𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 & 𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐄 ━ girl meets world²

16│THE STORY OF US

▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅

❛ ʟᴇᴀᴛʜᴇʀ & ʟᴀᴄᴇ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐒𝐈𝐗𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴏʀʏ ᴏғ ᴜs ꒱


❝ AND THE STORY OF US LOOKS
A LOT LIKE A TRAGEDY NOW ❞

▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅

S H U L I E T

December 24th, 10:00 p.m.

Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. 

Juliet kept repeating those three words in her head as she sank down to the floor with her back pressed against the closed door. She buried her head in her hands, her fingers tangling with the dark strands of her hair. Her heart was thudding uncomfortably fast in her chest. All she could hear was the blood roaring in her ears. Her breaths were coming short and shallow, her chest heaving as she freaked out about what had just happened.

Miya, having heard the door slam, came rushing out of the bathroom in her pajamas, her hair held up in a twisted towel. "Mom!" she exclaimed worriedly as soon as she saw the position the older woman was in.

The brunette ran to her side and crouched down next to her, her brown eyes scanning over her mother with concern. "What's going on? Who was that?"

As Juliet struggled to take a deep breath, the only response that she was able to rasp out was, "him."

"Him? Who's him?" Miya asked.

Juliet lifted her head so that her daughter could better see the panicked expression on her face, her blue eyes wide and terrified. "Him," she repeated. Then, shakily, she added, "Shawn."

The girl's eyes widened as well at the name from her mother's past. "Are you sure?"

The dark-haired woman gave the teen a momentarily unimpressed look before she went back to mildly panicking. "Of course I'm sure. I've stared at him a thousand times; I'd know him anywhere. How did he find me?"

Before she could answer, there was a knock on the door. An unfamiliar man's voice (to the brunette) followed: "Julie? I know you're in there. Can we just talk, please?"

Miya tried not to let the guilt show on her face; she was the reason Shawn was here. Riley had texted her earlier that day asking for the apartment's address. Foolishly, she'd given it to her friend because she'd thought that the two girls would want to come for a visit. Of course they'd just been friendly to her because they wanted something.

"I can tell him to go away, if you want," she offered, partly to ease her accomplice-ship. "You don't have to see him."

Juliet's eyes went impossibly wider. She grabbed her daughter's arm and shook her head frantically. "No. No," she said, almost horrified. "I don't want him to meet you now; it would only make things worse."

If it had been any other situation, her words would have stung. But, there was so much fear and alarm in her voice that there wasn't any way to take the sentiment negatively. Miya's expression softened and she nodded. "Okay. I'll go back to the bathroom and you can let me know when he's gone. I'm here if you need me, though."

It seemed that her mother realized how the sentence might have sounded since there was apology written all over her face. Her grip on the younger girl's arm eased and she gave her an appreciated squeeze instead. "Thank you, honey. I can do this. I have to do this."

Again, the man's— Shawn's— voice sounded from outside: "Julie? Is everything okay in there?"

Once Miya had returned to the bathroom, Juliet stood from the floor and brushed off her clothes, mostly just to compose herself. She was finally able to take a deep breath as some of the shock subsided. Shawn had found her. Of course he had; that had been her biggest fear about returning to the states, hadn't it?