Dear Dahlia // B1

[18]

"A school dance?" Luke says, looking down at the flyer on the piano. "Its not exactly the club."

"Well, you're not exactly alive," Reggie retorts. "So why don't you just be glad that we have a gig?"

"Your first gig," I add, walking over to Luke and Reggie. Julie continues watering the plants by the window. "You've gotta start somewhere."

"Right," Luke nods, watching me walk over to the piano and lifting myself up to sit on it. "Yeah, we start small."

"Exactly," I smile, swinging my legs. "Then when you become legends you can thank my high school for giving you your first gig."

"My high school too," Julie interrupts. "Although, you seem to be getting around more than me."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask, breaking my eye contact with Luke and looking over my shoulder at Julie.

"It means I saw you talking to Tyler Mark's this morning," Julie crosses her arm over her chest, still holding the water can in the other.

"And? We ran into each other during the spirit rally and he's in the art program so I pretty much have classes with him all day," I explain. "Not that I owe you any explanation."

"I just thought you would tell me that one of the most popular guys at school was suddenly all interested in you," Julie shakes her head, setting the watering can down.

I roll my eyes and hop off the piano. "Who said he's interested in me?"

"His eyes," she says, walking around the piano to the couch.

"What?" I laugh. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Yes," Julie huffs. "You're just blind. The boy likes you Dahlia."

"No, no," I say, giving a sideways glance at Luke. His eyebrows are close together; he looks deep in thought. "We're just friends."

"Well, then why was he flirting with you?" Julie asks, sticking her tongue in her cheek.

"It wasnt flirting. It was being friendly," I say. "He just wanted to know about my weekend and talk to me about the dance."

"What about the dance?" Luke cuts in.

I look over at him. His face is a little more relaxed now, but there is a lingering look of disappointment over it. "Just if anyone had asked me yet."

"Dahlia," Julie groans. "Did he ask you to the dance?"

"Yes," I nod. "But that doesn't mean he likes me."

"Yes, it does," Luke says, going to sit next to Julie on the couch.

"What do you mean?" I laugh.

"What else did he say?" Julie asks.

"Well, he complimented my drawing, of Luke and Alex and Reggie actually," I say looking at Reggie and Luke. "Where is Alex anyway?"

"Hey," Julie says. "That's not what we're talking about right now."

"Oh," I blush a little. "Well then he told me that he was surprised no one had asked me yet."

"And?" Julie leads.

"And he said I was smart," I say. "And pretty."

"Dahlia!" Julie squeals. "You are blind."

"Well, you can think someone is pretty without liking them," I argue. "I mean, I think Luke is cute but I don't see him that way," I laugh nervously. Luke's head picks up at his name and a smiles flashes quickly over his lips when I say he is cute. It quickly fades when I say how I feel about him, but I put my focus  back on Julie before I can see disappointment grow on his face.

"But he really complimented you," Julie says. "He complimented your art, something he knows is important to you. He called you smart, which goes deeper than just surface level. And he complimented surface."

"I -uh- I'm going to go look for Alex," Luke clears his throat, getting off the couch.

"Okay," Julie says. "Hey, tell him we need to start practicing for the dance a-sap."

"Will do," Luke grunts before poofing out of the garage.

"I'm going to go too," Reggie says. "This feels - too sisterly for my presence to be appropriate."

I laugh once before Reggie poofs out too.

"Look, Dahlia," Julie pats the couch. I sit. "I think Tyler really likes you. And I think this dance is going to be a great opportunity for you to finally get a boyfriend, your first boyfriend."

"Hey," I argue. "I had a boyfriend in 6th grade. Logen Huss. Remember?"

"The boy who brought his lucky sock in for show and tell?" Julie asks.

"Yeah," I blush. "Maybe not the best example."

"Listen," she says, putting her hand on my knee. "You're really great and all, but I don't think I've ever seen you dance."

"That's because I don't dance," I state.

"Yeah, for good reason," Julie sighs. "But we have a week. When I'm not rehearsing with the boys, how about I teach you to dance?"

"You'd do that for me?" I ask.

"Of course," she smiles. "I mean, I was upset when I saw you with Tyler and you hadn't told me. But I now realize that you didn't even know yourself. So I forgave you pretty fast."

"Thank you, Jules," I wrap my arms around her.

"Anything, Lia," Julie says, hugging me back. "You're my sister."

A.N.

Hi.

I just wrote this straight outta my a$$. Less than an hour baby.

It makes me happy that Julie and Dahlia are getting close again. It does however make me less happy that my baby Luke is hurtin (which we get to see more of laterrrrr)

Anywho! Remember to vote, comment, and share!

💀✌🦋😘❄😳🐍😎🏳️‍🌈🤠🥁

-Redd