Unspoken Goals

I'm Fine

January 23rd

Juliette had been holding herself together—at least, that's what she told herself. Practices, classes, team lifts—she filled every hour with something loud enough, exhausting enough, to drown out the silence that waited for her when she was alone. But a couple weeks after coming back from break, the cracks began to show.

The apartment was quiet when she walked in. Too quiet. Soph was with Marco, Em was out with Sully, and God only knew where Abigail was.

This was what Juliette feared most—being left with nothing but her own thoughts.

She walked into her room and dropped her bag onto the chair at her desk, then lowered herself onto the floor, her back pressed against the frame of her bed. Pulling her knees into her chest, she buried her face in them, hands tangled in her hair as the tears came. It was sharp at first, like a rush breaking through a dam, and then heavy, the kind that made her chest ache. She tried to keep her sobs quiet, as if someone might hear her, but the silence only made it worse. Everything she'd shoved down these past few months was clawing its way out all at once, pressing into her ribs until she couldn't breathe.

She didn't know how long she stayed like that before the knock came.

Juliette jumped, swiping frantically at her cheeks. "Yeah?" she called, but her voice cracked, betraying her.

The door creaked open, and Sully's head appeared. His usual crooked grin faltered as soon as he saw her.
"Julie?"

Behind him came Em, purse still over her shoulder, clearly fresh from dinner with him. She froze in the doorway, her expression softening, her heart in her eyes.
"Oh, honey..."

Juliette shook her head quickly, pulling her knees in tighter like she could hide inside them. "I'm fine."

"Bullshit," Sully said gently as he stepped in and shut the door behind him. He crouched in front of her, voice unusually careful. "You're crying on the floor in the dark. That's not fine."

Em didn't say anything at first, just crossed the room and lowered herself onto the floor beside Juliette, shoulder pressed firmly against hers. The quiet warmth of the gesture made Juliette's throat tighten even more. Em had been frustrated with her for months—Juliette knew that. They used to tell each other everything, but now it felt like there was a wall between them that Juliette didn't know how to take down.

"Talk to us," Em murmured after a beat, her voice soft but steady. "Please. What happened?"

Juliette let out a laugh, but it came out jagged and bitter. "Nothing. That's the problem. It's just... nothing."

Sully looked helplessly at Em, but Em's gaze stayed locked on Juliette, searching, waiting.

"Julie," Em said, her voice breaking just slightly, "just tell us."

Juliette shook her head, fighting fresh tears. "I can't."

She wanted to. God, she wanted to. She'd been bottling it all up since the beginning, every late-night kiss, every whispered promise, every crack that came after. But to say it out loud would mean outing Abigail, and no matter how hurt she was, Juliette couldn't bring herself to do that to her.

Em groaned softly, not out of anger but heartbreak. "I wish you would just talk to me. You've been so secretive for months, Julie. I don't even know what's going on in your head anymore." Her voice wavered. "You're my best friend, and it feels like I'm losing you."

That cracked something in Juliette. She lifted her head, tears spilling freely now. "I want to talk to you, Em. I do. But I just can't."

"Why?"

"Because it's not my place to."

Sully shifted closer, his usual joking tone stripped away. "Julie, if it's making you this upset, then it is your place. You matter here too."

Juliette shook her head again, voice dropping to a whisper. "I just... can't."

The room was quiet for a long moment, only the sound of her uneven breathing. Then Em spoke, so softly Juliette almost didn't hear her:
"It's about Abigail, isn't it?"

Juliette's throat burned as she gave the smallest nod, and then the sobs came again, heavier than before. Em pulled her in without hesitation, wrapping both arms around her. Juliette clung to her waist, burying her face in Em's chest like a child, letting herself cry in a way she hadn't let herself in months.

Sully sat back against the bed, his expression solemn. He'd seen Em's worry, seen Juliette's strange distance these past months, but watching it all spill out in front of him hit differently.

When Juliette finally quieted, Em brushed the tears from her face with gentle fingers. Juliette drew in a shuddering breath, then began to talk.

She told them everything. From the first stolen kiss, to the nights they spent curled together, to the fights that had chipped away at them, to the night she walked away for good. Every detail spilled out, raw and unfiltered, as though once the words started, she couldn't stop.

By the time she finished, her friends just sat there in stunned silence. Not surprised, not really, but heavier now with the weight of knowing.

"I'm so sorry you've been carrying all of that alone." Em said finally, her voice thick. "

"Yeah," Sully added, shaking his head. "You didn't deserve any of that, Julie."

Juliette wiped her face with the back of her sleeve, eyes tired and red.

"If I'm being honest," Em said softly, "we kind of assumed. We figured something was going on between you two—we were just waiting for you to tell us yourselves."

Juliette blinked at her, startled. "Really?"

"Yeah," Sully said, managing a faint smile. "The way you look at each other... it's obvious."

Juliette let out a broken sound, somewhere between a laugh and a sob. "If it's so obvious, then why does it feel like I'm the only one who wants it?"

Neither of them had an answer.

So, Em just pulled her close again, holding on tight, while Sully joined in on the hug. For the first time in weeks, the noise in Juliette's head dimmed-not gone, not fixed, but quieter.

[A/N]: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please let me know your thoughts and vote :)