Diamond Names (ON HOLD//EDITING)

Thirteen

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. Julia looked up, having lost track of time. The room filled almost immediately with chatter and the sound of shuffling papers. Soon just Julia and Emory remained.

The room filled with an almost deadly silence. Julia packed up her bags as Emory erased the whiteboard.

"I, um..." Julia started. She took a deep breath. "I saw Tyler today."

The silence seemed to grow. Was that even possible? Maybe Emory didn't know he was here, either.

"Did you?" Never mind. Emory definitely knew.

"How long has he been here?" Julia slung her backpack over one shoulder and looked up at her mother, awaiting a response.

"Um, I'm not sure." Emory began packing her bag as well. "I think he transferred in this year like you."

Julia wanted to make a scene. She wanted to throw her bag on the floor and start screaming. Why was her mother lying to her, and about this?

When you carry the Castle name, you also hold a legacy. The thought rang out clear. Julia sighed, frustrated.

Emory looked up then. "Everything alright?" she asked.

"Just fine."

The awkward silence slowly returned.

"Hey, listen." Emory held her bag in one hand and walked over to the door. "A few of the other teachers are hosting a party as a way to celebrate the first week of classes. Do you have any interest in joining me there?"

The bell signaling the start of next class was about to ring, and only a few students remained in the hallway.

Julia shrugged. "I guess. Sure." She realized soon after that she would be the only student present, and she groaned under her breath.

Her mother smiled. "Great! I'm sure it will just be a casual affair. We'll have a few drinks, chat for a bit, and then it will be over."

She stopped in front of Room 206 as the bell rang. "You have lunch right now, don't you? You should go." She smiled before walking down the stairs.

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"Let's go have fun, you and me, in the old Jeep..."

Music blared through Julia's earbuds as she took another bite of her turkey sandwich. She turned the page of her book, not paying any attention to world around her. It was nice to have a break.

A voice came out of nowhere. "What are you reading?"

Julia jumped and whirled around. Liam Downey stood behind her, trying not to laugh. She glared at him. "It's not nice to sneak up on people."

Liam shrugged. "What makes you think I snuck up on you? From the looks of it, you had no idea that anybody was even in this cafeteria." The smirk on his face resembled Tyler's.

She scowled as she picked up her mostly empty tray. "Just leave me alone, Liam." She started walking towards the nearest garbage can, hoping he wouldn't follow her.

"I'm surprised you remembered my name." Julia groaned at the sound of his voice, closer now.

She slammed her tray down on top of the trash can. "Go away."

She walked briskly through the cafeteria doors and out into the sunlight. A cool breeze brushed against her face, blowing her orange hair in front of her eyes.

"You should come to the park with me," Liam suggested.

Julia scoffed. "I told you to leave me alone. Besides, I'm busy."

He took a step in front of her, blocking her path. "C'mon, Castle, you and I both know you've finished all of your classwork already."

She rolled her eyes and walked around him.

"Why don't you like me?" he called after her.

"Why do you care?" she retorted. He seemed to have given up, because the rest of her walk home was silent.

Author's Note:

Any Troye fans reading?

If it wasn't already obvious, the song for this chapter is Fun by Troye Sivan. I'll probably go back and edit all my other chapters that don't have songs to go with them yet.

But anyway, what do you guys think of Liam? Is he just being rude to spite Julia? Or is he just a nice guy trying to have a little fun? Think what you want, but that'll be answered soon enough.

Sorry it's been awhile since I updated, I hate writers block. And school is starting soon, so that's been my main focus.

Remember to vote, comment, follow and share! Means the world. xmxjxj