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❛ ᴏᴄᴇᴀɴ ᴇʏᴇꜱ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐓𝐖𝐎 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ғᴏʀ ʟᴏᴠᴇ &
ᴀᴘᴀʀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛs ꒱


❝ SO, HOW IS STALKER BOY? ❞

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Juliet joined Topanga and Angela to help them carry the last of their things up to their new apartment. On their way back, they stopped by the boy's dorm. "We just wanted to come by and get the rest of our stuff," Topanga told them.

"We're in the apartment now, you know," Angela added.

"So you girls kicked Eric and Jack out of the apartment?"

"Pretty much."

"Why do you need to be so somber?" Cory asked the blonde.

"Cory, the only relationship I believed in more than ours is dead and I'm not somber."

He walked over to Topanga and smiled brightly at her. "I want you to turn that frown upside down."

She shook her head. "Stop it."

"Yeah, Cory. Don't," the brunette agreed. She gave him a disapproving look.

"Don't what?" he demanded. "Don't be the only one who knows that the four of us— sorry, Angela— should be together? Well, I'm gonna fix you and I'm gonna fix you and I'm gonna fix you," he said as he pointed to his three friends in turn. "And then I'm gonna take a bath."

"Goodbye," the blonde said quietly.

"Goodbye, mopey."

"Don't make fun of me, insensitive jerk."

Topanga left them after that with Angela following her close behind. Juliet frowned at the curly-haired boy. "I admire your optimism, Cor, but you could be at least a little more sympathetic. What she's going through isn't easy."

"Well Jules, the beauty of it is that I have to live up to whatever she calls me. That's the privilege of a wife, you know— she can call me anything she wants but she has to share it. She's gonna be Mrs. Insensitive Jerk."

She sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to get it anytime soon. Her gaze fell on her best friend. "Shawn. . ."

"Julie—"

Cory groaned. "Okay. Here's, like, an hour out of my life."

"I'm just-I'm just not—"

"Ready," he finished for her. "Yeah, you've said. That's absolutely fine. You don't need to keep reminding me. I get that we're not a couple. Seriously."

"Good," she said. "Don't you forget it. I'll see you around."

After she left with the other girls, Shawn turned to Cory. "I'd do anything to get her back."

🌎🌎🌎

"So, how is stalker boy?" Celeste asked as they met up in the Student Union later that day.

Juliet rolled her eyes. "Don't get me started. It's almost worse than when we were in elementary school because now I know what it's like to be with him. At least back then I truly didn't have feelings for him besides friendly ones."

"I don't mean to be callous but have you considered trying to go out with someone else?" she wondered as they paid for their respective coffees.

"Trust me— if I could, I would. It's just. . . I'm not even remotely interested in anyone but him, but I feel like we can't get back together because I'm. . . scared he's going to break up with me again and I don't know if I could handle that."

"You're always stronger than you think," the brunette told her as they found a table. "You'd be surprised with how much you can take."

Her shoulders slumped and she slouched against the back of her chair. "I'm already surprised that I can take this much. Ever since Shawn and I broke up it just feels like I'm getting farther and farther from my friends. Topanga and Angela are closer than ever and now they're getting along with Rachel who was my friend first. I can talk to Shawn only when I'm not focusing on how much I want to be with him and Cory's obsessed with getting his marriage back together. Not that I blame him, of course," she added. "It just feels that even though I've been friends with them for years, if I'm not in the group then they don't make an effort, you know?"

"Have you talked to any of them about this?" Celeste asked her pointedly.

"Well. . . no, but they have enough problems. It'll go away. Probably."

"You and Shawn broke up last year, right? And you've been feeling like this ever since?"

"Um. . . yeah, but a year isn't that long. I've known all of them for more time than that."

"I'm just saying that maybe it's time to let them know what you've been thinking about," she said.

Juliet hesitated for a moment before she admitted, "they did ask me to have a girl's day this weekend to celebrate their move. I said I'd let them know if I could come since I was tempted to say no but I didn't want to give them a definite answer right away."

"It could be a good opportunity to share your feelings. That's the stereotype for that sort of thing, after all," the brunette suggested.

