Who: Jules and Victoria When: Mid-Morning, Monday, October 9th Where: School Status: Complete
For the first time, in what felt like forever, Jules had been slightly nervous about going to school that morning. It had been a long weekend and by now Jules was pretty sure that most people knew that she was dating Jasper. Jules didn’t even want to know what people were saying about her fight, no her argument, with Ruby. Monday morning was made slightly worse by the fact that Jasper had texted her to tell her he wasn’t going to be at school because he’d had a ‘long night’. Jules didn’t know what that meant exactly, but it sucked that she had to walk into Chamberlain High and deal with the bullshit on her own. She felt pouty and abandoned, even though she knew that wasn’t entirely fair to Jasper. She knew she should be able to handle things. She could handle things. She was Jules Cooper after all. Fuck everyone else.
Thankfully school was going pretty well. Very few people had the balls to say shit to her face. She heard the rumors from friends who heard from friends who heard someone else say… but that was fine. Jules didn’t need to explain herself to anyone. If someone wanted to whisper that she had given Ruby Fox a black eye, or that Ruby had tossed vodka in her face… whatever. Some people had nothing better to do.
When the time came for her study hall just before lunch, Jules entered the library and found an empty table, flinging her bag on top and unzipping it to pull out her notebook and psychology homework. She didn’t really plan on studying or finishing up her work. It was just always better to look like she was actually studying when she was really checking her phone. Jules had only been caught once or twice since school started, so she figured she was getting better at hiding it. While she got situated, Jules looked up to see Victoria Chapman had entered the library. Jules was torn between wanting to talk to her and wanting her to find someone else to sit with. She just wasn’t sure she was in the mood for the Victoria Experience today, though Jules was sure she could deal with it if she had to. Maybe.
Victoria had been looking forward to Homecoming all year, up until she wasn’t named queen. It had ruined the game for her, but she attempted to make the best of the dance, sure that she was the most gorgeous there, no matter who they put the crown on. And with Todd on her arm? It was bound to be a night to remember. What she hadn’t counted on was Jasper Lucas hijacking Sebastian’s crowning dances with Jules. And with a fight to follow at the afterparty? That was the icing on the cake.
She’d been dying to really dig her teeth in when she saw Jules in the library and made a beeline straight for her, ignoring Charity’s wave and attempts to get her attention. She dropped her bag on the table and slid into the seat across from Jules, eager to get the latest gossip. “So tell me the truth, is he the best lay you’ve ever had? Or just a way to piss your parents off?” It was either one or the other. There had to be a reason for Jules to be slumming it up.
Jules braced herself as soon as Victoria headed her way. She wasn't afraid or intimidated, just... defensive. Most of her friends could ask subtle questions, and they knew better than to call her out or insult Jasper to her face. Victoria... well, she marched to the beat of her own drummer, which was admirable, but also super annoying sometimes. Victoria's question wasn't surprising, but it had Jules arching a delicate brow as she pulled her phone out of her purse to set down beside her notebook.
"My mom doesn't even know," she said simply. Despite Edward having been her stepdad since she was, what, ten or whatever?, it was still hard for her to lump him into the same category as her mom. Jules didn't see him as her dad. "So if those are my only two options, I guess I'd have to go with option number one. I mean, you can't deny that he's hot. There's no, like, ulterior motive to it."
She will, Victoria thought, but didn’t say. Jules might not have told her mother, but someone else would tell theirs and it would get back to her. “What other option would there be?” Victoria asked. “Yeah, he’s hot in that bad boy kinda way, but it’s not like he’s going anywhere. I mean, it’s only a matter of time before he has a record. But you can totally be into that!” It would be great, an easy way to rid herself of competition.
