Chapter 1
Julie had a crush on Luke Patterson that developed when he first joined the school’s music program. She had noticed he was cute in the halls, and his smile made her knees weak, but the real crushing started when she first heard him play. It felt like his voice awakened a melody inside her, and she was enraptured with every performance. But she never hoped that Luke would be interested in her.
So when Luke’s best friend Nick’s popped up after english and started flirting with Reggie, she thought it was weird but let her friend talk to his crush. Julie moved over to her locker after giving Reggie a grin, but as she opened her locker, she dropped her books. Julie heaved a sigh, crouching down to start gathering them up, when a pair of hands grabbed her notebooks. “Uh, thank you.” She said, glancing up to meet a pair of hazel eyes. She blinked before she registered that she needed to take her notebooks from the boy.
“It’s no trouble, Julie. Can’t leave a pretty girl hanging, that wouldn’t be very gentlemanly of me.” Julie narrowed her eyes, considering the boy in front of her and his friend flirting with her best friend, practically her brother.
“Did you need something?” She asked politely, “You usually high tail it out of class.” Her locker was right across from English, but his was near the gym since he played lacrosse with Nick and Willie.
“Can’t I just want to say hi?” Luke asked nervously. “I feel like we don’t talk enough. I’d like to talk to you more, get to know you.” Luke’s fingers ghosted on Julie’s forearm, and she realized he was trying to flirt.
She raised a very unimpressed eyebrow, “What? You think just because you have nice arms and a perfect smile, I’m just gonna fall for you? You’re gonna have to try harder than that.” She turned back toward her locker, switching out her books and making her way to Reggie without looking at Luke. Reggie was looking at her like he couldn’t figure out what just happened to either of them. And she didn’t miss the jacket that definitely wasn’t there before.
A few days later, Luke came up to Julie and Reggie in English. Julie was only half listening until Reggie nudged her. “Sorry, what?”
“I was wondering if either of you could help me with this project. I usually work with Nick, but then we end up goofing around and my grade can’t take many more hits.” Luke sounded desperate. But she knew his grade was fine, and she restrained herself from rolling her eyes. “I don’t mind who I work with if you don’t want to work with me, Julie.”
Julie turned to Reggie, his face giving her the answer. “I’ll work with you.” She sighed. “Did you tell Nick he would end up partnering with one of us?” When Luke shook his head, Julie walked over to Nick. She heard him humming a song that sounded amazing like one Reggie wrote, and she remembered Reggie mooning over Nick telling him he had a nice voice. She smiled as she waved at him, “Hi.” She really hoped he would agree, “I was wondering if you would want to partner with Reggie? Luke asked for my help because apparently his grade in this class sucks, and I can’t turn down someone that needs my help.” She could see him contemplate it, clearly not believing Luke either, but he nodded.
“Yeah, I’d be happy to work with him.”
She was relieved to say the least, “Thank you so much. He can be really shy.” She turned to Reggie, waving him over as she glided back over to her desk.
“I really appreciate this, Jules.” Luke grinned at her.
“Just don’t be a dead beat partner.” She replied, smiling softly when she saw Reggie laughing with Nick. “Let’s get started.”
Julie always saw Reggie with Nick’s jacket, and she was hoping she could hold out patience for one of them to make a move because it was taking forever. The day she finally saw Reggie actually wearing the jacket, was the first day she didn’t stick around to watch Flynn and Alex for cheer practice. She had a history paper she needed to work on. As she was heading to walk home, Luke caught up to her. “Hey, Jules, not staying for practice?”
“Uh, no, I have a paper to work on.” He nodded, still walking beside her, “What’s up?”
“Do you want a lift? I could take you home and come back for practice.”
“No, I’m good. Reggie offered, I like to walk to clear my head.”
“Oh.” Luke kinda looked disappointed and Julie a little bad.
“If you want, after practice you can come hang out, I guess. I could help you with any homework you have.”
Julie was not prepared for Luke’s mega watt smile to be directed at her. “That’d be great. Thanks, Jules.”
Luke did show up after practice, and Julie spent a few hours trying to teach him physics as she worked on her paper, only getting interrupted when she got a text from Alex that Reggie was on a date. Julie looked up at Luke, “So, Nick does like Reggie, right?”
