Bigger Than Us

Chapter 1

"Julian!" Reagan hollered to the window next door aligned directly to hers, as another punk rock music brutally wakes up every soul on this beautiful Saturday summer morning. "Julian! Come out of there this instant!" She yelled at the window once more.

Slowly, a figure of a half-naked blonde boy lazily approaches her direction from the window. With only a blue towel hanging low on his waist and dripping water from his beautifully disheveled blonde hair, as if she had summoned a Greek god instead of her best friend. Reagan's lips slightly parted from the startling appearance she had called for.

On her defense, she did expect it to be her him but not in that state. Not that she haven't seen him in a towel before, damn they've been running around the house together only in diapers when they were still babies. Now she forgot that he was actually working out the whole summer to build these fine muscles he now possesses. It made him look firm and manlier but his gentle looks still come out dominant. And he's still that running diaper baby for her, she thought.

"Done checking me out?" He teasingly asks cocking his head to the side. The corners of his lips turning upward. His cocky response snapped her back from Daydream Land fixing her posture and purposely rising her rage just to satisfy the scene she had started.

Clearing her throat she said, "Don't kid yourself. Now could you please at least turn the punk rock noise down?" she said as she gestures her index finger to the ground at the word 'down'

He laughs at her fury ducking his head further out of his window like she had said something ridiculous. He laid his back a bit and crossed his arms in front of him, "It's not a noise, it's called music" he said the music part like it is the most wonderful thing in the universe. But music has been Reagan's middle name since forever and she knows it when she hears one and when she doesn't. And this one obviously is not, at least for her and for more than half the world's population.

"Oh yeah? In what world?"

"In the world of music, little girl" he said coming out like "duh". She just shrugged off the insult part. She got used to that nickname that had lasted since 8th grade when she noticed that everyone's getting taller while she doesn't. Let us just call it something like, late bloomer at least.

"Uh-huh. Whatever kind of music was that?"

"It is a kind of music marked by extreme and often deliberately offensive expressions of alienation and social discontent" he playfully fixed an imaginary neck tie below his neck, obviously proud of his bookish retort. It is still a mystery for Reagan how Julian can be so smart; genius even, but likes punk rock music. Addicted to mango lollipops but loves working out. He has got not just the weirdest habits but also the most odd as well. Every each of his wonts can be completely opposed to one another.

She finally cracked a smile at this, "You just defined punk rock, Mr. Einstein"

He smiled back, "I know"

Reagan playfully rolled her eyes, "I knew you know. Now turn that damn thing off!"

"What's it worth?"

She pretends to be thinking of something, "Uh, the gratitude of a music lover?"

"Wait, is there something you aren't telling me?" he asks raising his brows

"Whatever are you talking about? Don't change the subject."

He just rolls eyes as if he had had enough and was just completely bored, "Whatever. Answer me first then I'll turn it down"

Not 'turn it off' she thought. Well that would be better enough at least. "What are you up to these past weeks?" he continues

Interrogation? Really now? Reagan just stood there not really knowing what she had to say. She wasn't even sure of what he's talking about. "Come on Rex, it's summer and you're acting all weird. Can't you at least loosen up a bit?" he knew Reagan too well not to notice that something's bothering her. All she need is a little push to tell him.