There were plenty of reasons why Jules might have wanted to date Jasper. Probably. Sure, they had hooked up because she'd been drunk and feeling rejected, and then they just kept hooking up because the first time had been so good. So... yeah, Jasper was the best lay she'd ever had, but that didn't mean that's all it was now. Honestly, her brain was starting to hurt a little thinking about it and she didn't want to try and explain it to Victoria, of all people. Jules rolled her eyes and reached up to brush her hair behind her ear. "Come on, Victoria. It's senior year. I'm not planning our marriage. And Jasper isn't as bad as everyone thinks. He's definitely more interesting than the cookie cutter boys you and I keep dating." Really, she meant the boys Victoria dated, but Jules figured that much went without saying.
“Well, I’d hope not,” Victoria snickered. Girls likes Jules didn’t marry guys like Jasper. She’d be miserable, for one. There was no way he could afford her lifestyle. But then the idea of Jules married and pregnant at nineteen was appealing in it’s own morbid way. “Was Sebastian that big a bore?” she asked, raising a brow. He was hot and rich, but had shown absolutely no interest in Victoria ever, so she’d decided he wasn’t worth her time. “Todd’s fun. He takes me out, buys me things, and he’s hot. What more could you ask for?” Was interesting another way of saying he was some kind of kinky? The thought amused her.
"I'm sure Sebastian is the right guy for someone. He just wasn't for me," Jules said after a moment. She didn't want to throw Sebastian under the bus just to satisfy Victoria. They'd had fun as a couple, sure, but that spark had never been there. And yes, she found Jasper to be more exciting, but Jules was sure Sebastian would someday find someone more exciting than her. Maybe. Jules picked up her phone to idly text her messages. "I don't need Jasper to buy me things. I have enough money to buy my own. But, you know, I'm glad Todd's fun. Sometimes that's all a girl needs." Jules set her phone down again and smiled at Victoria. "And there's totally nothing wrong with that."
“That or he’s gay,” Victoria suggested. “Did you hear about him and Hunter Barrett?” No one seemed to have anything solid, but she’d heard the guys poking fun at Sebastian earlier that morning. Todd had been kind enough to fill her in. “I figure that’s all that matters right now. We’re all going to be gone by next year, so why get too attached?” She couldn’t imagine actually falling for anyone in Point Pleasant. They were all such small town people and she planned on getting out and away.
"Sebastian's not gay," Jules scoffed, though with the idea out there it seemed to be quickly taking root in her mind. She and Sebastian got along pretty great. They were both good looking and popular and came from well to do families. There just hadn't been any heat when they were dating. Not that Jules hadn't tried to create some, because she had. Sebastian had just never been... interested? Was he gay? The idea was so unfathomable and yet, that could so easily explain why Sebastian hadn't wanted her sexually, which was a hell of a lot better than thinking something was legitimately wrong with her. "Guys are allowed to be friends with gay guys without being gay themselves," Jules continued, though she sounded less convinced than before. "But yeah, I mean, it makes sense not to get attached, but there's nothing wrong with it. I'm not going to blow off someone I actually like because I'm leaving for college next year. Who knows what could happen?"
“Well, I guess you would know,” Victoria said with a little smirk. Not that there weren’t plenty of gay guys out there who could still get it up for girls, but Jules would know better than anyone else. Jules or the meathead Sebastian ran around with. “But yeah, totally, I didn’t mean they couldn’t be. The guys were just giving him a hard time about letting Hunter wear his crown or something.” Victoria nodded as if, yes, of course she wouldn’t just blow someone off, when really they both probably knew she totally would for the right person or the right reason. “Just seems like a lot of potential heartache,” she said casually before remembering something that made her light up. “Oh! What really happened with Ruby Fox? I’ve heard so many different versions, but I’m guessing she didn’t really come at you with a kitchen knife since you’re here and everything.”
