After several weeks of seeing each other, Jake invites Julia to a bar to watch his band play. She has never met anyone from Jake's family or his friends, so that will be the occasion for that too. Julia feels quite nervous, even if she knows she shouldn't be. jake assured her everyone will be fine and accept her. He is at her house in the afternoon, studying together. After doing some math, Jake goes to the living room to study literature, leaving Julia in her room.
A few hours later, Jake needs a break. He thinks about going outside on the balcony and smoke, but he calls Julia first. He walks to her room and leans on the door, watching her. Julia is sitting at her desk, writing something down on a paper, sometimes looking at the computer in front of her. "hey", he says walking closer. "break time?".
She turns around, to look at him. As Jake gets closer, he spots a little box on Julia's desk. He knows about her nervous hunger when she studies, and she often eats while doing so. He knows that she struggles with this, and she is right now eating something, Jake notices. "what do you have here?", he asks pointing at the little box, trying to choose the right words.
"chocolate", Julia replies taking it. "do you want one?...", she asks looking inside, realizing it is actually empty. And it's like the whole word has fallen onto her shoulders. She has eaten the whole thing without even realizing it. Her mind goes back to when her doctor said her knees hurt because of her weight when she was in high school, how she struggled with the diet. And most of everything, Julia thinks at the disappointing look on her doctor's face when he realized Julia had gained almost twenty pounds during her first year in college. She can't help it, it's in her nature. It's like something bigger takes possession of her sometimes. She always thinks about it only when it's too late, when she has already eaten the whole box of chocolate, when she buys something at the supermarket that she shouldn't have bought. Julia is well aware of what she is doing to herself, and she feels sad and powerless. She has terrible major crises sometimes, like when Andrew cheated on her, or at the end of the first year of college. And she is having one right now. She knows it's not that helpful to eat earlier and cry later, but she can't help but do so. Every single time. how can she be a slave of her own body? Of her own hunger and nervousness?
Julia lets the box fall on the floor, bringing both her hands to her face. Then she starts crying, not loudly, but she can feel warm tears on her cheeks. She stands up and walks to the wall, sitting down on the floor, her back against it. bringing her legs to her chest and surrounding them with her arms, she presses her forehead against her knees and doesn't once look around her.
Jake looks at her, he feels sad. He wants to help her find a way out of all of this. He walks to her and sits down beside her, surrounding her body with his arms. "talk to me", he whispers in her ear.
"I'm a disaster", she says, and Jake can barely hear her, since she is still with her head on her knees.
"no, you are not. But", he says moving in front of her and gently touching the sides of her face to make her look at him, "listen to me now". Julia looks up. Her eyes are wet and red, they seem sad. At first, she looks away, then she reaches for Jake's eyes with her own. Once they lock, he speaks again. "I can help you, you know".
"I respect you and the shape of your body", he continues, "but I think you know there is a heath issue here". He is trying to say it in the best way possible. He doesn't want to offend her or make her sad. He wants her to be fine and love herself. But in a healthy way.
"I know Jake", Julia replies after a while, "I know it too damn well. But I can't control myself, at times". She is sad and angry. Angry at herself, mostly. How can she ever get out of this? She can try again with a diet and talk to her doctor, she thinks, and tells Jake.
"call now", he says smiling at her. "now?", she asks.
"if not now, when?". Jake cups her cheeks and kisses her lips. "I'm gonna take a shower, and you are gonna call your doctor. Then you take a shower washing away all this sadness and then we go to our gig. Happy and smiling".
He stands up and walks to the bathroom. Jake is right, and Julia calls her doctor. He sets an appointment for them to talk, saying maybe they'll meet a nutritionist too, again. She accepts. She doesn't know how to deal with this in the right way, and having help and support can help. She already has Jake, which is something she has never had before. With Andrew was different. He only complained and never talked about it with her, never really tried to help her. Maybe this time, with the right help, Julia could really be able to get out of this situation.
