Prologue

“Morning, love.” Juliana woke to the smell of bacon and eggs.

“Mornin’ and thanks mom.” She said, sitting up right and taking the tray and setting it on her lap. She took a bite of her eggs. “Mom, you really shouldn’t have done this.”

Her mother smiled at her. “Yes, I did. My little girl is leaving for college in eight months. I deserve to spoil you until then.” Juliana laughed. Every time Juliana brought up going to college across the country, her mother would quickly change the subject and say that college was years away.

“Well mom, hate to break it to you but I’m not a little girl anymore. I’m a woman and I know you hate that I’m leaving for Columbia in the fall but you’re going to have to let me go.” Juliana placed the tray on the other of her bed and hugged her mother. “Besides, you still have Nathan.”

“Nathan?” Her mother’s face paled. Nathan was her thirteen year old brother. He was going through his rebellious phase. When he wasn’t following the rules, he was definitely breaking them. “That reminds me, I have to talk to his geometry teacher, he failed to do his homework again. I don’t get this kid.”

Her mother glanced at her and smiled. “You look so much like your father.” With that, she kissed Juliana’s forehead and closed the door quietly behind her. Juliana smiled and jumped out of bed. Winter break was over and it was back to school again. She didn’t mind though, Juliana was great at school. She’s had straight A’s all through high school and nothing was about to change that. This was her last year of school, she wanted to make the best of it.

She jumped straight into the shower. She made sure to wash her hair at least twice. Rinse and repeat, she told herself. After her twenty-five minutes in there, she wrapped a towel around her body and stepped out. She heard a sound in her bedroom. Cell phone, she thought.

It was a text from her friend Sophie. “OMG, back to school. I miss you. Meet me by my car. Lots to tell.” read Juliana. Juliana simply shook her head knowing her friend, she must’ve met the man she was going to marry. She put her phone down and got back to getting ready.

After blow-drying her hair and putting on some make-up, she was ready. She settled with her favorite blue jeans and a v-neck. Ed Hardy sneakers and put her designer leather jacket on as well since it was still a bit chilly in sunny California. She grabbed her purse and notebooks and headed out.

Juliana kissed her mother good-bye and wished her luck with her brother’s school and got into her car. She buckled up and turned her radio on. Hopefully all goes well, she prayed. With that, she made her way to school, not knowing that everything was never going to be the same.


Chapter 1

Juliana drove to school singing to The Beatles. She pulled up to the school’s parking lot and headed towards the seniors’ spots. She found an empty one under a tree next to a classic cherry-red mustang. Nice, she thought. She’d hands- down trade it for her Audi TT RS Coupe she got for her birthday. Turning off the ignition , she grabbed her purse, stepped out and locked her car. She called Sophie.

Sophie picked up after the first ring. “Hey you. Where are you?” Sophie asked.

“At school. I was going to my locker first to leave my notebooks-.” She was cut off.

“Your notebooks can wait. I miss my best friend. Please?!” Juliana could already see her sad puppy-dog face.

“Sure. So where are you?”

Sophie was leaning towards her white Range Rover texting non-stop on her cell phone. She was a petite girl around five foot two. Her hair was brown and wavy. Her eyes were a honey-brown which made all the boys drool. She was dressed in black skinny jeans, a Abercrombie and Fitch hoodie sweater, with black flats. She looked up from whoever she was texting and smiled. She almost jumped into Juliana when she approached her car. She hugged her tightly.

“How was break, Jules?” she asked when she released Juliana.

“Pretty good, I-.” She was cut off again.

“Oh my God, I have news.” Juliana decided she didn’t need to ask what it was for Sophie would tell her whether she wanted to hear it or not. “Well I been talking to some boy I met a couple weeks ago while I was in Paris. He is so cute and French. He has the most beautiful eyes I ever seen…” Sophie went on about this boy for a good fifteen minutes. Juliana ooohh’d and awww’d every few times to be a good friend.

“So what about Jake?” Juliana asked.

“Jake? What do you mean?” Jake was a boy who was in love with Sophie. Every time he saw Sophie, his eyes sparkled as if she was a goddess. He was a sweet guy, he was pretty good at school. He was also captain of the soccer team. Every girl wanted him except the girl he wanted.

“The guy is head over heels for you, Soph.” Everyone at school knew this but Sophie was in complete denial. She made a promise to herself that she was never going to date a jock for they were shallow and complete airheads.

“Jules, I don’t like him. Period. I told him I just wanted to be friends. So if he finds out that I‘m talking to Jean-Paul then so be it.” Juliana simply nodded. She definitely felt bad for Jake. Juliana knew that he was the complete opposite of what people think jocks are.

“Okay.” said Juliana. “Lets get going to class.”

Sophie agreed. On the way to class they saw a couple friends, Sophie told them she would text them about Jean-Paul. Juliana simply shook her head and smiled. Her friend was crazy. They had first period together, English IV AP.

In the classroom, there were kids scattered everywhere. Everyone talking about the gifts they got, where they went, or like Sophie who they met over Christmas break.

“Okay children settle down. Take a seat.” It was their teacher, Mr. Andrews. He was a good looking man. He was probably in his late thirties. He was a very simple guy. He was dressed in khakis and wearing a I Love NY shirt. “Alright guys I know you’re all dying to tell everyone what you did but please wait until lunch or hell, when you receive the text.”

Everyone laughed. Mr. Andrews continued. “Since you guys are seniors-” He was cut off by the cheers of the class. “Okay, I get it. Since you guys are seniors I know you don’t really want to do so much work and neither do I so here’s the deal. I’m going to partner you up.” Juliana and Sophie smiled at each other they were always partners and they always pulled off their projects. “Oh by the way, I choose partners.” The class boo’ed but quickly went silent when Mrs. Martin, the school secretary and a guy walked in.

“Class, this is Vincent Moretti. He and his family just moved here from Chicago, Illinois. So please be nice and try to help him around school. Okay?” When no one answered, she simply frowned and left.

“Okay, welcome Vince. Take a seat anywhere.” said Mr. Andrews. The class was already talking among themselves.

“Damn, new guy is hot.” whispered Sophie.

“Yeah? I didn’t seem to notice.” Juliana lied. Of course she saw he was hot but so did the others girls. The new guy made his way to left side and sat in the empty seat near the window.

“So, back to my plan. I am going to make it easy for you guys. A four page, MLA format, doubled spaced. An information board and oral presentation on an influential writer/poet of the 18th or 19th century." Mr. Andrews said all in one breath. “Oh and be creative, kiddies.”

Everyone decided to keep their mouth shut. If anyone made a peep, Mr. Andrews would have made it a ten-page essay with no double spacing.

“So, here are your partners. Jonathan Peterson and Kimberly Charles. Kyle Roberts and Jeremy Daniels, Sophia Santos and Jacob Cruz-” Sophie cut Mr. Andrews off.

“Mr. Andrews, can I-” He interrupted right back.

“No, Sophia. You can’t switch or change partners. Sorry. What’s done is done.” he said.

He continued with the partners. Juliana waited anxiously to hear who her partner would be. Please, don’t let it be Henry Lawrence, she wished silently. Juliana looked over at Sophie, she was pouting like a four-year old.

“Get a grip.” Juliana told her. “You could have got Henry as a partner.” Sophie blanched and looked over her shoulder. Henry was a curly-haired boy who was simply weird. He loved Star Wars, enough said.

“Ms. Belrose…”Juliana turned to Mr. Andrews. Not Henry, she prayed again. “I was going to partner you up with Henry but I think you may clash…” Juliana thanked God. “Hmm, so I am going to put you and Vincent together.”

Juliana blanched. What? This could not be right, she thought. She looked casually looked over to the new guy. He sat quietly at his desk with his phone in hand.

Vincent sat there oblivious to whatever the teacher was talking about. He discreetly texted while the teacher continued. Mr. Andrews had already set him with a partner. All he knew what that her last name was Belrose. As if he felt someone was looking at him, he turned a slight. It was a girl, her face turned a shade of pink as she got caught. She turned away. Cute, he thought.

“Plan, prepare and please me in the end.” said Mr. Andrews, in a business- like manner. “So I suggest you get to it. We only have a couple minutes left of class since it’s a short day, talk to your partners to at least get an idea of what you’re going to do, cool?” With that, Mr. Andrews sat at his desk, sipped his coffee and read his newspaper.

Juliana remained at her seat. She felt like a statue just sitting there. A grinning Jake sat next to a frowning Sophie, but hey at least they knew each other. Juliana was going to have to talk to the new guy eventually. Sophie gave her a weak smile for support. Finally, Juliana got the courage to get up and talk to the new guy. She took a breath and walked over.

He was just sitting there waiting for class to be over when he felt someone walk over to him, he casually looked up. It was the same girl who he caught staring at him. She looked real nice up front. Her hair was a pretty red-brown, her eyes were emerald green and that body…

“Hi.” she said. “I’m Juliana Belrose. Welcome to California.”

She smiled. His breath caught in his throat. Her smile was almost angelic. “Uh thanks. I’m Vince.”

“So I guess we’re partners.” she said.

“Yeah, I guess we are.” he smiled then.


Chapter 2


Dear God, his smile is perfect, she thought. His dark-brown eyes looked straight at her, she looked away.

