Rizzo, Rammer, Jack, Silky, Buzzy, Jimmy, Mark, Bah, and Robbie sat around the table playing cards. They ignored Silky, who was complaining that all they ever did was play cards. When the buzzer sounded, alerting them of someone at the door, they shared a confused look. Who could possibly be showing up at almost 10 p.m.?
"I'll grab it," Jimmy volunteered, heading toward the lobby to see who it was. The first thing he noticed was a small figure standing by the door, a large coat hanging off of them. He gasped as he got closer, seeing Julia outside in the snow. He rushed over to her, opening the door and pulling her in.
"What happened? You look awful, what's wrong?" Jimmy questioned, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her back towards the boys' hall. When he pushed through the door with Julia in tow, all the boys shared pretty much the same thought process written across their faces. At first they were surprised, then absolutely baffled, followed by wildly concerned. They all jumped up from their seats.
"Jules, you're soaked. And you're freezing. What happened?" Robbie questioned, rushing to her side. Her boots formed little puddles on the ground as the snow melted off them. Her hair was wet and deflated from its original style. Her eye makeup ran down her face in little black ribbons. Her bare legs were covered in goosebumps, and her hands had a blue tint to them.
"I walked back from a party," she told them, shivering violently. "I'm freezing."
"You walked in this weather? From where?" Robbie asked, removing her wet coat from her.
"Where's David? He said he was taking you home," Rizzo said, before sending Bah to get a towel from the bathroom.
"He took me to this party," Julia started, a new flood of tears rushing down her face. Her words came out in sputters between tears. "A-and we got there...everyone was smoking pot. And then I went upstairs to call Rizzo. B-but David came upstairs with...with coke. And he tried to get me to do it. But I said no, I promise I said no! David got m-mad at me, and he started grabbing me and kissing me. I kept telling him to let me go, but he wouldn't! So then I walked out but I didn't know how far I was from your dorm. I only knew I was on the north end of campus so I went south but it took forever, and now I'm cold and I'm wet and I'm sad and I think my coat is ruined!"
Robbie wasted no time in pulling Julia toward him, hugging her tightly.
"It's okay, Jules. We've got you, it's okay," he comforted her, rubbing her back while she cried. Bah returned with the towel, wrapping it around her shoulders.
"David did coke, tried to get you to do it, grabbed you, and made you walk in the snow?" Jimmy repeated as Robbie walked Julia to the couch and sat her down, the boys gathering around her.
"Where were you?" Buzzy asked her. She sniffed, before looking over at Buzzy.
"They said Como," she told him, pulling the towel around her.
"Como?" Robbie gasped. "Jules, that's like a forty minute walk. We gotta warm you up before you get sick."
"You should take a warm shower," Rizzo decided. Julia had to agree that a shower sounded nice, nodding to him as she wiped her tear streaked face.
"We'll get you some warm clothes," Robbie promised her. He helped her up, taking her to the bathroom. The rest of the boys sat in the living room, not really sure what to do or say. Sure, they had had their doubts about David, but they never expected him to do something like this. They all sat in silence for a few minutes.
"What a dick," Bah finally said.
"Yeah, tell me about it. She said she finally told him about why she was in Minnesota, so he was fully aware of the coke problem," Jimmy said, shaking his head.
"I was actually kinda starting to like him before this," Robbie admitted after he returned.
"Let's go," Jack said quietly, getting up from the couch.
"Go where?" Silky repeated. Jack froze, turning to look at his teammates.
"Como. We're gonna find this party," he told them, his eyes burning.
"OC, what are you talking about?" Rizzo said, getting visibly nervous. He was in the kitchen making a cup of hot chocolate for Julia.
"We're just gonna let that prick get away with this?" Jack snapped.
"What are you gonna do? Drive around till you find a party and then beat the crap out of him?" Buzzy asked.
"Yes! That was actually my exact plan," Jack informed them.
"Jack, that's a bad idea," Jimmy warned him.
"Well, I'm not gonna sit on my ass and let that jerk get away with what he did," Jack decided, turning and heading to his room.
"I'm kinda with him on this one," Bah nodded, heading to grab a coat.
"Same," Rammer agreed, following suit.
"How are we gonna stop them?" Robbie sighed.
