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❛ ᴏᴄᴇᴀɴ ᴇʏᴇꜱ. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚ ▎❛ 𝐒𝐈𝐗𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 ❜ ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ sᴛᴏʀᴍʏ ᴡᴇᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ꒱
❝ WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS ❞
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"What time did you say your board meeting was?" Juliet asked.
Jack, who was lying on his bed with his head in her lap, looked up from the book he was reading. "Five. Why?"
The redhead glanced up from her own book to look at the clock that sat next to the boy's bed. "It's nearly five now. I should get going."
She closed her book, Dune, and moved her legs from under the blond's head. The boy whined slightly, making her roll her eyes. Once, she probably would've found that cute; now it was tolerable at best. "You don't want to be late, Jackie."
He huffed slightly before he sat up and put his current read, The Giver, on his bedside table. "I wish I didn't have to attend these things," he complained, "they're so boring."
"Yes, you've said," Juliet replied, only partially playful. They were all he seemed to be able to talk about these days. She remembered when they could still hold actual conversations about things they wanted to do, things that interested them and most importantly, things that weren't one-sided. Instead of saying anything, though, she brushed her clothes straight and picked up her book. "Walk me out?" she offered as compensation despite knowing the way by heart now.
Nodding, the boy led her through a maze of corridors and winding staircases until they reached the entrance door. They ignored the cold as they paused outside on the front stoop with the door still open. He took the girl's wrists gently in his hands and pulled her closer to him. "I'm glad we were able to spend this time together, Julie."
Immediately, she stiffened. "Don't call me that."
"Why not?" he sounded genuinely confused, "I thought I'd try out—"
"Well, don't."
"Don't what?"
What she really wanted to say was don't think, but that would lead to another fight that she didn't feel like having right now. Instead, she sighed. "I don't mind Ocean Eyes. Can you just stick with that?"
Jack looked suspicious. "Do you not want me to call you Julie because that's what Hunter calls you?"
Yes. "No," she shot back defensively, "I just like it when you call me Ocean Eyes."
"Well, you've gotten a little tense when I've called you that recently so I didn't think you liked it anymore," the boy said, his expression still guarded. "It's got nothing to do with Hunter, right?"
"Not everything has to do with Shawn, Jack. You always try to pin the blame on him," her tone was exasperated, "can't we just remember what a nice time we had and focus on that?"
The blond closed his eyes for a minute before he opened them again. "You're right, Ocean Eyes. Sorry."
She made a conscious effort not to stiffen. A nickname that had once made her feel rather giddy had the complete opposite effect and Jack seemed to be picking up on that.
"It's okay," she said as she pulled on his arm slightly to cause him to lean down. As Jack's warm lips pressed against hers (she ignored the twist of nausea that definitely wasn't butterflies) neither teen noticed a sleek, black car pull up in front of the steps.
When they separated, Jack looked down to see the vehicle and sighed. It was probably one of his dad's colleagues. They were having the meeting at the Montacute home which, while not unusual, wasn't a common occurrence. They were bound to show up early to try and impress his father. The person who stepped out of the car, however, was certainly not the white-haired, older pseudo-gentlemen that he'd been expecting. His eyes widened at the sight of an auburn-haired girl making her way up the steps with a bright smile on her face as she met his eyes. It dimmed slightly when she apparently saw the shock in them.
"Jack?" Juliet's voice brought him out of his pleased, surprised staring trance. He turned to her and gave the girl an uncomfortable look.
"Uh, Juliet, this is Julia. Julia, Juliet," he made sure to leave any sort of relationship status (girl friend or girlfriend) unmentioned.
The auburn-haired girl turned to the redhead. "It's so nice to meet you!" she gushed, "I've heard so many wonderful things about you."
Juliet's eyes narrowed slightly. "That's funny, since I've never heard anything about you."
Julia's cheerful expression never faltered even under the other girl's rather unfriendly gaze. It wasn't that Juliet felt jealous of Jack (or of Julia, for that matter.) She just didn't like changes or meeting new people. Julia was both, so she was instantly suspicious of the other girl— particularly how her gaze seemed to always stray to the blond-haired boy (much how Juliet's did with Shawn, though she ignored that thought.)
