limerence [justin foley]

chapter 8

juliette's pov

"jeff, i know you took my 50! give it back!" i laugh and start slapping my brother's arm as we play a heated round of monopoly.

"ow, stop! i didn't take your damn money!" he shouts back and starts to slap my arms away, causing the purple 50 dollar monopoly bill to slip out of the sleeve of his letterman jacket. his eyes widen once he sees it and i smirk in satisfaction, snatching it from his sleeve.

"cheaters never win."

we continue playing our game like we've been doing for the past hour and a half, me scolding jeff each time he attempts to be slick and pull a cheating move. it's been a much needed bonding time. i've managed to block out all the thoughts that were invading my head and i've also managed to stay off my phone. well, for the most part.

as jeff rolls the dice, my phone dings from beside me and i instinctively look over and check it, immediately wishing i hadn't.

hannah 🌻 : omw to meet justin now. ugh i really hope everything goes great 😭

a good friend should feel happy and excited for her friend in a time like this, but i just can't and i hate it.

"everything okay?" jeff's worried voice interrupts my thoughts and i peel my eyes away from my phone screen and onto him.

"huh, yeah. why?" i ask and he shrugs.

"your whole, like, vibe changed after that text. who was it?" he questions and puts the dice down. i shake my head and mutter a no one, hoping he'll just brush it off.

"my turn to roll right?" i sigh. i'm about to roll the dice before he catches me off guard and takes my phone from beside me, reading the text from hannah on the screen. his brows immediately furrow and i groan before leaning back on my seat.

"you're upset about hannah and justin, aren't you?" he asks, placing my phone back down on the wooden table.

"the fuck? no!" i defend, attempting to sound as believable as possible but clearly being no use since he can perfectly tell when i lie.

"jules-" he starts but i cut him off.

"i'm not fucking upset, okay? i don't give a fuck." i snap and storm out of my room and down the stairs, sitting down on the first step.

i hear jeff trail not so far behind me and sit down on the step beside me, letting out a small sigh before speaking up. "you know, popping off like that shows just how much a fuck you give."

i shake my head and feel unwanted tears begin to well up in my eyes. i immediately blink them back, not wanting to cry even one tear over something as stupid as this.

"i don't know, jeff. i don't know." i simply say. before i know it, i feel that same unwelcome tear reach my eye again, except this time i'm not able to stop it from falling.

"what don't you know?" he asks me, wiping the tear off my cheek.

"how i feel. i just don't know anything." i gulp.

jeff takes a moment to look at me as if contemplating what exactly he can say. i can't blame him, i wouldn't exactly know what to tell me either.

"if you don't mind me asking," he begins, scooting in closer to me and looking at me directly in the eyes. "after everything, do you still have feelings for justin?" my heart nearly drops to my stomach at the question and i immediately shake my head. of course i don't have feelings for justin, i can't. i refuse to be stupid enough to fall into his trap again.

"absolutely not," i shoot and he raises a brow in somewhat disbelief. "justin hurt me, i'm over that and i'm over him. i like zach." i say, feeling as if i'm mostly telling myself that instead of jeff.

deep down, a part of me believes that the more i say it the more i'll actually believe it.

jeff nods slowly and pats my back, "alright, good. i'm gonna go clean up the game, you should probably text hannah back." he states and stands from the stairs.

after a while, i follow him into the room and retrieve my phone from the table, not uttering a single word.

me: everything's gonna go great! have fun, love.

i send the text and plant myself on the couch. i sit there, wondering what the night has in store for justin and hannah. my subconscious interrupts my thoughts with those of her own negative ones and leaves me to wonder if i, deep down, really want the night to go great or not.

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