She could've saved him. That would always be the biggest burden Juliet Mackey would carry on her shoulders.
She could've saved him. If she wasn't so afraid of what would happen if she didn't get home in time.
She could've saved him. If she had just...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Juliet sat on the fence of her porch the next morning, swinging her feet. Her mother had just left, meaning she had a few hours before she had to be back.
She kept adjusting her snapback, not sure what way it looked better. Backwards, frontwards, backwards, frontwa- ah fuck it.
She groaned, pulling the hat off her head. Why did she care so much about something so stupid anyways? She was just meeting Bill to get her bike from the school. Why would she care what he thought about her appearance?
Oh you know why, stop denying it.
She shook her head, trying to clear those thoughts from her mind. It's never a good idea to fall for your best friend. Never.
Juliet started tapping her fingers to the beat of a song stuck in her head, hoping to take her mind away from a place she hated it going to. Before she knew it, she was singing a verse out loud, keeping quiet in hopes that her neighbors wouldn't hear.
"Take my hand. Take my whole life too. For I can't help falling in love with you. For I can't help falling in.. love... with.... y-"
"Morning, J!"
At the sudden voice of the boy at the bottom of her driveway, Juliet jumped. Losing her balance- and her hat- she went toppling off of her porch.
Bill cursed, jumping off his bike and dropping it to the ground. He ran over, quickly helping the girl up from the bush she'd landed in. "I'm so sorry. I-I didn't m-mean to-"
"It's okay, my fault." Juliet chuckle softly. He took a quick glance around her, checking for any injuries. "I'm fine, B. The bush broke my fall."
He pulled her up off the ground, also grabbing her hat. She turned, checking the damage she'd caused.
"Crap, more like I broke the bush with my fall." Jules groaned. "Mom's gonna kill- what the hell are you doing?"
Bill's hand froze at her question, hovering over her hair. He hadn't even thought about what he was doing before he went for it. "You-You have a-a leaf in your hair."
Juliet nodded once and stopped fidgeting. Their eyes locked onto each other's as his hand came down on her soft hair, taking out the leaf. Chucking it to the side, Bill cleared his throat as the both looked away. He brushed the dirt from her hat before handing it back to her.
"Thanks," she said so quietly the word almost left with the wind. She placed the hat on her head, suddenly not caring what direction it was facing.
