Deadly Alliances

Chapter 10: Loneliness

A/N - Here's the chapter you've been waiting for. Sorry it took so long! Also, reminder: Dylan and Aria are Juliette's best friends. They're mentioned in this chapter.

Song: Yesterday - The Beatles

Juliette's POV

I can't stand seeing people sad. Tragedies aren't something that you can forget after a day of mourning. They stick with you, weighing you down until you have no choice but to let it hold you back.

The flight back to New York felt uncomfortable. Flynn held onto my hand the entire way back for dear life. I didn't know what Flynn's relationship was with this mother. I only met her once, at the wedding. We exchanged a few words but she really didn't want to talk.

Days after we'd gotten the news, the house had been silent. Flynn and I attended the funeral as a couple, but never truly spoke to each other. Never once did anyone mention how she died. None of her kids cried at the funeral and her own husband didn't either.

"I'm gonna be out late tonight." Flynn walked in, dropping his bag on the counter.

I jumped a little bit, startled by the sudden noise. I nodded, knowing that there was no changing his mind. Flynn had done this for the past week. I'd tried to convince him to stay home, but it was no use. He was wrapped up in work.

I continued working for my father and finishing his hit-list. His unreasonable expectations still remained.

"Can I have Dylan and Aria over?" I asked suddenly.

"Yeah," he responded, sitting next to me on the couch. "Any time."

I texted the girls, but Aria said she wasn't feeling well. Dylan, however, said she was "down to hang".

I glanced over at Flynn and had to do a double-take. He had his head thrown back against the couch, rubbing his neck. I snapped a picture and sent it to Dylan without thinking.

Dylan: Damn, he's hot

Juliette: I know

Juliette: He's been like this all week. He barely eats and he refuses to sleep.

Dylan: Someone so fine should not be so depressed

I giggled lightly. She's always been so honest.

When Dylan got there, we ate pizza and drank wine. Eventually, she turned on an old Just Dance video. The song was Umbrella by Rihanna and Dylan was killing it. She dragged me into it, saying that she wouldn't dance alone. We bumped hips and got super into the dance routine.

"That's right! Pop your hips, girl!" she exclaimed.

I giggled, laughing at the odd faces she was making to go with the song. We sang the lyrics all wrong and butchered the dance, but it was hilarious. And I had fun.

When the song ended, we plopped onto the couch, laughing our asses off.

"Well, it's getting late and I have work tomorrow. I guess I gotta go." She frowned and showed me the time on her phone.

It was after two o'clock in the morning.

Flynn still wasn't home yet. He had never been this late.

I helped Dylan gather her things and got her to her car. She was okay to drive, since it had been hours since we'd drank the wine.

She sat in the driver's seat and it reminded me an awful lot of the time that I patched Flynn up outside of a gas station. That day, he sat behind the wheel and let me clean the cut on his lip. That cut was now completely healed and I could only see the scar if I really looked for it.