009 Summer Lovin'

As Julia walked into the house, she quickly sighed, already not liking the amount of people that were crowding the house. "Bells, I'm gonna get a drink. Don't wait for me." Belly sent her a quick nod before Julia made her way into the kitchen, shoving past the people in the hall.

Once she found the fruit punch in the kitchen, she gladly helped herself to some before chugging from it. Once Belly had been dragged off with Nicole, Taylor sighed, also making her way to the kitchen. Julia turned around to see the dirty-blonde girl walking up to her, also taking some punch.

"So, is like, Belly always like this around her other friends?" Julia frowned in confusion at Taylor's words.

"What? Like what?" She questioned.

"Not herself?" Taylor stated in obviousness, which Julia grimaced at.

"What? No, no. Belly isn't different around Nicole or any of them. They're her friends." When Julia noticed the disappointed yet also annoyed look on Taylor's face, she sighed. "But you're her friend, too. Her best friend. Don't get jealous." Was all Julia said before beginning to walk off, although the girl sauntered next to her.

Julia groaned quietly as she looked next to her to see Taylor following her.

"What are you doing?" Julia questioned. "Don't you have like, people to flirt with or something?"

Taylor scoffed. "Um, no? I don't know these people." The girl stated clearly, causing Julia to snort a laugh.

"Has that ever stopped you?" Julia sighed before stopping in her tracks and turning torwards Taylor. "Look, go find Belly. I know you're like jealous and everything, but you're her best friend- which I've mentioned to you like, I don't know, twenty times? Whatever, doesn't matter." Julia shook her head quickly. "But anyways, you'll always be her number one, so they aren't stopping her from hanging out with you. Go find her."

Taylor smirked before chuckling. "So you do care about me?"

"That's a stretch." Julia smiled before shaking her head. "Go." Taylor smiled at the blonde girl one last time before walking off, searching for Belly.

Julia walked off, heading towards the living room where she saw Jeremiah sitting down next to a boy, clearly flirting. Julia sighed, once again feeling jealous. It was no secret that Jeremiah was bisexual, and she supported every part of that, but she couldn't help but hate to see him with someone else. She couldn't help but take her eyes off of the two, watching as they began kissing. Suddenly, her heart burned in her chest as tears prickled at her eyes.

Jeremiah was only doing it to take his mind off of Julia, but how was she supposed to know that when he couldn't talk to her about what he wanted?

The girl rolled her eyes as she began walking away into the hallway, trying to drag herself away from him.

She ran into Taylor and Steven, causing her to stop when she realized how long the line was for the restroom. She grunted before stopping to stand by them.

"That looks fancy." Taylor commented, hovering over Steven's shoulder to see Shayla on his phone, dressed in her Deb ball dress. "Personally, I'd rather be comfortable."

"That dress doesn't look too comfortable to me." Julia raised a brow as she looked Taylor up and down.

"Yeah. Uh, well, fancy isn't always better, so..." Steven shrugged.

"I don't think Belly agrees." Julia rolled her eyes as she stood behind Taylor, knowing this was once again being brought up. "She seems fully on board with the fancy girls."

"I take it you didn't go and talk to her?" When Taylor shook her head, Julia could only sigh.

"No, no, no, no. Look, she's just trying it out." Steven reassured Taylor, ignoring Julia's question. "Look, girls like that, they're cool in theory, all right, but Belly's never gonna feel fully comfortable around them." Steven told Taylor, causing Julia to hold back her eye roll. She didn't know how many times she had heard someone say that Belly nor her were fit for being Debs, although she did agree with if torwards her, she hated to hear everyone bringing down her sister. "I mean, Jules is just trying it out, too. Plus, you- you don't want to disappoint Susannah." He stated turning his attention torwards his sister. Julia scoffed before taking a chug of her drink. "Come on, look, she's always gonna need you. All right? You're, like, her number one. Come on."

"Okay." Taylor smirked up at Steven, earning drawn brows from Julia. She noticed something going on between them. She knew something was happening, but she sure as hell did not want to be there when something went down.

"This line hasn't budged. Do you want to go upstairs and see if there are other bathrooms?" Taylor suggested, which Julia quickly shook her head, walking away as the other two started heading up the stairs. Julia exhaled sharply before refilling her alcohol and walking out of the front door with her drink still in hand.

Before she could close the door fully, however, Jeremiah grabbed her arm, stopping her from leaving. "Hey, hey. Wait, follow me." Julia huffed annoyingly before turning around to look at him.

"Come on." He pleaded.

"Fine." She raised her brows flatly. "Go, go." She urged him before he led her into the living room where Belly and Cam were sitting on the couch, laughing.

He grabbed onto the karaoke station while Julia stood next to him, drinking from her solo cup in nervousness, knowing he was planning something.