"I'll think about it," she promised.

🌎🌎🌎

Almost reluctantly, Juliet took her roommate's advice and agreed to come over to her friends' apartment on Saturday. So far everything was going well as the four of them talked about everything except the boys in their lives. However, the distant feeling was only more pronounced as three girls could fit on the couch— Rachel, Topanga and Angela— while they did their nails. That left Juliet to sit at the kitchen island and occupy herself with a magazine instead.

As she was working up the nerve to broach the subject, Eric and Jack barged into the peaceful space. "We want our apartment back and we want it now!"

"You're bullies is all you are and I, for one, have never backed down from a bully," Jack declared.

The four girls remained absorbed in their tasks as Rachel replied, "I really respect that, Jack."

"You guys are such strong men," Angela added.

"I'm so moved by your little speech," the redhead agreed.

When she finished painting her nails, Topanga stood from the couch. "Can I offer a slight suggestion?"

"Of course you may."

"How about we settle this right now?" she asked as she stalked towards them. "How about we kick your squirrelly little butts right now? Do you guys have any idea what is going on in my life right now? Do you have any idea of how much anger I have inside of me?"

"A lot?"

"Steel cage match, tag team! Whoever lives gets this apartment," she announced.

Eric chuckled at her statement. "You three girly-girls want to wrestle us manly men?"

Ouch. Cory's brother had never been the smartest so maybe he hadn't seen her sitting behind him or heard her speak, but her exclusion only made her less willing to talk now. It didn't help that they moved quickly on from this point and Eric cheered as Jack showed the girls his "muscles."

"Are you sure about this, Topanga and Rachel?" Angela asked them.

The blonde adopted a smug expression as she grabbed an empty Coke can from the table. She let out a loud yell before she smashed the container against her forehead. Eric tried to copy her but when he went to slam it against his head, the can stayed full and instead he toppled over.

Jack sighed. "It's supposed to be an empty can, Eric."

🌎🌎🌎

"Oh, Peaches, you don't have to go," Topanga pleaded with her as Rachel and Angela moved the furniture out of the way.

"It's alright, Panga," Juliet said, and she gave her a forced smile. "I don't live here so it makes sense for you guys to fight for your space. Besides, I don't like sports."

"You could referee!"

"I'm good, really. I've-I've got homework to do and I can put in a few hours of Violin practice. I've got to up my game now that I'm actually in an orchestra, you know."

"If you're sure," the blonde said, unconvinced. "It feels like we don't spend time together anymore."

I wonder why that is. "I just spent four hours with you!" she exclaimed lightly.

"You know what I mean. We'll have to plan to do something together soon, like when we lived together while you were avoiding your dad."

Like that'll happen. "Sure," she agreed. "I'd like that. See you Monday, Panga." 

🌎🌎🌎

She did exactly as she'd said and after she'd finished a two-hour practice session, she returned to her dorm to find Celeste and . .. Kendrick?

"Wait, wait, wait," Juliet blurted out as she stared at the two of them together. "You're Kendrick's Celeste?"

The brunette stared at her. "How do you know Kendrick?"

"I get around!" he protested, though the two girls ignored him.

"Orchestra," the redhead provided a more suitable answer. "I met him through a mutual friend."

"Wait," Celeste repeated. "You're Gollum?"

"I. . . yeah. How'd you know?"

"He talks about you a lot— though not in any way where I'd be concerned," she added reassuringly. "You're referred to as 'my friend Gollum' or 'Firecracker.' I only knew you had red hair but I didn't know you were you!"

Juliet smiled faintly. "It's a small world, huh?"

"I can't believe you two have been together for two weeks and I've never realized that you're Celeste's roommate with the stalker boyfriend!" Kendrick burst out. "This is great!" Then a horrified look dawned on his face. "Oh no, or you could scheme against me! No, no. Babe, you need a new roommate ASAP."

The girls laughed at the sudden turn of his feelings and the brunette shook her head. "Sorry, it's too hard to find a new roommate this late in the semester." She gave him a teasing smile. "The damage has already been done!" 

[written dec. 2021]
[edited jun. 2022]