She'd considered going back inside the venue, but what shred of self-respect still remained Julie, firmly kept her from facing any of her friends, acquaintances and whoever else nearby who hadn't been forcibly subjected to the scene Bryce and her had caused just now. Her instinct told her to get out of the street though, and to any place where curious gazes couldn't find her. So she quickly rounded a corner, purposely distancing herself from the infamous club and she paced on her heels through a street still packed with parked cars, but considerably less crowded with people trying to get a belated glimpse of the main act of that night. There was little else in terms of late night entertainment to be found in the direct area, and once she'd walked for a good few minutes Julie realized things were getting awfully desolate – and pretty shady, too. It made her rethink her rash actions a little, and a more cowardly part of the girl wished she'd just remained on that side walk and waited for her boyfriend to return. She'd be in the warm comfort of Bryce's car by now, no doubt stuck in a terse silence that would inevitably be broken when she tried to make amends for something that even now, Julie wasn't sure was her fault to begin with. But at least she would be safe and on her way back to the apartment instead of walking narrow roads in the middle of God-knows-where. And of course, the street she was on steadily declined towards a dubious looking tunnel with pale green lights overhead that offered such an ominous sight the girl ground to an immediate halt upon catching sight of it. If she went in there, surely Bryce would be pissed all over again, albeit for different reasons and ones she really couldn't blame him for. [i]So stupid, how it always seemed to turn out like this.[/i] Despite what this particular night had turned into, Bryce and Julie had a pretty enviable relationship ninety percent of the time. There was but one moot point and anyone who knew Julie consequently knew about her and Bryce's issues in that regard, despite her frantic attempts to make things seem peachy keen. But although Mark and his pals had branded him an utter bastard a long time ago, he generally took really good care of her and worshipped the ground she walked on. It was only where it concerned her living arrangements and the one other occupant to her apartment that Bryce turned ridiculously possessive to the point where they'd spend more time arguing than enjoying their time together whenever they were in the flat. It was an almost predictable pattern: something small would trigger a jealous reaction from Bryce, which forced Julie to walk on egg shells until she, inevitably, messed up in one way or another regardless by either speaking too fondly of Reckless Life, or not being able to meet up with her boyfriend because she'd made plans with Mark or [i]frickin' hugging him for putting on a brilliant show[/i] and he'd explode and storm off until either she managed to appease him with profound apologies or he'd spent enough time driving around that his anger had abated and he'd come back, treat her like a queen and never mention it again. Not until it started all over, anyway. With a sigh of frustration, Julie reached for her phone and activated the screen. Without thinking she looked for Bryce's number among the recent calls, but before she'd pressed it, her eye caught sight of Rebecca's name, right below. The two girls been out together the day before as some sort of reward for Julie helping out at the animal shelter all of last Saturday. Rebecca adored animals and she was a dedicated volunteer at the Silver Lake shelter for cats and dogs who, with her persuasive and enthusiastic character, would persuade her friend into scooping out litter boxes and taking golden labs and German shepherds on long walks four at the time every once in a while. Julie checked the time, then, despite deciding calling anyone at this hour was definitely inconsiderate, quickly rang her friend in the hopes of getting a ride home. ------- “That's ridiculous. And you actually let him get away with it?” It had taken a while for Julie to open up, but by the time they'd managed to make their way back to the apartment and into her room the words had come pouring out without any hesitation whatsoever. She wasn't one to gladly spill her personal issues, and she wouldn't dream of sharing her relationship problems with Kelsey and Selene (they had placed Bryce on a firm pedestal from the get-go where he unequivocally remained until the end of time). But Rebecca was always willing to lend a listening ear, provided she had the time to spare. In times of need though, the girl would drop just about anything to come to a friend's aid, and truth be told Julie had no idea what Rebecca had been up to when she picked up the phone. With a short “I'll be there ASAP” she'd come to pick up Julie and despite her directions being obscure at best, it was less than twenty minutes before the five year old Lexus came roaring around the corner, relieving the blonde girl from the growing concerns that she was going to be dragged into the nearby shrubs never to be seen again. They'd made a beeline for Julie's apartment, and while it had probably been Rebecca's intention just to drop her off, the girl's emotional state had her decide to camp out in Julie's room that night instead. So armed with a couple of Coronas (make that a [i]lot[/i] of Coronas) they were currently camping out on top of her queen size bed, pillows stacked to ridiculous height behind their backs and a Guy Ritchie movie playing on the LCD screen mounted on the wall. Julie nodded unhappily to the question. In Rebecca's company, shame and guilt had rapidly been replaced by a feeling of indignation over being told off when she'd really not done anything to begin with. “It's not like he didn't know when we first met,” she commented grouchily. “I mean, I was already living here, I [i]already[/i] went to these gigs and I've known Mark like, forever so what's he complaining about? It's not like he has anything to worry about – if I wanted to fuck my best friend, that would have happened by now.” Her tongue was considerably looser under the influence of alcohol, but the brash words still served to make her blush. A quick look at Rebecca and they both burst into a girlish fit of laughter that persisted for a good minute before finally fading to a bemused chuckle. “Did he try ringing you again?” Rebecca inquired after some time. Julie looked down at her phone, flicking the screen back on with a routine swipe motion. Bryce had called her three times and from the looks of it, sent her quite a few messages. A grim look of satisfaction crossed her features before she tucked the phone back in her pocket. He deserved to be worried. [i]Asshole.