Sew Me Up

I Can'ts and a Box of Red fabric

I don't go back to Claire's, I just walk to Selena's in the heat. I don't look to see if anyone followed me and I kind of hope no one did. I was free, I was no longer Claire's little puppet, I wonder how she'll make money without me.

I climb up the stairs to Selena's apartment, take the key under the mat and unlock the door. I close the door then lean against it and slide down to the floor. Freedom feels a lot heavier than I expected to, I feel like I left something behind but I'm incapable of getting it back. I feel my phone buzz in my pocket but I ignore it, I stand up and flop onto the couch and my eyes begin to feel heavy. So much has happened today.
I was a designer one minute, meeting Elie Sabb the next, wearing one his gowns down the runway, watching my own designs go down the runway. Then Alexis lost it.
I didn't realize how small she had gotten, was it because of the show? Because of Justin? Maybe Claire forced her.

My below the belt comment really tore her up, but no one calls me a failure when their mother uses my success and calls it her own. I let out a long sigh and let my eyes close.

~*~*~*~

I'm woken up by someone shaking me.
"Jewels," shake, shake, shake.
"Jewels," shake, shake, shake.
"JULIA," ROUGH shake.

"WHAT?" I ask, sitting up and look at the dark silhouette.  "Oh, hi Selena," I say and flop back down onto her couch.

"Ah-ah-ah, you need to get up, someone is here for you," Selena tells me and I groan.
I feel Selena wrap her hands around my arms and pull me up, "C'mon, you need to get up, he won't leave until he sees you," and my eyes pop open.

"Justin's here?" I ask and I get up, I walk over to the window and look out, like Selena had said, there sat Justin's car. "How did he get here?" I question.

"He was asking about you, where you were and I said I had an idea, so he followed me here and has been waiting for twenty minutes now," Selena tells me and I nearly choke on my own spit.

"Twenty minutes?"

"Yeah, I've been trying to wake you up," Selena says as she takes down her hair.
I don't say anything back and run out the door, bare footed. I run out of the building and towards Justin's car, I look inside and see him playing on his phone then I feel my phone vibrate. I tap on the glass and Justin jumps. He motions me to come to the other side and I do, I open the door and climb inside of the car.

I look at Justin, who is already looking at me.
He opens his mouth then closes it. Then opens it again then closes it again. Justin takes a breath, "What the hell happened at the show?" He asks me.

"What have you heard?" I counter, I dart my eyes from Justin to my feet.

"I heard you got into a fight with Alexis Mitts, one of the models, is that true?" Justin asks me and nod my head.

"Yeah, we got into a fight,"

"And I also heard that you two are sisters,"

"Step, I wouldn't claim her if my life depended on it," I spit. I see in the corner of my eye that Justin looks taken back by my comment.

"Julia, that's your family-"

"The family that kicked me out because my dad died, the family that uses my designs as their own, the family that doesn't give two shits about me until it's convenient," I rattle, I look straight at Justin.

"All I'm saying is that you need to talk to them-"
I glare and Justin quiets.

"Justin, you just don't understand," I tell him, leaning on my knees.

"What don't I understand?" He asks me and I roll my eyes.

"You think that since my life isn't in the spot life, it should be okay, but it's not," I point out.
"Ever since my parents died, my life isn't my own, anything that I created and could be proud of, someone took it." I continue.
"If I was happy, Alexis would come along and screw that up, if had a design worth anything l, Claire would take it, you will never understand what that's like at the personal level," I finish.