Six Secrets - Noa Olivar

13

Before Jules could see Mouse tonight, she had to get through filming with Tabby. But before she could even do that she had to go to her track practice. She grabbed her gym bag and shoes from her locker as she went to the change room. She saw Noa was already in there, as she took off her top and was standing in her sports bra. Jules found her eyes suddenly falling on the girl before she realized how inappropriate it was and immediately looked away, scolding herself internally in the process. "What the fuck Jules? What the actual fuck?" She mumbled to herself. "Everything okay?" Noa asked, noticing Jules mumbling to herself. "Yeah, totally. New sports bra?" "Yeah. You like it?" Noa asked, her face lit up when Jules mentioned it. "Yeah. It's nice. Good brand too." "Yeah. My mom surprised me with it. I think she's trying to mend things between us but I hope she'll realize that gifts aren't going to do anything except quite possibly put us in debt." "Well regardless, it looks nice Noa." Jules raises her eyebrows as she comments that, before she takes off her top, and quickly throws on her workout shirt. She ties her shoes quickly before she grabs her workout bag and brushes by Noa. She didn't know why her crush was growing when she really liked Mouse too. She just needed to get over herself, these feelings would go away....eventually.

Noa was still off during practice. She wasn't keeping up with anyone and was getting frustrated. Noa has never been the best student, she's always tried her best but has just never been a super star academically, so this is when her athletics, more importantly her track abilities would make her stand out. Now that her running had gone sour as well, she felt like everything around her was slowly collapsing. "Ugh!" She screams in a fit of anger. She grabs her water bottle as she feels her throat tighten and she tries to control her breathing. "Hey, you're okay. Just take a breath." Jules sits down next to her as she rubs her back gently. "Why does this feel so much harder than it should be?" "You spent almost a hundred days in a cell with other kids. You had community service everyday after school. You had no time for anything. You lost your rhythm. But you'll get it back." "How are you so sure?" "Because you're Noa Olivar. Everybody in school would agree with me when I say this but you are capable of anything. And I'm not trying to be corny. Give it a little bit of time and eventually you'll be number one again, and you'll definitely crush all my times." "Hey! Don't say that. You've gotten really good Jules." "Well that definitely means a lot coming from you." Jules says laughing slightly. Noa pushes her and Jules slips off the bench, causing both girls to erupt in laughter. The whistle is suddenly blown, causing both girls to stop laughing immediately and turn to their coach, who was pointing to the lines. Noa lets out a groan as Jules stood up and provided an arm to her to help her up. "Well you got your wish. This'll help you get back to where you want to be." "This was not my wish." Noa says bluntly before Jules pushes her over to the start line.

After practice, Noa wished Jules good luck as she went home to suffer alone on her last night with her ankle monitor. Jules did want to be there for her but she really wanted to see Mouse and this project was important to her and very important to Tabby, she couldn't let her down. She knew she'd make it up to Noa tomorrow, that was a guarantee. Jules went downtown to the sandwich shop that was right next to the library. She got herself a sandwich and once she finished it she went into the library and went upstairs to the reading center where she would spend her free time in the summer. She didn't have Noa to run to and she couldn't always be at her home so sometimes she had to be there. She remembered one day she was there for so long, the librarian woke her up on her chair at closing saying that she had been asleep for hours. Jules hadn't been there for a little bit but the second that she walked in she was met with a friendly wave from the librarian as she made her way over to her usual chair. She laid back as she opened her book she was reading currently, "The Great Gatsby" as she watched the time on her phone, knowing that around five thirty she would have to start making her way back to the school. She managed to get about a third way through her book when she looked at the time and made her way near the exit. As she was about to leave she saw a book on display, "Redeeming Love" and for some reason the book appealed to her. She grabbed the book off the display case before she walked over to the counter. "Hello Julianna. I haven't seen you here in a little bit. How has school been so far?" "Hi Maggie. It's been a little hectic to tell you the truth. But I think it's going to slow down a little bit now which is good. How's the library been?" "Normal. Kids coming for books for school. You're one of the few teens that will check things out just for enjoyment. I always admire people like you." Jules let out a smile as Maggie scanned the book and then scanned her library card, before handing the book back to her. "Enjoy this one, I sure did." "Thank you Maggie. I'll see you soon." Maggie smiled as Jules began to walk away, and she checked her phone to see that it was already five forty. She suddenly found her legs moving faster as she put some hustle into her step and she made her way back to school, hoping she wouldn't be late.