Borrowed Time

Chapter Eighty Eight

Something about Emma having an actual 'study' all to himself made so much sense, but it still wasn't something that Juliette would ever bet money on actually existing until she was actively inside of it. It was nice, calming, it had a fireplace... But she still didn't understand why a kid her age needed something like this... She'd always just studied at her kitchen table and she was mostly fine, but it was nice to lay down on a couch while trying to understand what the fuck she'd learned in Chemisty all year.

"Juliette, are you paying attention?" Emma asked, and Juliette looked up from her phone, where Esme was texting her random fragmented updates about their hellish country club shift while begging her to come and save them... Which she obviously couldn't do because that would involve going to the country club and she hated doing that.

She'd do a lot for Esme, but springing her from the country club? Absolutely not.

"Am I ever paying attention?" She asked, and Shelby lifted her head from where it was resting on Penny's lap, raising her pen in the air with a wide smile... Oh wonderful, what was she going to say? How was she going to contribute to this conversation in a way that wasn't going to make Juliette want to throw a textbook at her head?

"The answer to that question is no, she's never paying attention." Juliette rolled her eyes and shook her head, giving Shelby a look. Was she wrong? Of course not, but she still should've pretended like Juliette was just being hard on herself. Friendship code, motherfucker... But maybe that went away when someone had been your best friend for over ten years... Maybe it was a perk that ran out.

"Suck my dick, Shelbs." She sighed, which made Shelby's smile turn into a sort of smirk as her eyes sparkled... Great. Where was this going now? What had she accidentally set Shelby up for without meaning to, it was bound to be at least interesting if it was nothing else in the world, right?

"I don't know, I don't think Esme would be too keen on that... Especially after what happened yesterday... and the night before..." Shelby reminded her, and Juliette sighed, glancing away from her with flushed cheeks as she flipped her off... Granted, she didn't hate the reminder of those nights, of how Esme had screamed and cried from her fingers and tongue... Of how it had felt to have Esme's fingers inside of her... God, she wanted them again... Stupid fucking Chemistry final...

"What are you two talking about?" Penny asked, looking confused. Tegan lifted her head with a smile and glanced between the two of them, seeming oddly serene from their perch across Esme's giant fucking desk... It was odd that they were so separated, but Juliette didn't blame her.... It felt like she was fourth... fourth? Yeah, fourth wheeling from her spot on the couch across from where Shelby was laying with her head on Penny's lap and her feet thrown across Emma's... She couldn't imagine being around it all the time.

But honestly, Tegan seemed to be oddly unaffected by it, like they never thought to worry about being around it, it was an enviable quality.

"I bet they're talking about the sex." Juliette choked on her breath at the way that Tegan had said that... One, it was awkward wording, who the hell said 'the sex'? Two... When had Esme found the fucking time to tell them about it? Obviously they'd told the lunch table in person, but Esme hadn't seen her friends all week... It'd been a very busy week, they just hadn't had time to get together yet.

Weird... She was hanging out with them before Esme could... She hadn't even thought of that, honestly... Maybe it was strange that she was hanging out with her partner's friends without her partner, but that was a bridge she'd already crossed, how was she supposed to handle it now?

It also wasn't the point of why she'd choked.

"Esme already told you guys?" She asked, and they all nodded, like that was obvious... Juliette just hadn't thought of it, but it honestly was... No wonder Shelby had expected an earlier text. Juliette didn't know all the ins and outs of telling your best friend that you'd fucked someone, but she was learning a lot from observation, honestly.