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Rue had taken all the precautions that afternoon but she was still pacing back and forth her room like a test rabbit. She finally plopped herself back on her mattress and thought about what happened. In between her last two periods of school Jules had pulled her into the bathroom away from Kat and Lexi yelling that she needed to borrow a hair tie. Rue was confused since Jules hair was already tightly secured in a ponytail on her head.
Jules was always affectionate to some extent throughout the school day. Even before they kissed or whatever that even was, days ago she was always close. Whether she was playing with one of Rue's curls or interlinking their fingers together during lunch. It always made Rue slightly lightheaded and her cheeks burn while she tried to stop a dopey smile from forming. Her hand was linked with Jules as she pulled her through the crowd of kids trying to rush to their next class. When she was dragged into the bathroom Rue slumped against a sink as Jules eyes panned around the tile covered room.
"Jules I've got class in like a few minutes and if i skip last period again." Rue started to lament even though she wouldn't be phased at spending more time with her best friend.
"Anyone in here?" Jules asked the empty bathroom. Rue looked up at the giant white clock hanging in the bathroom. She really could not miss anymore days, usually she wouldn’t care, but it would mean her mom stressing even more over her than she already did. The only thing her mom even asked of her these days was to stay clean and to try not to fail out of highschool. It wasn’t that she wasn’t smart enough to not fail, she just had been usually numbed over the past two years.She rolled her eyes and sat up.
"Jules what are you do...," Rue was about to say doing but Jules had started to kiss her and all thoughts of class left her mind.
Rue started thinking about how Jules tasted like cotton candy lip gloss and her heart fluttered. It felt like that time she drank too much cough syrup and fanta and ended up rolling herself down a hill because her body felt so soft. She bruised the entire side of her body when she spun out too fast. What else felt soft was Jules and she only knew because her hands had trailed up her friends sides as she kissed her back. Her skin was so soft and warm and Rue wanted to wrap her arms around her and never let go. They finally pulled apart both breathing hazily. Jules fingers were tracing the nape of Rue's neck. Her own hands holding lightly onto the skin just under Jules' shirt.
They both felt like they could float to the ceiling if they let go. Or at least Rue did because she just watched Jules stare at her lips. She didn’t think that now would be the right time to talk about whatever this was. She just knew for sure that she really wanted to kiss her again and again until she couldn’t anymore. It seemed Jules had the same idea because she started to close her eyes and lean back in. A loud time warning buzzed from the PA speaker and made them both jump apart. It was actually good timing as some girl Rue had never seen came bolting into the bathroom.
"We should go to class," Rue managed to mumble even though her cheeks were flushed and that was definitely not what she wanted to do. The girl who ran in was inside of a stall now, Rue could hear the sounds of furious fingers tapping a screen.
Jules nodded adjusting her clothes in the mirror and touched a glob of that cotton candy pink goo to her lips. Rue just awkwardly stood there watching her while pulling at the hem of her own shirt. She was fixated while Jules put herself together. As if she ever looked anything but put together but, it always somewhat fascinated her. Then again maybe it was just Jules because she never cared this much when Lexi used to get ready in front of her. When Jules was finished she started to head out of the bathroom and Rue followed. At the door she quickly turned around and smiled. "Can I come over after school?."
God she looked cute was all Rue could think before nodding and humming out, “Yea sure.”
Rue leaned in without thinking and Jules pecked her lips quickly before pushing through the door and disappearing. Rue rubbed her own lips together all throughout her final period, all while trying to convince Gia to go to her friend's house (which was like pulling teeth), and currently while waiting for Jules to text her phone. The taste had faded a while ago somewhere in between stopping at her practically empty locker and pedaling home. But, it was just nice knowing that the taste had been there at least for a little while. A familiar chime rang out and her screen brightened. Rue quickly unlocked the phone just to see a text from Gia.
G-G-G Gia: Ur girlfriend just rolled up.
Rue groaned and texted her back.
Rue: Leave the house please.
And she's NOT my girlfriend.
Another chime
G-G-G Gia: Oh trust me i am, i don't wanna hear any of that 🤮. You sure about that?
She wasn’t lying though Jules wasn’t her girlfriend, but that didn’t mean she did not want her to be. Rue walked out of her bedroom door looking back to make sure everything as somewhat tidy.
Jules💗 : Hey im here. ❤
Rue practically skipped towards the door which earned a chuckle from Gia who was slinging a backpack over her shoulder. Pulling open the door Rue leaned against it and grinned.
"Hey," she said her smile peeking through this time.
"Hey," Jules walked in the door with a similar toothy grin.
Gia laughed awkwardly before sidestepping the two clearly love stupid teenagers. They both were kind of oblivious and she honestly could not see how.
"Hi Jules, Bye Jules," Gia greeted quickly as she walked through the doorway.
