Julie had little attention to spare for the band that was currently playing, and it showed even in the way she'd physically positioned herself with her back towards the stage. It seemed a considerable part of the audience agreed with her though, and the interest in the lads didn't increase as the polished music droned throughout the hall in an attempt to reel in the crowd. Julie wasn't much impressed, although she didn't know if that was her personal opinion or a lack of real talent on their behalf. Whether the girl truly appreciated rock music was up for debate, and even Julie couldn't really be sure if she wasn't just being a supportive friend who had learned to love the music because she had gotten to know it so well over the years. There was no denying that she could be a bit on the fanatic side where it concerned Mark's band though – and because of the amount of blood, sweat and tears he had put into it she would for evermore refer to it as that: [i]Mark's[/i] band – and silently, she applauded the distinct lack of enthusiasm by comparison that the audience held for – for – oh, she didn't even know what this band was called, nor did she care. Hanging out with Reckless Life and their entourage was infinitely more interesting, and all too soon she was engrossed in a rather pointless but amusing conversation with Dalton Marquez, discussing their favourite sneaker brands and awkward TV commercials. 

Of all the band members – Mark excluded, of course – Julie got along with him best. Not that she was on bad terms with any of the guys (at least she didn't [i]think[/i] she was), but out of the group he was the most approachable and seemingly keen to chat with her. Surely it had to do a little with their shared past, although they had never been particularly close throughout high school. Truth be told, Julie didn't remember him very distinctly at all from that time, but if she was entirely honest her and Mark had been considerably less close in the middle years of their high school years so that wasn't all that surprising. Something to do with different cliques and what not; Julie had been a strong member of the [i]populars[/i] whilst Mark had been on a whole different and rather unique course. How they hadn't drifted apart was beyond her but it made their friendship something worth treasuring (though if he'd ever hear her give voice to such thoughts he'd probably mock her for being so sentimental) and for that, she made an extra effort to get along with all members of Reckless Life. Not that it was particularly hard; despite their lives being so vastly different from hers, the fact that she was Mark's friend and room mate seemed to be enough to be accepted, and all in all, they were just pretty awesome guys. Perhaps the slight exception to that rule was Cave Wyatt... Not that she disliked him, really, she didn't! But if she was completely, bluntly and totally honest Julie had to admit that the man scared her a little. Whether it was his background, his outspoken nature or the fact that him and Bryce hated each other's guts, she couldn't be sure - actually, it was probably a bit of all three. Julie wasn't particularly confrontational and preferred to keep the peace if she could help it. Past experience had taught her though, that whenever those Cave and Bryce were in the same room things would rapidly escalate. It was no wonder that Mark and her had not hung out as much as of late; their social circles meshed about as well as water and oil. 

The mention of an after-party sparked her interest, and instinctively Julie glanced over at Mark. There was a hint of insecurity hidden in the look; lately she seemed to have been walking a fine line between being a part of the group and overstaying her welcome – and it wasn't because of [i]her[/i], of course. She didn't really get the chance to make up her mind one way or the other though; like clockwork, Bryce made his reappearance in the Hellcat. 

"Just a moment," she excused herself and slipped from her seat. It was clear that her boyfriend was slightly less successful in making it into the inner circle that seemed to have formed around the bar and so instead, Julie wrestled her way outward and towards him, taking both his hands in her own as she got close enough.

"You came back!" she said, voice laced with sincere merriment. Clearly though, that sentiment wasn't reflected by her significant other. They hadn't parted on the best of terms during the performance; Bryce had mumbled something about needing a smoke or having a headache and when it became evident that Julie had no intention of joining him outside - to be fair she'd been too immersed in the show to even realize he'd been complaining - he'd walked away and left her on her own in the crowd. Although on her own was a bit of an exaggeration; Julie knew most of the more [i]authentic[/i] fans by name and had gladly joined them for the remainder of the gig. She'd have worried about Bryce's absence if this had been the first time for him to leave early. Julie knew from experience that it was better to let him cool off for a while when he was in a mood; he'd probably be a lot more level-headed later. 

“You done here?” he asked rather crudely. Julie pulled a face at that - perhaps she'd been wrong in her assumptions.

“Done? I thought you were coming to join me. The guys said--”

"Can we just go home?" he interrupted her, and with his index finger and thumb rubbed his temples. "I have a killer headache, and tomorrow I got that meeting with my dad at the company, so I really don't need this right now." 

She tried to hide her disappointment, and after a second's pause the girl nodded in understanding. Bryce had been under a ridiculous amount of pressure lately, what with work and his nearing graduation. She supposed that a rock concert at a bar that smelled mostly of old sweat and stale beer wasn't the best way to relax. “All right, just uh...let me say goodbye first.” 

Julie lost the skip in her tread as she returned to the group. She went straight for Mark, leaning into him to make herself audible. “Look, me and Bryce, we uh...” She pressed her lips together into an apologetic look, then briefly glanced over her shoulder. She didn't need to explain; even Mark didn't care much to see her boyfriend near and he probably didn't need to guess as to why she was bailing on him. “Well, we should be going.” She hastily pressed a friendly kiss on his cheek before retreating, and Julie cast him a warm smile. “You were awesome, Mark, I'm just so proud of you!” 