Would she know if Sebastian were gay? Was he gay? Jules had to fight back the intense urge to text him. Wouldn't he love getting that kind of question over the phone during whatever class he was in right now? Still, it was tempting. "Yeah, well, guys can be dumbasses," Jules said with a shrug. "If I let Mak Richberg wear my tiara, our friends aren't going to give me a hard time. Guys are too obsessed with their dicks and where they're going, honestly." Jules wasn't about to comment on 'heartache'. She wasn't worried about that. Ruby had warned Jules not to hurt Jasper, but Jules wasn't sure she even had that kind of power. She knew she was leaving for college and Jasper... probably wasn't. Who knew if they were even going be together by then. There was no need to get ahead of themselves. Victoria's inquiry about Ruby had Jules letting out a quiet laugh, not wanting to draw attention to their table. "Yeah, she did run at me with a kitchen knife, but I knocked her out with a frying pan. It was all very Kill Bill, only with kitchen stuff instead of samurai swords. That version is the true version."
“You’d never let Mak wear your tiara,” Victoria pointed out. If she had, people would wonder what was going on, even if they might not jump to the same conclusions. They weren’t exactly friends. “See, I didn’t hear anything about a frying pan,” she said, rolling her eyes. “It all sounded way over dramatic, but you never know with girls like Ruby. She’s probably just jealous that you took someone she could actually get.” It wouldn’t surprise her at all to hear that Ruby and Jasper had been together. She’d seen them hanging out a few times here and there, but neither were really worth paying attention to till now.
Well, that was true. Jules hadn’t wanted to share her tiara with anyone, but so what? The argument was still valid. Her mind was still preoccupied with Sebastian’s possible gayness, but the topic of Ruby was just irritating enough to refocus Jules’s attention. “Yeah, well, she can be jealous. Jasper’s not into her and if she tries anything, she’ll regret it. I’ve got enough to deal with than to add Ruby Fox into the mix. You know, he didn’t mention her to me all summer, so like, how close could they even be?” Okay, sure, she and Jasper didn’t talk much at all over the summer. It was mostly hook-ups and the occasional fight. But still. Jules was willing to ignore little details like that to make her feel better. “Honestly, Victoria, it’s not that exciting. There’s just nothing else to talk about right now.”
“You were with Jasper all summer?” Victoria asked, brows raising. That was news. She’d thought this was a new thing, a little fling because Jules wanted to get laid at homecoming and there was no way Jasper would turn her down. Maybe she was a bit desperate. But if she’d been at it since summer, they really were a thing. Ew. There was no amount of hotness that would make them a suitable match, at least not in her eyes. “I dunno, did he mention her to you?” she asked, just because. “Okay, whatever you say,” she smiled sweetly. “Just trying to get the story straight.” People were talking and she’d never been one to hold her tongue.
Well, shit. Jules hadn't even really realized what she'd said until Victoria repeated it. Her cheeks felt hot all of the sudden, because she had a feeling their friends would know that particular detail by the end of the day. Victoria liked to talk as much as Jules did, if not more. "We've been hooking up since summer," Jules said with a casual shrug, like that was somehow better than... whatever they were doing now. It was true though. Their summer hook ups had definitely been more casual than how things were now. It wasn't like they'd been a Thing since June. Jules crossed her arms against her chest and leaned back against her chair, eying Victoria. "The story is pretty boring. Jasper and I were hooking up, and now we're going out. Ruby and I got into an argument at my party because she's friends with Jasper and we don't get along, but that's all that happened. No punches were thrown, no knives were brandished. People have to embellish it because it's that boring." Jules arched a brow and smiled. "Please tell me you've got something more interesting to tell me about. If anyone would know, it would be you."
“Wow,” Victoria grinned, letting the subject of Jasper and Jules drop, even though that was a delicious detail that she was looking forward to sharing with whomever would listen. Because if they’d been hooking up that long, Jules had been doing a decent job of keeping it a quiet. At least until she started dating her dirty little secret. “Always,” she smiled and leaned in to share the latest gossip. “So don’t tell anyone, but you know how Brian and Christy went to the dance together? Apparently he hooked back up with Tina at the dance, then with Christy at your party. There are pictures,” she said, whipping out her phone. She still thought Jules and Jasper was bigger news, especially with the fight with Ruby in the mix, but it never hurt to spread the love a little. Everyone deserved their moment in the spotlight.