They both get ready and leave Julia's place to reach the bar where Jake's band is playing that night. Julia is a little scared, she is gonna meet everyone. Jake's friends and siblings. She hopes it won't be a disaster. The day hasn't started in the most perfect way, it can only get better. Maybe.
Julia drives and Jake lets the others know they are on their way. the bar is one where they play a lot, everyone knows who they are. Jake leads Julia all the way behind the little stage on one side of the bar. jake wanted Julia to bring someone, so she could enjoy the night while they were playing. But none of Julia's friends could come, so he hopes someone of their friends will show up to keep her company. Especially after a day like that. thankfully, when they enter the little room behind the stage, Jake sees that his sister Ronnie and a few friends are there as well, together with the band.
When Jake opens the door, Julia feels nervous. she has never felt nervous when meeting new people. This time, however, it's different. She doesn't know what to expect, how they are gonna react, if they would like her. but what she sees in front of her eyes, immediately makes her feel comfortable. A bunch of teenagers yelling at each other, she misses those times.
"what the actual fuck, Sam?!", a boy who she remembers as Josh yells at another boy who actually looks a lot like Jake (what!?) even if he is taller and seems younger.
"shut up, Josh! If I want to wear this tonight, you can't wear it too!". The younger-Jake-boy is yelling back.
"but I was the one who took it from home! give it back, asshole!". Julia understands they are fighting over some piece of clothing Sam, or younger Jake, is holding in his hand. It looks like a vest. And they are actually both shirtless. Josh has very tight jeans and Sam skinny black pants, but nothing more. Only some necklaces hanging from Josh's neck.
"what if no one wears this tonight and you both find something different?". Another boy, this time different from the other three, who by now Julia has figured out being the three Kiszka brothers, is trying to stop the fight between the other two. He has dark hair, and he is very tall and muscled. So different from the three brothers. Probably the drummer, she thinks.
Both Sam and Josh drop it, one of them heading to the bathroom, the other sitting down on the couch loudly. A group of girls walks across the room, some of them sitting down beside Josh on the couch. One of them talks. "you pricks. Remember that time I had to hand you my pants because Jake took yours?", she says looking at Josh. And the girl too just looks like Jake. What the hell? They are all clearly siblings, but they look so much alike it's almost scary.
"welcome to my family", Jake laughs taking her hand and introducing her to the others. "guys!", he yells to get everybody's attention. Once everyone is looking at him, he continues. "this is Julia", Jake says pointing at her. She smiles and waves at them. "Julia, these are my favorite idiots", he grins.
"you already met Josh", he says pointing at him on the couch, "he is my twin, as you know. This", Jake points now at the girl beside Josh who talked before, "is my sister Veronica". She smiles. "you can call me Ronnie, if you want".
Jake turns around and Julia does the same. "that is Danny". The tall boy with dark hair waves at her. "not related, but still a brother".
"then Sammy, the little one". And Sam walks back into the room wearing a denim shirt. He looks up and smiles at Julia, buttoning his shirt.
Jake goes on introducing the other people in the room. "I'm already sorry, guys, but I won't be able to learn your name in short time", Julia laughs.
"don't worry, darling", Josh replies going through some piece of clothing Danny threw him and taking out another vest, this one of a pinkish color. He wears it. "but you better learn the ones of the important people here", he says winking at Julia. What a character he is, she thinks. So similar and so different from Jake at the same time.
"Jakey", Josh says once more getting his twin attention, "how does my butt look in these jeans?". He turns around and Jake snorts. "shut up, Josh".
Julia can't help but laugh. She already likes Josh. He really is something else. A seventeen years old boy with that attitude could only be found in the backroom of a bar, before performing with his band a 70s kind of rock and roll in front of people in their fifties who are gonna pay very little attention to him, but couldn't care less.
"where is my shirt?", Jake asks walking to Josh, who tosses him a white shirt. Jake wears it leaving half of the buttons open, wearing some necklaces to cover his chest just like his twin.