"Well, I'm sure we'll get to know each other quite well seeing as how you're Jack's girl friend and I'm his girlfriend." In the way Julia said the two similar words, one would never know which distinction she meant especially as her tone remained entirely pleasant (though her eyes sharpened at each word). It only mattered that she knew.
Before Juliet could reply, a new voice entered their conversation: "ah, Miss Pope, I'm so glad you could make it," Emyr greeted her cordially, holding his hand out as he approached the group. He— in all showiness— took the auburn-haired girl's hand and bowed slightly before he straightened. "I see you've met Miss Pope, Juliet."
The red-haired girl stiffened at the lack of respect. While she didn't really care what these people thought of her, she had no intention of being humiliated in front of them. "It was a pleasure, Mr. Montacute. Julia is quite lovely." Two could play this game.
Jack looked between the girls with growing anxiety before he turned to the older man. "Shouldn't we prepare for the board meeting, father?"
Emyr's smile was cat-like as he looked down at his son. "Oh, did I say board meeting? I'm almost sure I said bored meeting as in: I'm sure you won't be bored with this surprise meeting."
"I don't understand, father."
"Well, I'd be happy to explain it to you," Emyr said in an unusually pleasant tone. (Normally, he spoke to his son in short, exasperated sentences.) "I thought it would be nice for your past girlfriend to meet your current one, or am I mistaken with your status with Miss Pope?"
Jack was careful not to let his expression fall with the sinking feeling in his stomach. He'd been set up. He should've expected it from his father the first moment he'd laid eyes on this Juliet look-alike. It was exactly the type of thing Emyr would do: replace something cheap and meaningless with something expensive and impressive as he was the type of man that always collected the best. Jack knew instantly which girl was which. The thing his father didn't realize, however, was that neither Juliet nor Julia were cheap trinkets to discard when something better came along.
"You are, father," he responded— rather bravely, in his opinion. The man's eyes flashed. "Miss Pope is a wonderful friend who deserves the utmost respect. Miss Capelwood deserves the same, no matter where she may come from." He took a deep breath. "I believe that neither of them should be my girlfriend. They deserve better than me."
Jackson Montacute would never deny that he'd made mistakes. Everyone did and he had certainly made his fair share. Asking Juliet to be his girlfriend would never be one of them nor would falling in love with her. Befriending and flirting with Julia would also never be a mistake. He was, however, a teen boy in love and bound to make errors and break hearts along the way. He could be easily swayed by his own emotions and could, despite being a well-bred young man, still be selfish as came with the rich lifestyle he led.
He'd been selfish when it came to keeping Juliet's heart and selfish with his own desires during their relationship. He'd pushed to have more because he wanted it even though he always knew, deep down, that he wasn't the one for her. He'd been selfish in garnering Julia's affection while knowing he had a girlfriend of his own that he should've been spending more time with. He'd selfishly pushed his lost, lonely feelings onto the auburn-haired girl. He'd almost allowed his father's plans to work but he wasn't going to let a man like his father ruin two of the best girls he knew if he could help it.
If he denied Juliet, Julia would be welcomed into the Montacute family and given a life of luxury that she'd no doubt do well in. However, she would become tied down and not able to pursue her dreams of following in her family's footsteps. If he denied Julia, Juliet would be forced to face test after test to prove her worth and to him, she was more than just an item of rich folk's entertainment. Besides, he'd known for several months now that their relationship was dwindling away to nothing.
"Jack—" Juliet started, reaching for him.
"It's alright, Ocean Eyes. We were always better as friends," he reassured her, "and I know we'll probably need a break before we see each other again but I hope we can someday be acquaintances, at least. This is the only way everything will work out." His glance at his father did not go unnoticed by either girl. "We had a good run, didn't we?"
"I— yeah," she said quietly, "but you know you're pretty great yourself, right? No one deserves to be lonely."
"I'll figure it out," he replied, hoping they didn't notice his false confidence. (They did.)
"We can still be friends, right Jack?" Julia asked as she stepped towards him. "We'll see each other at parties."
"I-I suppose," he offered, knowing that a genuine apology to the auburn-haired girl would have to wait. Julia beamed happily with the knowledge that she still had a chance.
Juliet tugged a piece of red hair forward, startling slightly when she saw white flakes land on the red ends. It seemed as if the temperature had dropped several degrees and not just due to the chilly atmosphere of the group. "I'd better get going. I'll see you around, then?"
