4:30 pm - 17th Friday
Just like that the rest of the week went by with a blur, with her tryouts in less than a couple hours. She didn't bother paying attention to the majority of her classes due to regular uninteresting information for students when they return from break.
Juliette just wanted high school to end already, but then she would have to face one of the biggest social events of school, which just by thinking about it sent shivers down her spine the Graduation Party. But then again she still had tons of time till it.
She leaned back in the armchair she was sit in and continued typing away. The library was a quiet place for her to study, in Year 1 it was optional but now its mandatory due to finals in a couple of months, somehow even with this 'lesson' no one was in the library apart from her, Mara, the librarian and a couple Year 3 students. She ran her fingers through her hair and let out a big sigh.
"You okay?" Mara asked smiling from a chair near her, her book slightly closed.
"This is so exhausting," Juliette pouted. "And I'm not even doing much!" She threw her arms up, frustrated, annoyed.
"Yeah, I get you, a lot," her eyes narrowed, also annoyed about the way she felt. "Hey you know you English partner, Dakota Steal? He's in the drama club," Mara informed.
"Really? Everyone says he plays volleyball," Juliette moved her legs to the side and waited for Mara to continue speaking.
"He did there's a difference, but he stopped and turned to something he likes," Mara sat up straight, flattening her white collared shirt. "Now he's practically winning Oscar awards."
"Oh, we've traveled the seas, we've ridden the stars
We've seen everything from Saturn to Mars"
"Haha," Juliette felt happy, he did something he wanted to do, it must've have taken a lot of courage and passion to do something like that. "Honestly, people can be such a pain, telling you what to do, demanding things from you, pointing out your faults," She paused. "The damn list goes on."
"Mhmm," Mara murmured, she opened her book once more and proceeded to read it from where she last left off. "We can't help ourselves sometimes, and you know that as well as I do," they looked at each other, sadness flickered in Mara's eyes, but it was quickly covered by acceptance.
Juliette groaned, rubbing her temple, 30 more minutes before the librarian would let them go, 30 more minutes till tryouts, and 30 more minutes till she was free of school work. She drummed her fingers on her computer keyboard. "What are you reading?" The silence broke once more.
"Charles Dickens, A tale of two cities," she showed the cover to her friend before sucking in a bit of air. "It's interesting, but the drawings had me confused for a bit."
"Do the two men look identical?" Juliette giggled. "Believe me, that's why I read them as novels and not the ones with pictures," she smirked, experience sure can be useful sometimes.
"Oh, for real? Shit, could've used that information a couple chapters ago," she frowned playfully hitting Juliette with the book.
"Figured," she melted into the armchair behind bringing her legs onto the chair next to Mara. Her laptop whirred angrily, she'd been tapping her fingers on the keyboard without actually tapping the keys itself. "25 minutes left," she whispered to herself, opening a new document.
"You're literally on edge, calm the frick down," Mara giggled, tucking a strand of her hair behind one ear. "By the way, I'm sure you're going to do great," she rubbed her hands, as if she was a villain.
"What if I mess up? In front of the Year 3s? Augh!" She brought her hands behind her head and let out aa frustrating groan. "They'll never smile and talk to me again!"
"As much as it seems like you own my heart
It's astronomy, we're two worlds apart"
"You're overthinking it," Mara patted Juliette's nearest shoe. "Think of it as a learning experience instead," she reasoned. "You mess up then you know what to work on next time you decide to try out."
"Next time?" Juliette's jaw clenched. "There won't be a next time if I screw up," she stiffened just thinking about it.
"Girl, calm down," Mara bit her lip, she was in disbelief that Juliette was acting this way, especially when literature was her thing. "You'll do it, 'kay? End of discussion." She brought the book back to her view and continued to read it.
"Fine," Juliette huffed, she stuck her earplugs and leaned forwards, bringing her feet back to floor. She hit the green button on her phone as Mitski's voice rang in her ears clear. She finally loosened up and set her fingers down on the keyboard starting her first sentence on the newly opened doc.
The library was filled with noises of her keyboard clacking, she rubbed the nape of neck finishing up her writing prompts for her English homework -which she supposedly got today- that way she won't have to worry about it over the weekend.
Her prompt was very simple in her opinion, a female spy on a mission to kill the professor in the dead of night. She practically killed it in a one-page story. Metaphorically speaking. She threw a fist in the air, satisfied that she had completed it in a record of twenty minutes, that was a new record for her.
"Yo, Mars, should we ask if we can leave five minutes early?" Juliette asked, getting her things together.
"Yes, please oh god, my head is starting to hurt," she got up immediately quietly tossing the book onto the stool next to her. Within two minutes to two of them were on their way to convince the librarian to let them go early.
"Hello ladies, what can I help you with?" The old librarian cracked a smile. She was sweet, lovely, old thing, unfortunately she just had to land a job into a high school like Juliette's.
"We were wondering since it's just the two of us, could we leave early?" Juliette questioned, holding her breath.
The librarian raised an eyebrow and fixed her glasses. "I didn't see a thing," she replied and looked the other way.
"Thank you so much Mrs. Danila!" They both quickly rushed out till they reached their lockers.
"I thought she wouldn't let us," Mara said, panting, both of the girls were catching their breath when Mara's boyfriend showed up.
"Hey sweetheart," he chuckled sweeping Mara off her feet, Juliette pursed her lips.
