Beverly Lights

11

As soon as Juliet handed Spencer the towel, she decided that it was time to leave. She didn't want to be at the party to begin with, so Jordan being an ass to her diminished any will she had to be there.

She took a ride around Beverly Hills and when she got home she noticed that her parents were gone. She assumed they were still over at the Bakers.

It wasn't very late, just ten thirteen. She made her way up the stairs and slipped on her swim suit. Out at the pool with her dads new huge flat screen TV she put on her favorite movie, Dirty Dancing, and grabbed a large floaty from the pool house. She floated around the water as she looked up at the sky with the sound of the movie in the background. "Party for one?" She heard someone say which scared her half to death. When she looked up she saw JJ walking through the back gate. "You gave me a damn heart attack." She told him as she calmed down.

"My bad." He laughed.

"Why aren't you at the party?"

"I fucked up, big time."

"Well that doesn't sound like a good thing. What happened?"

"I took Mr. Adam's Porsche for a spin and forgot to put it in park. Totally swiped the back of Hamilton's truck."

"Oh my god, J. And Asher didn't kill you?"

"I got out of there before he could."

JJ sat at the edge of the pool where the stairs were and put his feet in. Juliet knew this was the best time for her to speak to him about the supposed rumor that's going around. "I have a question for you."

"Alright, what's up?"

"Someone told me that you're going around telling people that Jordan and I are hooking up again. Is that true?"

"What? No. Last I knew you two stopped that awhile back. Who said that?"

"That's not the point, I just wanted to make sure it was a rumor."

"It was Alyssa, wasn't it?"

"How did you know?" She laughed.

"Man that girl's always lying. She and I hooked up the other weekend. She asked about you and Jordan, if you were together. I told her that you guys had a thing over the summer but that was it. But I mean- everyone knows you guys had a thing over the summer."

"I'm not mad. I just wanted to make sure."

"You're my girl Jules, and Jordan is my boy. I would never. I am however waiting for the day you crazy kids finally get together." He laughed.

"Yeah... a lot of people are."

______

That Monday at school, Juliet was less than excited to go. She didn't really want to see Jordan as she was still upset with the way he spoke to her at the party. She half way expected him to show up at her house to apologize or at least send a text on Sunday, if he had she would have given him the benefit of the doubt and talked it out civilly. Instead, she got nothing. Not a 'sorry', not a 'hey', nothing. And now she was angry.

She was quick at her locker that morning. Spared no time on gathering what she needed and headed to classes. She missed him by seconds. She didn't linger in the halls like she usually did and headed off campus for lunch. Jordan was at the point he assumed she wasn't there that day. He texted her but didn't get a response.

As she walked down the sidewalk for her car after last period, he finally saw her on his way to the field. "Jules!" He called. She heard him, but she kept on walking. "Juliet!" He called again as he ran after her.

When he caught up to her, he lightly grabbed her by the elbow to get her attention so she would turn around. "What?" She asked as she turned to face him. "Are you good?" He asked confused.

"I'm great, thanks." She replied and turned back for her car.

"Hey hold up. For real, what's going on? Your shoulder is cold as hell right now?"

She rolled her eyes at him, there was no way she was going to tell him what was bothering her. She wanted to see how long it would take for it to all click. Luckily for her it didn't take very long. "Is this about what went down at Asher's party?" He questioned.

"You catch on quick."

"You can't be mad at me because I made my sister get out of the hot tub, Jules?"

"Are you serious right now? You really think that's why I'm pissed?"

"What else could it be?"

"How about the way you spoke to me? You practically dismissed me and spoke to me like I'm an illiterate child!" She snapped.

"Look, I needed to talk to my sister, it had nothing to do with you."

"That doesn't make it okay, Jordan. I thought maybe yesterday you'd realize that you were an ass and we could talk about it. Clearly that was just wishful thinking."

He could see the tension and anger in her eyes. He knew he really messed up. "I'm sorry okay. I have so much going on when it comes to school, football, and everything at home.. it's just become overwhelming."

"Then talk to me about it!"

"I can't.. It's private."

She took a deep breathe in as she gave him a confused look and shook her head. She heard all she needed to. She shrugged her shoulders at him and once again- started to walk away .

"Jules, come on now!" He called out to her.

She quickly turned to face him and shouted, "What's the point?! You can't talk to me about something that's obviously weighing heavily on you? You're stressed with school and football. You have a lot going on. Just- forget it. Okay?"

"For get us? Us?"

She let out a sigh and looked away from him, she didn't want to say the words out loud.

"No, that's not happening, alright?" He assured her. "I want you, I want us. I want everything."

"And I want someone who can talk to me when something is going on in his life instead and treating me like a nuisance."

"You're not.. I didn't mean to, I was stressed and-"

"Dealing with something you refuse to talk to me about.." Juliet could feel her throat as it started to grow tight and tears were trying so hard to break through. "I gotta go." She told him, and this time when she walked away, he didn't try to stop her.

Jordan didn't know what to say. He stood in the same spot watching her as she got into her car and pulled out of the parking lot. They weren't together, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. And he had no clue why it did.