Jack nodded. "John can drive you home." As she turned to go, he called after her: "Juliet?" When she looked back, his expression was genuinely fond. "I'm sorry."
She gave a slight nod in return before she finished the rest of the steps. Almost on cue, the Montacute's car pulled up and John stepped out with a sympathetic smile on his face. As Juliet slid into the seat for the last time she looked out the window, past the white flakes, to see Emyr shepherding Jack and Julia inside. A part of her wondered what her life would've been like in Julia's place, though the image she conjured seemed grim and bleak and as cold as the snow falling outside.
Instead, she was numb as if she'd spent too long around ice. She wasn't particularly happy to finally be free of her relationship but she wasn't particularly sad either. She knew she'd stayed around as long as she had because she hadn't wanted to be alone, but now she realized it wasn't so bad. Jack had been wonderful but any burgeoning feelings that had been there in the beginning weren't there any longer and you could never make someone have feelings. Shawn had learned that after her constant years of rejection, Jack had discovered that after their relationship had fizzled out and it would eventually be her turn to realize this.
🌎🌎🌎
The redhead was pulled from her thoughts as the Montacute's car pulled up in front of the rather drab face of Rainbow Falls, a far cry from the rich family's mansion. She sighed and pushed the door open, pausing to thank John for the final time before she got out. As she shut the door, white flakes swirled around in the air and stuck to the cracked pavement under her feet. There was a faint coating of snow already on the ground and Juliet guessed that it would be covered thickly by nightfall.
She turned and trudged slowly up to the metal door. It shut behind her with its familiar clang! though she paid it no mind, used to the sound after years of living in the building. Familiar noises of the other tenants were also ignored: the Melendez's usual arguments (this time about who was going to pay the bills) the cry of the Long's baby, the usual noisy footsteps of the Ramos' five kids and all of the other sounds that she had become accustomed to her over the years. Juliet had never noticed it until now but the Montacute's mansion had been eerily quiet. She almost liked her rowdy apartment setting more.
At this thought, her feelings brightened slightly as she mounted the stairs heading up to the second level. As she approached her apartment, the noises her floor generated became even more recognizable. The group of young adults that lived above them had their heavy music playing, the Strongs yelled at each other to answer the phone and laughter came from her apartment.
The redhead froze with her hand on the door. Laughter? she wondered as she heard the sound again. It was a woman's and a man's, both from inside her apartment. She was certain of it. After she unlocked the door, the girl cracked it open slightly and peeked inside. Light flooded the small space as all of the lamps were illuminated. From her position, she could see two people in the kitchen. One was standing, leaning against the counter. The other was sitting at one of the two stools that stood against the opposite side.
Juliet widened the crack and stuck her head cautiously into the room. The standing person was her mother, that much she knew, though she'd never actually heard her mom laugh the way she was laughing now. It was bright and sparkling as if it belonged to a younger woman. The girl tilted her head slightly and stared. The man was the same one from Bibou. She recognized his dark hair and bright eyes instantly.
Trying to be discreet, she slipped inside and silently shut the door behind her. Unfortunately with the space being one room, her mother saw her immediately and turned her bright smile on her daughter. "Oh, darling, I'm so glad you're back! There's someone I've been wanting you to meet." She nodded to the dark-haired man.
The man, however, did not take the cue to introduce himself. Instead, he stared at the red-haired girl with wide, blue eyes, though his expression was soft. Her appearance seemed to catch him off guard and he kept staring at her as if he couldn't believe she existed.
"Um, hello," she greeted him awkwardly, wanting to slip away as quickly as possible. She dropped her bag on the floor and edged towards her room.
"H-hi," he breathed out as he tried to regain the use of his words.
Juliet glanced at her mother, who was watching them with anticipation on her face. The redhead's stomach twisted with discomfort. The situation making her uneasy and set her skin prickling. "Um, I don't mean to be rude, but who are you?"
This question seemed to bring the man back to his senses and he blinked, glancing at her mother before he turned back to her. He stood, pushing the stool away from him as he took a few cautious steps towards her. "I'm Barron Capelwood," he started, and she was relieved when he stopped moving forward. "And. . . I'm your father, Juliet."
The girl stilled. I'm your father, Juliet.
