"Robbie! It's so pretty," Julia whined against the hood of a car.
"Julia, you don't need it," Robbie groaned.
"I don't need any car, but if I'm gonna get one, it needs to be this one. It's speaking to me," Julia sighed dramatically, running her hand over the shiny red paint.
"You need to learn to drive on something safe. Not a Corvette," he argued.
"Robbie, I'm buying the car," Julia finally decided. Robbie sighed, rubbing his forehead.
"Fine. Buy the damn Corvette. See how long you last in a Corvette during a Minnesota winter. Be my guest."
An hour later, Robbie was driving Julia's new Corvette to the hockey arena to get ready for practice. Julia was practically giggling in delight as she rode in the passenger seat of her new car.
"God, Robbie, it's so pretty! It? Does it seem like a "she" to you? What should I name her? People name cars right?"
Robbie tried not to bang his head against the leather steering wheel.
"I don't know, Jules. Name her whatever you feel like," Robbie told her.
"You don't seem very excited. She's so cute, Rob. Imagine how cute I'll look driving her," Julia squealed.
"You're such a diva. Honestly, this is the perfect car for you," Robbie laughed at her. "Herb is gonna blow a gasket when he sees this thing."
"I've been so good lately! I think I deserve a treat," Julia defended. Robbie stared straight ahead. before sighing.
"Jules, we need to talk real quick."
"What's going on?"
"If we teach you how to drive," he started before he hesitated for a moment. "Are you just gonna pack up and go to LA the minute someone's not paying attention?"
"Robbie, no. I'm not even welcome back in LA yet. And I promise that I won't leave town without saying goodbye to you ever again," Julia swore, looking at her friend. She knew that the night she left for LA without saying goodbye had permanently damaged Robbie's trust in her, and she couldn't blame him for that.
"Good. I don't even know if Herb is gonna be okay with you having a car and knowing how to drive," Robbie sighed.
"If he's not, I'll take the fall for it."
They didn't talk for the rest of the ride, but as soon as they pulled into the parking lot, Julia was elated. A bunch of the boys were outside, hanging around their cars when they saw the cherry red Corvette pull in. Robbie pulled up to where most of the boys were hanging out, all of their jaws dropped.
"Isn't my new car absolutely bitchin'?"Julia squealed when she hopped out of the passenger side.
"We make one comment about teaching you to drive, and you go out and buy a Corvette?" Rammer asked in shock.
"Seemed like fun," Julia shrugged.
"How'd you even get it?" Coxy questioned her.
"Robbie and I took a bus to the dealership and he drove it back," Julia explained as Robbie got out of the car.
"I tried to talk her out of it," Robbie sighed.
"I want a ride!" Ken Morrow grinned, moving towards the car.
"No! No one is driving it until I do. Except Robbie."
"Jules, this is crazy. Even for you," Jimmy told her.
"A Corvette really isn't that safe for a first car," Rizzo said cautiously.
"If we're teaching you to drive, you're using someone else's car," Jack told her sternly, leaning against his own car with his arms crossed.
"Whose car am I supposed to use?" Julia asked them with a glare.
"You'll use Jack's," Jimmy spoke up, looking to Jack. Jack's eyes widened and he stood up from leaning against his car.
"Woah, woah, Jimmy. She can't learn to drive on my car. I can't afford to get it fixed if she wrecks it," Jack said quickly. Julia turned her glare to him, obviously offended.
"Excuse me?"
"No offense, Julsie."
"No, I'm definitely offended," she told him.
"It's just I can't fix a dented bumper or anything right now," Jack backtracked.
"First of all, if you're so sure about teaching me to drive, shouldn't you have a little more faith in your own teaching? Second of all, I can afford to fix your car when your terrible teaching skills cause me to crash."
"Fine, you can drive my car," Jack finally relented with a groan. "But I get to take the Corvette for a spin."
"Deal."
Julia sat impatiently through their practice. Luckily for her, Herb had already been at work in his office when she and Robbie arrived with the Corvette, so she had an entire practice to think about how to tell him she had bought a car.
"Who's flashy car is that in the parking lot?" Craig questioned the boys as he walked into the locker room after practice.
"Our resident rockstar bought it," Verchota told him with a grin.
"Jack's gonna teach Julie how to drive a stick," Neal Broten spoke up. Everyone turned to look at Neal slowly.
