Julie Henry

Chapter 9

After a week, I ran into Ashley at the parking lot. Strangely enough, she had been coming to school but was just avoiding me.
"Ashley.. I've been texting you like crazy where have you been? I came over to your place but your mom said you weren't home ...how are you holding up?" I asked her.
"Drop the act and stay away from me" she said, walking off.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, following her.
"You know what you did. You insensitive bitch!" she said turning to me.
"What? What are you talking about!?" I asked confused.
The parking lot was nearly empty now.
"You know what I should've seen this coming.." she said, looking at the sky as tears filled her. She quickly cleared them. ".. But I was blinded by our friendship.. You've been after Jake for a very long time, you've been a pain in Ivy's ass. He DOESN't want you! And you realized that so you went after Ryan didn't you?" she said taking a step back "You SLUT!!" she yelled at me.
"What are you even talking about?! I didn't go after anyone and if one of us had to be a slut it would be you!"
I regretted it the second the words came out since I was referring to her old reputation at middle school which had nearly destroyed her. She slapped me across my face at what I said. The sound of her hand against my flesh was really loud. My face had probably turned red and it burned. I looked at her in disbelief.
"So you're saying you never shared late night texts?..About hanging out" she asked me. I had once but only for an hour or so, I was bored and it was late but it wasn't anything inappropriate or worth breaking a friendship over.
"I hate you! Just stay away from me!" She yelled at me as Ronald came
"What is going on?" he asked surprised, coming towards us along with Justin and Jake. Jake saw my face "What happened?" He asked, holding my chin up I free'd my face from him and covered my face with my hand. He and Ronald were both looking at Ashley now waiting for an explanation but Ashley stood there, hands crossed against her chest, without a regret.

(PoV Ivy)
"Let's get closer I can't hear anything" I told Ryan as we were hiding behind a car looking over at them.
"They'll see us" he warned.
He was right, so I just stood here looking at them. Ashley was there yelling, her, hands flying all over the place while Ronald was trying to calm her down. Jake got angry and pulled his sleeve back to ... nope got stopped by Ronald ..Julie walked off. Jake was about to follow her but didn't, he stayed to hear Ashley's story.
"Well I did what you asked me to" Ryan said putting his hand out for the money I had promised him.

(PoV Julie)
I started walking away quickly still in disbelief. How could she think that! I said getting on to a random bus. We've been friends for seven years! you'd think she'd know me well enough by now!
I was drowning in my thoughts when the bus driver told me that it was the last stop. I had no idea where I was and for some reason I didn't panic. I just got off and continued walking until I saw a quite bench. I sat down to rest my feet. I was breathing heavily by now,tired and hungry too. I closed my eyes to rest a while, lying down on the bench. This felt good, my body felt relaxed, well until something poked me on the forehead. I felt reluctant to open my eyes but I did anyway. It was a middle aged man. I sat up straight.
"Excuse me?" I asked him.
"What are you doing here?" he asked me.
"I came out for a jog. I got tired so I'm taking a break" I lied.
"You've been sleeping here for like three hours I think" he told me.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, turning to my watch. He was right.
I was surprised and confused at how fast the day had passed by. The stranger sat down next to me.
"It doesn't look like you came out for a jog" he began, putting his hand on my head " you look worried, don't be. It's your time to enjoy. There are bigger problems to worry about than boys."
I looked up at him he seemed like a nice old man. I turned to look down at my shoes.
"What's on your mind?" He asked.
"Some teenagers have real problems and boys can be a real handful sometimes" I replied.
"Well, whatever your problem is face it head on, and if you can't then ask for help. Don't keep it bottled up."
"What if I tell you I have no one to ask for help, then?"
"There is always someone if not parents and siblings. You can always ask your friends, you're a child and your journey has just begun. You have a long road ahead.."
"I'm aware" I interrupted.
"Do you know how you're going to cross this one way highway?"
I thought for a moment.
"Who knows the future."
"Yes but you choose the future you want, if it's staying upset or doing something about it" he said.
"If things can't be sorted out you can always choose to forget" he added.
"I'm not sure how to forget my parents or my best friend or the guy next door .... sadly I don't even know how to deal with it all either."
"Time heals all wounds. You'll learn to live with it eventually as for your friend and neighbour, they must have their own stories where you're the bad guy."
"I doubt it."
"Let me tell you something ... I know a guy who got married to the love of his life they had two beautiful children; a girl and a younger boy. Life was fair to them but one day the man felt as if he was being followed, soon he started feeling it a lot. Whenever he'd be alone on the street he'd feel as if he was being hunted down and it wasn't in his head, he actually encountered them. Once in order to keep his family safe, he got a divorce and got to keep one child while the wife got the other. The wife thought he had an affair and he let her think that because it was getting hard to convince her. You only believe what you want to."
He was right though we talked for  hours until his 20 year old son Eric showed up and took him. It was nearly midnight now the man lived in an apartment near by.
When I reached home the lights of the entire house were on and I could hear Kevin yelling. I went inside,Kevin was yelling at Jake. Apparently Kevin was blaming him for me running away ..Wait I ran away?!
"What is going on?" I asked.
Jake smiled as he saw me a warm handsome happy smile. Alice, Sam and Jessy were sitting on the couches they turned to me in shock.
"YOU'RE GROUNDED!" Kevin yelled at me.
"What? Why?" I asked confused.
Alice got up and walked to Kevin
"How long was she gone?" She asked him.
"All day!" he replied.
"Why weren't you answering your phone?" He asked me.
"I left it home."
Sam and Jessy walked to me.
"Keep your phone with yourself." Jessy advised walking out the door.
"It's late and this" she said moving her hands in a circular motion "well it was fun" she spoke as she left.
"She never leaves the house and today she's coming home at one ..." Kevin went on.
"You're not my dad" I interrupted.
"Where were you?" He asked.
"Where were you the whole day?" I asked him.
"Julie! " he yelled at me holding my arm roughly then noticing my face he calmed down.
"What happened to your face?" He asked lowering his voice.
"Nothing that concerns you" I said freeing my arm from his hold.
"Calm down you guys" Alice spoke.
"You aren't family at least not yet so please, stay out of it"
"She is" Kevin snapped at me.
"Then I guess I'm not" I said storming upstairs.
"Let me talk to her." I heard Jake say following me into my room.
"What do you want?" I asked him as he leaned against my doorframe. He looked up at me, his smile was gone.
"If you don't tell me exactly where you were I will tell Kevin about your suicide attempt" he blackmailed.
I sat on my bed holding my head in my hands.
"Jake please just give me my space."
"Did I have anything to do with you leaving like this?" He asked.
"No, Ashley. You saw how embarrassing that was and I didn't leave I just went away for a walk to clear my head "
"5 hours of walk?" He asked.
" you heard what Ashley accused me of" I replied, hiding my face in a pillow.
"So why are you misbehaving with Kevin and Alice?" He asked.
"Kevin is not my father and Alice is not even my sister in law yet so they should stop acting like they are my parents."
"They worry about you"
"Just give me my space" I pleaded.
He took my hand in his hands.
"I know we have this distance between us and we aren't the best of friends right now but let me in your world let me help you."
"Can't ..you can't help me" I replied.
"And you don't have to, so stop making a big deal out of everything."