She coughed suddenly, “So, um. Sorry your first day here you have a project.” she said, sincerely.

“No problem.” he said. “Do you have a author or a poet in mind?”

“Edgar Allan Poe.” she said not missing a beat.

“Cool. I’ll write the essay and you could decorate the board.” he said, continuing to text on his phone. She thought he was joking but when he didn’t laugh or smile, she knew he was being serious.

“Excuse me?”

“I-will-write-the-essay.” he said the sentence as if he was trying to explain it to a little kid. Juliana didn’t appreciate that. He was new here and didn’t have any friends, well none that she knew about. The least he could do was talk to her like an adult. She was not going to be rude about it so she smiled.

“Well Vincent, I think I’m capable to help with an essay. This is English AP. I don’t think writing a research paper on Edgar Allen Poe is going to be hard.” Vincent raised an eyebrow.

“I never said you were ‘incapable’ to do anything. I just simply said I would write the essay.” Juliana was trying hard not to scream her head off. This was ridiculous. If he trying to get rise out of her? It was working. Juliana couldn’t understand why he would take it upon himself to write it.

“No.” she said. “I want to help with it. I don’t want Mr. Andrews to think that I have you doing most of the work. It would upset him that I’m taking advantage of the new kid.” Juliana smiled.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want her help, it was just that he already did this research paper in his old high school and received a good grade on it.. He was afraid that if he told her that she would misinterpret things and tell Mr. Andrews that he got the essay from someone else. Not that she looked like a tattle-tell but better safe than sorry.

“Fine.” he said finally. “I’ll type up some stuff then you send me yours and I’ll work my magic on it.” Vincent gave her a crooked smile.

Juliana stopped herself from rolling her eyes. This guy’s charm wasn’t going to work. She was immune guys who tried to “work their magic.”

“Great.” she said. “What about the board?”

“I don’t know. You tell me.”

“Um, well. I guess we can work on it in the local library since the school’s library closes at 5.” Juliana looked over to Sophie, she was texting away on her cell while Jake sat quietly next to her texting on his phone. She wished Sophie was her partner, she would have let her to things her way and she would have agreed without a discussion.

The bell rang. Mr. Andrews spoke from his desk. “Your projects are due in dos semanas.” Due in two weeks.

“Yeah, that sounds fine. I’ll text you.” With that he got up from his desk and walked out of the classroom.

Juliana returned to her desk to get her purse. Jake had already left, leaving Sophie to breathe again. She was smiling. Juliana wondered if Sophie had received a text message from Jean-Paul.

“So how’d it go with a new guy?” Sophie asked as she put her phone in her pocket. There were other kids arriving to class, Juliana and Sophie left the classroom and made their way to their locker.

“Tell me!” Sophie demanded.

“What?”

“Tell me about the new guy.”

He’s arrogant and cocky. “He’s new and he’s my partner.” she said simply. “How was Jake?”

“Shut up.” Sophie frowned making Juliana laugh. “So when are you two getting together?”

“Excuse me?”

“Calm down. I mean get together for the project.” They each got the things they needed for their next class.

“I don’t know, he said he would text me.” Sophie stopped dead in her tracks.

“You gave him your number already, dang. Girl, you don't waste time, do you?” Sophie smiled.

It didn’t hit Juliana until Sophie mentioned it. “I didn’t give it to him.” Juliana told Sophie.

“Then how was he going to text you?” Sophie asked, almost wondering herself.

“That I do not know, but I’m not worried about it now. I have to get to class, I have a test in Calculus.” Juliana waved good bye to Sophie and made her way to class. Her mind wandered to Vincent, how is it that he was going to get her number? She set that aside again and concentrated and focused on nothing but her test.


Chapter 3

Vincent counted the seconds till school was over. He hated this class, this school, this city-everything. He couldn’t stand this town. He wished he was back in Chicago with his friends and with Hayley…

The bell rang. Vincent didn’t waste a minute. He raced for the door. He wanted out already. Five months to go, he told himself. Once he graduated he would leave. The only reason he came to Burbank, California was because his dad was an architect, a very rich one at that and was designing new houses for the rich and famous.

His mother was more than happy to move to California. She loved absolutely everything about the move. It got her one step closer to Johnny Depp. His mother was a tad crazy, but she was great. His father was a great man too. He would never do anything that would upset his family but this move was important. His father’s company was growing and the client list grew bigger.

His older brother Enzo wasn’t thrilled and he wasn’t happy about the move either . Enzo was two years older than Vincent. They were inseparable when they were younger but they simply grew apart when Enzo became part of the family business something Vincent wanted nothing of. Isabella, Vincent’s younger sister was the heart of the family. She was only thirteen but she made sure she was heard when she needed to be. Like their mother, Bella was ecstatic to arrive in The Golden State.

Vincent made his way to the locker he was assigned to and dropped off his books. His phone vibrated in his pocket. He grabbed it and checked it. It was a text message from his friend, Josh.

“Sup, my man.” it said. “So me and the guys think you been there for awhile, why don’t ya come back?”

Vincent smiled. I wish I could, he thought. He set his phone back in his pocket and made his way to his car. He stepped out of the school and a cool breeze hit him. He was thankful for this weather, it sort of reminded him of home, but once the heat arrived he knew he would die.

“Vincent!” Someone called out his name.

He turned to see who it was. It was Juliana, his English partner. “Can I help you?” he asked as she approached him.

“No, but it didn’t hit me until later that you don’t have my number and you said you were going to text me…” she said, her cheeks flushed again. Vincent couldn’t help but notice. She was a very pretty girl. Nice eyes, nice full lips…

He coughed casually. “So you walked all the way over here just to make sure I had your number? Aw, well that’s nice of you.” He meant to sound sarcastic. Juliana noticed.

“Do you want it or not?” she demanded.

“Fine.” he pulled out his phone. She gave him her number. He called her once and hung up so she could have his.

“You can save it under Romeo.” he said smiling.

She smiled back. “And why would I do that?”

“No reason at all.” he said with a grin on his face.

Juliana just stared at him. He was a good looking guy. Dark-brown eyes, light brown hair that looked as if he kept running his fingers through it. Bed hair, she thought. He was tall and lean yet he seemed muscular. Not in a vein popping way but as if he kept his body toned. He was wearing dark blue jeans, a navy hoodie and Nikes.

“I’m putting you under Vincent, so get over it.” she smiled back.

“Okay Juliet.”

“Juliana.”

“Huh?”

“My name is Juliana. Not Juliet.”

“Oh that’s right.” Once he saved her number, he returned his phone to his front pocket. “Got it. Thanks. I’ll text you.” With that he made his way to his car, jumped in and drove off without a look back.

Juliana just stood there. He drove off in the cherry-red mustang she parked next to. She smiled. In someway, she already knew that car was his. She looked at her phone and saved his number…under Romeo.


Chapter 4

Juliana parked in her driveway. She waved hello to her neighbor Mary, who was an elderly woman. Juliana loved her neighborhood. Everyone here was calm and quiet. Juliana’s house was designed to look like a Spanish Mediterranean house. It was definitely big for just her mother, brother and herself. It consisted of seven bedrooms, a kitchen, family room, two living rooms.

Juliana walked inside her home. Everything inside was designed by her mother. She was a interior decorator known all around Europe. That was how her mother and father met. Her father, Nathan Belrose was a very successful real estate developer who needed someone to design his new office in Italy , there a beautiful woman with hazel eyes named Lena Bennett walked in. The two fell deeply in love.

Her father had died of cancer when Juliana was only six years old. This brought her family sadness and devastation especially to her mother who had just given birth to their son Nathan Belrose Jr. Her mother had to go on, she moved her family and company to California where she worked with high list celebrities.

Juliana walked into her kitchen. Her mother was sitting on a stool near the kitchen’s island reading a tabloid.

“Hi mom.” Juliana placed her purse and keys on the island.

“Hey sweetie. How was school?” asked her mother as she flipped through the pages of her magazine.

“Okay. I guess. How was your day?” she said as she took a bite of an apple.

“Great. Let me tell you. I get a phone call from Marge and she told me that a client wants me to help her décor her house. I heard the woman was willing to go all out.” said her mother.

“That’s awesome mom. I am so dang proud of you. So how’d it go with Nate’s teacher?”

“Not good. His teacher says he’s smart but he doesn’t put enough effort. I don’t know what I’m going to do. If your father was here…” Juliana’s mother eyes started to water. Juliana took her hand.

“Mom, you’re doing a great job. Dad would be so proud of you. Nate is just going through some things. Don’t even worry. I’ll talk to him.” She assured her mother.

“Your father would be proud of you.” Juliana smiled and made her way upstairs. She was going to have a talk with her little brother. She knocked on his door.

“Nate?”

“Come in.” Nate shouted.

Juliana entered. Nate’s room was pretty clean. He had pictures of his favorite bands on his wall. He had a full bed next to the window, a desk on the far right and his drum set on the left where he was sitting.

“Hey you.” said Juliana.

Nate simply nodded. He was a very good looking kid. He had dark black hair, hazel eyes and tall for his age. He continued to play his drums. Juliana walked over to him.

“Nate, what’s going on?”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“I mean why is mom getting phone calls from your geometry teacher?” Nate rolled his eyes. Juliana wasn’t one to pry but she loved her little brother if something was going on then she would do anything to help.