"What?" He questioned when he noticed everyone looking at him.
"Brots, don't you think that sounds a little bit like a euphemism?" Buzzy asked him.
"Don't repeat that in front of Herb. Or I'll die," Jack warned him. Neal just turned pink in the face as the boys chuckled.
"Euphemisms aside, she's just now learning to drive?" Craig questioned.
"Yeah, I guess when you have enough money for chauffeurs, getting a license isn't on the top of your list," Rizzo shrugged.
"And she's learning to drive on a Corvette?" Craig asked, an eyebrow raised.
"No, she's gonna use OC's car," Mark told him. Craig smirked a little bit, looking at Jack.
"You're brave."
"Hi, Uncle Herb. Good practice today," Julia chirped happily upon walking into her uncle's office. He froze, looking at her suspiciously from his desk.
"Hi. What did you do?"
"What?" She asked, looking at him innocently.
"You're never this friendly unless you want something or you did something bad. Which is it?"
"Well, funny story," Julia laughed, tucking some hair behind her ear and avoiding his gaze.
"Julia Rose Brooks, what now?"
"I bought a car," she blurted, looking at him nervously. He looked at her in confusion.
"You bought a car? You don't know how to drive," Herb reminded her.
"The boys are gonna teach me."
Herb just raised an eyebrow at her, before shaking his head.
"If the boys wanna take on that responsibility, they can be my guest. What kind of car did you buy?"
"Okay, so don't be mad."
"Julia," he groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Every time you say that, another hair on my head turns gray."
"It's a Corvette."
"Oh, for the love of God."
"Would you slow down?!" Robbie asked from the back seat behind Julia.
"I'm barely moving!"
"Jack, let go of the steering wheel!" Rizzo told Jack from beside Robbie.
"She's gonna hit the curb!" Jack groaned from his spot next to Julia.
"I'm gonna hit the curb because you're pulling on the steering wheel!"
"Jules, relax, just take your foot off the gas," Jimmy said calmly next to Jack.
"We're gonna die," Silky screamed, leaning his head on the window in the backseat. Squished in between him and Rizzo was Bah.
"This was a terrible idea," Rammer groaned from the trunk. Squished next to him in the trunk were Magic, Verchota, and Neal.
"None of this is going well!" Julia yelled.
"You've just gotta pay more attention," Jack told her with a huff.
"Pay attention to what, Jack?! We're in a parking lot!"
"Just pay attention!"
"Stop yelling at me! You're making me nervous!"
"Your driving is making me nervous!"
"Okay, that's enough! Julia, stop the car. Jack, you're getting in the back," Jimmy finally decided in an unusual act of raising his voice. In response, Julia stopped the car by slamming on the brakes, sending all the boys flying forward.
"OW!"
"Oops," she shrugged, giving the boys an innocent smile. Once Jack and Robbie had switched spots, the lesson continued much more peacefully.
"See, you're not doing too bad," Jimmy said with an encouraging smile as she drove around the parking lot.
"It's amazing what a good teacher can do," Julia said, looking over her shoulder to glare at Jack.
"Eyes ahead, Julia," Jack said, sticking his tongue out at her like a child.
As they made their way around the parking lot and back towards the front of the building, they saw Herb and Craig outside, eyes widening when they saw the car full of players.
"What the hell?" Herb said aloud, before stepping towards the car and motioning for Julia to stop.
"Okay, now brake, gently, and push the clutch," Robbie told her. She did a slightly better job, but this time the boys braced themselves for her sudden stop.
"Put it in neutral and keep your foot on the brake," Robbie warned her. She followed his instructions, coming to a stop in front of Herb and Craig. She rolled the window down, grinning up at them.
"Did you see that? I stopped and didn't hurt anyone!" She said happily. Herb's stoic face didn't give way the way that Craig's did.
"Julia, when you said the boys were teaching you to drive, I didn't think you meant half the team," Herb sighed. His eyes widened when he heard shuffling towards the back of the car. He listened for a second before turning towards the back of the car. He stared towards the trunk, before sighing in disappointment.
"How many people are in this car?" He asked quietly.
"Eleven!" Rammer called from the trunk, before there was a sound of someone slapping him upside the head and an "ow."