Luke squirmed under her gaze, “Yeah, he’s been crushing on him since he first saw him. It was kinda sweet really, he saw Reggie and thought he was cute. And then Reggie never really tried to get to know him, and Nick said it made him intriguing, whatever that means.” Luke shrugged.
Julie wouldn’t admit it, but she was worried Nick was messing with Reggie. He had owned up to being bisexual in sixth grade, so she worried that it might be a game to the jock. She just wanted to check her friend would be okay. “Okay. And Carrie and Willie? They like Flynn and Alex, right?”
“Yeah.” Luke looked concerned, “Did you think they didn’t?”
“I just don’t want my friends getting hurt.” ‘And I don’t want to get hurt.’ She added in her head.
“My friends and I would never mess with someone like that.” Luke said sincerely. Julie felt about bad about questioning their feelings. “Can I ask- Is that- Is that why you said that to me? That day in the hallway? Cause you thought we were screwing with you guys?”
Julie pressed her lips together in a thin line. “It’s nothing against you guys. The four of us, we’re all we have. My dad is the only parent that cares about us. Flynn’s parents have six kids, and she slips through the cracks at home. Alex had to move in with Reggie after his parents found out he was gay. Reggie’s parents are just never home, and on the rare occasion they are, they still don’t talk to him. We need to had each other’s backs and that’s all I’m trying to do.”
Luke’s face looked almost heartbroken at the news, “Julie, I promise, we never want to hurt you guys.” He looked earnest.
Julie cleared her throat, “Okay. Let’s just study.”
The next morning, Alex picked Julie up for school and told her all about Reggie’s date, and she teased him about Willie. When they got to school, she smiled fondly as Reggie tried to smack Alex, and buzzed with happiness for her friend when she saw Reggie kiss his crush. Luke caught her just after third period. “Julie, there’s something you need to know.”
“What?” Luke pulled her into an empty classroom. “Luke, what is going on?”
“What I’m about to say is gonna suck, but I need you to hear me out.”
“Okay?”
Luke was worrying his bottom lip between his teeth, and Julie had to force herself not to get distracted by the movement when he started talking, “Carrie made a bet with us.” Her brow furrowed but Luke talked faster, “I’ve been thinking about telling you since last night when you talked about them hurting your friends. Which they would never do, but there is something Reggie could find out that will hurt him. Carrie made a bet about who could kiss their crush first. But the feelings are real. I swear they’re real.”
Julie narrowed her eyes at the shaggy haired boy, hurrying out of the room and speeding down the hall to Flynn, as she opened her mouth, she heard Reggie. “I was a bet?” She didn’t hear anything else as she saw him down the hall, turning away from Nick and Carrie. Nick looked heartbroken, and Carrie looked guilty and concerned, but Reggie looked devastated. The two girls rushed to their friend, Flynn snapping at Nick when he tried to follow Reggie, “I think you and your friends have done enough.”
Julie left Reggie with Flynn, off searching for Alex. Luke caught up to her, “Don’t even talk to me, Patterson.” She growled. “If Reggie doesn’t forgive Nick, then I better never hear a single word out of your mouth again. I can’t believe you thought this was a good idea.”
“We didn’t.” Luke muttered. “Nick was so afraid that Reggie would get hurt, but he also knew that if he didn’t do something, Carrie was going to mention his crush anyway to get the ball rolling.”
“What does this bet even have to do with you? Who were you supposed to go after?” Luke looked away, unable to meet her gaze. “Oh my god, it was me? That was why you wanted to partner in English when you didn’t need it.”
“I only agreed so that Nick would finally do something about Reggie. I knew you wouldn’t like me back.”
“Like you back?” Luke froze, his eyes going wide.
He stuttered when he spoke, “Uh, well, okay yeah. I like you. A lot. And I know this ruined any kind of chance I could have had, but please. Talk to Reggie. Nick is, like, in love with him.”
Julie just shook her head and continued looking for Alex.
When they met up at the bleachers so that Nick and Reggie could talk, Julie had cooled down about how angry she’d been. She figured if the others could forgive, she could too. Luke hadn’t done anything to lead her on, and he owned up to the bet before she found out. So when she sat down, she scooted closer to him, taking his hand. He grinned sheepishly, moving his hand to wrap around her shoulders.