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It was terrible soreness Juliette could not shake. Paired with a chill that seeped intravenously to the very marrow of her bones as her shoulders shook in the autumn air like the tendrils of tree branches, bare from their lost foliage. A puff of her breath rushed past her cracking lips, morphing into a white cloud of vapor as her emerald eyes tear away from Simone, blabbering about some letter from what she supposed was a family member in Albania.
She had not been paying much attention. She hadn't been for a while since she'd gotten to school, anyway. Perhaps fatigue was finally catching up to her, tugging at her eyelids and filling her with a sluggish ailment only sleep and a collected mind could relieve.
Granted, she stayed up the majority of the evening in a lousy attempt to finish up assignments from other classes she seemingly did not have time for anymore. Her prowess was slipping, indubitable at best as all of a sudden, on a random weekday morning, did all of the stresses Annick felt the week prior was finally hitting Juliette all at once.
In a cacophony of an unfortunate clash-boom-clang of a disaster waiting to happen, her dear friend had yet to arrive. Begrudgingly, she ripped her frozen hands out of the warmth of her coat pockets and tugged her sleeve up, peering down at the ticking hands of her watch.
Five minutes until the first bell rings. Seven minutes before they closed the gate. And ten minutes before Annick would inevitably have a tardy slip on her record.
Where was she?
Juliette was well aware of the difficulties she was facing as their conversation over the phone last night was abruptly ended on Annick's line. There was a very plausible explanation in which she had just overslept, or was simply running late. She did live in the next town over, after all. Very, very plausible reasons that Juliette should not be worrying over, but it seems as if the stresses were never ending and creeped up on her like hands on her shoulder. A sword that dangled above her head and hung by the frailest of strings.
Rocky friendships were the last thing she wanted. It seems as if no one wanted to speak to her, or rather have a conversation deeper than: how are you? Are you doing anything right now? And only getting back short quips and disinterested murmurs.
Dean and Laurie had not called in a while—or at least, not together, anyway. Juliette did not want to entertain the dread that filled her stomach whenever she found herself reaching for the phone and dialing either of their numbers. Whenever she did, it was nothing more but a dull phone call and awkward pauses in between. The only positive news she had heard thus far was that Dean and Laurie were still friends. Awkward and strained it may, but friends nonetheless. Juliette was eternally grateful her only connections in her second home were still somewhat intact.
