Every Girl I've Loved A Lifetime Ago

Julia

Julia snored like a whistle, screamed like a volcanic eruption, and cooked like she knew what she was doing.
Julia was my twin sister's friend so, by extension, mine.
She was a seventh grader taking college level courses, carrying old frayed textbooks and thick mint condition novels wherever she went.
Julia would read Pride & Prejudice at our sleepovers and recite Shakespeare at lunch.
Julia would sleep on my shoulder if we sat next to each other on the bus, Julia would write notes on her hand if she needed to remember something, Julia would only eat her sandwiches with the crust cut off.
I never really started to notice Julia until it was almost impossible not to.
She was easily my closest friend after Carmela.
And that was kind of sad considering Carmela was twenty-four and my neighbor.
Julia had skin as pale as moonlight, a voice as loud as a lawnmower, and eyesight as sharp as a bird's.
Julia kissed me one night when we were thirteen.
We were in my sister's room during a sleepover, three other girls were there- all asleep.
Julia and I were the only ones awake.
We were watching old YouTube videos on my phone, the screen illuminated her slender face and left shadows in all the right places.
She caught me staring and suddenly neither of us could stop.
And, slowly, our faces started inching towards each other, heads tilting to the right.
Our lips collided, chaste and simple, but I was surprised that I didn't think of Carmela at that moment.
All I could think of was Julia and her fondness of classic literature. Julia and her assertive cooking skills. Julia and her thick rimmed glasses and raven hair. Julia and her quick temper and short stature.
She flushed a bright red and I glued my eyes back to the screen, and we never talked about it again.