"Come on Julia, there's nothing wrong with asking Matty out. What's the worst that could happen?" My best friend, Sofie, asked with an encouraging smile. She knew I'd had a crush on my neighbor, Matty, since I was 13. And she also knew that my mind would get in the way of my heart.
"It could go like the last 2 times I liked a guy or maybe that time with Daniel. I know you want the best for me but he couldn't care less about me. He'll want you like always and I'd be history." I replied, slinging my backpack over my shoulder. It was the last day of school, wrapping up our junior year.
"Come on. If you don't ask him, I will for you." Sofie threatened. With perfect timing, Matty was passing through the junior hall, probably trying to find Johnny and his girlfriend. Sofie looked back and forth between Matty and I, her pearly white smile shined brighter than ever. "YO! Matty come over here!" Her voice rose until it over powered every other person within a 50 foot distance.
He looked our way and started walking towards us. All I could do was sulk against my locker and slowly edge my way out of the hall. Just when I got to the doorway leading outside, did Sofie pull me back. "Hello ladies." Matty said, flashing a smile at Sofie and I immediately groaned. "What did I do to grace your presence?"
"Well Julia had something to ask you." Sofie practically shoved me into the spotlight.
My eyes went wide, I tried to sputter out a reply but all I could manage was a weak, "No, I did not." I had about the equivalent to 20 pairs of eyes on me. Of course Sofie couldn't have chosen during an easier time, that would have been never if I had my say so.
Matty turned back to Sofie, "So there's this end of school party by the bay tonight. You gonna come? There's gonna be drinks and games." His sea green eyes flicking over her skinny body. If her plan was to get me a date, she shouldn't have worn tight, fitted clothes, I thought to myself.
"Oh we'll be there won't we, Julia?" Sofie asked. This was a challenge, I knew it, she was daring me that if I spoke against her word she'd spill everything about my crush on Matty.
"Yeah, sure." I muttered. I hadn't yet told her about my summer plans to spend in London, though they were ordered by a judge to let my father spend the summer with me every year. He usually came to the states with my siblings and they spent the summer having flings. My summer included me floundering about, sulking in shameful feelings about my body.
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"Julia! How could you not tell me!" Sofie exclaimed as she curled her hair. She stopped and pointed her purple curling iron at my direction. "So you were just going to run off to London and leave me in the dark?"
I repositioned my glasses and looked at her. "I wanted to try to get a feel for it. I applied to a few colleges over there and if this summer goes well, I'd truly think about going." I said, staring at my book.
"You're my bestie and are starting a life without me, how could you even consider a college in another continent?" Sofie asked, retiring the curling iron and moving on to her makeup routine for parties. Honestly, I didn't see why she needed to cake on layer upon layer of makeup, it made her look like a cheap underage hooker.
"Sofie, he's my dad, it's court mandated. I swear I'll be back in the fall for school. Three months without me isn't gonna kill you." I answered, I knew she wouldn't let it go but at least she might like that it will be temporary, at least that's the plan.
"Fine, whatever Jules, you're just ruining your chances with Matty. But well... I guess that's your choice." Sofie turned to me and shrugged, this was one of her guilt traps and I knew it. Only this time it did the opposite, it aggravated me for her to think a court mandated order was by choice. And quite frankly I was happy to get away from her drama this summer, over the years Sofie's become more and more boy obsessed, one flavor for each week. And the worst part was that she didn't care if they had girlfriends, that's why I'm very hesitant over dating, if I found a guy I liked, would she steal him away? "Come on, the parties started."
As we left Sofie's older sister, Sasha, who was watching TV, paused the show and looked at the attire we wore, "Sofie don't you think it's too cold to wear so little layers?" She asked and turned to me. "Julia... just don't do anything too dangerous."
"A, it's over 80 degrees outside Sasha, so it's not cold at all. And b, Julia's gonna get herself a man tonight, so she wouldn't be doing dangerous things." Sofie refuted her sister's questions.
Sasha pursed her lips in disappointment. But she sighed and turned to walk down a hallway to the kitchen. Sophie and I strolled across the lawn toward her car. As we reached the sidewalk, Sophie stopped and turned me towards her.
"If we don't get you a man, any man, you're going to be miserable." Sofie whispered to me in a rather serious tone. "So behave."
Just as she said that, she solved me into the passenger seat and shut the door. I had a brief moment alone while Sofie did some last minute touch ups on her hair. Was I really ready for a relationship? To be honest I really didn't know, especially with an experienced guy like Mattie.
Before I could ponder the thought of being pushed into something I didn't want to do, Sofie got in the car. Slamming the door, she flipped off who I could only guess was Sasha. "Fucking asshole, I am my own person." She cursed under her breath, her car roaring to life with a loud Screech!!! She had slammed on the gas pedal.
"Why can't you ever stop harming the car? What did it do to you?" I muttered. when Sofie was like this, it was essential to stay out of her way. Last year I remember her mom grounding her and poor Dominik Evangelo stepped in her pathway, he had 3rd degree burns from the coffee dumped on his head.
"Julia, you need to lighten up. This car doesn't have feelings or even a personality. Why can't you just grow up?" Sofie's voice was getting louder by the minute. The MPH meter read that she was doing 95 in a 40 MPH speed zone. "Look, I'm sorry, I know this is your big day. But Sasha told me that if I came home and she smelt even one whiff of alcohol I'd be grounded.