She wanted him to be wrong. Her first instinct was to deny that she had no father. The man that was supposed to be there when she was born didn't exist because he'd left. "You're not," her words sounded distant and far away as if someone else spoke them. She had no father.
Guilt crept into the man's— Barron's— expression. "I am," he said softly, "and from what your mother's told me about you, you've grown into an amazing young woman."
It was too much, all at once. Just Jack breaking up with her had been fine; that, she'd seen that coming. This— this blindside of her father (how could she even be certain of that?) returning on top of what had just happened was too much for her mind to process. She'd always hated change and had always feared it. She just wanted things to stay in the same, comfortable routine they'd always been. She didn't want to have a father or have a new part of her life; he'd missed out on that when he wasn't there for her growing up and he didn't deserve to be there for her now.
"Stop," Juliet demanded as her hands rose to clutch at the sides of her head. Her eyes squeezed shut. "Just stop. I know you're lying. I don't have a father—"
"Darling—" Daly tried, but her daughter shook her head violently.
"I don't want to hear it." Her eyes opened to take in both adults' slightly guilty but mostly patient expressions. It made her stomach turn. They thought they understood but they didn't. Adults never did.
"I can't— I can't—" Her mind whirled to catch up with all of the changes that were happening and it couldn't, so she did the one thing she knew that would make her feel better: she ran.
Juliet turned and burst out of her apartment, her feet pounding on the stairs that she'd just come up. She was pretty sure one of the Melendez's shout at her to be quiet but she couldn't hear them over her heart beating in her ears.
The cold nipped at her face as she banged the door open and ran outside, the chilly air making her shortened breaths come out in puffs of air. Her red hair bounced around her shoulders as she ran, still loose from earlier. Juliet slipped a few times on the more frozen parts of the ground as she ran towards her destination— the one thing she knew would never change. Her mind was blank as she her feet hit the ground and the only sound that registered was her slightly gasping breaths and pulse roaring in her ears.
Her feet skidded to a halt after she wound her way through the familiar maze of the trailer park to stop where Shawn's trailer was. She hadn't returned to the spot since his mom had taken off and the sight of the empty space made her freeze. There was nothing but an empty, muddy ditch where her best friend's childhood home had been. Tears pricked her eyes as her mind failed to catch up with current events and all she could think was that he was gone. The one person she needed most in the world had vanished and she had no idea where to find him.
She ignored the cold and the white flakes that landed in her hair as she stood next to the barren space. All she could do was stare at the hole as snow began to fill it up. If she'd been numb before, she was frozen now. She sniffled slightly as tears escaped from her eyes and she sat down, cross-legged on the ground. Juliet lost track of time as she cried in front of the empty ditch, the only thing she could think about was that she was truly alone.
🌎🌎🌎
A single girl probably didn't attract that much attention but a girl sitting outside in the snow did. It wasn't long before a voice made her jump and look up. "Shawnie's wife?" The voice was deep, gravelly and slightly familiar.
She blinked, trying to clear the tears out of her eyes. "Um, yeah?"
"What are you doin' out here in the snow?"
As she stared up at the tall man, she finally placed a name to the face. "Uncle Mike?"
"Who's askin'?"
Juliet shook her head and stood, ignoring the slight numbness of her skin from the cold. A thin layer of snow fell off her clothes. "I was lookin' for Shawnie."
"An' you thought he'd be in the trailer park?" Shawn's uncle asked disbelievingly.
"Well, yeah," she answered as she gave him a confused and teary look. "He's gone."
"He ain't gone, girl. He moved in with that teach, 'member?"
Mr. Turner. Of course!
She'd been so distraught she hadn't been thinking clearly and she'd gone to what was old, familiar and comfortable. Juliet was already on the move as she called back: "thanks, Uncle Mike!" despite the crack in her voice. She wasn't sure if he answered her because she was already gone. Mr. Turner's wasn't close to Rainbow Falls but it wasn't impossible to run the whole distance despite the almost-blizzard conditions.
🌎🌎🌎
Mr. Turner was the one to answer the door and if it was a different situation, his surprised expression would've been comical. He stared at the snow-caked girl with wide eyes as he took in her red face and too-bright eyes before he asked in astonishment, "Capelwood? What—"
"Shawn," she interrupted him, giving him a pleading look. "Is he here?"
