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Chapter 3
Brody
Leaving Julianna in that office had to be one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I hate the thought of her getting into trouble, but I have multiple things stopping me. One is that I’m not the best person to speak out about someone else getting in trouble. My name alone will bring her nothing but trouble in this school. Two, her uncle is the school principal. I’m pretty sure he’s gotten her out of worse things than this.
Still, I wanted to barge into that office and break her free. If I knew it would help and not get her into more trouble, I would have done it in a heartbeat. I might be quiet and keep to myself, but I’m not stupid. Unfortunately, I also know what her uncle thinks of me. He’s got me categorized just like everyone else in this school and town. I can see it every time he looks at me with a mix of curiosity and mistrust. It’s almost as if he doesn’t know what to think of me. That’s okay. I don’t trust him either. Who would trust a man who doesn’t take in the well-being of ALL his students? One who lets his teachers get away with ignoring the glaring fact that some of us don’t have the happy home they would expect. They saw the proof of the abuse staring them dead in the face and still decided we weren’t worth it by turning a blind eye. We weren’t worth the state's trouble, and every single one of them pretended we didn’t exist.
Fuck it and fuck them; I have my brothers, and they have me. Half of them have already found their future in the walls of this school, and I couldn’t be happier to be one of them. I know I have to eventually find the balls to speak up and actually talk to Julianna, especially before the school year ends. If I don’t and she leaves for the big apple or Hollywood, wherever she plans to go, I know I’ll never get the chance. Fuck that. She’s the only girl for me. I know it, have known it for a long time, but I never thought she would look twice at trash like me.
After her little show in the cafeteria yesterday and the sass she threw me when she was in my arms, I know now there is no going back. I want that sass, that fire every day for the rest of my life. I need that beautiful spitfire with me always. Now, what better way to keep that spirit around than to keep that girl by my side for the rest of my life? I may not deserve her; I have the scars of my life, my past, to prove that… but fuck if I’m not going to try to steal her, anyway. After all, maybe I am trouble, like she said, and won’t give me a second look. Maybe it's time to live up to the namesake my brothers and I have been cursed with.
With a smile on my face and new life breathed into my soul, I make my way out of my bedroom and to the front door of my trailer. Determination leads me on as I take one step in front of the other.
“Well, don't you look fucking adorable with that smile on your ugly face?” my mother spits out at me, and immediately my smile drops. I was too wrapped up in my own head to remember she was home. Usually, she’s passed out until around two in the afternoon when she is here. What that tells me is she hasn’t been to sleep yet. Damn it, I knew things were too good to be true.
“What, not even going to say a word to me? I can't remember what your voice even sounds like,” she states coldly, with venom in her voice, taking a pull from her cigarette and narrowing her eyes at me. I’ve finally, finally had enough. I’m over letting her think she’s won.
“What the fuck do you want me to say? Want me to say yes, mother, for the first time in my life, I’m fucking happy, and not even you can take that from me. You don’t win, mother, and I’ll be damned if I ever let you win over me again. I found the love of my life. I’m going to love her, marry her, and I’m going to get as far away from this town and especially you, and I’m going to be happy. Is that what you wanted to hear? The fucking truth! Fuck you, mother, fuck you and fuck this life you chose for yourself and dragged me into.” Wow, that felt fucking amazing. My mother is looking at me with such shock, then it morphs into rage, and she moves like she’s going to stand.
“Sit your ass down. You can’t hurt me anymore. You can try, but you won’t live long enough to see your artwork on my skin,” I growl out to her, my voice so menacing she shrinks into the couch, wincing as I tower over her.
“Y-you need to leave. I don’t want you in my house anymore. See if the love of your life has a place for you. I never wanted you….” she starts, but I move closer, and she shrinks even further in on herself until I’m standing over her.
