Chapter Thirty-One

I stepped into the busy cafeteria, my mind a blur. People were waving at me, sending me congratulatory smiles, as the news of Chase and I had somehow spread throughout the school like wildfire. Words were being sent my way, but I didn’t hear them. All noise was blocked out, and all I could hear was my own breath.

      “Julia!” someone yelled. My head flipped around, to face the possessor of the voice. His eyes looked serious and somber, opposite to their usual bright and lighthearted.

      “Trent,” I said, approaching him guardedly.

      “Jules!” someone else called from another direction. I averted my gaze from Trent to see Kim looking at me intently.

      “Kim…” I said, recognizing that this was one of those lose-lose situations.

      “We need to talk,” she said, as her eyes narrowed, glaring at me.

      “No, I’m talking to Jules right now, sorry,” Trent said, as they both moved in on me, so I was practically cornered. I hugged my brown paper bag, which was serving as my lunchbox for the day, to my chest tightly, as if I needed something to grip.

      “No,” Kim said, using a tone I had never heard from her before, “I am.”

      “We could both talk to her if you’d like,” Trent compromised my lunch plans as if my figure wasn’t standing between the two.

      “Fine,” Kim agreed.

      “Julia, let’s go,” Trent said, lacking all accounts of fun in his voice. I didn’t like this Trent. Kim joined Trent in front of me, as I silently followed them out of the cafeteria I had just entered. Trent roughly pushed open the door, holding it open for Kim, who closed it in my face. I ignored her minor display of aggression, feeling as though I deserved every bit of it.

      After entering the hall, Trent directed us to the back entrance. Punishment- that’s what it was. He knew I had an unresolved sense of fear about this place, so was bringing me back. We passed by a few students who looked… well, “out to lunch” as they say. Their eyes were red, and something was being passed around. Stoners. We reached the coveted door, and left the building, and the people, behind.

      The conflicted weather was apparent as a steady breeze blew, and rays of sunlight hit my face, partially blinding me. Trent led us over to a tree only a few short yards away from the school. He sat down, his face stern and displeased. Kim did the same, taking the spot next to him on the ground, slightly moist from the morning’s dew. That left me, standing awkwardly above the two, not sure what to do.

      “Sit,” Trent commanded. I didn’t object, and sat down, facing them. He inhaled the fresh air around us, and shook his head at me. “Julia, care to explain to us what happened?”

      “Do I have-”

      “Yes,” Kim interfered.

      “Starting when?” I questioned, wanting to know from where they wanted the story to be told.

      “Say maybe, I don’t know, the beginning!” Trent said.

      “What happened at the skate park after Cody and Aiden left?” Kim asked sharply, her deep eyes boring into my own.

      “Well, let’s see… I was screwing around on Logan’s skateboard-”

      “Don’t you mean screwing around with Logan?” Kim questioned harshly.

      “No,” I said, continuing. “After that, we talked-”

      “What about?” Trent interjected.

      “Love,” I said truthfully, “he wanted to know what it was, so I tried by best to explain to him the false feelings I had felt for the wrong boy.”

      “Oh that’s right, how is Josh?” Kim asked, touching upon a subject I had mentioned to her before wasn’t a favorable one.

      “I’m sure he’s fine,” I said emotionlessly, “just fine…”

      “You don’t miss him?”

      “Sometimes…” I said, surprising myself with the honesty in my answer. I did miss Josh… well, more the good times that I had with Josh. I’ll always have fond memories of water fights on the beach, and taking turns licking ice-cream cones with that boy; some things can’t be erased or forgotten no matter how much heartache they bring.

      “What happened after you two talked?”

      “He kissed me,” I said flatly, biting on my tongue. Kim clenched her fist, and I noticed a tear begin to trickle down the side of her face.

      “So, let’s get this straight: did he kiss you, or did you kiss him?” Trent inquired for clarification of the facts.

      “Logan kissed me for about half a second before I pulled back, knowing what he was doing was wrong,” I said.

      “W-why did he kiss you?” Kim stuttered. I had never seen her in a place so vulnerable to her emotions. To me, she was always the strong girl who never gave a shit about what the people around her thought; I don’t like seeing her in this state between anger and confusion.

Trent’s POV

Why did he kiss her? That was a very good question indeed… To me, Kim seemed like a fairly intelligent, epic chick, and it’s hard for me to contemplate Logan screwing up his short-lived relationship just to get one stupid kiss from Jules. Now Jules, I know her, and when it comes to kissing, she doesn’t… or didn’t know how to say no. I can’t imagine that Logan started to kiss her and she stopped. It sounds like a bunch of bullshit to me.

      “I don’t know,” Jules said. I looked at her face, and could read right through it- she truthfully didn’t have a clue as to why he kissed her.

      “He called me, and told me that he kissed you,” Kim said. “Why?”

      “I don’t-” Jules started.

      “I think I know,” I said tentatively.

      “Why?” she asked, turning to face me, her long, dark braid whipping behind her shoulder as she did so.

      “Logan was hurt after hearing the truth about the Katrina thing; he probably lashed out on Aiden, the poor guy, because after hearing what Katrina did, he wanted to… parallel his own experience and do the same to you,” I said, thinking in terms of Logan’s own logic. What Katrina did was wrong, but what Logan did was worse.