"Byyeee Gia," Jules said lightly and it sounded like a melody to Rue's ears which caused an audible sigh she couldn't hold in. Both Gia and Jules stopped in their separate tracks. They both stared at Rue, whose own jaw dropped, and then each other before laughing. Rue dropped her head immediately and rubbed her temples groaning. She really just did that, yea she really did. God was she embarrassing herself, the thought slithered in that maybe it was a mistake inviting Jules over. Maybe the girl would think she was way too amped up for what could be nothing and leave.
"Uh Rue, mom’s gonna be home in like 2 hours," Gia yelled back to her sister who was still standing in the doorway. Gia had grabbed a bike from the garage and was walking towards the end of the driveway.
Rue yelled at Gia to text her when she got to where she was going, which was received with a yeah yeah yeah. She may have not been the best sister, but she was really trying in small ways to make it up to Gia. Her sister hopped on her old bike and pedaled off to one of her much better influences of a friend. Shutting the front door behind her Rue rocked on her heels. Jules was standing in front of her fiddling with the strap of her pink backpack watching her awkwardly bounce.
"Um do you want like water or anything?," Rue said her eyes wandering behind her best friend. Anything to keep her eyes from staring at Jules and end up looking like a lovesick puppy.
"Sure, ill take a water." Jules nods before sitting on the couch and rummaging through her bag. Rue exhales and starts to walk to the kitchen. Be cool Rue, be cool is all she keeps telling herself in her head. She opens the fridge and pulls out a water bottle the cold plastic chilling the surface of her very warm hands. “Be cool we are just hanging out like we always do”, Rue’s own voice sounded in her head. She walks back into the living room to find Jules with snacks in her lap and two DVD covers in hand.
"I brought both Planetarian and Your Name, I wasn't sure if you wanted to watch a movie or do something else," Jules smiled at Rue when she sat back on the couch and handed her the water bottle. The heat immediately returning when her eyes met Jules. Fuck, be cool. Jules shook the brightly colored dvd cases in her hand. Movie right not anything else. Rue focused on the covers, they both looked moderately happy so she did a quick guess and pointed at the cover that said Your Name. “Cool cover,” she mumbled to herself.
"Dvds though really, Jules you know we could have just streamed them on my laptop, right," Rue smirked. She moved to figure out how to play the dvd on the living room TV from an old vcr/dvd combo. Kneeling on the floor she finally figured things out while Jules rambled about her anime shows and some new palette she was just dying to have. She hit play as Jules was talking about how it was sometimes nice to have the imported disc. It had been silent for a minute and the screen faded from black to an advert for another movie. Rue inched backwards still sitting on the floor and skipped to the menu. She turned and tried to pass the controller to Jules. There was no response and she looked back, Jules wasn't paying any attention to her. Jules was staring in her direction but with a face that she was somewhere else. Rue hoped it wasn't about that Tyler kid again.
"Julessss, Juleesss, hey Jules," she shakes her knee and Jules blinks back to reality. Jules looks down at her and her cheeks start to get a little red. "Uh what were you thinking about?" Rue questions her curiosity is peaked.
"Uh sub...subtitles, you wanna read them or is the dubbed better," Jules rattled our before grabbing the remote and flipped to the settings menu on the screen.
"Dubbed please, my eyes can't read another word after that test," Rue groaned. Jules laughed which caused that same bubbly feeling in Rue's chest.
"It was ten questions Rue and it was multiple choice," Jules giggled. “Are you really that worried about ten questions,” Jules eyebrow raised.
Rue sighed heavily yea ten questions she couldn't remember any of the answers to. Ten questions that were probably the easiest thing created since mud. The screen fades into what looks like asteroids falling through a haze of clouds and Rue rest her head to the side of Jules knee. She’d rather just enjoy this than think of that. There's crinkling above her from the poptart that Jules starts to munch on.
An hour and 45 minutes later and Rues head was tucked into Jules’ lap on the carpet. Her breathing was calm but she most definitely was not calm. Tears were strewn down both of her cheeks. There was water stuck in her throat as she stifled crying yet again The cuff of her sweater and Jules' skirt wet from her crying. The characters were caught in a sequence of revelations and Rue was hurt. She was not given any warning that the movie was not the happy cover she had seen.
"Why did I pick this again?" Rue mumbled to Jules who was lightly stroking her cheek.
"You said the cover looked cool," Rue turned to see Jules smiling above her. She shrugged and rubbed away the puddles on Rues cheek.
Rue's heart was tight in her chest from the tears she'd been failing to hold in. Looking up at Jules she felt safe, she always tried to maintain that i don't give a fuck composure but it helped that she was usually high. This time though she'd been sober, painfully sober for a few weeks now. So sober that she half woke up in the middle of the night sometimes searching her desk drawer for anything. Shaking out the pockets of old hoodies and jeans, before remembering she was trying to be clean. Those nights usually ended up climbing onto the side of her bed not dampened in a cold sweat and passing back out. Jules was still rubbing her cheeks and when she focused back on her face Rue could see her pupils were blown. Jules wasn’t high but she looked like she was on something. The bright colorful images from the tv lighting up Jules face and the fading pink and blue ends of her hair.
