Pretending (Westshore Series #1)

Chapter Four: The Juliet Special

I wake up and grab my phone off my nightstand. One look at my texts and memories from last night come flooding back. 

My childhood nemesis Warner lives across the hall. 

The past I have tried so hard to escape has already infiltrated my new life.

Today was the first real cheer practice and the soccer team would be practicing at the field. Which meant He would be there. I hated how one part of my past turned up and suddenly I was losing everything I felt I had built. When I look in the mirror I swore for a second I saw grade ten Juliet with cystic acne and her too-big glasses. I blink and she is gone and replaced by the new me.

I am going crazy. I couldn't let stupid Warner ruin this for me. I put on my favourite black lulu lemon shorts and a cute sports bra. The new Juliet doesn't eat breakfast so I brush my teeth, put my hair in a ponytail and leave. Yes, not eating breakfast is unhealthy but nothing about my weight loss was healthy so no point starting now.

I open my door slightly just so I can see if any evil douchebags were lurking in the hallway and when I see the coast was clear I make a break for the elevator. Right as I press the ground floor button a hand stops the door. I get ready to smack it out of the way if it was Warners, luckily it is Adam who steps in. He is wearing his practice uniform and looks damn good If I must say.

"Are you going to cheer extra hard for me today?" he asks me and I flush.

"Yeah I actually have a custom routine just for you I had to practice it all night but I think I have it down."

We chat and walk to the field and I learn that Adam is a scholarship student and kind of a genius. He is in the Biomed program and plans on being a doctor. He also seemed like an actual nice guy. Except for the part where he was best friends with Warner.

When we get to the field most of the guys on the soccer team are already warming up with the cheer team members who have shown up early. They are all warming up next to each other, aka flirting with each other. A couple of them start whistling at the sight of Adam and me walking in together and him holding my bag.

I blush and awkwardly walk towards them all. God, it feels like elementary school where it is a big deal to hold hands. I mean I am a virgin so holding hands is still a big deal but I am a loser so it's different.

I bend over, put my bag down and look up at just the right time because a ball is flying at my butt. I turn quickly and catch it with ease. I already know exactly who kicked it and my suspicions are confirmed from the sight of Warner.

"Honest mistake Jules!" he flashes me a grin and I whip the ball at his head.

______

We go through a new routine until we are all dying and out of breath. I liked the exercise though, I needed to go on a run after the practice so when it finished I didn't follow everyone into the change rooms. Instead, I walk over to the track and take a long sip of water before starting my run. I get through three laps before I feel footsteps fall in sync with mine.

"Don't you think you should be taking a break? Maybe eat breakfast or something?" Warner is jogging next to me.

"Okay thank you dad I will eat breakfast after my run" 

Why on earth did he care what I ate?

"I prefer Daddy but okay good you deserve the Juliet special after this run" I cringe at his words. The Juliet special was what Warner used to call what I ordered at Mcdonalds'. Back then I would order 5 hashbrowns, 2 egg mcmuffins and hotcakes every Friday. I used to eat it in my English classroom so nobody could see but Warner had walked in once and branded it the "Juliet Special'. I like to think he was just jealous of my meal and I am sure he now orders the same thing.