Borrowed Time

Chapter 179

Cheerleading practice on a day when they didn't even have to go to school was absolutely criminal - not a weekend practice, no.  Practice on a day when school was fucking called off for something else... That felt like a day that they should get back, an apology for all the time that practice had stolen from their lives, but no.

Basketball and cheerleading both had practice... Juliette had been so annoyed when Shelby had told her and Becky that when they'd all woken up that morning and it hadn't gotten any better through the day, she'd just been progressively more annoyed until practice, which had pissed her off because what sadistic ass coach plans a lot of running on a day when most of the team doesn't want to be there...

Honestly, a day where most of the team was horribly hung over... Juliette had not envied the people running while looking like they were moments from throwing up, but it was over now and she could go home, and-.

"Hey." Becky broke into her thoughts, forcing her back into her body which was honestly probably a good thing.

"What's up?" She asked, trying her best to seem engaged in the world around her as she looked at the ceiling, not wanting to stare at Becky while she changed.  She only looked back down when Becky patted her shoulder, getting her attention and her eye contact.

Yes?

"Do you need a ride home?" Becky asked, and Juliette nodded.  She was pretty sure that Shelby wasn't driving her tonight because she'd mentioned something about having plans, and Esme had work until late... She wanted to apologize for not letting her know sooner, but she knew that Becky would tell her not to.

"Yeah, if you don't mind." She said, seeing Becky give her a look, placing a hand on her shoulder... She'd been doing everything in her power to avoid one of those, she wasn't quite sure what she'd done to earn one... Becky's looks were always something that made her feel like she should be apologizing immediately to make them go away.

"If I minded, I wouldn't have asked, believe me." Right.  Juliette was working to remember that, to know that when people offered her things, they were doing it because they were fine with it, it wasn't a test to see if she was selfish enough to take it.

Thanks for that trauma response, Samantha.

"Cool.  Meet you out there?" She asked, and Becky nodded, dropping her hand from her shoulder as Juliette swung her gym back over her body.

"Mhm." Nice.

Honestly, when she walked out of the locker room, she was in her own little world... She didn't want to acknowledge anyone around her, she just wanted to sit down, relax and-.

"Juliette Smith, aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" Juliette froze, panic gripping her for a second. She took a deep breath, placing a hand over her chest as she turned to see Penny standing near the door with her arms crossed across her chest over her low-cut dress and jacket that she'd for sure stolen from Esme... not school appropriate, but a visual that I don't not appreciate. In addition to a lovely outfit, she was wearing a grin on her face that could've lit up even the darkest of rooms... She wasn't sure what she was doing here, but Juliette was never not happy to see her.

"Good lord." She sighed, dropping her hand from her still-pounding heart as she shook her head, walking over to her. "Who talks like that, Pen?" She asked, feeling Penny's arms slide around her body to pull her into a tight hug, one that she gladly accepted as she took in the warmth of Penny's perfume, the lyrical sound of her laugh.

"Me." She pulled back then, resting a soft hand on either side of Juliette's face as she did... Sometimes it really just caught her off guard when she looked at Penny - she was pretty sure that it was a crime to be that beautiful, to look like a goddess that fell down from heaven and somehow started to model on Earth.  "How're you doing?" She grimaced at the question as Penny dropped her hands from her face, letting Juliette lean on the wall beside her.