When Lightning Strikes [COMPLETED]

Frenemies (Part 1)

The next morning Julie went shopping with Andromeda, and Ariel was able to convince her to help her in the store a few days a week now. It was better than nothing, but she wished she had more to do.

Andromeda and Ariel were talking all morning about different colors, cuts, and styles. Julie couldn't care less, and they didn't seem to notice. They kept her busy unpacking a shipment that came in the day before. She should invite Kara next time. She wasn't sure when she volunteered to help in the shop too.

"Julie, hon, can you run across the street and get us lunch before you go? I'll call in the order," Andromeda said.

"Yeah, sure."

Julie walked down the street to the coffeeshop in a haze, oblivious to everyone around her. She couldn't get yesterday out of her mind. It was one of the best days of her life. She was warm all over and wouldn't be surprised if her face was permanently flushed. Her body tingled thinking about him.

She might fall in love with Rory if she had many more days like that.

The shop was crowded, as others picked up sandwiches and coffee for lunch too. The owner waved at her when she came in and handed her the lunch order. Julie's skin prickled as she turned around to leave. Rory was sitting in the front window of the store. Since the window area jutted out a bit from the front door, she had passed right by him coming in and hadn't realized it.

He was with three of his friends from the other school, but that wasn't what drew her attention. He was sitting next to Kara's cousin Melissande, who was laughing hard at something he had said. She leaned over and hugged him.

Julie gripped the coffee carrier, and a chill moved through her body. The action seemed natural, like something that happened often. Maybe they were friends. Boys and girls could be friends, right? Even beautiful, tall, and polished girls like Melissande.

It might not have meant nothing. She wasn't sure if she should go over there and say something. She didn't know if Rory had said anything about them to anyone or if she was even ready for that. What would it mean for their families or his friends?

Before she could decide, Melissande looked up and saw Julie standing there staring at them. The girl's red lips tipped up in a smirk.

"Why look who's here. It's your savior."

Rory's head turned, and his expression remained blank. He turned back to his friends. "Oh yeah. Her."

"Shouldn't you go thank her again?" She pointed over to where Julie stood a couple of feet away.

Julie's face flushed with anger. Rory hadn't even spent more than a second glancing at her. Someone bumped into her, and a little coffee sloshed onto her hand and the floor. She barely felt the burn, though, as she watched Melissande laugh at her own joke and pull Rory's head around to kiss him.

The cups and bag fell from her hands. Coffee splattered everywhere. It felt like someone punched her in the gut. She couldn't catch her breath.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," said the woman who had bumped her.

Julie tried to focus on her as she handed her some napkins.

Gratefully, she gripped a chair to bend over to help clean up. Her legs were so wobbly she thought she might fall. She blinked fast and tried to take slow, deep breaths. Rory and his friends watched her and the woman clean it all up.

Her gaze shifted to the coffee, looking at how it flowed in beautiful, warm mocha streams across the polished wood floor. Distantly, she realized that she might forget. She might forget Melissande kissing Rory like it was natural. Her heart clenched, and she wanted to be sick.

This must be what it felt like to be dumped. She let herself drift further, willing herself to let this memory go. Let herself wonder tomorrow why Rory wasn't around anymore. That would be easier. Remembering this would hurt for a long time. Maybe forever.

Julie clenched her jaw. She was not a coward. She would face this. She would face him.

She took a deep breath, and the tingles from her dancing mind washed away the fogginess.

"What a klutz," Melissande said to the others. "I'm surprised she could even swim. You were lucky that day."

Rory didn't respond. He didn't look at her. The other two boys at the table laughed.

He didn't care. She was such an idiot. Why had she even believed she was anything more than one of his girls, like Jamie said?

She blinked rapidly, keeping her head down now. She would not embarrass herself.

"Here you are, dear." The shop owner held out another tray of coffee. "I remade them for you guys." She looked over at the table with Rory and his friends and sighed. "Ignore them. Someone bumping into you and making you spill your coffee isn't funny. I'm not so sure why Melissande thinks so, but she and her boyfriend Rory seem to have a bit of an inflated opinion of themselves."

Rory was Melissande's boyfriend? I'm such an idiot.

She sucked in another breath, feeling dizzy. She should have listened to Jamie and not trusted the weird feelings. Or anything else on this island.

The owner patted her on the back kindly. "Really, spilling something isn't all that bad. Just ignore them."

Julie nodded, only half paying attention. She blinked rapidly to keep her eyes from welling up.

Maybe they all knew. What if he did this kind of thing all the time and talked about it and that's why they were laughing? She felt naked, exposed to the whole world as an idiot.