“Nate, if there’s something going on you can tell me, I’ll try-”

“No. I’m fine. Look I’ll try harder, okay? Can you close the door on your way out?” he said. He continued to play his drums. Juliana nodded and left.

Juliana walked into her room. She threw herself on her bed and closed her eyes.
Please daddy help Nathan, she prayed and fell asleep.

********************************************************************************

It was Juliana’s phone that woke her. She fumbled in her bed to look for it. It was somewhere in between her sheets. Once in her hand, she checked it. It was a just a text message from Sophie. She straightened out and sat up in her bed. She looked at the time on her alarm. It read five o’clock.

She opened the text. “Jake is getting on my nerves; he keeps texting me. I hate this project.” Juliana laughed and texted her back saying to be nice. Juliana put her phone down and fell on top of her sheets. She felt exhausted for some odd reason.

She grabbed the remote control and turned on her TV. The news was talking about celebrities again.

“At least their life is more entertaining than mine.” she said to no one in particular. Little did she know her life was just going to get more interesting.


Chapter 5


Vincent reluctantly got up in the morning. He would have stayed in bed if it wasn’t for his little sister, Isabella jumping on top of him as he slept.

“Get ready, Vinny.” she yelled and ran out of the room.

Vincent groaned and did just that. He showered and dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt. He put a hoodie over it and finished the outfit with his white vans.

He made his way downstairs. Isabella was sitting down and eating on their kitchen table. He went to the refrigerator and poured himself a glass of orange juice.

“How do you like it here, kid?” Vincent asked his sister as he took a seat across from her.

She smiled up at him, making her dimples visible. “I love it. Everything here is beautiful. It’s so sunny.” His little sister made him smile. She was a pretty girl. Her eyes were a milk chocolate and her dark brown hair was pulled back in a pony tail. She was dressed in jeans, a plain white tee and sweater. “Do you like it?”

“It’s different.” he said simply.

“Vin, you have to give it a chance. Rome wasn’t built in one day.” she told him.

He gave her a look. “When did you get so smart?”

She grinned. “I’ve always been smart.” Just then their mother came into the kitchen. She was dressed in pants and a nice blouse. She grabbed her cell, car keys and coat.

“Come on Bella, lets go. I have to drop you off and come back to meet with the interior decorator. Vinny, have a good day at school. Please drive safely, that car your father gave you is not safe.” Vincent reassured his mother that he would drive safely. Bella gave him a hug good bye, after that he was left alone. He put his cup in the sink and grabbed his books and jumped in his car.


********************************************************************************

Vincent took the seat he had yesterday. It was loud in the classroom. Everyone was talking amongst themselves. They were either talking about what they were going to do this weekend or who broke up with who.

He paid no attention to it. Gossip was not his thing. Besides he didn’t know anyone here, and it wouldn’t have mattered to him anyways.

A guy came up to him. “Hey, I’m Jake Cruz. Sorry I didn’t have a chance to introduce myself yesterday.” He held out his hand.

Vincent shook it. “No problem. I’m Vincent Moretti.”

“Moretti? That’s a new one. Are you Italian?” asked Jake.

“Yeah, I am.” he told him.

“Cool.” he said. They talked until the bell rang and Mr. Andrews asked the class to settle down and take a seat.

“Alright guys. I swamped with getting grades out for first semester. I want you and your partners to at least write down some of the ideas you guys have for your paper. You guys are in A.P English so I don’t want to see a lot of misspelling or misuse of grammar. Got it? Okay, go for it.” Mr. Andrews took a seat at his desk.

Vincent looked over to see his partner. She was sitting at her desk, not moving. He didn’t want to feel dumb going over there so he did the next best thing: he texted her.

“Hi partner. So want to work on our project?” He sent the message.

Two minutes later, he got his reply. “You texted me for that? I went over to your desk yesterday…”

He understood what she meant. She wanted him to go to her. He put his phone in his pocket and walked over to her. Her friend Sophie and Jake were talking, well more Jake than Sophie.

Juliana wanted to laugh. When Vincent had texted her, she had forgotten that she had his number under Romeo. She almost replied, “Who is this?” She took the smile off her face when he approached her.

He grabbed a chair and sat across from her. Vincent simply got down to business. He basically was telling her what they should write about and what they should elaborate on. Juliana would occasionally interrupt; she also gave him some ideas.

“I already typed up some stuff yesterday.” he lied. “Do you want me to send it to you and you can finish it off?”

Juliana agreed. He was actually letting her do something. If she didn’t like what he wrote, she was going to make a few changes herself. She smiled at the thought.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“Oh nothing.” she lied. “Here’s my email.” She gave him a piece of paper with writing on it. He took it and put it in his notebook.

“Okay kids.” Mr. Andrews said. “Please do your best on these papers. It’s your last major paper before you guys graduate.” The bell rang and everyone scattered to get out. Vincent took his time leaving. Jake caught up with him at his locker.

“Hey man.” said Jake.

“Hey.” he said. He opened his locker and left his notebooks in there.

“So want to hang during lunch, you know so you could get to know some of the guys?”

Vincent took a minute to answer. Jake seemed like a good guy.

“Sure. Do you play sports?” Vincent asked.

“Yeah. Soccer. That’s why I’m so dark.” Jake laughed.

“Cool. I played soccer.” he told Jake.

“Yeah? How about you show me some of your moves after school?”

“You’re on.”


Chapter 6

It was three weeks into January. Last week Juliana and Vincent had presented their project; they had clashed once and awhile but it in the end they presented an A+ project. Mr. Andrews congratulated both on doing an excellent job. Juliana was surprised on how smart Vincent was, he actually knew his history and spoke very articulate. Juliana was proud in the end.

It was a very hot sunny day. Juliana in denim shorts, white v-neck, and sandals made her way to her car when her cell phone rang. It was Sophie.

“Hey, what’s up?” she asked when she had answered it.

“I’m still at school. I had to speak to Mrs. Sanders on my college application to NYU. Wait for me.”

Juliana sat in her car, with the AC on high, listening to ACDC while she waited for Sophie. She was in her own zone, when all of a sudden someone knocked on her window. She jumped.

“You scared me.” she told Jake as her window rolled down. Jake laughed. He was in his soccer practice clothes: a muscle shirt, shorts, and cleats.

“My bad.” he said. “What are you still doing here?”

“Waiting for Sophie as always, what about you? I thought you didn’t have practice today, oh you stink too by the way.” Juliana joked.

Jake smiled. “Yup, we did but-” Jake was cut off when someone called out his name. It was Vincent, he was walking towards Juliana’s car. Juliana’s mouth fell open but immediately closed it. Vincent was shirtless with only his shorts and cleats on. He had a Nikes gym bag on his right shoulder and carrying a soccer ball.

“You forgot your ball, dude.” Vincent kicked the ball to Jake, who picked it up with this “soccer move.” Juliana was impressed. “Hey Julie.”

“Hi.” she said. She was glad that her voice was working.

“So Danny is having some party tomorrow, he asked me to invite you and Sophie.” said Jake leaning against her car. She almost said yes but she decided to play it cool. “I’ll see.”

Just then Sophie was walking out of the school, talking on her phone.From what it seemed it looked like Sophie was arguing with the person on the other line. “Fine, I don’t care!” she shouted into her phone and closed it. She walked to Juliana’s passengers side and got in.

“Are you okay?” Juliana asked her.

“Great.”

“Sophie, you know what will make you feel better?” asked Vincent, leaning inside Juliana‘s car. Sophie’s face immediately changed from a frown to a wide grin.

“What’s that?” she asked. Sophie and Vincent got to know each other even more when Juliana and him had worked on their project at the library. Sophie would bring Jake over as well so they could all help each other. Juliana had told Sophie that they were too busy with their project but Vincent had insisted that he didn’t mind helping at all, him and Jake had clicked since Vincent had joined the soccer team at school.

“Danny is having a little something tomorrow. You should go.” he winked at her. Juliana rolled her eyes. Sophie smiled and agreed.

“Sophie, I-” Juliana was cut off.

“Jules, we were invited so we’re going.” Sophie begged with her eyes. Juliana threw her hands up in agreement.

“Fine, we’ll be there.” Juliana said.

“Great.” he said. “Okay, well I guess we’ll see you ladies tomorrow.” Vincent and Jake made their way to their car and left.

“Damn. Vin has a nice ass body. Did you see that eight-pack? I’m going to have dreams tonight.” said a smiling Sophie, laying her head back on the headrest.

“Yes, I saw.” said Juliana without any enthusiasm.

“I can’t wait for tomorrow.” said Sophie. “I need it. Jean-Paul and I are over. I don’t want to talk about it either. Just please come with me.”

Juliana sighed. “I don’t have a choice, now do I?”

“Nope.” grinned a happy Sophie.


Chapter 7


Juliana paced her bedroom. It was nine-thirty. Sophie should have been here by now. Juliana had called her four times but it would go straight to voicemail. She texted her twice and no replies. Juliana was growing restless. In some way she didn’t feel like going to the party but it took her forty-five minutes to get her hair curled just the way she wanted. She tried to do her make up the way she saw it in a magazine and it came out.

