This night was something to enjoy and despite the abundance of overly inebriated people surrounding her, Julie was having a blast. Extreme cheerfulness had somewhat simmered down to the effects of some good old Mary Jane, but since doing drugs was a line Julie wasn't willing to cross, she had gladly drifted on the buzz of a few too many cocktails for a while longer, until eventually that largely wore off and she witnessed the world about her with a lot more clarity than most of the other party-goers. In some ways she was very much a typical Catholic girl – and in many ways she really wasn't – whose biggest fear was to not live up to her parents expectations. Suffice to say that narcotics wouldn't be particularly well-received in the Lancaster household. 

The sky was surprisingly clear and whilst the sea breeze was getting rather cool by now, she couldn't feel the cold. The soft glow of the fire warmed her skin sufficiently and despite being sat alone on an overturned  log, Julie felt far from lonely. Bryce had only just wandered off to somewhere quieter so he could arrange a cab or whatnot. Kelsey had already been sent home earlier, which had been a load off Julie's chest; the girl really didn't take her alcohol well. Rebecca was nowhere to be seen, but neither was Ren and the girl supposed that could only be a good sign; he was an all right guy and as long as her friend hadn't made off with Cave Julie wasn't too worried. Her gaze drifted towards the snoozing couple on a bath towel, and at the sight Julie sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, absently chewing on the soft swell of it. She couldn't make up her mind on what she thought of Maria and Mark together; the fact that she was present here all night – and the way she'd clung to Mark for the entire duration of the party spoke volumes – told her that this might not be just a one-off thing. Julie didn't like that but, as Rebecca had told her in not so many words, it wasn't up to her to like or dislike it. She was no idiot, she knew all too well of the concessions Mark had made where it concerned Bryce and even know he made conscious efforts not to argue with her boyfriend, over and over again. She knew the two had little in common but oh, how Julie wished she could find a way for the two important men in her life to somehow get along. But that wasn't the way of things and she'd be incredibly selfish for expecting Mark to adhere his love life to her standards when she'd hardly done anything untoward herself. 

Shifting slightly in her spot, Julie hesitated briefly, then got up from her seat and ventured over to her friend and not-so-friend, bringing along with her the blanket that had previously been draped across her lap. It was with gentle care that she covered the pair with it, a complacent look on her face as she looked at the sleeping image of the far-too-drunk Mark. “Silly Tigger,” she said with a grin, “You won't even remember what you said by morning.” 

She caught sight of movement in her peripheral and immediately Julie stood from her crouched position, turning to meet with the sight of Bryce, not a few paces away. He carried a dubious expression and Julie knew the sentiment behind it all too well. Daintily she padded over to him through the loose sand, briefly wondering where she had left her shoes. “Is the taxi here?” she inquired by means of distraction. Bryce glanced over her shoulder to where she had come from. 

“He's a grown man, you know,” he complained. “You don't need to fuss over him like you're his mother.” 

Julie didn't really know how to respond to that. Bryce had clearly been drinking far too much and it significantly altered his demeanor. Not in a pleasant way, either. “I don't want them to be cold,” she said appeasingly, hiding under his arms the moment she got close enough. Hugging him affectionately she looked up at Bryce, attempting a smile. “I would have done the same thing if it was you.” 

He looked unwilling, but eventually he wrapped his arm properly about her shoulders and pulled her along towards the road. “That's exactly my problem,” he said sourly. Again, Julie was at a loss for words and so she squeezed her hold around his waist a bit and just silently walked along with him, considering her slippers a permanent and somewhat regrettable loss. A taxi was already waiting as they got to the parking lot and despite knowing they'd have to pick up Bryce's car tomorrow, she felt very relieved for being home soon. Not that the silence wasn't tense inside the vehicle, but it was a short-lived atmosphere. All too soon Bryce decided that he was more frisky than angered and it wasn't long before he was uninhibitedly drawing his girlfriend to him for a long make-out session on the yellow cab's back seat. Julie caught a few glances from the driver in the rear view mirror that made her incredibly uncomfortable, and she made repeated efforts to keep Bryce's hands from grabbing her in inappropriate ways. Bryce, whose inhibitions seemed to have largely abandoned him thanks to the copious amounts of gin and vodka drinks, cast her a disturbed look as she pushed his hand away when it slipped too far up her side. He looked rather flushed, his eyes somewhat unfocused as he raised his head from hiding against the crook of her neck. “C'mon Julie, don't be a prude,” he said. “You kinda owe me.” 

She wasn't entirely sure that she'd done anything that put her in Bryce's debt, nor that it should work that way to begin with, but they were almost back at her apartment and with a “When we're home,” she managed to keep him from doing things at least one of them would regret. 

Bryce insisted on paying for the taxi and Julie soothed her conscience that the generous tip he'd thrown at the cab driver at least made up for their lewd behavior. More fondling ensued inside the elevator and by the time they made it into the flat, his arms were well up the skirt of her dress and the straps had found their way halfway down her shoulder. Sloppy kisses kept her from even managing to lock the door behind her and Julie stumbled more than walked backwards into the room. 

“You know what we should do?” Bryce panted, grinning as he parted his lips from hers. “Just do it on the couch. That fucker would hate knowing what we did on there.” He seemed pretty content with himself, even if Julie wasn't. There was a bit too much of a contrast between her largely sober state and his obvious drunkenness and she began to grow more than a little impatient. 

“Don't be an ass, Bryce,” she scolded, slapping him on the shoulder, for all the good it would do. She didn't like his derogatory comments but after two years knew better than to think anything she should would stop them. So, as always, Julie eventually let it slide and willingly accompanied Bryce to the privacy of her bedroom. Drunk sex wasn't particularly refined, but Bryce was many things, just not a bad lover and eventually they both fell asleep exhausted. 

It was an unpleasant surprise to find Bryce missing by morning, but when Julie woke up somewhere around nine, she realized she was on her own. Her head was throbbing mildly but it wasn't anything an Advil wouldn't cure and after snoozing for a few minutes she got out of bed to investigate. He wasn't in the shower either and as she wandered around the apartment, still a bit dazed,  in nothing but her top and her panties, Julie realized that Mark wasn't home yet either. She supposed that at least that meant she didn't have to face Maria, but it still made her wonder if everything was okay. Her phone was hiding on the floor right behind the front door, and when she scanned it for messages, Julie concluded that either everyone was still asleep or stubbornly ignoring her, for there was no sign of life from anyone who had attended the party before. There were some pictures from Selene but Julie cared little for another slide show of Selene flaunting her riches; she could only be supportive of her bragging friend for so long. 

Eventually she decided that if the world was going to ignore her, then she would gladly ignore the world too, and Julie went to the kitchen for some much-needed coffee and a bowl of honey-puffs. Flicking on the TV she was soon engrossed in a marathon of eighties cartoons that she really had outgrown about a decade ago but that were far more entertaining than any show on a different channel.