Fluctuat nec Mergitur

Chapter 19

*Juliet's POV*

I slammed the car door, furious. I follow Max on Twitter and Instagram, which at this point might be a mistake. I saw those photos and I know she posted them to make me angry. Against my own will, it's working.

I unlocked the door to my family's house and tramped up the stairs to my room. Nobody was home, but I slammed that door too, pulling her page up again.

I cleared my throat. That's a boy, and boys make me cough. I didn't do anything Friday night except go out to the store and get kept up at night by the fireworks. Lauren and her friend Costello posted them too.

I groaned. Why did I let myself do any of that? Why did I let myself walk out? Look at these pictures at all? Without thinking of any sort of consequences? Slick.

It might've been only two o'clock, but I laid on my bed and fell asleep for as long as possible so I wouldn't have to think about any longer than I needed to.

*Max's POV*

"Look out." I said to Lauren as a football skidded along the ground in our direction.

"Look out? It's not even going fast."

"No, I don't want to kick you." I kicked it back toward the kids in the dirt. Two or three yelled a thank you, and I waved.

"You're pretty good at that." She remarked.

I looked over at her and laughed. "I'm European."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"If not anything else, we're good at football." I mimicked kicking a ball. "And most of us have been doing it our whole lives, so you'd better get good."

"I'm American." She replied weakly.

"That's just a nationality, Laur. Now you're French, so I'll you a football for your birthday so you can save yourself shame." I teased.

"Oh, goodness." She sighed. "Christina's not going to be happy on our birthday."

"I can't imagine they've got money to send several of them over here." I looked around the park. "Currently we're in slight debt, and wouldn't even be let in."

"It'll be okay, you're cool. You'll be at work though."

"I'll get out early." I nodded.

I've already got plans with Christina. It's all worked out already. She's flying here, and I'll get her at the airport. I like to think I'm a decent liar.

"Tell me about last night." Lauren moved on.

"You were there, you should know."

"Yeah, but your head wasn't. What did you do before you met Aldrin?" She punched my shoulder lightly.

"I told you, I talked to somebody else."

"Yeah, dummy, who?"

"Ella." I mumbled.

"I knew it." Lauren looked up at the sky, grinning.

"You what?"

"I dunno, you just don't seem to like guys that much." She raised an eyebrow.

"I never said I liked her." I shoved her.

"I'm just saying." She regained her balance. "I don't think you'd be that distracted if you didn't. What happened to Juliet?"