She couldn’t decide on what to wear, she didn’t want to show up in jeans and a tee. She wanted to go for something different, so she settled for a black strapless dress. It was nice and simple. Juliana received it as a gift for Christmas, so it was the perfect opportunity to wear it. The end of the dress stopped right above her knees. Juliana was worried it was a tad short but her mother had assured her that she looked beautiful.

Juliana tried calling Sophie one more time. This time she answered.

“Jules, I’m so sorry. My car broke down and I couldn’t find my phone charger. Jake is on his way to pick me-” Wherever Sophie was the service kept breaking. Juliana tried to make out what she was trying to say.

“It’s okay. I’ll wait for you.” said Juliana.

“No-” the line was going static again. “-is going to pick you up. I got to go. The service here sucks.”

Before Juliana could ask who was going to pick her up, Sophie had hung up. Crap, thought Juliana. She could drive to the party but she had no idea where Danny lived. She could have texted someone but it was pointless. She would still get lost; she had no sense of direction.
Sophie had told her someone was going to pick her up but she couldn’t make it out. She wanted to call Sophie again but then her phone rang.

Juliana blanched. Why was Vincent calling her?

She swallowed and took a breath. “Hello?”

“Hi, um.” he seemed nervous as well. “I’m outside your front door.”

“You’re what?” she almost shouted into her phone.

“Outside your front door.” he repeated.

Juliana closed her eyes. “Okay, I’ll be there in a minute. Let me grab my purse.” With that she hung up. Why did Sophie ask him to pick her up? Why couldn’t she send Jake?

She grabbed her purse and coat and made her way downstairs. Her mother had taken her brother to a friend’s house and wouldn’t be back till late. She turned off her lights, took a deep breath and opened her front door.

There a very handsome Vincent waited for her. He seemed taller to her even with her five inch heels. He stood maybe six foot two. He was in dark jeans, black v-neck and his Nikes.

He smiled at her. “You look nice.”

She smiled back. “You don’t look so bad yourself.” She locked up. He had parked on the sidewalk.

“Where’s your car?” she asked him when she didn’t see his Mustang.

“My dad wanted to borrow it for tonight so he let me use his Beemer. Next time I’ll pick you up in my car.” he winked at her. He was teasing her. Juliana teased right back.

“Who says there will be a next time?” she smiled. He laughed. A booming laugh. Juliana never heard him laugh before. It was a nice sound.

He was gentleman; he opened the car door for her. Before she knew it, they were on their way. Juliana stayed still in the passenger side. Vincent drove like a natural. He turned the radio on so there wouldn’t be any silence. Juliana thanked him for it, she hated awkward silences.

Juliana turned the music down. Vincent didn’t mind.

“Why did Sophie send you to pick me up?” she asked him as he turned onto the freeway.

“She didn’t. Jake sent me. Sophie’s car broke down near Jake so he went to pick her and I was close your house so he asked me to pick you up.” It seemed reasonable to Juliana.

“How’d you know where I live?”

“Jake told me. He texted me the address and I found it on my GPS.”

“Oh okay.”

“I’m not a stalker.” he laughed.

“I didn’t say you were.” she told him.

“You were thinking it.” he said his eyes went from the road to her.

She smiled. “That is not true and wipe that smile off your face and keep your eyes on the road. It makes me nervous.”

“I make you nervous?” he asked

“No.” she lied. She hoped he couldn’t tell. With that, Juliana turned the music back up and he drove in silence. The faster they arrived to Danny’s house the faster she could get away from Vincent.


Chapter 8

Juliana could breathe again. Vincent parked the car across the street from Danny’s house. His house seemed full. You could hear the hip hop/ electro music intensely coming from the house. People were talking and drinking in front of the house, others were making out and just arriving.

Juliana had texted Sophie in the car, Sophie had texted her saying that she would be there in ten minutes.

“You want to go in?” Vincent asked her.

She wanted to wait for Sophie but she didn’t want to look stupid outside waiting for her. She nodded and walked beside Vincent. They made their to the front of the house.

“Vinny!” someone shouted. It was Danny. He came over and shook Vincent’s hand and hugged Juliana.

“Dang, Julie. You are looking beautiful. Damn, those longs legs…do you play soccer?”

Danny was a sweet guy if it were some other guy, Juliana would probably say something. She smiled at him and thanked him. “No, Dan. I don’t play soccer.”

“Well you should.” he joked. “Well come inside. Grab a drink.”

Vincent let Juliana go in before him. He felt protective of Juliana at the moment. When Danny made that comment, he almost wanted to tell him something, but he calmed himself. Juliana wasn’t his to protect. Besides why did it matter to him? Maybe he felt like that because he was hurt. His girlfriend Hayley had broken up with him over the phone two weeks ago. She had told him that long relationships never worked out and she didn’t want to try.

The lights were turned off in the house. The only lighting was colorful party lights that were set by the DJ to illuminate the dance floor. Juliana definitely felt out of place. Vincent sensing it grabbed her hand and guided her to the kitchen where the rest of the varsity soccer team was.

“Vinny.” They shouted in unison. They all came up to him shook his hand and gave him manly hugs.

“I see you brought the beautiful Juliana Belrose as a date.” said Nick, a blond haired boy sitting near the kitchen’s island.

Vincent looked over at Juliana who was looking at her phone. He knew she heard what Nick had asked him and she was pretending to mess with her phone so she didn’t have to feel so weird.

“Yeah. I did.” he said. He noticed her cheeks flush. She was still messing with her phone. He was surprised she didn’t say anything. He thought she would retort but she didn’t.

“Sophie’s here. I am going to meet her outside.” she said.

“Okay” he said and she left.

********************************************************************************

“He said what?” asked Sophie. Juliana had to tell Sophie what happened. They were outside while Jake and Vincent were inside hanging with everyone else.

“I was his date.” she told her.

Sophie smiled and hugged Juliana. “Aw, he likes you.”

Juliana laughed. “No, he doesn’t. I think he just said that to help his ego.”

“Juliana, you’re hot. How can he not like you? You’re smart and sweet. You are down-to-earth. You’re every guy’s dream girl.” Sophie said, with one serious face.

“Whatever.” said Juliana brushing that conversation aside. “How was the ride with Jake?”

“He’s talking to someone.”

“Who?”

“He’s talking to Lexie Franco. He told me they’ve been talking for almost two weeks now.” Sophie seemed upset about it. Juliana was confused. Sophie always acted as if she couldn’t stand Jake but now that he seemed to forget about her, she was saddened.

“Really? Well that’s good.” said Juliana. Sophie glared at her. “What?! I thought you didn’t like him.”

“Well…I didn’t but I don’t know…” Sophie was a walking contradiction. “I don’t want to talk about it. I want to dance.”

So that is just what they did. Sophie danced with Luke, a cute football player. Juliana was sitting near the stairs when Danny asked her to dance, she didn’t want to offend him in his own home so she agreed. Juliana just felt the music and danced to the beat of it.

Vincent and the guys came out of the kitchen. The house was full mostly on the dance floor. Vincent looked into the dancing crowd. There he saw Juliana dancing with Danny. He didn’t know why but it bothered him. He definitely didn’t like it. He didn’t understand it. Juliana was his partner, well emphasis on was. It was something about her that drew him to her…

He couldn’t just go up there and ask to cut in…or could he? He did. Vincent walked right behind Danny tapped him on the shoulder and asked if he could dance with his date. Danny of course didn’t mind. Juliana just looked at Vincent. He smiled crookedly at her. She smiled back at him. His breath caught in his throat. Hell, he wanted this girl.


Chapter 9


Juliana was driven home by Jake after the party. Vincent had offered to drive her home but she nicely refused. She got home around three in the morning. Her mom’s car was in the driveway; she knew she’d be asleep. Her mother wasn’t one to get mad for coming home late. She trusted Juliana. Once kicking off her heels, Juliana changed in her pajamas and took off her make-up. She jumped into bed and fell asleep.

Her Sunday morning was spent shopping with her mother, and lunch at her favorite restaurant, Acapulco. Her younger brother Nathan ended spending the night at a friend’s house, so her mother and her decided to spend the day together. Her mother asked how the party was but all Juliana would say was that it was fine and nothing more.

By the time they arrived home, it was 7 o’clock. Juliana went straight to her room. She placed her bags on the floor and texted Sophie.

“Hey. Where are you?” she hit the send button. Three minutes later she received a reply.

“At home. On facebook. Did you know that Vincent has a girlfriend?” Juliana was surprised by that. She sure as hell didn’t know and yet yesterday he introduced her as his “date.” This really upset Juliana. She felt as if Vincent was using her. If he was trying to make a fool of her. He made a mistake. Juliana texted her back.

“No. I didn’t know. What’s her name?” Sophie texted her seconds later.

“Her name is Hayley Norman. She’s seventeen. She’s from Chicago. I really can’t say much. Her profile is private.”

Juliana thought was she was doing was stupid. She felt like a little girl being nosy finding out things about her boyfriend, but that was the thing: Vincent wasn’t her boyfriend nor did she want him to be it. She had more important things on her mind. She placed her head on her hands and groaned.

She texted Sophie telling her to stay off the girl’s page; it wasn’t any of their business. Juliana threw her phone on her bed and took a long hot shower. Vincent kept running through her head. Why, she asked herself. She had no reason to be thinking of this guy. He was nothing of hers. He was her partner for a project and that was it. She didn’t expect for them to actually get along.