Jeremiah grabbed the microphone, causing the device to make a high pitch noise. He tapped the mic a few times as he looked over at Belly. "Testing, testing, one, two, three. Checking out, checking out. All right." He smiled at Belly and Cam. "This one goes out to Cam Cameron and our favorite little Belly Button." After a few seconds of Nicole clapping, Jeremiah started playing Summer Lovin' on the karaoke machine, earning a sigh from Julia.

"Oh, Jesus." Belly laughed in embarrassment as she looked away.

Jeremiah suddenly began singing the lyrics, earning wide eyes from Julia. To her surprise, he actually wasnt too bad, but she was slightly embarrassed standing next to him like the two were familiar.

He held the microphone in front of Belly before she leaned back. "No, please no." Jeremiah, Nicole and Gigi continued to sing the lyrics as Julia laughed. Suddenly, Cam stood up from his spot next to Belly and went over to Jeremiah, singing along with the lyrics.

Julia watched as Belly stood up shortly after and started walking upstairs. She frowned before quickly sauntering behind her as they headed upstairs. "Taylor?" Belly called out as they walked down the hall.

Once opening a door that a boy yelled at the two for, the laughed as they walked down to the other side of the hall. Belly opened the door at the end of the hall, Julia following right behind her. The two looked at the flower crown laying on the bed before turning to the dresser to see Taylor sitting on it and Steven hovering over her as they made out. Julia's jaw dropped in disgust, anger and shock before she exchanged glances with Belly.

"You little bitch." Julia muttered torwards Taylor, causing the two making out to quickly jump up in shock.

"You're hooking up with out brother?" Belly questioned with a raised tone as Steven ran out of the room, Julia smacking him hard in the back of the head.

"I swear it just happened." Taylor defended.

"What the hell?!" Julia scoffed unbelievably as she looked at Taylor as if she had lost her mind, which knowing he was involved with someone, they both had lost their minds apparently.

"H-He's dating someone, you know?" Belly stated angrily. "Someone he actually likes."

"You saying he couldn't like someone like me?" Taylor questioned through a scoff. Julia sighed as she rubbed her hand past her forehead, knowing this was just causing more problems to deal with this summer. Julia walked out of the room and began quickly walking down the stairs, shaking her head as she tried to unimagine what she had just seen.

"Your not gonna make it. You got nothing." Jeremiah taunted as he had his arm around Cam's shoulder. Jeremiah, Luke, Conrad and Cam were all playing beer pong on the porch.

"So much shit you talk..." Luke said as he threw the ball torwards the cups, but missing.

"Oh." Jeremiah said dramatically.

As the boys continued to play and talk about Belly asking Cameron to the ball, Julia walked out onto the porch, earning a gasp from Jeremiah.

"Hey! Jules! I missed you already." He laughed, Julia frowning as he seemed slightly drunk.

"Yeah, sure." She muttered, standing next to him as she began looking around for Steven, earning confused looks from Conrad and Jeremiah.

"Who are you looking for?" Conrad questioned.

"Steven." She said flatly, showing them she was clearly mad. Jeremiah drew his brows together in confusion before looking down at her.

"Something tells me that's gonna end badly. What happened?" Jeremiah questioned as he tried shooting the ball into the cups but missed.

"Little asshole." She muttered under her breath as she thought of Taylor and Steven making out. She grimaced before looking back at the boys. "Him and Taylor were eating each other's faces. Horrible image by the way."

The boys all looked at her with open mouths as she shrugged, stopping to find her brother.

"Wait, seriously?" Conrad questioned.

"Yeah. Belly's pissed. They got in a bag argument but I tried not to get in the middle." She shrugged before downing the last of her alcoholic fruit punch.

Soon after, Belly came walking out of the house, asking Cam if they could leave. When Cam had told her she would take him home, they began walking torwards the car.

"Wait, who's gonna take Taylor home?" Jeremiah questioned as he looked down at Julia, noticing Belly and Cam already getting in his vehicle.

"The bitch can walk." Julia shrugged with a laugh before she replaced Cam in the game.

***

When Julia woke up, she groaned, immediately feeling the pain of a headache. She groggily got up from her bed before brushing her hair and walking downstairs. She walked into the kitchen wearing grey shorts and a blue tank top. Jeremiah was already awake, sitting in the kitchen mixing a type of jam in his drink.

He smiled as she walked in, earning a small smile back. "Good morning, Jules."

"Morning." She replied, leaning over the counter for the lucky charms he was eating and pouring some into her mouth.

"Okay, so what's this thing with Taylor and Belly? Have they made up yet?"

"Hell no?" Julia replied as if he should have known. "Would you like it if your best friend started making out with your brother?"

