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chapter one - yeah, you cloud my head
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Her hair was black. Her eyes were brown, but he met her in July when they were the colour of molten gold and her hair stood out against the hundreds of summer shades. If the eyes were the windows to the soul, he met her when the windows were tinted. She liked to be alone, and if ever surrounded by people, she was relatively quiet. When he first met her, she talked, and he listened, but he didn't care enough- not then.
He met her at school, on a late-July afternoon, at a table positioned half in the shade, half in the sunshine. The best of both worlds, some may say. He felt like he could resent it now, but there was too much history.
In a skirt many miles shorter than what the uniform code allowed and black knee highs with the classic blazer and white shirt, she sat in front of him, slamming her tray down. On it rested a single apple and a bottle of water and he looked up at her. He pinpointed this as the moment his life began to change, and he wonders now, what the hell would've happened if he kept his eyes down, if he hadn't met hers.
"People are so fucking stupid, I hate everyone here. Why won't some stupid idiot understand it's not the freshman's fault that her senior boyfriend wanted to jailbait. Like, for real?"
"Wait- what?" He watched her bite into her apple, shrugging. She munched on it for a bit, her molten eyes meeting his.
"Are you interested in what I'm saying right now?"
"Honestly, I'm just confused." He shrugs and watches her cherry red lips split into a grin.
"Looks like I'm in the exact place that I need to be. Too many people are so invested in what's going on around here." He laughed at that, finding the irony almost palpable. He glanced back down at his food, taking a chip and munching on it. He couldn't think of a reply.
"So, where's the rest of your tennis gang?"
Chase lets out an unattractive snort, looking at her. "My...what?"
"Your tennis fanboys. You know. The tall one? That other one."
"Oh. Oh. You mean Nicholas. And James."
"So that's his name..." She mused "Where is he?"
Chase shrugs, "Off doing something" He pauses at this, thinking "Or someone now that I think about it." He then realises she didn't specify who she was referring to but it dawned on him it wouldn't be far-fetched to think that of either one. Juliette laughs and a small part of him thinks it's melodic. He lifts his eyes back to meet hers. She doesn't offer a smile, but instead places the apple back down and swings her legs over the bench.
"Looks like you have company coming, I guess I'd better leave." She stands up and grabs her bag. "Later, Anderson." And walks away, leaving a trail of sweet perfume in her wake. He hadn't known then that it would slowly become his favourite scent. He hadn't known a lot of things, not back then.
With his mouth wide open, his best friend sits down beside him.
"You're fucking kidding me. Juliette? Juliette Knight? What is wrong with you, Anderson?"
"Hi to you too, Nic. Yes, I am having a good day! Thank you so much for asking." He replies over-dramatically, punctuating it with the wave of a chip in the air.
"Don't ignore my question, asshole." Nicholas grabs a chip and goes to throw it at him but thinks better of it and shoves it in his own mouth.
"She sat here, started mouthing off about some guy jail baiting." He shrugs, looking back down at his tray. Too late, he realises that if anyone was a gossip in this god-forsaken school, it was Nicholas Goddamn Walker.
"Did she mention any names? Say anything specific?" He questions, leaning in closer. Chase shrugs him off, rolling his eyes far enough that some may question whether or not he saw the back of his head.
"No. She didn't and even if she did, why would I give enough of a shit to share that information?"
Nicholas sighs at this, wrapping his arm around his best friend's shoulders, something which Chase takes with a pinch of salt, giving him a side eye. The curly haired boy sighs dramatically and leans forward, putting his free hand up to the sky.
"You see, dickhead, people like me thrive off of the business of everyone else suffering in this shit-hole. I need entertainment." He unwraps his arm from the boy's shoulder and huffs over-dramatically, stealing a chip from his tray. "How else am I supposed to make it through this shit?"
Chase shrugs, eating the last few chips on his tray, then taking a swig of water. He puts both of his hands on the table and pushes himself up.
"Right, Walker, it's been real but I'm going to train. See you some other time." He pats the boy on the back as he chuckles, shaking his head and offering a parting remark before pulling out his phone. To Chase, Nicholas William Walker was a best friend, a brother, and an undeniable idiot. He was the boy to go through phases. He had money and talent, so obviously, he'd tried everything. He'd been in the school band as frontman, he'd been in the art club and the star of many of the school's plays and he was now a member of the renowned tennis club, along with Chase himself and their other friend, James. He'd collected himself a small following of fangirls over his time at the school, particularly a core fanbase from his times in the band, and Chase sometimes wondered what the hell they saw in him, but he was never short of answers.
Pushing through the doors of the male changing room, he finds it surprisingly empty. The room is quiet enough that he can hear the dripping of the leaky water faucet and he lets out a breath, shaking his head. Heading towards his locker and turning the wheel, his mind briefly wonders to Juliette, and whatever reasoning she may have had to talk to him today, and his brain automatically seems to question when it'll happen again if it will ever happen again. His locker pops open and he proceeds to quickly slip out of his uniform and into his tennis attire, rolling his shoulders back and grabbing his racket. He slips out of the changing room and through the double doors down the hall into the humid heat of the indoor tennis courts.
James Miller, resident teen heartthrob and genius, can be found spending time alone on the courts very often, it's just how he likes it. He also recognises he trains more than any of his friends have in a lifetime, in a single week, and so has long stopped asking people to play matches with him in breaks. He glances over at the doors as they open and finds himself smiling slightly at the sight of his childhood best friend walking it.