“I never wanted you as a mother, so that makes us even. Even though calling you a mother would be a stretch. Also, good luck getting me out of this house before I graduate. It would just take one call, mom. One call to your dealer, just to let him know you ratted him out to the cops,” I threaten before straightening and turning back toward the door.
“You wouldn’t! He would kill me!” she screeches.
“Guess that means we're stuck with each other for a few more months. Stay out of my fucking way, and I’ll stay out of yours,” I tell her, then push open the screen door and make my way outside. I’ve tried everything with my mother, but I think she’s finally taking the hint. I guess all it really took, in the end, was me threatening her to finally get her off my fucking back. Wish I had known that years ago. I shake my head, letting it all wash away. I’m happy now. Juju makes me happy, and I won’t let anyone, especially my mother, ruin that. I hop on my bike and peel out as I see her stumble onto the front porch. She could fall off the damn thing, and I wouldn’t give a flying fuck.
I know my brothers will probably wonder where I am and why I didn’t ride to school with them this morning, but I have my reasons. One being Julianna, and another being that I don’t want to see my brothers sucking face with the girls, who are almost close enough to be my sisters. Don’t get me wrong, I'm truly happy for them, but I’m also jealous as hell. I’ve been watching my girl for years, quietly, knowing she was meant for more than this small town or any other town my brothers and I ended up in.
The problem now is I realize how big of a dick I’ve been. I’ve been taking her choice away. What if we could have been together this whole time, but I stayed away because I thought she would only ever see me as the trash of the town? Hell, everyone else saw us that way. Why wouldn’t she?
It’s worth a shot; Julianna is worth everything.
Then she looked at me in the cafeteria, not with disgust or fear, but with curiosity and what looked to be like heat in her eyes. Finally, I pulled my head out of my ass, and now I’m parking my bike and walking into the school. It’s still early, and only a few teachers are milling about. I make my way to the theater, knowing if Julianna isn’t already in there, she will be soon. I open the door, and there she is, painting the backdrop in the middle of the stage.
“Class doesn’t start for another hour, Birkley. I won’t be late today, I promise,” she yells, not turning her head to look at me.
She’s humming, and I can tell from here she has her earbuds in listening to music. I smile, watching her sway back and forth. One of the first things I noticed about Julianna was how she created this whole other world and then surrendered to it. She has the power to pull you in and surround you in her little world. I want a bigger piece of her creation, of her. I want to be engulfed by her, submerged in whatever little piece of heaven she will give me. I make my way up the stage steps with my hands in my pockets until I’m right behind her. I don’t want to startle her, so I gently crouch down and place my hand on her shoulder.
“Holy shit.” She jumps anyway and turns to look at me. When she realizes who's behind her, her eyes widen comically.
“Uh, hi. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, but with your headphones in….” I trail off, shrugging, and Juliana hops to her feet with a smile.
“Oh, hey! Sorry I didn’t hear you. I was just going over my part for the school play,” she says, smiling as pink rises to her cheeks. Am I the one making her blush? Is she nervous because of me or getting caught off guard? Damn, I’m not good at this shit.
“I figured that’s what you were doing in here all alone. I’m Brody,” I say, sticking out my hand to her. She smirks down at it but takes it, anyway.
“I know,” she replies with her signature sass. “I’m Julianna, but everyone calls me Juju.”
“I know,” I tell her, smirking at myself but still not letting go of her hand.
“What are you doing here so early, Brody? You and your friends usually come in right as the bell rings?” she asks nervously, wiping the paintbrush up and down her hand. She’s getting paint all over herself, but I don’t think she cares.
“Keeping tabs on my brothers and me, huh?” I ask, and surprisingly, a blush spreads deeper across her cheeks. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this girl blush or get embarrassed over anything.
Hell, this is the same girl who poured water on her pants in the lunchroom in fifth grade because a kindergartener had an accident at school. She didn’t want the little girl getting ridiculed, so she told everyone that they knocked their drinks into their laps while they excitedly talked about Scooby-Doo episodes.