      “Why me? Why did he have to break my heart? Why not someone like you, Jules; why was it me?” she said, her deep eyes bubbling with a small formation of tears.

      “Because he thought you would be the only girl who wouldn’t break,” Jules said.

      “What?” Kim said.

      “Kim, you’re the strongest person I have ever met, and I think that this dickhead decided to screw with your heart because he thought… that it wouldn’t effect you. He thought you were the unbreakable,” she said, her words holding validity and a confidence about them.

      “So, it wasn’t you Jules?” Kim asked for closure.

      “No,” Jules said. I gave her a look, and she shook her head to me, indicating that she was undeniably telling the truth.

      “Okay,” Kim said, unsatisfied by the outcome, but accepting it as the fact.

      “Oh, and Kim,” Jules said, “I made you promise, and I intend to keep it up.” Kim gave her a questioning look, not remembering. “Logan will have consequences for his actions of breaking the most important muscle in your body. I can guarantee it.”

      “Thanks Jules,” Kim said, leaning her hand back on the grass. It brushed against mine lightly, and she rapidly moved it away, as if my hand was covered in that .01% of germs that hand sanitizers don’t kill.

      “Now Jules, please continue your little story. I want to hear the rest,” I said. I wanted to know what really happened between Chase and her. I had been hearing rumors all day, but I wanted it verified.

      “Well, after Logan… kissed me,” she hesitated, “I ran. I ran all the way to Chase’s house. I knocked on his door, he came out, and we talked. And then we kind of ki-”

      “Do not say the ‘K word’ again,” I warned. I didn’t- I couldn’t hear of another one of Jules’ escapades involving her lips. I wanted to feel those lips on my own again, and hearing yet another tale of someone else kissing her would be pure torture.

      “Okay, he asked me... to be his girlfriend,” she said almost as quiet as a whisper.

      “And you said yes,” I finished for her. She nodded, a tinge of pink rising in her cheeks. “Why?”

      “Why what, Trent?” she asked, knowing what I had meant.

      “Why Chase and not me?”

      “Firstly because Chase asked first, and secondly, because you’re my freaking best friend, and that would be weird dating you,” she said, her face scrunching up at the word ‘dating’.

      “What is it about Chase though?” I questioned.

      “I don’t know. I just… I like him a lot,” she answered, smiling briefly. “Trent, I love you, but you’re my best friend.”

      “So is that my official title? ‘Julia Tyler’s Best Friend’?” I sighed disappointedly.

      “No! Of course not!” she said, slapping down the idea. “I think Trentyboo is much more fitting.”

      “Okay Julesy,” I said, rolling my eyes at her attempt at playfulness.

      “So, I hate to leave the two of you alone to plot how to kill me, Logan, and or Chase, but I would really love to go now,” Jules said, standing up.

      “Leaving us so soon?” Kim asked, almost fully recovered from her teary state.

      “Afraid so,” Jules said. “Are we okay now?”

      “If you aren’t, then chances are you’ll be dead by tomorrow,” I joked.

      “Ha. Funny,” she said sarcastically.

      “Yeah, I think we’re good,” Kim said.

      “Awesome. So, I’ll see you guys later, I would really love not dying if at all possible. Bye,” she said, slowly walking away from us back to the old brick building.

      “Bye,” I said faintly. Bye Jules, you entered my life once again, and though my intentions were to keep you there forever, becoming your best friend isn’t the worst thing that could happen…

Jules’ POV

I rushed past the hallway of the back entrance, not wanting to run into anyone unwanted. That went surprisingly well I’d have to say. I didn’t expect them to forgive me so easily; I wouldn’t have. But then again, I keep grudges longer than the average person is supposed to…

      I went by a section of lockers, a few kids were out, retrieving various objects from the rust colored storage units. In a few minutes, more students would start to gradually pour out into the halls. All of the sudden, I felt arms clasp around my waist, and shrieked out of terror and shock.

      “Chill Jules! It’s just me!” Chase said, letting go out of me.

      “You freaking scared me!” I said.

      “Sorry,” he apologized. “Have a nice chat with Trent?”

      “Trent and Kim, and yeah, I did. I think they understood,” I said. “But to be honest- I don’t care what they think. I only care what you and I think. So, what do you think?”

      “About what?” he asked, propping his elbow on top of my shoulder.

      “About us, about life, about everything!” I said dramatically.

      “I like life. It’s a cool thing. And, I definitely like that there’s an us,” he said, yawning.

      “Yeah, me too,” I agreed.

      “Jules,”

      “Yeah?”

      “I want to take this slow. I don’t want to rush into things, I’ve done that before, and it screwed up the relationship.” Taking it slow. With Josh, that’s how it was. We waited forever for the other one to finally make a move. It was cute- stupid, but still cute.

      “Okay,” I said, shrugging his arm off my shoulder. A bell sounded, meaning that lunch was over and our next period would begin shortly.

      “See ya later Jules!” Chase called above all the noisiness that the hall possessed.

      “Bye Chase,” I said, going off in the direction of my locker, which happened to be in the opposite direction of his own.

      “Wait!” he exclaimed, running over to me. He kissed me tenderly on the cheek, and grinned, not saying another word. He left with the flow of people, as I stood motionless. I touched my hand to where his lips had been, and smiled. Chase Ryan, my boyfriend, had just kissed me on the cheek.