"I don't think we are," Mark said with a blank face. They heard the bathroom open, and a few seconds later Julia was joining them. Her hair was wet, and she wore a hockey t-shirt and pajama pants from Robbie. She had some color back in her face, plus she wasn't shivering anymore, but she still looked just as shaken up as she sat beside Robbie on the couch. He wrapped a blanket around her as Jack, Bah, and Rammer came marching through the living room with their coats on. Jack carried his car keys in his hand.
"Where are you going?" Julia asked quietly. The three of them froze, having not noticed she had rejoined the group.
"We're just gonna go take care of some things, Jules," Jack told her, waiting to see if the boys would rat him out.
"You're not going to find him, are you?" She asked, practically reading Jack's mind. She knew him too well.
"Yeah, I am," he admitted, a look of determination on his face.
"No," she said quietly, frowning at Jack. "Please don't."
"Someone has to. I'm sorry, but I can't let this slide," Jack explained, shaking his head.
"You don't have to. I don't wanna do this, I just never want to see him again," Julia countered, standing up and walking toward him. "We can just pretend like it never happened."
"Pretend like it never happened? Julia, you don't get to show up, freezing and alone, then pretend it never happened. Look, your wrist is bruised! Is that where he grabbed you?" Jack's voice was rising. "You can't just let him-"
"For the love of God, will you please just fucking stay here with me?!" Julia finally cried, cutting him off. Jack stood still for a minute, staring at her. Her eyes filled up with tears. All the boys waited with baited breath, not saying a word. "Please, just don't go."
Without a word, Jack took off his coat and set in on the kitchen table, along with his keys. He took her by the hand, leading her over to the couch. She settled in between him and Robbie, relaxing a little bit as a few tears rolled down her cheeks.
"I'm sorry," he told her, wrapping an arm around her. She leaned her head on his shoulder, sighing.
"I feel so stupid," she complained.
"What? Why do you feel stupid?" Jimmy asked, sitting on the couch beside Jack.
"I should've known," she whined, some more tears falling.
"Known what? You had no way of knowing he would do that," Rizzo insisted, bringing her a mug of hot chocolate that she gratefully took.
"Jules, you did the right thing. I'm proud of you. I am really, really proud of you," Robbie told her, looking at her with an encouraging smile. All the boys voiced their agreement, making Julia feel a little bit better.
"It was stupid," she sniffled. "Like I wasn't even that mad at first, I just wanted to go home. He took the phone from me and told Rizzo I didn't need a ride home. Then he just kept kissing me and not letting me move and trying to convince me to do coke."
Julia could feel Jack tense up beside her.
"Let me see your wrist," he said suddenly.
"Jack, it's barely there," she sighed. Jack opened his mouth, before he shut it and took a deep breath.
"Can I please just see it, Jules?" He asked her gently. She pulled her arm out of the blanket, stretching it out to show it to Jack. There was a faint mark around her wrist in the shape of fingers. Jack took her hand gingerly, turning her wrist to look at it from different angles.
"Do you want some ice?" He offered. She shook her head, taking a sip of her hot chocolate.
"I'm okay," she promised. Robbie sighed, looking at her.
"I'm glad you're okay. Tonight could've gone really bad, but you didn't let that happen. You did good, kid," he smiled at her.
"You're really not mad at me?" Julia clarified, looking at Robbie. Robbie just looked back at her like she was crazy.
"Mad at you? Jules, I'm not mad at you in the slightest. I'm really glad you were strong enough to say no and leave," Robbie assured her.
"We're proud of you," Jack promised, squeezing her shoulder. "Do you wanna watch Saturday Night Live?"
Julia nodded, sipping her hot chocolate and wrapping the blanket tighter around her. Everyone settled in as Mark turned on the television before taking a seat on the floor in front of Julia. A few tears still fell down her face as she breathed deeply, trying to calm herself down. Jack rubbed her shoulder, letting her cry on his shoulder. The rest of the night was fairly quiet. Julia finished her hot chocolate, and a few minutes later Jack felt her head slip from his shoulder further down onto his chest. He chuckled quietly, figuring she had fallen asleep already. He adjusted to keep her comfortable, shaking his head at Robbie.
