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Chapter 19 - I'm not ready

Juliet

Juliet had managed to get through the week without much more than a few whispers. Not many people had confronted her however, she knew everyone was talking behind her back. The news had probably hit everyone in her year and as much as the thought made her feel sick, she was trying to act like it wasn't happening.

That very abruptly came to an end when Brad approached her for the first time since the fight and while she was full of anger, he looked more laid back then ever.

"Alright?" He asked as he slid onto the table where Bella and Juliet were sat at lunch.

Bella was trying so hard not to lash out at him and instead just held back and didn't say a word.

"What?" Brad began laughing when Juliet just looked at him.

There was so much she wanted to say yet she didn't know what to start with, so just said nothing at all.

"Why are you pissed? People have been telling me you're mad as fuck. I don't get it."

Juliet couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth. How was he sitting here like this was nothing? He had spread the worst rumour about her possible and he was acting like it was no big deal.

"Why am I? You can't seriously be asking me that?" Juliet bit as she finally allowed all of her frustration to power through.

"Yep. I am."

"You're an idiot."

That summed up this whole situation extremely well yet he still didn't get it.

"Why are you mad? I did you a favour."

If Juliet wasn't already mad enough, that had pushed her to her limits.

"You didn't do me a favour Brad!" She slammed her hand against the table. "You're so full of yourself."

"People now think that you slept with me. Would you rather they know you are a virgin?"

It was clear that Brad was so sucked up in the fake life society presented to most teenagers as a lot of people were in her year. Everyone seemed to believe that certain 'norms' were actually norms and that if you didn't comply, you didn't fit in. However, those 'norms' weren't real and they were just things that society made up and lead to teenagers thinking other people were following them. In reality, most just pretended and most just got caught up in rumours like this one which ended up being seen as a fact.

While a lot of people in her year had also been sucked up into this fake life, Juliet had been lucky to have her sister who had lived through it all before. Sophie had kept Juliet out of the rubbish and made her see that there was light at the end of the tunnel where everyone suddenly became more real.

No one felt the need to be like everyone else, no one felt the need to dress like everyone else and people stopped trying to be the same, eventually. She made Juliet see that when people matured, they became their own person and all this fake life no longer mattered.

"Yes I would rather they knew that! We're 16 Brad. I'm not ready and I won't be for a long time but that's okay."

Brad looked back at her in utter shock at the words that left her mouth. This was probably the first time he had heard them come out of someone their ages mouth because everyone was too scared to speak the truth.

"You can't be serious?" He laughed and his childish behaviour was only angering her more.

"Yes, I'm serious. So you better make sure you tell everyone you made it all up, okay?"

No one said anything as Brad was left stunned and speechless at how this had gone. Juliet could see Bella grinning in the corner of her eye and looking as though she wanted to jump up and applaud her best friend.

Usually Juliet would be terrified of what people were going to think and how they were going to judge her but she was past that now. There was more to life than what other people thought and she realised that she needed to do more for her.

If she couldn't stick up for herself and live the way she wanted to live, then how would it ever be fun for her? She could so easily live like everyone else and let the fake norms and pressures consume her mind however, she would end up becoming a robot to this messed up society.

Instead, she wanted to learn how to be herself and be the individual who stood out because she had the confidence to do that. She was past caring about what people were going to say or think of her because soon, she wouldn't see any of these people ever again.

"You can go now." Juliet forced a smile in Brad's direction who was just looking back at her wide eyed.

"Right... okay." He frowned before getting up and walking back over to his friends.

Chances were, he was about to make up some rubbish story that didn't tell the truth of what had just happened however, Juliet didn't care anymore. She would be the one to finally tell everyone the truth and make sure the word got around that Brad had stupidly lied for his own big headed self.

"Damn Juliet Carter, you are my hero!" Bella threw her hands in the air and began clapping. She seemed more excited than a child on Christmas Day over what she had just watched and looked beyond proud of what Juliet had just done.

"That felt so good." She laughed, letting out a much needed breath. "I need to call my sister!"

Sophie had pepped talked Juliet the previous night on how to handle the situation. She had been her mentor however, a much better one than any parent could be. Sophie had pushed her to be strong and stick up for herself, not hide behind authority and let them do the work.

However, just as Juliet began pulling out her phone, she could see the deputy head teacher walking her way. Suddenly falling into panic, Juliet dropped her phone on the table and tried to avoid contact as she hoped she hadn't seen what just went down.

"Juliet?" She smiled causing her to look up with a forced smile back.

"We need to see you in the office. We'd just like a little chat."

She didn't know what this was about or why this woman was looking at her in such a light and sympathetic way but she didn't like it.

Could this be about Brad?

Was this about her grades?

Or was this about something completely unrelated.

Whatever it was, her body was suddenly consumed by nerves as the head office was somewhere she had never been before.

...

"Come in." The head teacher, Mrs White called out.

Earning an encouraging nod, the deputy head allowed Juliet to go in first before following and shutting the door behind her. Expecting to just be faced with Mrs White, Juliet was taken by surprise when her sister was sat on one of these seats too.

She turned around to look at Juliet who could instantly judge the mixed reaction on Sophie's face. She looked both angry and worried and was giving away nothing to explain why.

"Take a seat Juliet, we will make this quick." Mrs White also forced a smile.

This woman was not much of a smiler and instead was always to the point. She liked to keep herself to herself and it was difficult to know why she even took this job; it didn't even seem like she liked kids.

"Is everything okay?" Juliet asked as she turned her attention on Sophie.

"Yes, we just need a quick chat about some things." Mrs White filled her in but Juliet's eyes were just on her sister as she was desperately trying to read her expression.
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