She combed her hair, dressed in her pajamas and got in her covers. She took a look at the time: eight forty-seven. It was too early to go to sleep but her body felt exhausted. Before she knew it she was asleep.

********************************************************************************

Juliana made her way to her first period. She was dreading it. She didn’t want to see him. When she arrived to class, she couldn’t help but glance at his seat. It was empty.

“Jules. Hey, did we have an assignment?” Sophie asked the question. Juliana jumped. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s okay. I was just daydreaming.”

“Daydreaming? About…?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Juliana took a seat at her desk. She tried to keep her mind on anything except Vincent. Just then he stepped inside the classroom. Juliana cursed silently. He didn’t even look her way.

The bell rang and Mr. Andrews started to talk about something they were going to learn. Juliana couldn’t focus. Her mind kept wondering off. She tried to concentrate on what Mr. Andrews was speaking about but she simply couldn’t.

Before she knew it, the bell rang. “What’s wrong?” asked Sophie with a concerned face.

“Nothing, why?

“You seem out of it.” Sophie said bluntly. Juliana knew she didn’t mean it to be offensive, she was just worried.

“I know. I just have a lot on my mind, you know? I haven’t heard from Columbia and I’m pretty nervous.”

“Jules, come on. You know you got in. No doubt. You’re an amazing writer. Stop worrying.” Juliana smiled at her and thanked her.

They left class and continued to their next class.

********************************************************************************

Vincent dazed off in his last period. Trigonometry was definitely not his favorite subject. Vincent felt as if Mrs. Sanders would not stop speaking but before she could continue the bell rang and school was over.

Vincent wasted no time and left. He stopped at his locker to drop off his notebook when he sees Juliana walking out of the school by herself. Vincent followed her.

She was making her way to her car. Vincent called out to her. “Juliana.”

She stopped and turned around. “What?” she said, irritated.

“Are you okay?” he asked. She seemed uneasy.

“Great. Can I go now?” She turned around and continued walking. Vincent just stood there for a minute. Was she mad at him? He didn’t remember saying something rude to her. He ran after her. “Does this have anything to do with what I said on Saturday about you being my date?”

She turned around and glared at him. “Maybe.”

“Maybe?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Juliana took a breath and calmly asked him a question. “Why did you introduce me as your date when you have a girlfriend?”

Juliana could tell she caught him off guard. “I have a girlfriend?”

“Yes. That’s what I just said. Look Vincent if you think your little games-” Vincent cut her off.

“Juliana, I’m not playing games and I don’t have a girlfriend. She and I broke up two weeks ago.” Juliana relaxed a bit. She could tell he was being sincere. He hasn’t given her a reason not to trust him

“Oh. I just…never mind. I’m sorry. I never meant to accuse you but I…”

“Don’t worry about it. How about you make it up to me?” Vincent grinned at her.

She smiled back. “How?”

“By letting me take you out on a real date.”


Chapter 10

“You said no?” shouted Sophie. Juliana was in her living room with her feet up on her coffee table when she told Sophie what had happened after school with Vincent. Her friend was obviously very upset. “Why?”

“Sophie, he broke up with his girlfriend two weeks ago. I’m not about to be someone’s rebound.” In a way, Juliana wouldn’t have agreed to go out with Vincent even if he had broken up with his girlfriend three months ago. She didn’t know the guy well enough.

“You’re right.” exclaimed Sophie. “I didn’t even think about that.” Juliana quickly changed the subject. She asked Sophie if she’d received any news on NYU. Sophie had told her that she may hear from them next week. The girls talked until Sophie had to get going.

“I’ll call you later tonight.” said Sophie and hung up.

Juliana got up and made her way upstairs. Her mother was still at work. Juliana decided to visit her brother who was in his room. She knocked at his door.

“What?” he shouted.

“It’s me. Want to get something to eat?” It took him a minute to answer.

He opened his door. “Where are we eating?”

********************************************************************************


Nathan took a bite of his cheeseburger. Juliana had taken him to In-N-Out. One of his favorite restaurants. As Nathan enjoyed his food, Juliana only looked at hers.

“What’s wrong with you?” Nathan asked the question. Juliana was definitely shocked. It was the first time her brother has asked her anything in awhile. She composed herself and answered him.

“Just a bit worried. I haven’t heard from Columbia.”

Nathan put his burger down. “Julie, you shouldn’t worry. You’re great at school. You’ve always been great at writing. If they don’t accept you, it‘s their loss.” Juliana smiled. Getting a compliment from her brother meant the world to her. “I remember that one story you wrote about the little girl who got lost in the woods trying to look for her doll.”

Juliana chuckled. “Nate, I wrote that in fifth grade. How do you remember that?”

He smiled. “I thought the little girl was brave when she encountered all those obstacles in order to obtain her doll. I wish I had that kind of courage.”

“Nate, you’re very brave.” he smiled and continued eating. Juliana just stared at her brother, he was so smart. She didn’t want to push her luck so she didn’t ask him what was wrong with him. Baby steps, she told herself.

When they finished eating, they threw their trash away and left the restaurant.

“Thanks, Julie.” said Nate.

“Anytime.” she said. “If you ever need anything, you can talk to me, okay?”

“Yeah, I know that now.” he said.

“Hey, it’s only six. Do you wanna do something else?”

Nate had decided to go to the mall. He told Juliana that he wanted to check out the prices on some guitars that he was interested in. Juliana had asked him what kind of guitar he wanted, he had told her that he wanted a Gibson. Juliana tried her best to keep up with the conversation but she had no clue the different types of guitars, styles, prices. It was way too much for her.

They stopped at Sam Ash. The store consisted of nothing but music instruments. Nate’s eyes seemed to sparkle. Juliana walked around the store while Nate asked one of the employees for help. Juliana was glad she had the chance to bond with her brother. She needed this to get Vincent off her mind.

“Jules.” It was Nate calling her over.

“What’s up?” she asked.

He held out a black vintage Gibson guitar. “What do you think?” he asked her. He seemed to love it because he kept on grinning.

“Pretty cool.” she told him, taking a look at it. “How much?”

“I don’t know. Excuse me sir.” A man with tattoos and a mohawk came over to them

“Can I help you?” he asked.

“How much is this one?” Nathan asked him.

The man didn’t skip a beat. “1,198 dollars.” Nate smile turned upside down.

“Oh, okay thanks anyways.” Nate said as he returned the guitar from where he found it. Juliana’s heart sank. Her brother seemed to really want this guitar.

“We’ll take it.” said Juliana.

The man took the guitar. “Okay. No problem. I’ll put it in a case for you and ring you up at the counter.”

Nate hadn’t moved. “Nate, are you okay?” asked Juliana.

Nate simply nodded and smiled. “Thank you. I owe you so much.”

Juliana grinned. “Hell yes you owe me.” They both laughed at her reaction.


Chapter 11

Juliana parked in their driveway. Nathan couldn’t stop thanking her. He seemed to really appreciate what she did for him. Juliana had told him to shut up already because he was getting annoying.

“Alright, Nate. Now remember, you said you were going to try your best in school. I really hope you keep your word.” said Juliana stepping out of her car.

Nate smiled. He went to the trunk to retrieve his guitar. “I will. I promise.” He was being honest. Nathan knew Juliana wasn’t doing this to bribe him but because she wanted him to do well in school. Juliana felt his sincerity. She smiled back.

They stepped inside their home. Their mother was in the living room with paperwork on the floor and coffee table. Juliana’s mother looked up to see her son smiling and running upstairs.

“Hi mom.” shouted Nathan, happily.

“Hi.” she shouted back. She looked at Juliana. “What’s he so happy about?”

Juliana took a seat next to her mother and lay her head back and closed her eyes. “I bought him a two thousand dollar guitar.” She opened one eye to see her mother’s reaction.

Her mother started to laugh. “Two thousand dollars? Juliana, why would you buy him a guitar?” Juliana explained to her mother the agreement both she and Nate agreed upon. Her mother smiled at her and told her how proud she was of her for trying to help Nathan out. Juliana told her it was her job to watch out for her little brother. She excused herself and went to her room.

Juliana set her purse down on her dresser and sighed. She smiled to herself. She enjoyed the day with Nate. The smile left her face as soon as she remembered she had homework for chemistry.

********************************************************************************

It had been two weeks since Juliana had bought Nathan his guitar. Her mother texted her during fourth period telling her that she received a phone call from Nate’s geometry teacher who told her that his grades were definitely improving. Juliana was very happy to hear that.

The bell rang. She was on her way out when her chemistry teacher, Mrs. Tucker called out to her.

“Yes?” asked Juliana.

“Mr. Andrews emailed me telling you to go to his classroom. He has something for you.”

Juliana thanked her and left. She knocked at Mr. Andrews door and stepped inside.“Hello Ms. Belrose. This came for you today.” He opened a drawer on his desk and took out a closed envelope. He handed it to her.

It was from Columbia. Juliana’s hand shook when she took it from him. Mr. Andrews chuckled at her response. He told her that she had nothing to worry about. He had complete confidence that she was accepted. Mr. Andrews continued talking to her but she couldn’t hear anything. Her mind was completely blank.

“Juliana.”

“Hmm?”