The girl couldn't help herself, she just [i]had[/i] to hug him even if it was an assault on his manliness (or ego) and so she embraced Mark tightly. Julie stepped away shortly after, letting her gaze wander to the rest of the group. “See you later, guys,” she mouthed, giving them all a little wave, then hurriedly padded off to Bryce, who was still waiting at a short distance. He looked moody and she clung to his arm, following him as he instantly made for the exit. Julie didn't bother saying much; not only wouldn't he be able to hear it, but anything she did say would be likely to just set him off when he was this irritated, so it was in uncomfortable silence that they walked back towards the car. Julie wasn't even sure why he was being so grouchy, although it no doubt revolved mostly around the fact that she had persuaded him to come here in the first place. Nothing about it fit into Bryce's world and if he could help it, it wouldn't fit into Julie's either. But he knew all too well that though she would do just about anything for him, banning her closest friend and the things dear to him from her life just wasn't an option, and admittedly, he had made some brave attempts in the past to adjust to her one 'quirk', as he called it. Although thusfar, it hadn't worked out too well. 

“They really did play well,” she tried, once they'd distanced themselves sufficiently from the overwhelming background noise that was the main performance of the evening. The night had chilled even further and again, Julie crossed her arms in an attempt to cover herself up. Bryce paused briefly, and, watching her shiver, moved to put his coat around her shoulders. This time Julie made no attempt to remove it and she gladly pulled the jacket more closely about herself. “I'm happy you came with me,” she said, emboldened by the gesture. “Mark was--” 

[i]“Can we stop talking about Mark now?”[/i]

The words were spoken harshly, and Julie immediately fell silent, her eyes widening with shock. It took her a moment to catch on to his train of thought.. 

“...What?” she said confoundedly. “I thought--” 

“Well maybe you shouldn't think.” 

“Don't be rude.” Julie knitted her brows together irritably. “Why are you so upset? No one forced you to come with me tonight.” His sudden anger, sprung upon her, was getting on her nerves as well. 

“Good thing I did though, at least it kept you from doing something we'd both regret.” He cast her a sidelong glance, one that she didn't appreciate much.

“What's that supposed to mean?” Abruptly, Julie halted, turning to face Bryce. An unlikely look of anger littered her features and she abandoned the grasp she'd had on his arm. Bryce shrugged gruffly, a stubborn look on his face. 

“All I'm saying is that the way you're hanging around that...” He gestured back towards the club. “It's not right, okay? What am I [i]supposed[/i] to think when you're all over him like a--”

“Like a [i]what[/i]?” she cut him off. Suddenly it became all too clear what was bothering Bryce, and the sheer repetition of this argument was enough to make [i]her[/i] angry, too. “He's my [i]friend[/i], Bryce. My best friend. I've known him since I was a toddler, we played together, hell, we used to share a bath together when we were kids. Are you gonna be jealous of that too?” Her voice was high-pitched now, and despite wanting to keep herself in check her bottom lip was quivering. Julie didn't want to argue, but she couldn't quite stop herself from getting annoyed with the amount of distrust Bryce was displaying toward her. And not for the first time, either. 

“Don't be stupid Julianne, you can't just do these things and expect it not to have consequences." There was a belittling undertone to the way he spoke, something that managed to frustrate Julie beyond anything else, and she was having a hard time not to jump at his throat over it. Instead she screwed her eyes shut and heaved an aggravated sigh.

"Look, can we just forget about this?" she pleaded, trying her best to ignore the curious looks they were getting from several bystanders. "Let's just go home, Bryce. You're making a scene over nothing.” She reached for his arm now, but he angrily pulled away.

“It's not nothing if you're gonna act like a right whore every time you set foot in one of these back-alley places!" 

The silence that ensued was palpable, and even Bryce seemed shocked by his own words. Not as much as the subject of his accusations though, and Julie stood petrified, staring at him for the longest time. It wasn't until she subconsciously started stepping back from him that he came back to life himself, and Bryce reached for the girl, looking rather hurt when she drew away from him. "Ugh, just get into the car, Jules," he said, fumbling for the keys in his pocket. The vehicle was close behind him, and the alarm lights lit up as he unlocked it. But Julie cared little to step inside, and her lips pursed into a look of disgust. 

"I'm not going anywhere with you right now," she bit at him. Oh, she was one for keeping the peace, but once that threshold was crossed there was no saving the situation and Julie would walk home before she'd drive with Bryce right now. And surely he knew it too, and at least in strong-headedness they matched each other just perfectly. He aggressively tore open the car door and fell inside, glancing at the girl on the sidewalk just once more before turning the key and making the engine roar. He sped off before Julie could get another word in... not that she had any intention of stopping Bryce to begin with. With a look of distress she watched the Audi disappear around the corner; only after he had vanished from sight did she realize she was still wearing Bryce's coat and she angrily shrugged it off. [i]She was so ridiculously tired of this.[/i]

It happened every time her past life and her future life crossed paths. Every single time. She didn't know what to do about it; Julie didn't want to have to make the choice between the two things she loved dearly. She pressed her hand to her lips, stifling a sob. People were watching her as they walked past, adding a feeling of embarrassment to her already morose state of mind, and she dipped her head so she could ignore them. What was she going to do now? He'd come back, he always came back but she wasn't going to just wait here for Bryce to return - she had some pride, at least. 

[i]Fuck[/i].