[/i] “What?” Rebecca eyed her quizzically, and Julie couldn't help but laugh. “Did I say that out loud?” she said sheepishly, and her nose wrinkled into a look of dismay. “Well, he [i]is[/i] an asshole. A really rich, handsome, protective and caring [i]asshole[/i].” “Preach it, sister,” grinned her friend, and they clinked bottles before downing what must have been their fourth drink or so since arriving here. “You might wanna send him a text though, or he's gonna end up serenading you at your balcony in the middle of the night.” “It [i]is[/i] the middle of the night, and that would be something. I imagine he'd hire someone to do it for him though.” Julie fell silent when the sound of someone opening the door announced Mark coming home. The presence of a female voice informed them that he wasn't alone. Rebecca and her exchanged looks, the former arching her eyebrows as the uncoordinated stumble of two people who didn't have the patience to wait until they were in the privacy of their bedroom to get better acquainted resounded from the hallways, shortly after followed by the sound of a door closing. "Hah, looks like success is already paying off," Rebecca snickered. “Sssssh,” Julie warned, a bit of a slur in her voice. “Don't let him hear us.” They stared at one another whilst listening to the noises that ensued. Sounds of music being put on were a dead give-away of what was going to follow and Rebecca suppressed an amused chuckle when something evidently fragile fell to the floor and shattered to pieces. Considering the nature of the noises that ensued though, it didn't seem that anyone was going to be picking up the shards right now. “Oh God,” Julie whispered worriedly, “Is this what I put Mark through with Bryce?” She bit her lip upon hearing the voice of a girl clearly enjoying herself. “I sure hope not,” she added, looking a little sullen. “What, are you jealous?” inquired a snickering Rebecca, who instantly received a pathetic little smack on the shoulder for her efforts. “No, of course not,” Julie protested. “I just don't think he's ever brought a girl home before. It's a little--- weird. You know, I kinda forgot he had a..." "A sex life?" Another impassioned cry resounded and by now the two girls were actually getting a little uncomfortable. Julie quickly crawled towards her night stand and reached for the remote. The previous movie had long since ended and she hurriedly flicked through the list available, not being particularly picky before settling on a classic. The way she upped the volume earned her another look from her friend but Julie couldn't really care less about what she thought. "Hand me another drink," she demanded instead, and with a huff fell back into the cushions. This was awkward. --------- It was late morning when Julie woke up again. She didn't actually recall falling asleep but in her inebriated sleep that wasn't all too surprising. Rebecca was snoring softly beside her; Julie found herself quite snugly curled up against her friend and if she wasn't assaulted by a killer headache the moment she opened her eyes she'd probably feel embarrassed about it. “Ow...” she groaned, rubbing her temple with the heel of her hand. Struggling into an upright position she kept her eyes closed, feeling her way towards the door. Dressed in nothing but her pyjama shorts and an old soccer shirt she was still squinting by the time she'd managed to stumble into the kitchen. She never even noticed the girl and therefore the greeting came as an unpleasant surprise that made Julie jump visibly. She blinked a few times before looking up, and she had to comb a few of her long curls back to get a proper look at the, er, [i]visitor.[/i] [i]“May?”[/i] Julie cast the girl a look of utter confusion; it couldn't have been all too sharp a sight judging by the ill-concealed smugness with which Maria regarded her. If Julie hadn't been all too aware of what had been going on the night before then the girl's appearance made it blatantly obvious now, and she wondered absently just what it meant that Mark had actually brought a girl with him. She wasn't particularly pleased that out of all the billions of women in the world, this had apparently been his pick. “I uhm...wow.” Jules' eyes widened slightly and to give herself a distraction, she turned and reached for the upper cupboard door, opening it and grabbing her coffee mug. Pouring herself a much-needed cup o' Joe she wisely tried to gather her thoughts on the presence of the girl. Conflicting memories clung to Maria Liao's appearance; few of them pleasant, most of them having left a bitter aftertaste that even now hadn't quite dissipated yet. “We uh... were watching a movie,” she replied, realizing that some sort of response was expected from her. Julie didn't fail to notice the way Maria's eyes quickly darted to Julie's bedroom door. “We?” she asked curiously. “Yeah, look, hang on a minute, I just need to--” Julie didn't even bother forming a proper sentence and quickly made herself scarce again; to say the dark-haired girl's presence had come as a shock was a bit of an understatement and she desperately needed to gather her thoughts before attempting any sort of conversation. Mark was just leaving his room as she made to enter hers, their doors opposite one another. Julie shot him a look that could only be interpreted as an annoyed [i]”Really?”