"Yo, Michael didn't I tell you not to do such things when I'm around?" She said with a dead-serious tone in her voice, he quivered and put Mara down. "I'm kidding," Juliette smiled innocently.
"You had me worried for a second," he exhaled, patting Mara on the head before looking at Juliette. Mara nodded. "Any who, I'm going to the coffee shop, are you coming with me?" He glanced at Mara then back at Juliette.
"Actually, I'm going with Juliette, I might catch up with you later though," Mara reassured him before urging him to be on his way, something she usually doesn't do.
"Everything alright?" Juliette watched as both of them made their way to the Aula. Judging by the look in her friend's eyes something wasn't right, either with her or with him. "Mar-mar? What happened?" Her eyebrows creased as Mara said nothing. "Dude, I'm talking to you," Juliette nearly shouted.
"He seems a bit off recently, doesn't he?" She looked at Juliette, her eyes were clear, she was nervous, almost scared, scared of losing him.
"Possessive or?" Juliette wondered. Mara breathed out, as the two of them reached the doorsteps of the aula.
"No, it's as if he doesn't trust me," she gasped. "Do you think he's seeing someone else?" She wailed, clutching her own shirt dramatically before the door opened.
"So you here for auditioning?" The guy asked Mara. She held a giggle, and pointed to Juliette. "Oh, sorry, nice impression by the way," he pointed out before welcoming them in. "Have a seat, you can go wait backstage," showing her.
"Good luck!" Mara hissed at her friend before waving her off to go sit down with the Year 3 judges.
"Alright, Juliette Smith whenever you're ready," shouted one of them as the lights dimmed focusing only on the large stage in front of them. She breathed in and breathed out before twirling onto the stage.
"Good Night, Good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow," she spoke flawlessly and reached to the spotlight as if she had lost something, something that now was place among the stars, finishing the line and her one-line-act.
Mara glanced at the 3 Years, they were in utter shock, "your voice is beautiful, " one of the girls smiled soulfully, "we'll get back to you on Monday regarding whether you've been selected or not." She clapped, everyone there did, Juliette grinned, she was better than happy, without messing up anything she crossed her fingers and wished for the best.
"Great job mate," the guy said as Mara and Juliette exited the Aula. She thanked them before they headed to their lockers once again.
"And now I know, now I know
It's time to go, it's time to go"
"I'm heading to Michael's, if something happens, you let me know immediately, do you hear me?" She clenched her teeth, swinging her gym bag over her shoulder, she patted Juliette and walked towards the bus stop heading the opposite direction.
"Bye!" Juliette shouted, before walking into the bus headed home. Once she sat down she texted her mother telling her she was leaving school, with that her phone rang instantly, her mother was calling her. "Oh, hey mom, what's up?"
"Julie, baby, did you forget about the party today?" Her mother asked, stifling a laugh. Juliette gaped, she was so buys focusing on the tryouts that she had completely forgotten. "Honey, I know the time is 5:30 but is it possible if you could make it home by six?" She requested.
Knowing what Juliette had to do, she quickly answered her mother with a "yes" before switching her phone off and manifesting that she would make it home by six. And just like that within thirty minutes Juliette made it home without a minute to spare.
"I did it!" She yelled closing her front door behind her. "Oh yeah, oh yeah," she hopped around for a bit out of satisfaction and then called for her family. "Guys? Anyone there?"
"You're a minute late, get ready, we leave in ten minutes," Carter pointed out, even when the time was 5:59, she crossed her arms and raced upstairs to her room. When the time came the rest of the family was waiting in the car, with mom and dad at the front and Carter sitting at the right side window and Elijah sitting in the middle.
She looked at her mother guiltily, with a smile that everyone knew. "My bad," she got in the car and clicked her seatbelt to the left side of her, before her mother started the car and began driving.
After thirty minutes the family finally reached, the siblings wore formal black shirts and formal black pants with large silver jewelry. Carter, with one hoop earring and one diamond earring, he had a thin silver chain around his neck, followed by the youngest sibling Elijah, who wore a chain that linked from the front of his belt to the back of it.
Juliette's hands were decorated in silver rings, her small diamond earrings framed her pearly white smile, as the family entered the party house. "You're late!" Shouted a woman gliding towards them. She was dressed in a knee high red dress with a huge silver and ruby necklace. "Oh, how are you?" She grabbed their mother's hand and asked. Before Juliette's mother could respond she continued. "Look at the three of them, ah, they're growing up so fast!"
She stole Juliette's parents from them directing the siblings to one of the three balconies, the balcony where their considered age group was, just as they headed outside a song started playing, Juliette made her way to one of the black foldable chairs, and sat down.
"He said "let's get out of this town
Drive out of the city, away from the crowds"
Carter sat beside her with a non-alcoholic drink in his hand, even being legally allowed to drink, he never went that way, nor preferred it. She laughed, "not taking the beer over there?"
"No thank you," he grunted in disgust. Just then the world felt like it had slowed, Carter's voice grew distant, the beat, echoing through her mind, that when she noticed him.
He was probably Carter's height, a little shorter, he was talking to the person handing out drinks. A perfect smile which complimented his pale skin, he had an energy drink in one hand and a plate of starters in the other, he wore a formal white shirt with black formal pants.
He laughed, a beautiful sight, she smiled watching him, his hair tucked behind one ear, he looked her way and smiled at her.
"My last request it is..."