"What?," Jules asked her bottom lip in between her teeth.
"I...can I kiss you?," Rue whispered almost like she was saying it to herself and not her best friend looking down at her.
Jules rolls her eyes and chuckles and Rue thinks to herself this is it . This is where she says she doesn't like me, where she says no. Which is fine because Jules could do almost anything and Rue would support her even if it meant she'd end up with a broken heart. Maybe this really was temporary like Ali said everything in highschool doesn’t last. Maybe she was just bound to use Jules until she needed a different high. But how could she when all she wanted to do was...be with her.
Jules lips form out, of course and all Rue can do is blink. Wait thats a yes, she thinks, go for it idiot. Rue finds herself pulling Jules down into her space while holding herself up. Its awkward and uncomfortable and her stomach is fluttering. When their lips connect that all seems to fade. The sounds of that sad ass anime fade into the back of her head and the growing crick in her back gone. It’s soft and clumsy her hand is cupping Jules’s face with one hand and Jules’s hand resting on her side. Eventually she pulls back but with Jules’s bottom lip between hers. She can feel the slightly rough surface of the new tattoo there.
A quiet moan leaves Jules as Rue lets go and lays onto the carpeted floor. Her breath rapid and her eyes lidded Rue feels a warmth all over and a little anxious. Jules moves and lays half next to Rue and half on her shoulder. Her fingers dance on Rue's arm that is resting playfully on Jules side. The movie is clearly ending which Rue is catching a glimpse of but that's not where her mind is. When she finally catches her breath and absolves what guilt is in her stomach Rue turns her head to meet Jules. She kisses her again this time filled with whatever has been bubbling inside. With her arms wrapped around Jules the kiss gets deeper and deeper and her ears are buzzing. Jules hands are gripping her shirt and when she lets go of Rue's lips her lips to attack her neck.
"Fuck...Ju...Ju..," Rue stutters while she wonders is this is how she will die. She would be the one to not from a fentanyl overdose or from an accident but by being turned into a wet pool by her best friend leaving hickies on her neck. The voice in her head is screaming more but a weird rational thought hums take it slow. She inhales and exhales sharply before pulling Jules lips back to her own and breathes deep into the kiss. Jules hand is trailing up and down the center of her stomach whole Rue lays soft kisses to the underside of her jaw. Rue moves to push Jules on her back and continues. Jules fingers are clinging to Rue's belt as she whines quietly. Rue had no exact clue what she is doing but she decides that anything that makes Jules sound even more like an angel is worth doing. She nips and sucks a bit harder causing Jules to let out a loud moan and the buckle of her own belt is snapped open. That's when the front door swings open and Gia and Leslie walk in the door carrying bags of groceries.
"Shit," is all Rue can say before moving off of Jules and standing up way too quickly. The blood rushing from her head and leaving her woozy. Jules is sitting up now back against the couch nervous with a small satisfied grin. She has her phone in hands, with her head down trying to not look like she almost didn't get caught with her hands in Rue's pants. Rue stands up straight and stands in the living room swinging her arms. Rue quickly adjust her loose belt and makes sure her hair is covering her neck as best as it can. She thanks whatever god there is that it's pretty dark so her mom can't see her discomfort. “Heyyy mom,” she says.
"Hey Honey I'm glad you're still home can you help with this," Leslie quips before peering into the living room past the bag in her hands. She notices her daughter's new best friend sitting in the living room with a light glow and smiles before flicking on the light. "Hey Jules, are you gonna stay for dinner?" she sends her way while passing Rue the large brown bag.
Rue has moved and is putting the bags on the kitchen table with Gia. She just barely missed out on an eternity of shame and wanted to lock herself in her room, with Jules of course, to keep from any further embarrassment. Gia is already putting things in the fridge and looks over at Rue. Rue notices her sister staring with a weird look on her face, "Yes?"
"Oh it’s nothing i just thought you should know you have some glittery lip gloss all over your neck," Gia laughs watching Rue's face go wide before going back to organizing the fridge. Rue is rubbing her neck with a paper towel trying to hide all evidence as she walks back to the living room. Her mom and Jules are chatting while Jules is packing up her dvd. They both smile at her and her mom moves to leave the room.
"Jules is staying for dinner so I'm gonna go get that ready." Leslie passes by Rue and mumbles, "Keep your door open." Rue sighs heavily leading Jules to her room and cracks the bedroom door.
Turning around embarrassed she stares at Jules who is sitting on her bed.
"So you do talk to your mom about me," she smiles and all Rue can do is groan and smile before falling into the other girl.