The man turned and called into the apartment: "Shawn! You've got a visitor!" he faced the emotional girl. "Come in, Capelwood. Why are you covered in snow?"
As she stepped inside, Juliet's eyes searched the apartment for her best friend as she answered shortly, "ran here."
"You— Capelwood, there's a blizzard outside! Surely you realize what a stupid idea—"
For once, she ignored his lecture. The moment Shawn appeared, his expression turned confused as he asked, "Julie—?"
She immediately flung herself at him and her arms wrapped around his waist as she buried her face against his chest. A little "oh" of surprise escaped the boy before he returned the hug, holding on to her tightly. He startled when he felt her shoulders shake against him and he realized that she was crying. No, not crying— sobbing. He glanced up at his guardian but Mr. Turner only shrugged helplessly. Shawn turned back to the red-haired girl and hugged her tighter.
"Hey, Julie, it's okay," he told her quietly, ducking his head to speak in her ear. "It's alright, I've got you."
"I-I-I thought—" She tried to choke out I thought you were gone, but her words wouldn't come. Shawn shushed her gently so she quieted. There would be time to speak later.
After a few minutes of hard sobbing, she calmed enough for her best friend to take stock of her. "Oh, Julie, you're freezing."
"She ran here," Mr. Turner told the boy flatly, "in the snow. And I thought she was the genius."
"You—" He turned to look down at her and his eyes widened. Whatever had made her come all this way without a car must've been bad. "Hold on, Julie," he told her, trying to free himself.
The girl only held on to him more tightly, causing his heart to pound in his chest as he realized she didn't want him to leave. The butterflies he always got around her threatened to make their appearance and he swallowed quickly, trying to shove them back where they belonged. "Julie, I'll be right back."
"But—"
"I promise," he added, and her grip loosened enough that he was able to pry himself free. He returned to her with his jacket and draped the leather around her shoulders to help her warm up.
Juliet startled slightly as she felt a strange weight and turned to look down at the leather jacket that was wrapped around her. Shawn's jacket. Her eyes closed as she tucked her nose against the collar and breathed in his familiar smell. While she couldn't pinpoint exactly what the scents were that made up her best friend, she knew if she was asked to pick it out against ten others, she'd select it in a heartbeat. Her wild emotions eased even more and her arms returned to her best friend's waist.
As she calmed down, Mr. Turner handed her a glass of water. "Drink that, it'll help."
She brought the glass to her lips and obediently took several long sips. Her eyes were still red and slightly puffy as stray tears escaped but otherwise she'd gone silent. Shawn spoke next: "d'you want to sit, Julie?"
She nodded while still drinking her water, so he gently took her by the arm and led her to the couch. He expected the redhead to curl up next to him as she'd always done, so he was reasonably surprised when she moved to sit on his lap. Heat rushed up to his face as she curled up against his chest with the glass still held between her lips, though she wasn't actively drinking anything.
Juliet's gaze was blank and distant as she stared out at nothing, seeming not to register their. . . awkward seating. Tentatively, Shawn looped an arm over her shoulders and was grateful that she wasn't paying attention to how red his face was or the knowing look John was sending his way. Finally, when he couldn't stand the discomfort any longer, he cleared his throat.
"Do you—" The words came out higher than he intended so the boy coughed again. "Do you want to talk about it?" What he really meant was are you ready to talk about it, but his mind didn't seem to be connected to his mouth anymore.
The girl continued to stare out into space and for a moment, he thought she hadn't heard properly. He almost missed her quiet admission: "I wouldn't even know where to start."
"You could start at the beginning," Shawn suggested helpfully.
A frown crossed over the redhead's features and there was a moment of silence as she deliberated before she spoke again, her voice barely above a murmur. "Jack broke up with me."
At this, Shawn jerked forward slightly as if to get up, but the girl curled up on his lap prevented him from doing so. "He what?"
She winced at his suddenly aggressive tone and he made an effort to relax. "Julie—"
"I'm okay," she said softly, "really, I saw it coming. We've been arguing a lot about petty stuff recently and. . . I really should've broken it off earlier. Whatever we had was long gone."
Juliet finally tore her eyes away from staring at nothing to glance up to her best friend's face which, while it seemed that he was angry (the stony expression made it clearly obvious), his eyes didn't quite match.
