𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐚 & 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐲 🩰 | [COMPLETED]

ii. my mistake

♚♚♚

• September, 2014 •

Stepping into Lana Meredith's was like plunging into an espresso. Dark chocolate pillars held the creamy beige walls together. Painted across the curved ceiling were jazz murals and dreamy, plump babies wrapped in tutus. We jumped our feet over the sun-dappled tiles, dashing to reach the check-in kiosk.

Our shoes slide over the smooth floor as we stopped at the security point, nearly bruising each other like bumped fruit. As the police lady checks our bags with her wooden stick, I refilled my lungs with air. Next, we swipe our ID cards to unlock the waist-high turnstiles. Each card states the names: "juliana deangelas", "lucia clemence", and "liliana clemence". Then, more running.

"C'mon, y'all. We're runnin' late!" Lucy pleads as she huffs for air.

"Are we really?" I panic, attempting to check the time on my phone with shaky vision. "Mommy's literally gonna murder me if I have 'late' written on my attendance record."

"She can't kill you. You're the star of the vlogs. She'll probably turn it into some kind of life lesson," Lili jokes.

"Oh ha-ha," I reply.

"Relax, y'all," she continues. "We'll just explain to Madame Calvet that the bus ran late."

Lucy slicks her already tight bun, making sure any stray black strands are back in its place. Meanwhile, Lili wraps up her curly, auburn hair into a messy bun. The window light warms her brown skin, twinkling her white-teeth smile.

"Y'all, I'm so excited for tonight!" Lili declares.

"What's tonight?" I ask.

"I'm gonna go see The Stars Aligned with Diamond. I was gonna make Lucy come with us, but she wants to be alone so she go over the same choreography that we've been learnin' for weeks."

Lucy scoffs. "Well—excuse me if I wanna get this perfect so Mom and Dad could be proud."

"Mom said you could go with me, you know. They're not exactly uptight like Julie's mom— oh, sorry. No offense, girl."

"Yeah, but how long will that last?" Lucy ponders. "There's only so much time we're allowed to slack off. And the recital date is getting closer and closer. I don't want to push their limits by seeing some dumb romance movie on a Thursday, and make them think that their tuition money is goin' down the toilet."

Lili giggles. "Girl, it's just one night. And it's not some dumb romance movie— it's so sad! I read the book a couple months ago. I really think you'd like it."

"What's it about?" I ask.

"It's about this guy and this girl. They were datin' for a while, and then he ghosts her. But they start seein' each other again when the girl gets cancer. It's SO tragic," Lili explains.

"You do know we can wait until after the recital," Lucy mentions.

"Yeah, but then you'll have zero clue on what other people are talkin' about for weeks!" Lili points out.

Lucy shakes her head. "I still think you're makin' a big mistake."

"Eh, I don't care. It's my mistake to make."

"Yeah, but you won't have to suffer if you'd just listen."

"Pshh, screw that. People listen all the time and they still get stuff wrong. Even if I do work my butt off everyday to nail the choreography, when I'm actually on stage, I don't know what's gonna happen. It's what being a live performer is all about! Nobody's perfect," Lili states.