Chapter Three
I would ignore the fact that Kate didn't even spare us a glance when she walked over with her new boyfriend to where Cromwell, Bell and Tennyson sat. I would also ignore the fact that the whole time they were there, they didn't even talk. They weren't even eating, unless you call sucking each other's faces off eating.
The keyword there was that I would ignore it, but… let's not sugarcoat this, shall we? I didn't ignore it. "Did any of you know about this?" I questioned, tilting my head to meet my two best friends' eyes. They shook their heads simultaneously.
"Don't I feel dumped," Denise spoke after a few minutes. Among all of us, though, Alice seemed the most affected by it. She couldn't even stare at them. I didn't know she and Kate were that close that she was so put out by what happened.
"I seriously wanna punch her face in right now," I muttered through gritted teeth, my eyes not leaving their table. I mean, really. We've all been friends since freshman year, for fuck's sake. And it was tradition that before every school year, we'd meet up in Joe's and talk about our fantabulous summer (or lack thereof, in my case). And now, we've just been dumped, rejected even, for the people she knew were dangerous? And she was dating one of them?
I honestly didn't know what to feel towards that… that person right now.
"Guys, you know, I'm just gonna go home." Alice stood up quickly, accidentally knocking her chair over. It hit the floor with a loud bang, causing everyone in the diner to stare at her, including the five people who I really didn't like at the moment. She slowly put the chair back up and hugged us goodbye.
"Are you sure you're okay, Al?" Denise asked softly when Alice's arm slid around her neck. Alice laughed quietly and tilted her head towards Kate and Blackford, all traces of emotion slipping from her face.
"Who said anything about being okay?" she finally let out. "I'll see you guys at school tomorrow."
With that, she walked quickly out of the vicinity. I let out an annoyed breath that I didn't know I was holding in. "The fucking nerve of Kate," I muttered. I clenched and unclenched my fists slowly. "That's it. I'm not taking this sitting down."
"Oh dear, Jules, please think before you act," Denise begged, grabbing a hold of my wrist as I slid down from the chair. I rolled my eyes at her.
"Well, if you want to watch over my actions, why don't you just follow me?" I retorted, dragging her along as I made my way towards that stupid booth. All the pent-up anger I had for this group of unrespectable people needed to come out, and I had no doubt that all these people were going to hear about it.
"Jules," Denise warned, trying to stop me in my tracks. I shot her a look, and she immediately shut up. Denise, although she looked like the type of girl with a strong personality, didn't like confrontations. She knew what to say and how to say it, but seeing people face-to-face was a bit of a problem for her. I, on the other hand, didn't have that problem.
"Ah, fancy seeing you all here," I said with a sarcastic smile, stopping by their table. Tennyson looked up from what appears to be Cromwell's face, eying me up and down. She pursed her lips slowly.
"Who are you exactly?" she said, her annoying voice ringing in my ears. Denise pinched me, but I still didn't calm down.
"Who am I? Please, like I care if you know me. The point is, one of my best friends just walked out of here looking incredibly hurt. And why do you think that is?" I continued, my voice unusually calm and dry.
"Why do you think we care?" Blackford commented, making everyone and I mean everyone in the table laugh harshly. Whispers started to spread around the room, but who really gave a fuck about that now?
"Ha. Obviously you don't. I don't expect you to care, but I kind of expected your girlfriend to care. After all, last time I checked, she was our friend." I raised a bemused eyebrow at Kate, who refused to meet my eyes or Denise's.
"Last time I heard, Kate didn't really like being your friend," Blackford said coolly. "After all, she did choose me, didn't she?"
A flicker of something I didn't know was in his dark brown eyes, but I really didn't care anymore. "You know what, why am I even talking to you?" I threw my hands up in exasperation, before focusing on Kate. "What the fuck is going on, Kate? Our best friend since God-knows-when just rushed out the door, and you didn't even want to know what was going on? And you didn't even say hi to us today, when it's tradition that we meet up? What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Maybe I just didn't want to settle for being just normal anymore," Kate said icily, glaring at us. Denise gasped quietly, like something just choked her. I was livid.
"Well, you got what you wanted, didn't you." I rolled my eyes. "You disgust me. I do wish you the best, especially if it means choking on Blackford's spit and dying."
Denise hit my back quietly, but I merely stared pointedly at Kate while Blackford's face turned from pale to red to purple in seconds. "If you weren't a girl, goddamn it, I'd—"
"Hit me?" I said darkly, crossing my arms. "Trust me. With those arms, I barely think you could scratch me."
"Yeah, because you're too fat for anything to penetrate you," Kate finally hissed, knowing it was a low blow. "If your mother were here, Evans, I bet she would've said the same fucking thing."
A lump had formed in my throat. No way in hell was I going to cry here. I felt Bell's eyes on me, and I tilted my head to stare firmly into his. Traces of emotion were in his eyes, but he said nothing. "I'm sorry to have disturbed your lovely gathering, but you all have no idea how terrible you've disturbed ours." I latched onto Denise's wrist and pulled her out of the diner as fast as I could.
"Jules, I—"
"Save it, Denise. I think I'm going home." I let go of her hand and started walking back towards my house. It was a fifteen-minute drive, but maybe I could use the exercise, couldn't I?
It was a forty-five minute walk back to my house. When I finally reached the gates, the sweat had already mixed with my tears. Wiping my cheeks furiously with my hands, I rang the buzzer and waited for Mason to pick up. Funnily enough, it was Damon who answered. "Hey, Mason's currently working on something. May I help you?"
"Just open the gates, Matthews." A few seconds later, the large iron gates swung open. I walked back inside, practically starving since Denise, Alice and I didn't eat at Joe's. I saw Damon rush down the driveway, and he stopped right in front of me.
"Jules, you're pale. C'mon, I'll help you to the kitchen—"
"Damon, I'm capable," I said monotonously, walking past him up to the front door. I heard footsteps come after me, right before a pair of hands grabbed my shoulders and twisted me around.
"Something's wrong, Julia, and I demand to know what it is." Damon raised an eyebrow at me, refusing to let me go despite the fact that I was practically squirming in his arms. "Julia, please!"
"It's pretty evident that I don't want to talk about it, so can you please let me go?" I muttered through gritted teeth.
"You've been crying, haven't you?" It's like he didn't even hear what I said. "Why, what's going on? Jules, we've been hanging out for two months straight. I think I know you pretty—"
"Don't you dare say you know me!" I hissed, firmly wrenching away from his grasp. "We may have talked a bit this summer, get to know each other, but you don't know me. So don't start demanding things from me like what the hell is wrong with me because maybe I don't want to share it, which is what I've been saying for the past few minutes! So, with all due respect, I'd like you to leave me alone."
Turning on my heel, I rushed up to the front door and up the stairs. I heard Damon and my annoying mother yelling after me, but I didn't stop running until I reached my room. I double-locked it and jumped on my bed, finally letting my tears consume me.
Stupid Kate. Stupid Damon. Stupid Mother. Ugh… stupid me.