Unspoken Goals

Movies

February 6th

The living room was dim, the only light coming from the soft flicker of the TV. A half-forgotten rom-com played in the background, but none of them were really watching. Juliette sat curled at one end of the couch under a blanket, chin tucked into her knees. Soph sat cross-legged beside her with a bowl of popcorn balanced on her lap, Em sprawled across the other end with her feet propped on the coffee table.

The apartment felt wrong without Abigail. Her absence lingered in the air, heavy and awkward. Other than practices, Abigail had practically vanished. Juliette hated to admit it, but part of her was grateful. Not seeing her made the ache easier to dull, at least for a little while. But another part of her simmered with anger—not for herself, but for Soph and Em.

Abigail wasn't just avoiding Juliette. She had been shutting all of them out since winter break. Em masked it better, probably because she knew the full story and didn't want to force Juliette to relive it. But Soph—Soph couldn't hide the hurt. She mentioned it constantly, the sting of being pushed aside by someone she thought was one of her closest friends.

The silence was broken by the buzz of Juliette's phone against the cushion. She ignored it until Soph leaned over, curious.

"Kenzie?" she read, brows lifting. "Since when do you guys talk?"

Juliette didn't even look over. "We don't."

Soph squinted at her, then grinned mischievously. "You're not gonna answer?"

Juliette groaned, grabbing the phone out of her reach before she could open it. "I wasn't planning on it."

But the screen lit up again.

Kenzie: Hey!

Juliette sighed, thumbs moving almost without thought.

Juliette: What's up?

Em twisted on the couch to face her. "What does she want?"

"I don't know," Juliette muttered. "I'll let you know when she responds."

The reply came fast.

Kenzie: Would you want to go see a movie?
Kenzie: Please. None of my friends are available right now and I really want to see this one.

Juliette frowned. "She wants to see a movie." It didn't make sense. They hadn't talked since that night at the game. Why now?

Em perked up immediately, a grin spreading across her face. "You should go."

"I don't know... It's random. And we're hanging out right now."

"You've been sulking for weeks," Em said, smirking. "A little distraction wouldn't kill you."

"I have not been sulking," Juliette muttered.

"You definitely have," Soph said through a mouthful of popcorn. "Go. Em and I will survive without you."

Juliette hesitated, staring at the message. Her thumb hovered over the keyboard.

"Don't even think about leaving her on read," Em warned. "Say yes."

"Juliette," Soph added, elbowing her. "Do it."

Juliette rolled her eyes but something inside her ached—loneliness, maybe. Or maybe the sharp reminder that she couldn't keep living in Abigail's shadow forever. With a reluctant sigh, she typed back:

Juliette: Sure. What time?

Soph cheered under her breath, and Em smirked knowingly. "Finally. You're welcome."