Montacute broke up with Juliet!
That meant she was a free agent now. He wouldn't have to pretend to be happy that she was with someone. He wouldn't have to avoid looking at her when she kissed Montacute in front of him. Still, he couldn't bring himself to be as ecstatic as he wanted to be since Montacute had broken his promise.
"What—" he sounded too happy. He cleared his throat and tried again. "What caused the, uh, breakup?"
A wry smile appeared on the redhead's face before she answered. "Apparently, Jack's father didn't approve of my. . . background, so he found a replacement for me— a rich one, mind you— and had tried to get Jack to date her and then have him chose between us. It would've worked if Jack wasn't such a good person."
"A good person?" Shawn repeated dubiously, "that sounds a lot like cheating, Julie."
"Well, he is," she said, "he could've dumped me for Julia—the rich girl. Instead he chose neither of us and apologized. I think he handled himself very well except for falling for his father's schemes. As smart as Jack is, his father could run circles around him. Of course, Emyr would send someone else to do the running for him."
"Right," he answered, uncertain of how to answer that. "Do you need me to knock his head off, Julie?"
The girl's expression softened as she met the boy's eyes. "Thanks, Shawnie, but I'm good. It's not the biggest thing, anyway."
"There's something bigger than your months-long boyfriend breaking up with you?"
"Yeah," she admitted, "there's no easy way to say this, so. . . um, the reason I was so worked up was, well, my dad's back."
"What?" Shawn asked again, this time with shock evident in his tone.
"Yep. He was sitting in my kitchen when I got back from Jack's and everything. . . everything was just too much—"
"Change," he finished for her knowingly.
"Exactly," Juliet agreed, trying to ignore the warm feeling that spread in her chest at how well Shawn knew her. "My mind couldn't keep up with it. I just— I couldn't stay home so. . ." She trailed off, embarrassed. "I wanted the one, um, person I knew wouldn't change."
Shawn was relieved that the redhead was looking away from him and couldn't see his face grow warmer at her words. She'd wanted him. Out of all the people she could've gone to, she'd chosen him. To cover up his fluster, he tried to joke his way out of it: "I'm not sure if I'm supposed to feel insulted or not."
Almost immediately, he regretted his words when she answered sincerely, "I mean it, Shawnie."
Clearing his throat awkwardly, he changed the subject, "so. . . about your dad."
"Yeah?"
"What are you gonna do about it?"
She sighed and relaxed from her straight posture to lean against his chest with her shoulder pressing comfortably against his shirt. "I dunno. I think. . . one of the reasons why I was so worked up was because I. . . well, I know it's silly since I know nothing about him but my first thought was that he was running a scam."
"A scam?"
"My mother's definitely taken with him so maybe he convinced her. I dunno what he would want from us, though."
"What if it's not?"
"He's really my dad and maybe not so much of a terrible person and we could go on really cool adventures together," Juliet said in an extremely serious tone.
"And if it is a scam, Cory and I can expose him," Shawn offered, "there's really no way for you to lose."
"But. . . what if he makes us move?"
He stiffened slightly. "He wouldn't do that, would he?"
"I dunno," she repeated as she chewed on her bottom lip. "I don't think I'd ever be truly happy without you," she flushed as she added hastily, "and Cory."
"You could always move in with me and John," the boy suggested. The arm around her shoulders tightened slightly as if he were afraid someone would come and force her to move right then.
"I don't think you have the space, Shawnie," Juliet said ruefully, "though that would be fun."
"We'll figure it out, Julie," Shawn promised, "we always do, don't we?"
For the first time since she'd gotten there, Juliet smiled. "I think you mean I always figure it out."
"Well, this time it is we," he said firmly. "It's us against the world, remember?"
🌎🌎🌎
Juliet stayed with Mr. Turner and Shawn late into the night. Her English teacher even provided some surprisingly good advice for how to deal with a situation she'd never experienced before. As the hours passed, her emotions calmed and her mind cleared. The sharp thinker she always was made a reappearance as she talked the situation over instead of overthinking it.
And, when she arrived back at her apartment the next day, Juliet thought that maybe everything would work out.
(And, in her usual way, she was right.)
[written jan. 2021]
[edited may 2022]