen counter "By the way I brought some doughnuts of you want some.
"Everything is fine honey and no thank you" she gave me a weak smile then got back to looking at the papers.
"Are you sure? They look really tasty plus they're still warm", I tried to enlighten the mood but I failed when mom didn't move an inch to look or respond to me "I'll be in my room if you need me"
I went up to my bedroom and closed the door behind me. My bedroom was tidy and neat just like my personality. You know how the saying goes "Your room is like a reflection of your mind". I fell face first on the bed with a heavy groan. I want Julia right now to comfort me in a hug or kiss. In times like these, I wished my dead dad was still here in this world. He was the light of everyone's life. Everyone loved him including his own family. After the incident, it seemed like some of the previous happiness in our family was sucked out of us. It had gotten better with the move but we all still miss him. Even if we pretend to not care anymore about his death.
◇
I'm laying on my bed with my legs crossed, reading Pride and Prejudice for the millionth time when I hear of the bell front door chime. I think nothing of it but in a few minutes I hear a knock on my door and then I see Julia Bond in all her glory. The blonde-haired girl is wearing a black cable knit sweater with beige colored baggy pants that touch her
everyday Doc Martens. Principal Morgan dragged her, screaming and yelling, to his office and all I could do was watch earlier today in the afternoon.
"Hey"
"Hey" I replied, putting my book down and patting the empty space beside me.
She silently removed her heavy shoes and then sat next to me, her wavy blonde locks splayed across the pillow.
"What happened to you at school today?" I asked, cupping my cheek with my hand as I angled my face toward her.
Julia clucked her tounge. "Nothing"
"Nothing. Are you sure? Because getting dragged to the principal's office is not nothing"
"Look I dealt with it myself and I don't want to talk about it" she answered, with a hesitant tone.
"Fine" I sighed, grabbing my book and making a spectacle of reading it when in reality I wasn't.
The girl snatched the book from my hands and checked the front cover before a chuckle escaped her mouth.
"Pride and Prejudice. That shit is wack"
"I disagree", I snatched the book from her hands "It is not wack. It is one of best romance novels of all time"
"It's just a bunch of people going to each other's houses and besides I think Emma and Sense and Sensibility are way better books anyway"
I smiled to myself. "I've read them both and they are still not better than Pride and Prejudice. Nothing is Julia"
"Well we just have to agree to disagree then huh"
"Mhmm", her eye bags looked heavy "Staying up late at night?"
"Oh yeah you know doing homework . . . . " she replied, scratching the back of her neck.
"Really?"
"Of course. What else would I be doing? also do you want to go New York with me this weekend?", she asked me, her midnight blue eyes drilling holes into mine with it's intensity "My parents aren't going to watch Swan Lake this year so I thought we could go instead. Of course we don't need to go. It was just a s-ssuggestion"
My eyes went wide in disbelief and I almost giggled when she stuttered. I can't believe she stuttered. She never stutters! Julia Bond does not stutter when she teaches a 45 minute long chemistry class infront of judgmental and preppy kids but she stutters talking to me? Julia is the black cat to my golden retriever. It's crazy. Also Swan Lake?!
"Yeah of course we can babe. I'm just going to need to ask my mom also are we staying in New York all weekend or just like overnight?"
Her eyes went a bit wide as pinkness tinted her cheeks. "Did you just call me babe?"
"Uh yeah I did. What you don't want me to call you that?" she slid her hand across my jawline and I could swear that my breath hitched for a second.
Oh.
Julia kissed my lips hard and fast and I felt a shiver go through my spine from the pleasure I recieved. Her lips feel warm and electric against me, doing great wonders to make me feel extremely lightheaded. She grabbed a fistful of my curls to thread her fingers in before dropping her lips down to the right side of my neck. I smiled and giggled as her smooth lips made marks on my skin.
"Seriously how long are we going to be staying in New York?" I chuckled before biting my lower lip with my teeth.
The girl stops kissing to secretly glance at my lips and also to listen to me. Hopefully. "As long as you like honey"
I smiled because of her affectionate nickname for me. "Then I want to stay there forever"
"Sounds like a plan", she joked before kissing my cheek "We should adopt new names and a life too. I'll open a business consultancy and you'll work at a cute library organising the books, wearing pretty blouses and reading to little kids"
I chuckled and my insides warmed when Julia tilted her head and smiled when she saw my grin. "Hey! What if I want to be the one opening a business consultancy and you being the librarian?"
"Too late" the drawl in her voice is so attractive.
"I was actually at a record store the other day" I stated as I rest my head on her lap making myself comfortable.
"Oh nice. Did you get anything?"
"No", I groaned as the rememberance of the vinyl I should've gotten "I went to the store in search of a David Bowie vinyl amd guess what they didn't even have one!"
"No way", she sarcastically replied "Why have a record store if your not going to have any David Bowie stuff there?"