"What's up, Anderson? You bored?" he calls out, fixated on the other boy as he rolls his shoulders back, swinging his racket.
"Nah, just thought I'd keep your sorry ass company. Wanna play?" He asks, picking up a ball. He doesn't have to wait for an answer to know he'll say yes.
"Are you serving or am I?"
"Go on, I wanna see what you've got." He tosses the ball over to his friend, watching him jog back to the other side of the net. After a nod and a stretch, Chase nods and the boy opposing him serves. He returns his ball with a question attached.
"What's the deal with Juliette? Knight, I mean." He muses, his eyes on the ball, not missing how James almost misses the ball. He swings it back with a grunt, pacing and waiting for the return.
"Straight to the point I see. Why do you want to know?" James questions, pushing his hair out of his eyes, rolling his shoulders as he prepares to hit the ball back. Chase doesn't answer for a few rounds, not until he scores a point and passes the ball back.
"Spoke to her today, and Nicholas seemed to think it was the end of the world or something. What's the deal?" He watches the opposition toss the ball in the air, catching it effortlessly as he calculates his serve and his response. They come united, as he serves a ball Chase almost misses.
"Don't know." He calls out and slightly short and sour, as he shrugs his shoulders. Chase remains quiet, focusing instead on the game. James beats him 6-4 when they decide to call it quits, each grabbing a bottle of water and taking a seat on the bleachers. They're silent for a moment.
"Rumour has it Juliette was with her ex-boyfriend when he died, 2 years ago. Some idiots have taken it as far to say as she was the reason, but the guy was fucked. He had a bunch of addictions and ended up overdosing at a party." He sighs, shrugging. "Is that all?" he asks, casing a side glance at Chase, who's mouth is parted in slight shock, his eyebrows raised.
"What.. the fuck?" Chase manages to let out. He groans and flops back into the seat, shaking his head. "Is it true? That she had something to do with it?" He muses, his elbows rested on his thighs as he glances at James.
"Not a single person at that party, save for her, was sober. The stories all got lost in translation and no one really believed her. I personally don't know. Wasn't there, didn't want to be." James shrugs, taking a long drink from his water bottle.
"That's something else entirely. I would've thought she just pissed off the wrong people."
"How did you not know about this?" James questions, slightly incredulous at the fact that Chase was so oblivious to these events.
"Well, there was that whole situation where I did two years abroad, yanno? People miss things when they're out getting tans in Miami." He chuckles darkly, shaking his head slightly.
"Ah. Oh yeah, that happened. What a time, right?" James laughs darkly.
"You know she doesn't have any friends, it's probably because of that."
"Chase, man. Don't. That's not collateral, it's a choice. She's bad for others, obviously. Don't go there." He sighs, tossing his now-empty water into the trash can. "Don't try and save her. It'll fuck you up."
"I'm not! Just curious, really." He jumps in, putting his hands up in defence.
"How did Nic even know you talked to her? Wasn't he with Ja- You know what, I don't wanna know the answer to that last one."
"He walked up. Strangely enough, she all but bolted when she saw him." He laughs but notices James pursing his lips. "Don't tell me he tried to go after her or something- come on!"
James lets out a laugh, shaking his head. "Nicholas tried to fuck with her whilst she was with her boyfriend. It was a joke, he didn't want anything but to fuck things up. It was way before we were friends with him and it didn't end that well. He kissed her and her boyfriend saw them. She avoids him like the plague." He snorts, pushing his hair out of his face and standing up. "You wanna go again?"
"And get beat by your skinny ass again? Nah, I'm going home." He chuckles and stands up, stretching his arms above his head and glancing down at his friend, slapping him on the shoulder gently. "Thanks for the information, buddy. Are you gonna stay here?"
"Yeah, I'll do another half hour here then head back, I think I have another lecture." He sighs, leaning back onto his elbows, resting them on the row of seats above him, watching him.
"Good luck, I guess, I'll see you around." He mutters, grabbing his tennis racket, shaking it in a motion similar to a wave and jogging towards the doors, walking out and back into the changing room where he strips off and hops into the shower.
He stays there for a few moments, pondering what he's just been told, forming his own opinions on a situation he hadn't been a part of, and with the chaos that came of it, he was partly thankful he was far away, and that no-one had told him upon his return. He also thinks of Nicholas' outburst and how conveniently he forgot to mention he'd kissed Juliette, as a joke. He found himself angry at the fact he could've ruined her relationship, but then remembered it was ruined anyway, whether at her hands or her ex's. Drying off, he attempted to stop thinking, slipping on his uniform trousers and shirt, shoving everything else in his bag. He could deal with them later.
Fishing his car keys out of his jacket, he pushes the doors open and heads for the car park exit, humming to himself. Upon slipping outside, he's welcomed by blistering summer heat and blinding sunshine. Unlocking his car, he spots a person over to the side, the figure and raven hair somewhat familiar. Pocketing his keys, he heads over quietly and places a hand on her shoulder. She turns and looks up at him with brown eyes, glinting in the sun.
"Juliette- Are you okay?"
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a/n: hi. this story has been my baby for a while now and it's time to let it loose into the world. the next chapter shall be unleashed soon but for now, enjoy this shit. -a