“I asked if you were going to open it.” Juliana looked up at him and shook her head.

“Not yet.” she told him.

Mr. Andrews nodded. Juliana thanked him and left the classroom. She was afraid of what it said inside the letter. Sophie had left early for an appointment so she had to open this alone. She made her way to her car. At least if she wasn’t accepted no one would be around to see her when she raged out, not that she was an aggressive person.

It had been fifteen minutes and Juliana had not opened the letter. She took a breath and finally decided to open it. Just as she ripped a side of the envelope. Someone knocked on her window. It was Vincent.

Instead of rolling down her window, she stepped out of her car. “What?” she asked him.

“Fifth period started twenty minutes ago. You’re late. What are you doing in your car? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, thanks. Wait a minute, what are you doing here?” she asked turning the tables on him.

He grinned. “Wouldn’t you like to know? What’s that?” he said noticing the envelope in her hand.

“Either my acceptance or rejection letter from Columbia.” she told him, she leaned against her car. “I haven’t opened it.”

She was afraid of what was inside. Vincent could tell. “Want me to open it for you?”

Julian looked up at him. She slowly nodded and handed him the envelope. He ripped it open. He slowly took it out and opened the letter. Juliana held her breath as he read it out loud to her.

“Ms. Juliana Belrose. We thank you for applying at Columbia University. As we carefully reviewed your application, we regret to inform you that-” she cut him off.

“I didn’t get in! I didn’t get in!” she shouted. She felt like punching something so she did. She kept punching and kicking her car. Vincent just stood there, he couldn’t hold his laugher anymore.

She turned around and glared at him. “What’s so funny?” she asked him her green eyes seemed to be on fire.

He was afraid to tell her. She looked like she was going to murder someone. “Um. I was kidding. You were accepted. I just wanted…I’m sorry Jules. If I would have known you were going to react like that. I wouldn’t have done it. Juliana? Are you listening?”

Juliana started laughing. “I got in?” Vincent smiled and nodded. “I got in! Oh my God! I did it!.” She was so happy she jumped into Vincent’s arms and hugged him tightly. Vincent hugged her back. She had wrapped her arms around his neck. She had forgotten all about her acceptance when she hugged him. He smelled amazing. She slowly let go of him.

“Sorry.” she said. “I was just excited.”

He gave her a crooked smile. “It’s okay and if you wouldn’t have told me I wouldn’t have noticed.”

Juliana couldn’t believe it. She was going to Columbia University in New York city. Vincent saw her glowing for the first time. He liked seeing her this way. He liked how she hugged him. Juliana held the acceptance letter to her chest and twirled around.

“I did it.” she repeated again. Vincent stopped her before she got too dizzy.

“In honor of you getting into college, I want to take you to dinner.” Juliana eyed him for a minute. Was he being for real?

“So?” he asked when she didn’t answer him. What’s the worst that could happen? She thought to herself. He was just trying to be nice.

“Okay.” she said. Vincent looked shocked.

“Really? It’s about time.” he told her.

“About time?” she asked him. He didn’t answer her question. He simply told her that they would go out to dinner on Friday.

“Friday? That’s Valentine’s Day.”

“I know.” was all he said and left her there speechless. Juliana didn’t mind, she got in.


Chapter 12

Vincent had texted Juliana earlier telling her he would arrive around eight. When she didn’t text back, he worried that she didn’t receive his message. He hoped she did receive the message and decided there wasn’t a need to text back. He had showered and dressed in dark blue jeans, a nice grey dress shirt and his Nikes.

“Where are you off to?” The question came from his older brother, Enzo. He was leaning on the doorway. He looked like Vincent, except their eyes. Enzo had their father’s grey eyes. Vincent and him had grown apart since their move but Vincent needed to change that. He grinned at his brother.

“I have a date.” He told him as he put his wallet into his back pocket. Enzo eyed him as he took a seat on Vincent’s bed.

“What?” Vincent asked since Enzo was almost glaring at his younger brother.

“I’m sorry but don’t you have a girlfriend named Hayley?” Since Vincent and his brother hadn’t talked much since they arrived in California, he hadn’t told his brother about him and Hayley breaking up. He thought this was a chance to change that-to get close to his older brother again. They were best friends when Enzo was still in high school. When Vincent had arrived as a freshman in Kenwood Park high school, Enzo was a junior. Enzo didn’t mind that his brother was “freshmeat.” He took his younger brother under his wing. Vincent was always hanging with his brother and his friends, but eventually Enzo had graduated, gone off to college and took part in the family business.

“Nope,” said Vincent. “not anymore. She decided to break it off since we are on different parts of the country.”

Enzo smiled. “Whoa, I didn’t think that girl was smart enough to do that.” Vincent returned the smile. Enzo never liked Hayley. She was a blonde with an attitude. She was too conceited. She used Vincent whenever she wanted something-of course his brother would please his princess but damn would it bother him. He wanted shake some sense into his little brother.

Vincent was putting on his watch when he caught his brother staring at him again. “Dude, what the hell? Do I have something on my face?” He sounded irritated.

Enzo laughed. “Chill. I was just thinking about when we were younger and I was getting ready for a date, you’d be in my room laying on my bed while you watched. You’d ask me where I would take girls and my response would always be-”

“A man never reveals his secrets” Vincent finished for him. Enzo smiled.

“You remember that?”

“Dude, I remember everything you say.” Enzo raised an eyebrow. Vincent coughed. “Well not everything.”

“Sure,” joked Enzo. “So who’s this girl you're taking out?”

Vincent hesitated for a minute. He wanted to keep Juliana on the down low for now. It’s not that he didn’t want to tell his brother about her but he hadn’t told anybody not even his friends back in Chicago. He just wanted to take things slow with her. Juliana seemed to be a good girl not one to just mess around with. When he went out with Hayley for the first time, they had slept together. Juliana was different. He didn’t want to fuck things up. There was something about her…

“Hello!” Enzo waved a hand in brother’s face. Vincent brushed him off.

“Just a girl.”

“Just a girl?” Vincent simply nodded. Since Vincent wasn’t giving him anymore, Enzo decided to stop with the questions. He waved his hands in surrender. “Okay, well hopefully this girl is way better than…” He didn’t have to finish. Vincent already knew who his brother was talking about.

Vincent shook his head. “Come on, Hayley wasn’t that bad.”

Enzo scoffed. “The only ‘good’ from that girl was her body. Sorry man, you know it’s true. Her personality sucked.” They both laughed. Vincent knew his brother wasn’t lying. Vincent looked that the time on his watch: 7:48.

“Alright, I better get going. I told her I’d be picking her up around eight.” Enzo got up from the bed and stretched.

“Okay, remember: no glove, no love.” He smiled.

Vincent laughed. “I am no rush to get laid, man.” Enzo shrugged and smiled. Enzo was about to leave when he asked his brother where he was taking his date.

Vincent grinned and said, “A man never reveals his secrets.”


Chapter 13

Vincent parked his car in front of Juliana’s house. He called her once but no answer He tried a second time no answer. Vincent saw her car parked in her driveway, he also saw some of the lights were turned on. He wondered if Juliana was purposely trying to avoid him. She did seem sort of distant at school. She did say hi to him but then ran to the girl’s bathroom. He decided he wanted to get a straight answer from her. If she didn’t want to go then she should tell him so.

He stepped out of his car, locked his car and knocked on her front door.

Someone opened the door. “Can I help you?” It was a boy. He had dark black hair with hazel eyes. He seemed to be around thirteen or fourteen years. He was tall for his age too. Vincent decided it might be Juliana’s brother.

“Hi, um. Is Juliana home?”

The kid eyed him for a minute. “Yeah, she is but she can’t talk now. Who are you?”

“I’m Vincent. Vin for short. I’m a friend from school.” Vincent told him. “I was supposed to take your sister out to dinner tonight.

“Oh, well that isn’t going to happen tonight or even tomorrow night, sorry dude.”

“What do you mean?” asked Vincent “Is she okay?” The boy noticed concern in Vincent’s eyes.

He nodded. “Yeah, she’s fine but she‘s super sick. I’m Nathan. Nate for short.” Nate reached out to shake Vincent’s hand. Vincent smiled and shook it. “You know, you’re more than welcome to come in and hang. My mom is out of town for a couple days.”

“Haven’t your parents ever taught you to never invite a stranger into your home?” Vincent joked. Nathan laughed.

“Fine, can I see your ID?” Vincent shook his head and smiled. He reached into his pocket and fetched out his wallet to show Nate his license.

“Okay, you’re clear. Come on in.” Vincent stepped into the house. It was a really beautiful home. He knew that Juliana’s mother was a interior decorator so it wasn’t a surprise to see her house so well furnished.

“Is your sister going to be okay with me being here?”

Nate shrugged and took a seat on the couch “Yeah, why wouldn’t she? It doesn’t matter she’s probably asleep or puking her guts out.”

Vincent frowned. He felt bad for Juliana. He hated feeling sick. It was so bad for him, he didn’t even wish it to his worst enemy. “Shouldn’t we go to the hospital-” Nate cut him off.

“Nah, she’s good. Trust me. I personally think it was her spaghetti from last night. She’s not exactly a great cook. Thank God, I didn’t eat any. I settled for cereal. Take a seat.”