"Exactly. They didn't have any of them in stock so I just left without anything"
"What album did you want?" she asked me, a curious look in her eyes
"The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars. An album of his from 1972 I think"
Her lips stretched into a smile and a smug look came over her face. "Thank you for that information"
Oh. I know what she's going to do.
"Don't even think about getting it for me. I don't even need it"
Julia gasped, her blonde bangs falling on her forehead. "I was not thinking about that at all. Besides even if I did - which I won't so don't make that face again - I am totally obligated to get my girl gifts from time to time"
My heart grew bigger when she said 'my girl'. "But I don't need it. Seriously. I was just thinking about getting it. It would probably be too expensive for my pockets anyway"
Julia is about to say something when muffled buzzing sounds came from her pocket. She released a heavy sigh prior to accepting the call. I only heard a 'hey mom" and a "yeah yeah I'm coming home".
"I've got to get home. My mom has something to tell me. Hopefully this isn't a trap that she's set up to send me to a boarding school in London or something" she gently got up from the bed making my head drop on the soft mattress.
I chuckled before copying her actions, "And why would that be?"
"I kicked her car this morning in the school parking lot. It left a huge ass dent and I'm sure she called me just to give me a warning that she is about to beat me up once I get home"
I cringed from her words. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Yeah" she replied nonchalantly, as we both walked down the stairs to the noise of video games.
Liam and Chris are playing video games on the couch and I hope that they don't hear what I'm about to say next.
"Have your parents ever physically hit you?" I asked, dropping my volume with each word and watched as the life in her eyes crumbled before me.
"Julia!" Liam exclaimed excitedly after he noticed her presence, as he got up from the couch to hug her.
The blonde haired girl is taken aback yet still briefly wraps her arms around his neck. Chris' eyes furrowed when he realised the empty space beside him but smiles when he saw where he was now. The other teenage boy doesn't hug her but instead decides to wave at a distance.
"Want to play Fortnite with us or something? We've got some chips and shit too" Liam asked, with a shrug and a head nod to the TV screen.
"Yeah Julia c'mon. Stop hanging around with our loser big sister for a minute" Chris added.
"Hey that's mean! Julia they are being very mean to me. Say something"
"Guys don't be mean to your big sister", she said with a light tone of amusement but there still was mostly a blank expression "Plus I can't play with you guys sorry. I have to get home"
They both groaned, annoyed by my girlfriend's reponse to their invite. Julia wordlessly walks to the coat hanger in the corner of the hall with slower speed than she would normally have. I followed her and watched as she shrugged on a long burgundy coat, adjusting the sleeves and tying her hair up into a ponytail. I wanted to say something, anything to lift the mood or just to strike one last small conversation before she left but nothing left my mouth. She opened the door and hesitantly turned around to see my face.
"By the way the answer to your previous question about my parents is yes they have" her tone is harsh and her eyes are steely and fierce unlike the warm and gentle ones from my bedroom.
Before I even have the chance to reply to that, she hastily turns back around and makes her merry way toward her cool car. I followed behind her to try and stop her but was too late when she shut her car door in attempt to shut me away. The girl gets into her car and out of my driveway, dissappearing from my view in the matter of seconds. My lips are drawned to a frown when I get back inside the house.
◇
The next day, I am too sad from yesterday's events to get up and go to school but I do so anyway. My mom consistently asks what is wrong with me while I silently eat my breakfast. Not replying to any of her attempts to make me open up to her. I hate Julia for making me feel this way. Like I still haven't done enough to bring down her walls. A relationship should have mutual communication but it seems like Julia Bond doesn't know what that means.
I opened my locker only to find a wrapped square package with a yellow note sticking ontop of it. My eyebrows furrowed before taking the package in my hands and reading the writing on the note.
I am sorry for my shitty behavior yesterday evening. I didn't mean to act that way. It's just everything felt like too much in my brain and I kind of took out that frustration on you. I know this gift won't make you forgive me so think of as a 'I'm sorry and I was stupid' gift. I hope you'll like what I got you.
- your babe
Oh Julia.
My curious self quickly tears the packaging to only reveal the David Bowie vinyl that I wanted. My sweet silly girlfriend. I hate her . . . . I love her. I smiled as I put the carefully ontop of my stack of books. But no. I can't just accept this gift and go back to her like everything is normal. We need to have a talk about us. If she can't handle this relationship and if she'll keep reacting like that way around me then we'd have to break up right? I don't want that to happen. She has been the brightest light in my life so far ever since the move. I don't want her to leave me. A deep sigh leaves my mouth and I shut my locker before getting to my first class of the day.
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A.N. : new chapter! hope u guys liked it. tell me what your favorite part was or whatever u want rlly. Opinions help my writing btw i listened to faye webster while typing the rory and julia scenes. replaying kingston and right side of my neck over and over again cuz they are so good.