Chapter Nineteen

      “Give it back Jules!” Logan shouted, trying to keep up with me as I ran down the desolate hallway.

      “Oh come on Logan! You seriously can’t catch me? I’m not even going that fast!” I said, picking up my pace. Damn it. I can’t believe he’s actually a fast runner! This shit sucks!

      “Yes you are!” he yelled behind me.

      “Not my fault you’re slow!” I wheezed, almost out of breath. I took a look around, to see if there was anywhere to escape. “Women’s” (we’re not really women; we’re teenage girls who want to be treated like women) locker room! Score! I ducked inside, to see the door slam in Logan’s face. Phew. Safe at last.

      “Jules open up! I need it back!” he yelled on the other side.

      “No you don’t!” I retorted, placing the object of our dispute on top of my head.

      “Jules! Give it back!”

      “Or what?”

      “Or I’ll come in and get it!”

      “It’s just a hat!” I said, adjusting it so it was turned sideways.

      “It’s my snapback!” he whined.

      “I don’t know what that is.”

      “It’s the type of hat. Now please, come out and give it to me!”

      “I have practice,” I said, moving away from the door. I went to a locker, and dropped my drawstring bag in, removing my clothes. I quickly changed, and was about to leave, when the reflection in the mirror caught my eye. Damn I look good! I fixed the hat once more, so it was “perfect” and left the room.

      “JULIA TYLERS! GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE!” Talia yelled, as she spotted my figure walking towards the nets.

      “TALIA RYAN! SHUT UP!” I screamed back.

      “Oh is that how we’re talking to each other now?” she challenged, running up over to me.

      “Yes it is,” I nodded, stealing the volleyball that was in her hand, and serving to a random girl in the distance.

      “Nice hat,” she smirked, “does it belong to a boyfriend?”

      “Nope.”

      “Well, speaking of boyfriends, tell your brother to call me.”

      “Why can’t you?”

      “I was mad at him today…”

      “Oh no. What’d the idiot do this time?” I asked, hoping that Adam hadn’t jeopardized his relationship with one of the only girls I’ve liked thus far. 

      “He… it doesn’t matter. Just tell him I’m over it, and I want to talk,” she said.

      “Okay,” I said, as I saw Logan enter the gym. He looked over to me, paused, and then ran straight for me. I wasn’t getting out of this one. He kept running, and I just stood there, not daring to move. He rammed me into a hug, and folded his arms tightly around me. One of his hands snaked its way up my back, and to my head, removing his precious hat.

      “Don’t take my hat again,” he rasped, placing it back on his coal colored head.

      “I don’t make promises I don’t intend on keeping,” I laughed, pulling away from him, and running over to join the other girls.

      “GIRLS, PARTNER UP! WE’RE DOING SEVRES TODAY!” the coach roared, once everyone had gathered around in the same general area.

      “Hey, want to be partners?” someone asked me, tapping on my shoulder.

      “Sure!” I replied, happy to greet Izzy as the one to have asked.

      “Okay!” she said. We grabbed a ball, and made our way over to isolated region of the gym. She hit the ball, causing it to fly over to me. I hit it back, displaying a perfect set. Serves are stupid.

      “So Jules, I saw you and Logan were talking,” she commented, hitting the ball back over to me.

      “We were,” I said, bouncing it off my palm.

      “I think you should know that Mia likes him.”

      “I know.”

      “You do?!” she asked, genuinely surprised.

      “Yeah... It’s pretty obvious.” The whole world knows; and besides, it’s not that hard to figure out...

      “It is?”

      “Yeah...”

      “Oh… okay, I just wanted to mention it to you…”

      “I’m not interested in Logan,” I said firmly.

      “Okay,” she smiled, throwing the ball back to me.

      “Yeah,” I said, not knowing how to continue the conversation.

      “So Jules, want to hang out on Sunday? We might go to mall,” she asked, concentrating on the ball that was heading her way.

      “Sure!” I said. We continued talking about nothing as the ball passed between us. The coach’s whistle sounded, indicating that we were done, and could leave. The two of us made our way into the locker room, and I grabbed my stuff, not having the energy to change out of my shorts and t-shirt. I left the locker room, and went on the plaza, to wait for my ride. After waiting a good five minutes, I was bored, and wanted to go home. I took out my phone to see if Adam had texted me, and no surprise, he hadn’t. Idiot.

      “Boo!” someone said, placing their arm around my shoulder. I looked up to see Chase. Great.

      “Hi…” I said, ducking under his arm.

      “What’s up?” he asked casually, stuffing his hands in his jean pockets.

      “Just finished up with volleyball,” I said.

      “Cool.”

      “Yup.” We stood there in silence for a good minute, before I realized not changing out of my shorts was a stupid idea. I’m not one of those girls who wears shorts in the winter, just to prove a point. I think it’s dumb, and could lead to hypothermia. But of course, being the bright bulb that I am, wearing shorts and a T-shirt in 38 degree whether seemed like a smart idea to me… at first.

