1976

3

Julia, in all her picture perfect glory, hated her friends. Not a single one of them was the type of person she wanted to be associated with, so full of nothing but parties and air. It was like they were brainless beings, only chasing after false happiness, and Julia was not like them. Her head was full, and theirs were empty. All they cared about were boys, drinks and what they were going to do that weekend, while Julia wanted a future. She wanted to change the world, make it safe for people like she and Morgan, but her friends were nothing but simple airheads.

Morgan. God, Morgan. Julia couldn't imagine how terribly lonely she must've felt back in Smithston. For the past eight months, she and Morgan had spent every waking moment together, save for when they were under the watch of parents and peers. The only other person Morgan had was her father, and Julia was filled with shame for leaving her alone for so long. It wasn't like she had had a choice, however, as Julia's father had nearly forced her on vacation with her friends. He had argued that if Julia was with them all the time (which was her cover for spending time with Morgan), then why not go on a trip with her no good companions, and although Julia had fussed and fought with him, here she was, sitting on a hotel bed as Samantha and Roxanne did the final touches on their makeup.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Roxy mused, popping her lips in punctuation.

"Yeah, you always want to come dancing with us, Ju-Ju." Julia winced at Samantha's god awful pet name for her. "What's wrong with you?"

Julia let out a long sigh. "Look, I just don't feel well. Get outta here before I get you sick." She faked a cough.

Roxy squealed and ran for the door, pulling Samantha with her. "We'll bring you back some soup." With that, the door slammed closed.

Julia made a mad dash for the phone, punching in the number without even thinking. She waited anxiously as the phone rang, her heart racing.

"Hello?" A raspy female voice answered the phone. Julia grinned.

"Is that you, cowboy" Julia couldn't hide the excitement in her voice. "I miss you so much."

"It's me." Morgan's tone was sad, almost melancholic. "I miss you too, princess."

Julia picked up on Morgan's mood with ease, wishing she could hold her hand through the phone. "What's going on, love? You sound upset."

She heard a loud sigh through the phone, and Morgan's voice broke as she spoke. "I'm just- I'm all alone. You're gone, my dad's on a business trip..." She paused, thinking of what to say. "You know that guy, Jonathan?"

Rage filled Julia's body immediately. She had heard the name before, and not for very good reasons.

"He stole my bag at school, and when I went after him, he beat me up." Morgan's voice was shaky now, and Julia could tell that the other was curled up in a ball, her sound slightly muffled. "I didn't fight back."

"Oh, cowboy..." It wasn't like Morgan at all not to throw a punch, and a wave of guilt washed over Julia. Jonathan wouldn't have even touched Morgan had she been there.

"I just miss you a lot, Julia." She knew it was bad when Morgan said her name. "I wish you were home."

"You have me now, Morgan." Julia's tone was soft, comforting. "I'm yours from now until the moment my friends get back, okay? Let's talk about whatever's on your mind. Anything at all."

Morgan was quiet for a few seconds, seemingly thinking the situation through. When she spoke again, some happiness had returned to her voice. "Can I tell you about the cars I worked on today?"

"Of course, cowboy."

Julia smiled as Morgan broke into a spiel about cars, motors and engines, pretending to understand what exactly she was saying. The two took turns throughout the night, ranting and raving about the recent occurrences in their lives. It was good to hear Morgan laugh, to feel the warmth of her voice, and Julia didn't ever want it to end. It seemed they never ran out of things to talk about, whether it was cars, endless "I love yous", or something completely outrageous. Their words danced, just like they had their first night together, and Julia felt as though she were in Morgan's arms. The conversation lasted for hours, going on and on until four in the morning had just about rolled around. Roxanne and Samantha still hadn't returned, and Julia was nearly asleep. Morgan's excessive yawning convinced Julia that she, too, was about to turn in.

"Hey cowboy, I think-"

"I know what you're gonna say." Morgan yawned. "Just stay on the phone with me. It'll be like we're falling asleep together."

"But what about when my friends come back?" Concern woke Julia up just a bit.

"Worst case scenario is they think you fell asleep talking to some guy, okay? Fall asleep with me instead, Morgan pleaded..

Julia couldn't say no to her, so she snuggled up in her bed, turning off the lamp sitting on her bedside table as she laid both her head and the phone on the pillow. She closed her eyes.

"Goodnight, cowboy."

"Goodnight, princess. I love you."

"I love you too."