"Wait, eleven? I thought it was twelve," Bah said, glancing in the trunk. "Where is Pav?!"
"I'm gonna kill them," Herb gruffed to Craig.
"Pav isn't back here," Magic told him. "I thought he was up there with you."
"How did we lose someone?" Rizzo questioned.
"I mean, he is pretty quiet," Julia defended.
"Half of my team is shoved inside a car with an unlicensed driver! This is stupid, even for this group," Herb chastised.
"It's not like we were gonna leave the parking lot," Julia promised.
"Everyone, out of the car, now," Herb commanded. Once Julia put the car in park, everyone started unloading. Craig walked around the back of the car, opening the trunk and watching Verchota tumble out.
"You deserve that," Craig told him, staring down at his player on the ground.
"Driving lesson is over for today," Herb decided, before looking at Julia. "I'll see you at home. Figure out a way to get that damn car of yours back."
He walked away without another word. Craig just shook his head at them all before following Herb.
"How am I gonna get the Corvette back to the house?" Julia wondered aloud.
"I called first drive," Jack spoke up.
"Your car is here," Jimmy reminded him. "You drove us here."
"So follow me and pick me up," Jack said, walking towards the Corvette. Julia gave Jimmy a shrug before handing him the keys to Jack's car, and following Jack to her own car.
"Keys?" He asked her, grinning as they approached the car. She dug them out of her purse, tossing them to him. "This is gonna be fun."
"Be careful with her, O'Callahan," Julia warned, getting into the passenger seat.
"Yeah, yeah," he brushed her off, getting in and starting the car. His grin widened when the engine spurred to life.
"I can't wait till I get to drive my own car," she sighed as Jack pulled out of the parking lot.
"We'll keep doing driving lessons, and we won't let everyone pile in. You'll get it soon," he promised her.
"Thanks for helping me out. Even if you are an impatient, loud teacher," Julia told him with a smirk.
"Hey, when you're driving like a pro, you'll be thanking me for real," he laughed. "Hey, how was the rest of your visit with your mom and siblings?"
"Oh, it was alright. Sylvia actually didn't annoy me too much. Russell and Danny get along great."
"How was Shelly about leaving her favorite big sister?"
"She cried. I promised her I'd see her again soon," Julia told him, staring out the passenger window.
"Are you gonna see her again?"
"I don't see how I can't. I mean, they're my brother and sister. It's not their fault our mom likes them more than me," Julia said with a humorless laugh. Jack glanced over at her with sympathy.
"Jules, she's dumb," he told her.
"I know. I don't need her, anyway," Julia insisted, but she continued to stare out the window and not look at Jack.
"Shelly is like a little you. It's honestly terrifying to think of another you in the world," Jack teased her.
"I never thought I could be out-pouted, but she got me Sunday morning when she wanted another pancake," Julia laughed.
"That pout is dangerous," Jack agreed. It was almost as if they both suddenly realized that they were alone together for the first time since the night in her hotel room in Colorado. Julia was suddenly very aware of how small the car was. Their shoulders were nearly touching as they sat side by side in the car.
"Tell me about this date on Saturday," Julia said, looking over to him. He didn't look at her, but he smirked a little bit.
"Oh, you're sure that one's not the lie?" He questioned.
"I know you wouldn't tell me I wasn't the best show you've ever seen, even if you did think it," Julia stated.
"And the streaking?"
"You only said that so we would think the other two were true," she told him confidently. "It was probably your first party, and you didn't know how to handle your liquor."
"You're clever, Jules," he grinned.
"So, how did you meet her?" Julia asked,
"The night we ran into you and David at the bar. I was talking to her before you got there. Got her number and stuff," Jack finally told her.
"Took you a while to ask her out, then," Julia observed.
"Yeah. I guess I didn't wanna waste anymore time," Jack shrugged. Julia bit her lip, looking out the windshield.
What did that mean?
"Where are you taking her?" Julia asked, looking down at her nails.
"Bowling and probably pizza," Jack told her. Julia didn't react when he said bowling, but all she could think of was the night they went bowling with the boys.
"What's her name?"
"Brenda. She goes to the U."
"It'll suck for her when you leave," Julia said quietly.
"It'll suck for David when you leave," Jack agreed.
"I guess we're just heartbreakers," Julia shrugged, not looking at him.
"Yeah, Jules, I would say we are."