limerence [justin foley]

chapter 5

juliette's pov

"i'm gonna go change and head out to the field. just hang around, okay?" jeff tells me and engulfs me in a quick hug before heading over to join the rest of the guys in the locker room.

"uh, ok." i say, mostly to myself since he had already dashed inside. i sigh and walk on over to the bleachers as i wait for all the guys to come out for batting practice. after five minutes, they all start piling out and jeff waves at me excitedly from across the field.

"so you're our cheerleader for today, huh?" someone says from behind me and i turn around to find zach approaching me with a baseball in his hand.

i scoff, "nope, never that. i've got zero pep."

"nah i think you're peppy," he grins and i shake my head. "and pretty." he mutters as well and i unwillingly feel my cheeks heat up a bit.

"oh, well, thanks." i smile. "you're pretty too." i spit out and immediately cover my mouth. i really need to start thinking before i speak. he raises his brow at me and i cover my face in embarrassment. "gosh, i really didn't mean to say that."

"ouch." he jokingly delivers a hurt expression, placing a hand on his heart for dramatic effect.

"that's not what i meant either. i, um, i just-" i stutter, not really knowing how to get my words out. luckily, he interjects and saves me from utter embarrassment.

"i know what you meant, atkins." he smiles. i notice his hand slowly creep onto mine but i don't bother to move it. instead, i follow his actions and go ahead and take his hand, causing him to grin brightly. oh shit, alright then. we stay there small talking for a short while, hand in hand, before we're interrupted by someone whistling in our direction.

"yo, dempsey! quit macking on jeffy's sister and get your ass down here!" bryce shouts at us, causing jeff to turn and look at us at the sound of his name. he furrows his brows at the sight and i quickly let go of zach's hand, expecting quite the talk with jeff about 'relataionships' later tonight.

"duty calls." zach sighs and stands up. "i'll text you later, yeah?" i nod in agreement and he grins one last time before hopping off the bleacher and running over to the field.

well, that was unexpected. delightful, but unexpected. though, to be honest, i'm not complaining at all.

i watch the practice for a couple of minutes but begin to grow bored so i move on to my phone. i scroll through my instagram feed, watch people's snapchat stories, and like a couple of tweets before the annoying 10% battery notification pops up on my screen. i rummage through my backpack trying to find the charger before i remember i had left it in my locker after 5th period.

"damn it." i curse to myself. i get down from the bleachers and walk back inside the school. i walk across the hall and finally reach my locker, putting in the combination to open it. i look over my right shoulder and notice justin retrieving a basketball jersey from his locker as well. i sigh and attempt to open my locker but it jams up. again. and again. and again. i begin to grow frustrated and i punch it while letting out an exasperated groan.

"here," justin whispers while approaching me. he pushes the locker slightly and manages to open it without a second try. "one year later and you still can't do it." he chuckles emotionlessly. there's something off about him and his aura but i can't quite place my finger on it.

"i almost had it," i scoff and he shakes his head while laughing lightly. he turns on his heel and starts walking away and my mouth decides to once again spit out unwanted words by instinct.

"so hot date tonight with hannah, huh?" i shout at him. he stops in his tracks and turns around slowly before crossing his arms.

"sure. when's your hot date with dempsey?" he shoots and my eyes widen slightly as i was taken aback.

"zach and i are-" i begin to speak, the angel on my shoulder being ready to tell him off on how zach and i aren't a thing and he shouldn't be making assumptions, but for some reason, the devil on my shoulder tells me to switch around what i was going to say. "planning our date. we haven't set an official day yet." i lie, immediately regretting it after the words roll off my tongue. he clenches jaw and takes a couple steps closer to me.

"well, hannah and i are hanging out tonight and it's gonna be killer." he smirks, at this point standing so close to me i can smell the fresh mint from the gum he's chewing radiating off his breath. the same smell of mint i grew to dread. i feel something inside me slightly clench at his words but i, yet again, choose to ignore it.

"you know you don't deserve her, right?" i snap, growing irritated. he shrugs and chews his gum in my face obnoxiously.

"i don't deserve a lot of things, but i still get them." he says. i clench my fist and inhale a deep breath, trying to calm myself down.

"bye, justin." i utter, running out of patience. i quickly grab the portable charger out of my locker and slam it shut with a loud clang.

"maybe you, zachy, hannah, and i can go on a double date soon." he plasters a fake smile on his face and it takes all the will power in me to not slap it right off.

i say a lot of stupid shit i shouldn't when i'm pissed. "i'd rather spend my time with zach alone. i wouldn't want the two of you to feel uncomfortable watching us make out." i retaliate with as much of a cocky look on my face as i can. his facial expression immediately changes from one of amusement to one of prominent anger and i unwittingly feel a sense of victory wash over me. i mentally pat myself on the back before quickly striding away before he has any chance to respond.

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hey babes! i hope you're liking this so far and if you aren't i'm sorry dndjdjdj please keep reading maybe you'll like it soon enough. btw, the gifs of juliette that i use before i start the chapter is the best that i imagine her facial expression to be during a scene. vote & comment please it motivates me lots! xoxo
- isa