Vincent took a seat on the couch opposite Nathan. Nathan had been playing video games before Vincent arrived. “Do you play?” asked Nate.

“Sure, what are we playing?”

“You choose.” Nate shoved a box full of games next to Vincent.

Vincent decided on HALO 3. Vincent was a little rusty at the beginning but got the hang of it fast. Vincent would occasionally curse when Nate would kill him. Nate seemed to enjoy Vincent’s anger. After forty minutes of video games, Nate called it quits.

“You want to stop now? After I was finally kicking your ass?” Vincent exclaimed.

Nate laughed at him. “Dude, I was just letting you beat me.” Nate shrugged. “Sorry, dude. You suck.”

Vincent frowned. “You let me win?” Nate just nodded and grinned.

“Come on.” said Nate. “Let me show you my Gibson guitar. It’s amazing.”

********************************************************************************

Juliana wanted to die. She hated being sick. Nathan had warned her not to eat her spaghetti but she didn’t listen. She had to stuff her face. Juliana started feeling sick at school today. She ran into the girl’s bathroom and didn’t come out for what seemed forever.

Now here she was in bed, feeling atrocious and looking hideous. Sophie had offered to take care of her but Juliana refused to have anyone near her. She’d been puking ever since she got home. Nate had gave her Pepto-Bismol for her upset stomach. He also kept water bottles near her bed so she wouldn’t get dehydrated since there was nothing in her stomach. Her mother had left town for a couple days and wouldn’t be back till Monday. Nate was left in charge of the household.

Juliana was in and out of sleep when she heard music. Loud music to be exact. She kept hearing drums and a guitar. She took a breath and carefully tried to get out of bed. She didn’t want the nausea to come back again. Juliana walked cautiously to the door.

She heard laughter coming from Nathan’s bedroom right down the hall from her.

“Nate?” she called out. Her voice sounded weak. His door was slightly opened. She slowly opened the rest of it. “Nate, what’s going on?”

Juliana almost fainted. “Vincent!? What are you doing here?” Damn, her voice sounded hoarse.

Vincent was sitting and playing on Nate’s drum set while Nate played the guitar. Juliana was dressed in black cotton shorts and an oversized tee and from the look of it, she looked one hundred percent sick.

“I was coming-” before he could finish his sentence. He saw Juliana was making a face. Oh crap. She wasn’t trying to be funny; she was going to be sick. Juliana ran out of the room and into the bathroom.

“Well at least she didn’t puke on my carpet.” grinned Nate. Vincent simply shook his head at him.


Chapter 14

Juliana wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Here she was laying on her bathroom floor, exhausted, tired, and deeply embarrassed. She had walked into her brother’s room to find Vincent there and of course her nausea happened to hit her. What the hell was he doing in her house? He shouldn’t be here…

“Aw crap.” Juliana groaned. She had completely forgotten her and Vincent had made plans to go out to celebrate her acceptance into Columbia. Now she felt even worse. She didn’t want to leave the bathroom. She felt as if she had puked her lungs out. If luck was on her side, Vincent would leave before she came out of the bathroom.

There was a soft knock on the door. “Juliana, it’s Vince. Can you open the door?” Yup, luck definitely wasn’t on her side. She wasn’t going to answer him. Maybe if she ignored him, he would get the hint and leave her to die in peace…

“Juliana, if you do not open this door right now, I swear to all that is holy I will break it down.” Vincent hadn’t shout, but his tone was enough to make her reach out a little and unlock the door. She closed her eyes and he opened the door.

He found her laying on the floor. She was rolled up into a ball. Her hair covered some of her face. He knelt next to her and gently moved her hair away from her eyes. She had some perspiration on her forehead. Since her eyes were closed he couldn’t help but look at her face. She seemed flawless to him. She had long dark lashes which he never noticed because her green emerald eyes would keep him occupied. Now those green eyes were looking straight back at him.

Without a word, he picked her up. She didn’t resist. He carried her to her bedroom and gently set on her bed. He turned on the lamp on her night stand. She looked at him thanking him silently. He smiled at her and touched her flushed cheek. Juliana rested her head on her pillow and watched Vincent take a seat on her bed. He looked beautiful while she looked like a beast. He smelled so good…

“How do you feel?” he asked softly.

“Shitty.” Since she had smiled when she told him, he thought it was okay to laugh.

“Do you need anything?” said Vincent.

“I’m sorry.” said Juliana at the very same time.

Vincent raised an eyebrow. “Why are you sorry?”

Juliana tried to swallow but her mouth was dry. She hoped her voice wouldn’t sound so hoarse. “You know…for tonight. We were supposed to go out.”

“Juliana,” he began. “you don’t have to be sorry. It’s not your fault you are a crappy cook.” He was laughing by the time he finished his sentence. He would stop and continue.

“Are you done?” she asked.

He nodded but it seemed like he still wanted to laugh. Juliana simply shook her head, grabbed her covers and covered herself from head to toe. Before she knew it, he had pulled her covers back. “Don’t hide from me.”

“I’m not.” she lied. “I’m just tired.”

He nodded. “Okay. Night.” He reached to turn off her lamp and was about to get up from her bed but she grabbed a hold of his hand. She was glad her room was dark enough that he didn’t see her burning cheeks.

“I’m sorry.” she told him again.

“Don’t worry about it. Just rest.” He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and released it.

“Thank you.” she closed her eyes and waited for him to leave. What happened next she definitely didn’t expect. Vincent kissed her cheek. Her eyes opened, he was smiling down on her.

“Feel better.” Vincent got up from her bed and made his way to the door. “ Julie, you seem to blush a lot.” He was laughing by the time the door closed behind him.

Juliana blushed even more. She touched her cheek. He had kissed her. Juliana fell asleep with a smile on her face.


Chapter 15

On Saturday morning, Juliana felt a little better especially since she woke up to a beautiful bouquet of lilies. She sat up in her bed and reached for the little note tucked inside the flowers. They were from Vincent.

“Happy late Valentine’s Day.” she read. “I hope these flowers make you feel better.” Juliana smiled. How could he have possibly known that lilies were favorite. She reached for the flowers; they were gorgeous. Not one lily was the same color; It was very rainbow like.

There was a knock at the door.

“Hey, it’s Nate. Can I come in?”

“Of course.”

Nate cautiously walked in. He stood with his back to the door. He wanted to stay at least ten feet away from her. He didn’t want to catch anything. Juliana noticed that and tried to placate him.

“I feel way better than yesterday. Can you stop making faces? My room doesn’t stink.” Juliana changed the subject. “Hey, when did Vincent bring me these flowers?”

Nate grinned. “This morning after he brought me breakfast. I like him, Jules. He’s cool.” Nathan and Vincent had definitely clicked. Nathan went on about how cool Vincent was. He kept calling him Vinny. Juliana just nodded her head and smiled through all his admiration for Vincent or should she say Vinny.

“Nate, you’ve only spent a couple hours with him. How could you possibly know how he is?”

“We spent the whole night talking and played video games. He basically spent the night.” Juliana choked on that water she was drinking. Vincent spent the night in her home? Oh God.

“Nathan, he spent the night here?”

He nodded. “Yeah, we fell asleep on the couch. We woke up around seven. I got hungry so he brought me McDonalds and bought those flowers for you. He went home to shower.”

Juliana eyed him. “Okay. Next time please warn me when people are going to sleep in our house.” Juliana smiled so he wouldn’t think she was upset. He smiled at her and nodded.

“Vinny said he was coming later just so you know. You may want to shower.” Juliana frowned. Did she smell?

Nate chuckled. Juliana guessed he was teasing her. “Alright, get out of my room.”

Nathan left her room laughing.

Juliana reluctantly got out of bed and jumped in the shower. She really did feel better. She was glad the nausea was gone. She couldn’t stand it. The hot shower helped her sore muscles and took her time in there. After what seemed an hour she stepped out. She wrapped a towel around her body and looked in the mirror. Once again there was color in her face, she wasn’t the pale sick color she was yesterday. She brushed her teeth and dressed in denim shorts and a red v-neck. She took the time to blow dry her hair and added some make-up to her face. She had no one to impress but she wanted to go out today; she didn’t want to be stuck at home on a Saturday.

She made her way downstairs and into the kitchen. Vincent was sitting on a stool near her kitchen island looking handsome as always. He was sitting across Nathan who was texting away on his cell phone. She walked casually to the refrigerator. “Hey Vince.” she said as she poured herself a glass of apple juice.

“Hey yourself. You look way better than yesterday.” Vincent smiled at her.

Juliana smiled back. “I feel way better than yesterday.” she said. “Thanks for the flowers. They are beautiful.”

He gave her a crooked smile. “You’re welcome. Glad you like ‘em. The lady at the store said you’d love them.”

“I do.” she told him. He went back to talking to Nate about something. Since Vincent wasn't looking at her she thought it would be okay to stare at him. He really was very attractive. He had high cheeks bones with a straight nose. His lips are nice, she thought. She shook her head at that. What the hell was wrong with her? She took a seat next to Nate. She tried not to care but Vincent’s nearness made her heart race. Oh, God.

“Juliana, are you okay? You looked flushed.” Vincent asked the question.

“I’m fine.” she lied. “So you two best friends already?”

Both Nate and him laughed. “Sure, something like that.” said Nate. He turned his attention to Vincent. “So what are you up for it?”

