When Lightning Strikes [COMPLETED]

Chapter 9: New Schools (Part 1)

Julie only half paid attention to Andromeda the next morning as she poured a big bowl of cereal. What did it matter if she ate a huge bowl of sugar or a few slices of bacon? What did she care? She wasn't dancing anymore. It made her irritable—she felt like something was crawling under her skin, waiting to explode. As soon as an excuse came up, she let her dream slip away.

Dreams. She blushed as she thought about her dream last night. She had woken up in a sweat, with tingling lips. She couldn't remember the guy in it. The memory faded fast. He was blond. Maybe from a movie she watched recently? She couldn't think of a single blond man she met that made her feel that way.

"So I will take you to your school today, and your father will take Jamie to his school."

"Umm, I must not have heard you right. What do you mean about Jamie's school? Are we going to different schools? Is it an all-boys school or something?"

Her mother kept her head turned, fussing with the eggs. Her hair swayed as she shook her head. The egg pan clattered a little as she picked it up.

"No, there are girls at Jamie's school."

She brought over the plate of eggs and placed it in the center of the table. It sat between the plate of bacon and fruit that was already there. She frowned at the bowl of cereal.

"Are you sure you don't want to eat something else? You usually make me cook you a boiled egg to have with some fruit. You always picked on Jamie for eating too much sugar."

"I already told you not to bother." Julie picked up another piece of bacon. "I'm not training for anything anymore. Or maybe ever."

Andromeda stared at her for a few moments, and a worry line creased her forehead. Julie put her head down and spooned in another bite of cereal while keeping eye contact with her mom.

"Okay, well let me know if you change your mind."

Her mother was acting weird. She felt so alone right now. Her dad was always a bit aloof, but she used to get along well with her mom. While she didn't tell her everything, she always had her support on things that mattered.

It wasn't like that anymore. Something was broken. She felt an island apart from her family and even her old self. They'd crossed the bridge three days before, but it felt like months.

Why was she going to a different school from Jamie? They had both been in honors together. Her parents had made it clear to both of them that they expected decent grades if she danced and he played sports. She didn't know what to think or feel. The thought stuck with her, which felt weird itself.

Why did it feel weird to be thinking about something?

Jamie and Lir came in a few minutes later. Jamie didn't look like himself. Instead of his jeans and untucked polo shirt, he wore black slacks and a crisp white dress shirt. He held a sport coat in one hand and a black leather messenger bag in the other. So, no book bag either. He looked like a twin to her dad who wore a light blue dress shirt instead.