"I can't wait to have to wake her up," Jack said sarcastically.
"Good luck with that one," Robbie agreed with a grin. Looking at his best friend curled up on Jack, he couldn't help but think that things would certainly change now that David was out of the picture.
"You could always just let her stay here," Rammer suggested.
"I would hate to think of Herb's reaction if she didn't come home," Jack reminded his teammate. "I'll take her home when this ends."
Julia was still asleep when the show ended, and Jack felt awful as he sat up slowly, moving her with him.
"Jules, wake up. I'm gonna take you home," he told her. She mumbled something, moving a little bit but keeping her eyes closed. The boys laughed quietly.
"Come on, Jules," Robbie encouraged, putting a hand on her shoulder. She sat up slowly, opening her eyes and blinking slowly at the light. She was obviously confused for a second, wondering why she was waking up on the boys' couch. In a second, all the events of the night came flooding back to her, making her sit up.
"How long was I asleep?" She asked, rubbing her eyes.
"Just about the entire episode of SNL," Jack informed her, standing up and stretching. "Are you ready to go home?"
She nodded, but pulled the blanket tighter around her body. The sudden lack of Jack's body warmth beside her left her shivering.
"Hold on," Jack told her, noticing how cold she looked. He walked out of the living room, returning shortly with a sweatshirt and a pair of thick socks. "Put these on. You look cold."
"Thanks," she said quietly. Julia quickly slipped on the red Boston University hockey sweatshirt, noticing immediately how it smelled of mint, just like Jack always did. She put the socks on, thankful to have the extra layers to keep her warm.
"Here, I put your clothes in here. Are you sure you're alright?" Rizzo questioned, handing her a grocery bag full of her clothes. Jack put his coat on, grabbing his car keys off the table.
"I'm okay. I promise," Julia gave him a half smile.
"Drive carefully," Robbie told Jack as Julia got up from the couch, following him to the door.
"Thank you guys for everything. You guys are the best," Julia smiled at her friends. The boys all wished her goodnight, before Jack led her out the door and into the building's lobby. He looked out the door, to the parking lot that was illuminated only by a few lights. The snow had stopped falling, but there was a light layer covering the parking lot.
"You don't have shoes," Jack noted, looking down at her sock-covered feet. "I'm gonna go pull up the car, and then I'll come back in and carry you."
Before Julia could even respond, Jack pushed open the door and let in a gust of cold air. The minute the air hit her, Julia decided she was perfectly content to wait for Jack inside. She watched as he made his way into the cold night, patiently waiting as he pulled the car up in front of the building. She considered for a second just sucking it up and running to the car, but the last thing she needed was wet feet.
"Get on my back," Jack said as soon as he was back inside the building. Julia obliged, jumping on his back and wrapping her arms and legs around him. She rested her head on his shoulder as he carried her out to the car, opening the passenger side door and turning his body so she could get in. She curled up on the seat, bringing her knees up to her chest.
"You're being awfully quiet," Jack noted as he got into the car, slowly pulling out of the parking lot.
"I just feel so dumb," she said softly, not looking at him.
"The only one who should feel stupid is David. That jerk has no idea what he's losing," Jack insisted. Julia moved across the bench seat, sitting closer to him.
"You never did like him," Julia sighed.
"I may not have liked him, but I never thought he'd do something like that. Believe me, if I thought for one second he would've done this, I would've done a lot more than not like him."
"I just can't believe it," Julia groaned, leaning on his shoulder. "What a shitty night."
"Jules, when you say he grabbed you, what do you mean by that?" Jack asked cautiously. He drove slowly on the snowy roads.
"First he was holding me on the counter by my waist and not letting me move. He kept kissing me and stuff," Julia explained quietly. "When I tried to leave, that's when he grabbed my wrist really hard and pulled me against him. Then he grabbed my butt, so I hit him."
Julia took notice of how Jack's knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel. He didn't say anything, and Julia knew he was trying not to lose his cool. She brought one hand up, hooking it around his bicep, her head still on his shoulder.
"It's over now," Julia reminded him.
"Right," Jack agreed, barely above a whisper. "You know, you kind of amaze me."
"What? Why?" Julia questioned, obviously surprised.
"You're probably the strongest person I know, Julsie," he told her.