"Well..." Jeremiah grimaced to himself. "That would be you and Conrad... So, no." Julia snorted a laugh as she pushed her hair over her shoulder.

"Okay, thanks for that visual. I love Conrad, but not that much." Julia shook her head as the two laughed, turning their heads as they heard footsteps. They watched as Belly walked in with a dead panned look.

"Morning." Belly muttered to the two.

"Good morning, Bells." Jeremiah smiled. "Mmm. Want one?" He questioned, pointing to his smoothie. Without words, Belly looked at him flatly before eating from the cereal box.

Jeremiah chuckled before muttering, "Okay. I take it you and Tay-Tay haven't made up yet?"

"Nope." Belly shook her head, Julia shrugging in a 'i told you so' as she laughed. "We haven't talked since last night."

"Mm. Here." Jeremiah but his lip before pushing the milk and a bowl torwards Belly.

"Thanks."

"Well, when does she leave?" Jeremiah questioned before taking a drink of his smoothie, making Julia grimace.

"Today." Julia quickly said with a smile, causing Belly and Jeremiah both to turn to her. "What? I'm excited." Belly and Jeremiah both chuckled before Belly sighed.

"She's upstairs packing now." She told them. "Hey, do you want to go on a muffin run?" Belly asked the two. "I- I have to get out of the house."

"I'm always down for a muffin run. Jules?" Jeremiah turned to Julia before getting a shrug from her.

"Let me change first." She quickly stood up, beginning to run up the stairs as Belly and Jeremiah laughed. "Don't leave without me!"

Once Julia had changed into jean shorts, white converse and a red ruffled top, she put on a gold necklace and her turtle necklace, then she darted back downstairs, smiling at the two as she returned.

Julia has taken the front seat, insisting that she not be a third wheel like yesterday on Belly's birthday. Belly sat in the back, looking out the window as Julia was tapping her finger on the middle console, Jeremiah smiling down at her effortlessly beautiful features every now and then.

"You good?" Jeremiah questioned, looking in the back at Belly.

"I just, I don't get Conrad this summer." Belly sighed turning to the two in the front.

"Why? Is it because he forgot your birthday?" Jeremiah questioned slowly, not getting the point. Although, the girl sitting next to him in the front understood every reason why she didnt understand him.

"No. Its because he's been acting weird since the first day that we got here." Belly pointed out, pointing between the two girls.

"Yeah, trust me, he's been weird for months." Jeremiah mentioned, earning raised brows from Julia, remembering the talk she had with the moms. "Just forget him." Jeremiah shrugged.

"But, I noticed it, too. It's like he knows something that none of us do and it's just tearing him apart." Jeremiah shrugged before putting him hand over here.

"He'd probably just upset about something way smaller than you think. I'm sure he's fine." Jeremiah then turned back to Belly. "Look, I- I'm happy you invited Cam last night. He's really cool." He told Belly, trying to take her mind off of Conrad. "Have you asked him to the deb ball yet?"

"No." Belly shook her head.

"If it makes you feel any better, I don't have a date, either." Julia mentioned while turning to face Belly. Jeremiah looked next to him at Julia, wanting everything in him to ask her to take him, he just didn't know the right time.

"Look, I-I know Steven and I were giving him some shit, but..."

"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm." Belly agreed, knowing how embarrassed she was last night.

"But I think he's really cool. And I think you should..."

"Nicole really likes Conrad." Julia groaned at Belly's words from the back seat, annoyed that she was now again thinking about Conrad. "And if he's not into her, that's just messed up."

Jeremiah let out a sigh which caused Belly to lean forward in the front. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just, last night, you were all about Cam Cameron, and-and today you can't stop obsessing over Conrad." He chuckled softly as he spoke.

"Why are you so grumpy, huh?" Belly asked through a smile. "Did things not go well with Luke last night?" Julia stopped smiling as she heard Belly's words, trying to forget about what she had saw last night.

"Stop." Jeremiah chuckled, looking nervously as Julia. "Actually, things went really well. Want to hear details?"

"God, no!" Julia raised her voice with a smile, happy that he was happy but upset that he wasn't happy with her.

"You sure?" Jeremiah asked.

"Oh, shut up." Belly giggled as she spoke. Julia laughed as she looked at Jeremiah, his eyes meeting hers when he turned to see her. She bit the inside of her cheek before turning away, hiding how red her cheeks were. Jeremiah looked over at her, looking down at her hands before looking back at her lips. He loved how she looked in the sunlight, how perfect her smile was and how her brown eyes turned almost caramel in the sun. Julia smiled widely before covering her mouth with her hand and resting her elbow on the window, not understanding how one stare from a bit could make her fall hopelessly in love.