      “Here,” Chase said, handing me something. I accepted it, without fully being aware of what it was. I felt it in my arms. Heavy, but not too heavy. Soft, but not too soft. Flexible, but not too flexible. Huh… I looked down, to see that it was his sweatshirt.

      “What’s this for?” I asked, holding it by two fingers, as if it was infected.

      “For you to wear; you look cold.” Aw! That’s sweet! He thought about me... or saw that I am indeed freezing. 

      “Yeah, well, I am. But I’m not wearing this,” I said, handing it back to him.

      “Why not?” he demanded, pouting.

      “Because I’m not.”

      “I would love to hear a reason.”

      “Great for you!”

      “Jules!” he whined.

      “I think it’s too cliché,” I sighed, looking around to see if Adam had magically appeared within the past thirty seconds.

      “What?”

      “A girl wearing a boy’s sweatshirt. Even if it is you, I’m still against it,” I explained.

      “So you’re against putting the sweatshirt on to keep from freezing?”

      “No, I’m against the idea of it.”

      “Oh… well I can fix that!” he smirked. Before I knew what was happening his arms were wrapped around me, as I stood there, stiff as a board.

      “Chase…”

      “Yes!”

      “What’cha doing?”

      “I’m hugging you!”

      “Oh. Could you please not?” I asked, trying to get out of his grasp.

      “Nah.”

      “Jules!” someone called out.

      “Yeah!” I said, trying to escape from Chase’s strong arms, only to be restricted.

      “Am I interrupting something?” the same person questioned, their voice thick with amusement.

      “No,” I said at the same time as Chase said, “Yes!”

      “Is this a group hug?” they asked.

      “Sure…” I said.

      “Okay then!” they said, as their arms encircled around my waist, opposite to Chase’s.

      “Hey Logan, do you mind maybe, I don’t know, letting me breathe?” I asked, taking a deep breath in, and out to prove a point.

      “Oh sorry,” he said, relaxing his hold on me. Chase’s grip tightened as Logan did so, and I felt like my frame could collapse at any moment.

      “Aw! What a cute little threesome!” Adam’s obnoxious voice sang, as he jogged over to us. That would be their cue to let go of me, but of course- they didn’t.

      “Adam, please shut up,” I said, trying to wiggle away from them, but failing.

      “Nah, I like talking,” he said.

      “Please let go!” I said to both of them.

      “Oh, well since you said please…” Chase said, finally freeing me. Logan’s arms remained glued around me.

      “Logan!” I said.

      “Jules!” he mimicked.

      “If you don’t let go of me now I’m not going to the skate park with you ever again!” I threatened.

      “Fine,” he said, dropping his hands and smirking at me.

      “Okay, now that you’re all done with whatever, how about we leave?” Adam suggested, taking my hand, and leading me away. He dragged me into the car, and started it without uttering a word.

      We were about half way home when I couldn’t take the silence and spoke up, “Adam, what’s up with you? Are you mad or something?”

      “Or something,” he grumbled.

      “It’s about Talia?”

      “Maybe…”

      “It is. She already told me you guys had a complicated day. Oh! And she also told me to tell you to call her because she’s not mad anymore,” I said.

“She isn’t?” he asked hopefully.

      “No. What happened?” I asked, raking my brain of the possibilities. 

      “Nothing.” I was about to object when he continued his answer, “You don’t need to know. It’s not important…”

      “Fine. If you want to talk, I’m here to listen.”

      “Thanks Jules, but it really isn’t for you to hear.”

      “Whatever.”

      “You know what? Screw it. Jules, how did you know that you loved that bastard?” he asked, pulling up to our driveway.

      “Who Josh, or you?” I said, studying his face. My throat tightened as I said his name.

      “Ha. Funny. Yeah, Josh.”

      “Uh… I guess when my brain couldn’t focus on anything else but him, and every other boy meant nothing to me, I figured that’s what love is… I could go into mushy details, but that’s not me,” I said, almost choking on my own words. “Why?”

      “I think… I think I might be in love with Talia,” he admitted, as his cheeks turned a light shade of pink. Aw! If he wasn’t my brother, that may actually come across as being sweet!

      “You? Adam Tylers? The same boy who has had over 37 girlfriends, might be in love? Who are you, and what have you done with my brother?!” I laughed.

      “Shut up. It might not even be love… whatever. Forget I mentioned it.”

      “No! That’s so sweet… in a really gross way!”

      “Gee, thanks.”

      “She’s a great girl, Adam.”

      “I know…”

      “Tell her.”

      “I think I just might do that,” he said, exiting the car. Wow. My brother in love! That’s... great! I remember the feeling, and it’s a wonderful thing to feel, so if he’s feeling anything even moderately close to what I’ve experienced, then that’s awesome! Adam… in love, who would have ever thought?