"I yelled at David for calling me Julsie," Julia told him with a quiet laugh.
"You did?" Jack chuckled. "I'm sure that pissed him off."
"He deserved it," Julia grinned. She reached out, turning the radio up. They both laughed as soon as they recognized the song on the radio, Julia's voice coming through the speakers. She quickly changed it, much to Jack's dismay.
"I like that song!" Jack laughed.
"That band blows," Julia smirked. She would never get over how Jack could make her laugh when it was the last thing she felt like doing. It wasn't much longer before they were pulling up in front of the Brooks' residence. Julia didn't want to voice out loud how much she wanted Jack to carry her again, but she knew she was in luck when he turned off the car in front of the house.
"Come on, rockstar," Jack said as he got out of the car, turning around so she could get on his back, carrying her clothes with her. She quickly climbed onto him, burying her face in his back to shield herself from the cold. She couldn't help but feel safe with him. She even contemplated asking him to carry her upstairs to her bed.
"The front door should be unlocked," she told him quietly. He gently pushed open the door, trying to make as little noise as possible. The light glowing in the kitchen should've been a giveaway to someone's presence, but both Jack and Julia jumped when they heard Herb's voice.
"Where have you been?" Herb demanded, walking towards them from the kitchen with Patti closely following. Julia quickly got down from Jack's back, shocked to see her aunt and uncle still awake.
"Why is Jack here? And what are you wearing?" Patti questioned as Julia and Jack stood frozen in surprise.
"David called us. We know everything," Herb told her, trying not to raise his voice. Julia and Jack shared a confused look, before Julia looked to her Uncle Herb, finally speaking.
"What did David say?" Julia asked.
"He told us he took you to a party with his friends and half an hour later you disappeared. He said he drove around looking for you, but he finally gave up and called us to see if you made it home," Patti explained, crossing her arms over her chest.
"He told you what? Aunt Patti, he's lying! That's not what happened," Julia insisted.
"Then tell us what happened," Herb told her, before looking to Jack. "You stay for this."
"David took me to this party but it was out of control. His friends were smoking pot, so I went upstairs and called Rizzo to pick me up, but David took the phone and told Rizzo nevermind. Then he pulled out coke and I got mad, and then he started grabbing me so I hit him and I ran. So I walked all the way back to the boys' dorm in the snow," Julia explained quickly. Herb and Patti shared a look, both obviously skeptical.
"She's got a bruise on her wrist from where he grabbed her," Jack blurted out, earning a glare from Julia.
"He bruised you?" Patti gasped, going toward Julia and pulling up the sleeves of the sweatshirt she wore, examining her wrists. Herb joined her, the two of them taking in the purple mark on her wrist.
"And you didn't touch any of the drugs at the party?" Herb asked quietly, looking at his niece. She looked him in the eye, her face unchanging.
"I swear, Uncle Herb. Not the weed, not the coke, I didn't even have a beer."
Herb nodded, before turning to look at Jack.
"We should've guessed you were with the boys," Herb said to Julia, though his eyes were still on Jack.
"I showed up a mess. They let me shower and gave me clothes. Rizzo even made me hot chocolate. Jack carried me to the car so my feet wouldn't get wet, seeing as my boots were too wet to wear," Julia defended her friends.
"Well, you're very lucky to have the boys," Patti said, one arm around Julia. "You should get up to bed. Thank you for getting her home, Jack."
"Night, Jules. Goodnight, Mrs. Brooks," Jack said, breathing a sigh of relief that Julia wasn't in trouble.
"Goodnight, Jack," Julia called softly as she went upstairs with Patti. Jack watched her go for a second before turning to leave.
"Jack," Herb said, stopping him in his tracks. Jack turned back around to face his coach, trying to ignore the nervousness he felt. "Thanks for keeping an eye on her."
"No problem, coach," Jack said quickly. Herb gave him a curt nod, sending Jack on his way for the night. Jack tried not to spend his drive home thinking about what David had done, but he couldn't seem to get his mind off of it. His blood was boiling by the time he made it back to the dorm. The only thing that calmed his mind enough to allow him to fall asleep was the thought of Julia asleep on his chest.
Okay, sorry this chapter is so long! Thank you all for reading, voting, and commenting!