Ripped and Stitched

41: Dumb and Dumber

"Is he that stupid?" Alison complained. "I mean for the love of God. Who does he think he is?"

Julia was watching her best friend angrily pace back and forth in front of her as she herself contemplated what to say next.

After hearing the fight Alison and Max had, Julia was conflicted. On one hand, Alison was right. Max could grow to resent her if he abandoned his dream for her, but on the other hand, Max was not the kind of guy to act like that.

Julia also had other thoughts on her mind. Her heart felt like it was going to burst with the amount of emotion she was currently feeling for Brady. He had planned the perfect night. Everything about it was amazing. He himself was so perfect. She loved him. She knew she did. Yet somehow it felt different then she thought it would. She had spent all of this time before he was kidnapped thinking that there was something missing. She thought it was sex, but now she saw it was something else: communication.

Julia loved him and she finally understood he loved her as much back if not more. It was because finally she understood how much more there was to a relationship than what she had first perceived. Love wasn't like the fairytales she had grown up idolizing. Love was like the weather. It was calm and mundane at times, which makes it hard to realize it's there. It can be extreme and epic but it can also be peaceful. And Julia had grown to love that too.

Alison came over and sat down next to Julia who opened her arms and let Alison rest on her shoulder.

"He can learn to be with someone else," she whispered. "He can't learn to find a new passion, he won't love it, not like he loves art."

"I think you need to talk to Max," Julia said as she smoothed Alison's hair.

"Talking to Max about this is like talking to a brick wall."

Julia chuckled. "Watching you two talk is like watching two brick walls talk."

Alison groaned. "What a shitty Valentine's Day."

Julia rubbed her friend's back. "It wasn't so bad," Julia whispered thinking of her epic date with Brady.

"You know you guys haven't had that talk either," Alison reminded her. "What are you two going to do once we graduate?"

Julia's expression faltered. Alison was right. She and Brady had not talked about that.

"It'll be okay," Julia said, trying to convince herself. "Even if we do long distance, we'll make it work."

Alison looked up at her best friend and smiled faintly.

"I admire your naïvety, Julia."

***

The next day, Alison was in a bad mood. Max had skipped school. Julia was anxious and Brady was aloof to everyone's discomfort.

Slowly, Brady was going back to his usual self. He was growing more secure and self-confident. Something he had confided in Alison was that it was in part due to his new youth group at his church. Brady was doing better than all of them at this point. So, it was no surprise when he arrived at the diner after school and saw Alison's expression and the lack of Max around that he knew something was wrong.

He pulled Julia aside to ask her about it.

"Have Max and Ali made up yet? They still seem upset," Brady explained.

Julia looked up at him. Her expression was somewhat stoic. She studied him for a second before frowning.

"What are your plans after high school?" she asked, throwing Brady for a loop.

"Uh," Brady scratched the back of his head nervously. "What- well, what does that have to do with the two of them?"

Julia sighed. "It has everything to do with them, Brady," she explained. "They're fighting because he and Ali can't agree on their futures. So, what about us? What about our future?"