Theatre Geek - (R.B.) - Chapter 11: Chapter 11

RAIN WAS still pouring outside; although Spring ended many months prior, the weather in Salt Lake City was pretty much unpredictable for the last few years. The solemn sound of the pitter-patter of the raindrops as it hit the glass windows was enough to make anyone feel at peace. At least for a little while.
Julia sat on a carpeted floor, a blanket draping her shoulders as the television was turned on at a low volume. It was late at night and considering that she didn't check the clock since she woke up; it was safe to say it was probably early morning.
She heard footsteps and looked up. Nini was on her way back in an Uber from her get away with their drama teacher, Ms Jenn, when she heard the car suddenly stopped and a girl was lying on the side of the road. It ended up being Julia, and Nini rushed to bring the girl back home with her.
"I made hot chocolate!" Nini mused, taking a seat on the hard floor beside Julia. She handed the girl the mug. "I'm kinda out of marshmallows , though..."
"You didn't have to do this, Nini," Julia spoke but took a sip out of the hot cup. "But it tastes good," she added.
"Drink it while it's still hot." Nini grabbed the remote and turned off the television. She turned to look at her friend with sadness. "I don't even know how long you were out for..."
"It doesn't really matter, I guess," Julia replied, placing the cup on the ground gently. She wrapped the blanket around herself tightly, suddenly feeling a chill.
Nini stared at the girl in a mixture of confusion and anger. She wondered what went so wrong that Julia fainted because of it. When she saw her laying practically lifeless on the road, she felt nothing but complete sadness.
She placed a hand on Julia's shoulder. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened?"
Julia stared at her lap and fiddled with her fingers, feeling a rush of embarrassment and sickness all over again. She thought that if she replayed the moments that lead to her drowning in the rain, she would just grow unconscious all over again.
"Just me and this guy named—Cody. We had a fight at the dance and it didn't work out." Nini could easily see through the lie that Julia had stated, but she didn't want to budge. It was obvious there was a disagreement of some sort, but she wasn't sure why.
"Do I know him?" Nini wondered aloud, but her gaze was still on her friend.
Yes, Julia wanted to say. "No—he uh, doesn't go to East High," she said instead. "It was my fault, nothing much."
"Your fault?" Nini put the cup down in a hurry, spilling some drink on the floor. But that was the least of her concerns. "What kind of ass is he that he let you faint!?"
"No, it's fine." Julia rubbed her forehead, feeling a tinge of pain. "Can we not talk about it? I promise, I'll tell you. Just not—right now."
Nini said nothing, she just nodded her head in response. She mentally noted to not leave Julia's side, and although she didn't know the girl too much, she knew that Julia was going through something at the moment. It wouldn't be very friend-like of her to leave her side at such a difficult time.
It was the weekend, so it was reasonable to stay up that late into the night. There were no parents around, just the two girls finding the time to get to know each other. In the hours that followed, Nini found out a lot about Julia, and Julia found out a lot about her newfound friend. From conversations about their favorite foods, to laughing at each other's lame jokes. Nini didn't want to admit it, but she saw a brighter connection with Julia than her actual best friend, Kourtney.
Nini passed the glass bowl over without taking her eyes off the TV, cheese puffs going in at a beat steady enough to impress any drummer. Julia took it, "You're telling me Dawson died?" Nini kept on with the puffs, no sign of having heard. "Seriously, how could they kill him?"
"This is why I love Nicholas Sparks, but hate him too," Nini picked and prodded with the wires of the television set, and three seconds later, her butt was back on the couch, two hands hit the cheese puff bowl, four eyes on the screen.
It was nearly four in the morning and the two friends were watching a sappy Romantic movie, crying like two complete weirdos. "And get this, all his movies are based on novels he's written!"
"No way!" Julia's mouth gaped open, her eyes wide open like an animated cartoon. "I need to read some of them..."
It was probably the fact that the two had gotten none actual sleep since arriving at Nini's house, or that they grew so much more comfortable with each other, but Julia was showing Nini a different side of her personality.
The kind that nobody really knew about.
The carefree type, she wasn't the same admittedly boring teenager everyone grew accustomed to seeing in the halls every day. It was the one that someone would grow to love if they spent enough time around her.
And just like that, the very unlikely bond had turned into a beautiful friendship. Julia's head was stumbled on the cushion and Nini tucked under the covers on the same couch, dreaming of a world where peace was the only option.