“Up for what?” Juliana asked. They both ignored her.

“Yeah, I’m down. What time?” Vincent asked him.

“Midnight.” he said.

“Alright, I’ll pick you up around eight. So be ready.” Vincent told him. He got up from his seat. “Okay, well I’m heading out.”

“Cool.” said Nate. “See you then.”

Juliana was getting real upset. Her brother and his new friend were making plans to go out. This wasn’t sitting well with her. She decided they were both going to answer her.

“Okay.” she told them. “First of all, Nate, you’re not going anywhere without asking for permission and second of all, where are you two talking about?”

Vincent looked at Nathan. “You tell her.” Nathan frowned at him. Vincent grinned back.

Nathan explained to her that they were going to wait in line for a new video game that was going to come out at midnight. He’s been waiting for it. He told her that Vincent had agreed to drive him there.

“Are you kidding?” Juliana exclaimed. “Over a damn video game?!”

Vincent wanted to laugh but he didn’t dare. Nathan begged his sister. He promised to clean her room and bathroom for a week. He seemed to really want this damn video game.

“Fine, but you have to clean my room for a month.” Nathan’s frown turned into a smile.

“Yes! Okay. Promise.” Nathan was about to walk into the living room when Juliana stopped him.

“I’m going too. Knowing you, Nathan, you’d probably shove an elderly man to get to your video game.”

Nathan walked away laughing. Juliana turned to Vincent who was grinning at her. He shrugged and said, “Kids these days…”


Chapter 16

“What am I doing here?” mumbled Juliana to herself. Vincent, Nathan and her have been waiting in line since eight-thirty. She was tired and hungry. Vincent and Nathan had tried to convince her to stay home but she was too stubborn to listen. She was now surround by males ranging from pre-teens to even adults, she had seen a couple girls but they seemed to grow bored and left. Why would they want to stay in line for a stupid video game? Juliana had no other choice but to accompany her brother. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Vincent but she just wanted to make sure her brother was well behaved.

It was about eleven-thirty. There was a sudden breeze. Juliana shivered. Vincent seemed to notice and offered her his sweater. She shook her head, but he still gave it to her. She didn’t refuse once she had it on. It was so warm and his scent still lingered on the sweater.

All of a sudden, a employee from the video store came out. He was a short guy with glasses. He seemed to be a little irritated. He called out to the crowd. “We will be opening the doors in about twenty-five minutes-” he was interrupted by the shouts of the men in line. He raised his hand for silence and continued. “Like I said, in about twenty-five minutes we’ll be opening. We hope for you to please stay in line and calmly leave once you receive your game. If there is fighting anywhere inside or outside of our store, we‘ll simply close it.” He gave them a simple nod and he returned into the store.

Nathan turned to her. “Hell yeah. I can’t wait until I get my hands on it.” said Nathan with stars in his eyes. Juliana stopped herself before she rolled her eyes. She closed her eyes for what seemed five seconds. Vincent shook her. “Hey. It’s time.” he told her.

One later, they were on their way back home. Nathan was in the passenger seat talking about how all his friends at school were going to be jealous of him. Vincent drove quietly while he listened to Nathan. Juliana was in the backseat falling asleep oblivious to everything that was going around her. Vincent parked in his car in their driveway. Nathan got out and opened the front door, thanked Vincent and went in. Juliana took her time stepping out of the car and making her way into her home.

Vincent grabbed her hand. She turned to face him. She instantly knew he wanted his sweater. If he wanted it back, he needed to release her hand. She looked up at his face, his eyes looked warm and when he suddenly smiled. Juliana started to say something but completely lost her train of thought. “You want your jacket?” she asked him with her head down. He put a finger under her chin and raised her head.

She didn’t have time to react. His lips crashed hers. He only meant to give her one kiss but her lips were so warm and soft, he couldn't help himself. He was about to pull away but Juliana wrapped her arms around his neck. He kissed her senseless. She had no mind to even think of the consequences of this kiss. Vincent needed to stop before anything more happened. Juliana slowly peeled her arms away from his neck. Vincent couldn’t help but grin at her. Her face was flushed and her lips were rosy. Juliana simply turned around, wished him goodnight and walked inside her home.


Vincent smiled all the way home.


Chapter 17

“Hey Jules.” said Jake as he took a seat behind her. There was still ten minutes before class started. There were a couple kids talking at the end of the classroom. Juliana had her head down on her desk.

“Hi.” she said without any enthusiasm. She raised her head and turned her body so that she was facing him. She stared at him. “Jacob, why are males such jerks and use women?”

Jake just looked at her speechless. “Well?” she asked him.

Suddenly Jake smiled. “Who’s the guy?”

Juliana straightened up. “There’s no guy. I was just simply asking a question.” She hoped Jake couldn’t tell she was lying. She wasn’t the greatest liar but he didn’t know that. Jacob looked at her. “Not all guys are like that. Why are you smiling? I’m being honest. Some guys use their looks to get what they want…you know it’s the same for girls-” Jacob put his hand out to stop Juliana from interrupting him. “-yes, girls do the same. They use their looks to get nerds to do their homework.” he ended his speech with a nod.

Juliana wanted to laugh but she didn’t dare. Jacob obviously believed in what he told her. “So how do you know if a guy is being honest?”

“Yeah, that’s hard to say. You just have to find out what the guy is all about. I’m pretty sure Vincent is an honest guy.” Jake laughed at Juliana’s pink face.

“Hey Jules.” said Sophie as she came into the classroom. “Morning Jake. What’s so funny?” He shook his head. “Juliana.” he said simply.

Sophie looked at Juliana and smiled. “Where’s Vince?” She took the seat across from Juliana.

“Why would I know where Vincent is? I’m not his mother. I’m not even his girlfriend.” Sophie looked at Jake who was grinning. Something else was going on and she wanted to know one way or another.

“The only reason I asked was because you were supposed to have dinner with him, remember?” said Sophie, innocently.

“Of course, I remember. I just, er, it’s a long story and I rather not get into it. Okay?” Sophie nodded. Sophie looked at Jake. He seemed to know what was going because he still had that stupid grin stuck on his face, she’ll text him during class to get the 411.

“So, I got my acceptance letter to NYU on Saturday.” exclaimed Sophie. Juliana and Jacob congratulated her. “ I know isn’t it great? Jules, you and I will take New York.”

“Watch out, New Yorkers.” joked Jake. Sophie stuck her tongue out at him, he blew her a kiss making her smile.

Juliana decided that Jake was right. Vincent seemed honest-so far. Nathan couldn’t stop talking about Vincent. This morning when their mother arrived from her business trip, Nathan told his mother how “tight” Vincent was. Since her brother didn’t see anything bad in Vincent, she had to give him the benefit of the doubt, she just hoped that he didn’t kiss her again. Not that she didn’t enjoy it, hell she more than enjoyed it. She loved it. His mouth was so warm and sweet. She shook the memory away. Better if she kept her distance until she graduated and left California.

The bell rang and students started pouring in.

Juliana took a breath and waited for him to enter the classroom.

********************************************************************************

Juliana was sitting on top of a picnic table under a big tree next to the school as she waited for Sophie who was talking to Jake by his car. She could tell that finally Sophie had fallen for Jacob. Why wouldn’t she? Jake was one of the sweetest guys on earth and very cute. She couldn’t help but smile as Jake gave Sophie a kiss on her cheek.

Seeing that made her think of Vincent. She was almost glad that he hadn’t come to school because she was able to concentrate in class. In some way, she was curious why he hadn’t come to class. She would have asked Jacob but in someway she knew that wouldn’t be wise and in no way did she want to text Vincent. She didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. Maybe he wasn’t at school because he had another girl. Yes, that was it. He had another woman.

Juliana kept hearing something. She heard it once. Twice. What was that buzzing noise? A bee? She finally figured it was probably her phone that was buried at the bottom of her purse. She took her time taking out her wallet and other stuff that was stuck in there.

“I could have been dying for all you know.” said a voice from behind her. Juliana stunned turned to see Vince. He had a smile on his face.

“What are you talking about?” she asked confused.

“I’d been texting you and I called you twice.” he told her as he took a seat next to her. “I was late to school because my little sister wasn’t feeling well so I stayed with her.”

Okay, she was half right. He had been with another girl but she had been his little sister. She felt stupid for assuming such idiotic ideas.

“Aw, is she okay?”

He looked at her. “Bella is going to be alright.” he smiled then. “She had a test today that she didn’t want to take so I let her skip it.”

“Aren’t you the best brother?” she said, sarcastically.

“Thank you.”

“I was being sarcastic.”

“I know.” he grinned. “So what’s going on with those two?” Vincent was referring to Jacob and Sophie who were talking and smiling.

“The love bug bit them.” she told him, matter-of-factly. Vincent chuckled at her answer.

“You can laugh but it’s true.”

“I believe you.” he said. “I’m glad Sophie finally realized how awesome Jake is. There isn’t one thing that guy wouldn’t do for Sophie. She found one of the good guys and that’s rare.”

“I’m happy for them. I hope I’m as happy as that one day.” she told him as she saw Jake embrace Sophie in his arms and twirl her around making her giggle.

“You will be.” He told her and he meant it.

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 06.10.2010

Alle Rechte vorbehalten