Jules & Rules Chapter 6

6.

Julie had thought of everything by morning. She called her father the night before only to get his voicemail. She tried to make the message as simple as possible so she excluded the fact that she was going with Jordan. Not that her father would have minded his stay at their home for the past two weeks, but it would have taken time to explain and Julie had felt drained that night. After their flight, she & Jordan would separate and meet later. Surprising Kady with Jordan in tow might not go so well, she should at least be prepared, but that wasn't the only reason behind their decision to separate upon landing. Being spotted by some paparazzi trying to get a picture of Jordan's mystery girl wasn't Julie's idea of fun. He had joked with her that if a picture of the two of them ever got in the tabloids, teenage girls everywhere would be drawing scribbles all over her beautiful face. There was a compliment in there but she tried to avoid it by rolling her eyes at him.

"It'll happen with him pretty soon. You won't like it too much," he said as he walked out the door behind Julie, with his bag over his arm.

"I can handle it," Julie insisted but it sounded more like a question. She walked up to driver's side of her car and waited for him to catch up. The truth was, the media had already started to trail the band. She knew their privacy was about to become non-existent.

"You can handle it, meaning you're still in it. I guess finding out about Jen isn't a big deal then?" He almost hid the disappointment in his voice.

"I didn't say that," Julie replied quickly.

Jordan slid into the passenger's seat, almost unwillingly. Julie had driven too slow for his liking. "So how well does he know Jen?" he pressed.

"We've crossed paths with her like once or twice." She tried to stay calm as she adjusted in her seat but now that she was able to picture Alan with Jen, she cringed. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head quickly as if trying to expel the images from her memory.

Jordan threw a worried look in her direction, "Well, guys don't pay attention sometimes. He might not even have recognized it was her." Even though he said it half-heartedly, she could appreciate that he was trying to make her feel better.

"Jen's not the type of girl one forgets," she paused, then started out the driveway, "and you should know, I heard you two dated. How was it dating someone as evil as Jen?"

Jordan smiled at how cold her voice had sounded, "What she did to you is messed up but," he sighed as Julie's ears perked up to hear how he would defend this, "she does have her good moments. I was actually just as surprised when I heard about it. I was sure she was over that kind of stuff, you know?"

"You sound like you're still into her." Julie tried to sound like it wouldn't bother her but the thought of Jordan dating Jen had bothered her and she knew it. Of all the people he could have dated in L.A., he had picked Jen. And then of all the people Alan could have cheated on her with, it had to be, once again, Jen. Her skin crawled when she thought of her now.

"I don't know, maybe," he looked straight ahead at the road, "but it doesn't really compare to the feelings I have for someone else."

They both knew who he had meant but all Julie could do was think of what she was going to say to Alan once she saw him. Guilt swept over her as the silence kept building between her & Jordan but she couldn't force herself to stop thinking about Alan. All this time, she had been tortured with visions of Alan with the "other girl" but for once she was only thinking of him and she wasn't about to throw it away. She thought of the way his lips curved into a smile so sweet and genuine, it could brighten up any lousy day she ever had. And the sense of ease she felt when he looked at her with his unbelievably gorgeous eyes. His eyes always drew her attention. Even seeing them every day didn't make them any less intoxicating. Baby butterflies were building in her stomach now as her thoughts led her to him. It was safe as long as she thought of only him. Just Alan. The way he looked so cute when he first got up in the morning. Even half-asleep, he looked perfect.

Every part of Alan was alluring. Yet not one of these physical attractions was the reason she loved him. As she admitted it to herself, she felt a huge sense of relief but it followed with a feeling of being lost. Jen crept in her thoughts again and Jordan's basic confession of his feelings for her was cutting at her now. Jordan was her first love and she was his, but the love she felt for him now didn't feel quite the same. His deep brown eyes were fixated on the scenery out the window, although it didn't look like he was paying much attention to what he was seeing. She could sense he had wanted to say more earlier.

Everything rushed through her head as she and Jordan boarded the plane. The time passed quickly. Jordan was persistent in asking whether she was ok despite her telling him she was fine every time. She had never been able to get over her fear of flying. The way each of her hands clenched tightly in a fist made it even more obvious.

"Easy," Jordan said softly as he moved his hands over hers, trying to let her fingers loose. "Shake it off," he chuckled. She pretended to loosen up her body by shifting side to side in her seat but the way she did it only made the two of them laugh. "Your dad's not going to like that you're flying all alone," he reminded her.

"The damage is already done," she replied with a grin on her face. "Besides, I'm not really alone so it's ok."

Jordan grinned back and looked down at her hands to make sure she hadn't resorted back to the fists. He nodded in approval as she held her hands up and wiggled the fingers on each hand. She was able to relax knowing he was only inches from her.

When the plane landed, they acted according to the plan. Jordan went one way and Julie another. Kady had been staying with one of her mother's friends who had often invited them to stay with her when they were in the city. The cab ride there seemed to go by in lightning speed. When she & Julie finally saw each other, they jumped into a hug and squealed like little kids. It was a good surprise. Being glued at the hip and then not for two weeks was hard on them. Their closeness was almost unhealthy. Almost. They relied on each other for the things their parents couldn't give. They spent a good half hour going back and forth filling each other in on everything but when it came to Jordan, Kady looked agitated.

"He's giving us a ride to the show later." Julie tried to make it sound like everything was resolved between them.

"I can be mature. But I can't be his friend," Kady urged.

"Fine. But if you just spent some time with him, you'd see that it's worth giving him another shot," she smiled, hoping it would make her friend reconsider.

Kady shrugged her shoulders, "I'm not as good as you. In fact.." she changed the subject fast and put on a huge grin, "had I been you, or with you at that club, I would've punched Jen's lights out."

"Yea.." Julie sighed thinking of Alan's role in it all.

She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a knock. They both knew who would be standing behind that door. Kady got up, grudgingly, and walked towards it. She opened it slowly and saw Jordan for the first time in what seemed to be an eternity.