[/i] before averting her eyes and heading back into her bedroom, where a drowsy looking Rebecca was making attempts to squeeze into her skinny jeans whilst still lying on the double bed. “Good, you're awake,” a rather terse sounding Julie commented. Without a thought she set the coffee down on her night stand, the hot liquid splashing over the edge and dousing her smart phone. Pulling open her wardrobe she went in search of an acceptable outfit – her mental state was thrown back into her high school years where appearance was everything and the right clothes were the best way of garnering confidence – and grew increasingly aggravated by the ridiculous amount of blouses, cardigans and knee length skirts she possessed. Her eye ultimately fell on the summer dress Bryce had once given her – not even for a special occasion; he was just a hopeless romantic who loved to surprise her – and hurriedly tugged it over her head. As she went in search of her hair brush, Julie pointed at Rebecca, gesturing for her to get off the bed. “Hurry up and get dressed,” she instructed, “I need moral support.” That caught Becky's attention and she immediately rolled off the bed, continuing her battle to get her pants over her well-rounded bottom while standing upstraight. “Is Bryce here?” she inquired with a heated face, heaving a sigh of relief as she finally managed to close the top button. “I didn't hear the door.” “No no, he isn't.” Truth be told, Julie had all but forgotten about her boyfriend, her mind preoccupied with old resentment and mixed feelings she couldn't quite place just yet. “Mark brought a – a girl to the apartment. And I don't like her.” That was a bit of an understatement and it really didn't cover the situation at all. “I don't want to sit in the living room with her on my own, and I can't stay in here like a hermit without looking like an idiot now.” “Uhuh.” Down-to-Earth Rebecca nodded, a twinkle of amusement in her eyes as she rounded the bed, reached past Julie and tugged a clean shirt from the stack in her wardrobe. “I'm borrowing this,” she redundantly informed her. “We'll just ruin her self-confidence by looking absolutely stunning.” Julie couldn't be sure if her friend was being sarcastic or sincere; it was probably somewhere in between but when it came to loyalty, Rebecca was gold. Which, coincidentally, was the opposite of Maria Liao. “So why do we hate her, exactly?” “Oh, I don't [i]hate[/i] her, per se...” Julie objected, although that was probably a lie. “She's just not a very... great person.” Her hand already on the door, Julianne hesitated, then looked back to Rebecca. “We used to be friends in high school, until I found out she was talking trash about me behind my back. It cost me my friendship with Samantha and my weekend job at the Travelstore, among other things. It's eh... it's complicated.” “Say no more,” smirked her friend and she pressed the door open, barging past Julie and leading the both of them into the living room, where both Mark and Maria turned their heads towards the two arrivals with rather different expressions plastered on them. Unceremoniously she fell onto the couch and Julie quietly followed; the physical proximity of her friend alone already served to lift her spirits a little. “I'm Rebecca,” Becky introduced herself, though she didn't bother to get up. Her keen eyes took in the appearance of Maria, who seemed to counter the critical look with a similar sort of gaze. “Maria,” she replied just as curtly, and the girl ever so subtly edged a bit closer to Mark. Julie noticed the way her hand was lingering closely beside him on the couch; not quite touching his leg but near enough to claim him, as it were. Typical. “So, are you two [i]together[/i] together?” she inquired airily. Julie instantly blushed; Rebecca, naturally, had her answer ready and wrapped her arm about her friend's shoulder, tugging her closer. Julie just made a point of not looking at Mark at this point, but didn't object; she couldn't care less if Maria thought her to be a closet lesbian right now. “What's it to you if we are?” Rebecca asked sharply. “Oh no! I didn't mean it like that!” Maria almost seemed genuinely apologetic. “It actually makes a lot of sense, looking back on things.” Julie suppressed a look of annoyance and stubbornly continued to stare down the coffee table. “I mean, how else can you live with this guy for four years and still sleep in separate rooms?” Now Julie didn't [i]need[/i] to look up to know what was happening, although from her peripheral she could see Maria reaching out to run her finger affectionately down the side of Mark's face. Whether he was pleased with that, she wasn't sure; she vengefully hoped not. “Right, excuse me for a minute...” Maria jumped up, and she was clearly feeling a lot better than Julie at this point. The girl looked around, pointing at the furthest door. “That's the bathroom?” she inquired, then wandered off, leaving the remaining three to sit there in silence. Julie was still making a seeming effort to have the table spontaneously combust, but as soon as she heard the bathroom door closed her gaze darted up and she sat more upstraight; Rebecca seemed to catch on and removed her arm, then went to sit at a more conventional distance. “So Maria Liao,” Julie commented, a bit redundantly perhaps. She was stuck between not wanting to cause another fight – one was enough for now – and still wanting to air her grievances. “Of all the people in the world, you bring [i]her[/i] back? Nice call, Mark.” [i]So much for being complacent.[/i] Her words were dripping with cynicism, something that really didn't fit her and Julie quickly set her gaze on the large window; not that the grey, densely packed clouds offered an interesting view, she just didn't have the nerve to look at Mark after that.