Elliot and Julia have a complicated relationship. Since they met in the seventh grade, the only heart-to-heart conversations they've had have been strictly over text. But they don't mind this lack of intimacy. If anything, they enjoy it.
Don't thi...
Our junior year powderpuff team was the bomb. I'm not even exaggerating because we were the best and simply amazing. Mostly because our coaches were completely insane but hey, if that's what works. Naturally, we beat the seniors and were very excited about it. But because we were so awesome, the win was just sort of expected. This led the stands to focus on something else: the cheerleaders.
The cheerleaders for the powderpuff games basically consists of every outgoing guy in the class. Some of them are less outgoing but the ones that are quiet are the ones who suddenly reveal they have six packs so no one complains. We all go to the game to watch the girls play but we stay for the halftime show.
The halftime show is an amazing thing. It takes a group of guys, most of which you've known for years and have no real feelings for, and makes them infinitely more attractive. Such as, after the junior's halftime performance our sophomore year, I swear I was suddenly attracted to every single one of them. I suddenly understood why female cheerleaders in general are not taken seriously by guys, teenagers hormones are too crazy.
Our junior year it was no different. After that halftime dance I would've dated every single one of those guys. It's like they somehow brainwashed the crowd, the same kind of thing would occur during the International Rally each year when the Polynesian club performed (cute, shirtless Asian guys, enough said). But guess who was one of those cheerleaders. If you guessed Eli you have just won a brand new car! Not really but at least I know which of you are paying attention.
So junior year I witnessed two phenomenons: the attractiveness of the cheerleaders going up and also how easily Eli's behavior can change.
What I witnessed was the mild mannered Elliot Masters suddenly turning into the charismatic and outgoing Eli. He could go from quiet to crazy in about five seconds and I couldn't figure out how he did that. It was like a superpower and I was sort of jealous that I didn't have it. It would've made my life so much easier.
Of course, it was not the only time I would be jealous of Eli but I guess that comes with the territory when you're sort of friends with the golden boy of the school. Jealousy is a normal human reaction so I guess I actually was sort of normal in high school. How disappointing.
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"Some people have lives, others have music."
"What's that from?"
"A book."
"No shit Sherlock, all you do is quote books. I meant which one."
"Will Grayson, will grayson by John Green and David Levithan."
"I should've known."
"Why?"
"Cause it's by John Green."
"So?"
"There's two things people can know when you quote something. One, it's from a book or a movie. Possibly a movie that was based on a book. Two, if you quote it more than once it probably has something to do with John Green."
"But I only said it once."
"You said it once today. You told it to Alyssa yesterday in class and the day before you told Casey and the day before you told me the first time."
"Oh."
"Yeah."
"So you actually pay attention to what I say?"
"Jesus Christ."
~~~
Hey guys! I'm sure you all have noticed that this is the conversation that is seen in the prologue, just with a little added.
I love how I could include this because when I wrote the prologue, I had several parts written (both description and dialogue) but they were random little parts that I didn't know how they could connect yet ("Julie: An Enigma," which isn't for another ten or so chapters, is one of those) but I had a list of the dialogue ones I had that I thought might be good for a prologue. Eventually, I chose this one.
Anyway, what makes this even better is that you've had forty or so chapters before getting back to this prologue but now it has so much more meaning. Now you actually care about the people speaking (I hope). It's real full circle shit.
