Archive of Our Own ^beta

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The rooftop was a grand place to work on diabolical schemes and plan devious pranks to annoy peers and teachers alike. It was a place for students to mingle and gossip about the latest news. It was also Julie's hangout, where she scribbled furiously on paper and erased so many words that she could take them and create a whole new story. No, an entire novel. She was sure that her mistakes amounted up to at least that.

Julie isn't necessarily on "famous author" level with her writing, but she often practices so she can improve in her English classes, and because she wants to impress her best friend with something lovely one day. Susie, the girl who she aimed to please, still had to teach her a lot of stuff, so she planned to pick up on it immediately and save her bestie time and energy.

There's a problem, though.

Susie knows that Julie is going to write something for her, or at least suspects it. She always has a little flicker in her expression, a little motion she would subconsciously do with her arms that meant she knew somebody was up to something. Her smile changes from unassuming and adorable to secretive and saccharine. Sue was intuitive and probably predicted the entire piece in no time.

So Julie kept her journal to herself and tried to brainstorm little ways of praising Susie without the pink-haired girl knowing what was going to be said. At least she could have that...maybe. Hours could pass without Julie finding any inspiration from whatever is out there, or she could be writing and scrapping over and over again until an entire section of her notebook was just little words and phrases that she thought were cute but didn't work without the correct context.

Most of the winter Julie had spent skipping her morning classes and only munching on pretzels that she had brought with her for lunch. When this attracted Susie's attention she started going back to class again. (But unfortunately the only person she could ask for notes was the girl she was trying super hard to blow the mind of. She found it hard to get over for the next week.) A while had passed and nothing really clicked in Julie's mind until Cody invited her to a "sick party."

It was not a sick party. The house reeked of booze and Julie was already regretting her decision to come when somebody tugged on her sleeve and had to yell over ear-piercing music. "Hey, do you think we can go outside? I couldn't find you at your house!" Who else could it be but Susie, who looked mildly uncomfortable about all the horny teenagers making out and the other things that made her have a general feeling of being unsafe. Julie somehow understood her over the speakers and helped her navigate amongst the sea of students getting wasted and raunchy with schoolmates. (A drunk dude grabbed at Susie's skirt and the two immediately bolted out of there into the backyard. Thanks for speeding up the process, drunk dude!)

"So, why are you at a house party in the middle of the night? Hasn't your mom noticed by now that you snuck out?" Julie asked as she lead them both to a safe corner of the lawn, furthest away from the splashing kids and even more couples making out. Susie seemed to be annoyed at the questions. "I can ask the same with you, Jules." She answered in a disappointed tone, and the taller felt intimidated from that response. However, the frown quickly melted into something friendlier and more suitable on Sue's moonlit features. She laughed a little when Julie shrugged bashfully, mainly from cluelessness as to how she should reply. "It should be obvious I came here to take you home. I just wasn't sure if you were drunk or not." Susie added, shuffling from a sudden noise that came from inside the house. "Well, shit, Sue. I'm as sober as all get out." Julie replied and held her hands up innocently. "I mean, I was gonna drink a bunch so I didn't at least come here for nothin', but I think that's off the table now."

"Mmm, you're not drinking tonight. You'll get a hangover on the weekends, and those are wickedly painful to nurse on a Saturday." Susie said and scanned the backyard. "Quick question, though- how are we getting out of here?" Julie blinked and aided her friend in their survey of the location. "A better question than what I can think of. I don't want you getting snatched up by any thotties, though. We're not going back in that cursed house." She answered and glanced over at the fencing of the backyard. There didn't seem to be any gates anywhere, so they might have to climb over the fence.

"Yo, you got a Climbing PHD, Sue?" Julie asked her short friend, who was also looking at the fencing like it was their way out. "I don't think that's real, Jules." Susie told her and nodded despite those words. "But I know that you know that we know what to do. Let's hop to it." She said and walked up to their confinements as if she were looking for footholds in the smooth stone. Soon Julie joined her and abruptly though of something.

"Wait, how about I hoist you up and you help pull me up once you're on the top of the walls?" She offered, getting more agitated to leave this stench of sweat and booze behind and feel the wind whip her hair around on the back of Susie's motorcycle. The thought was very pleasant to imagine.

"Oh, you sure I won't hurt you by doing that?" Susie asked worriedly, her concern for her friend evident on her expression. Julie smiled and patted her shoulder. "I'm sure you'd be able to climb on me and not hurt me, Sue. You're small. I'm not." She replied, trying to be as reassuring as possible. With that, she picked up the pink-haired teen and practically threw her up onto the top of the stone fence. It wasn't that hard of a task, almost unsurprisingly. When Sue was sure she had a good hold on the fence she reached down and extended her hands to Julie, who was also somehow able to climb the fence without the assistance of footholds. (Three cheers for plot convenience!)

After that literal hurdle the pair was free to go home. Susie drove her best friend back to her house and bid her goodnight fairly quickly before trying to hop back on her vehicle. However, Julie had forgotten to give her something before and now she figured it was the perfect time to give it.

"Yo, I got something for you. I just wanted your advice on something I'm gonna try and work on over the weekend. Any suggestions you could give me?" Julie asked casually as she slips a folded up paper out of her pocket and hands it to Susie, who unfolded it with the upmost care. With a curious look to her face she read the few vague phrases and concepts that Julie had managed to jot down before Cody practically dragged her to his party. Susie smiled after a few moments. "She seems like a decent person. Do I know her?" She asked as she handed back the paper. Julie gives a little noise of pride and slips the paper back into her pocket, feeling bashful and helpful. "I would hope you knew her. She's actually really chill and all." The brown-haired girl replied without looking at Susie, who in turn nodded. "As long as you like her, I'm not worried about it." She says, and starts up her motorcycle again. "I'll see you sometime on Saturday?" Susie asks, and Julie nods eagerly. "Yeah. You can help me write to her." She answers, then noticed a curious glint in Susie's eye before she drove away, leaving her friend a confusing mess of emotions she didn't know how to sort out on her own.

Julie had a hard time sleeping, mainly because her head buzzed with little things that she could've said to not seem like a cottonhead to Susie. However, Saturday was inevitable, and the teenage girl would be lying if she said she didn't have dreams of when she was back in kindergarten, with Susie teaching her how to spell cat all over again.

Yep, that happened.

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Out of all the things that Julie expected on Saturday, waking up at noon and suddenly remembering that your friend was coming over was at the bottom of her list. She checked her phone, feeling her stomach drop like a dead weight as she read that her mom had texted her about 10 times, called her twice, and left her a voicemail telling her that she would be gone for a business trip for a day or two. ("Make sure you take care of Greg and Fiona while I'm gone, okay sweetie? Oh, and you father is coming home late again. Try not to bother him too much. I love you." A gross kissing sound could be heard; Julie inwardly cringed at both the added effect and the thought of having to watch over her monsters for siblings.)

"This is not my Saturday game plan." Julie murmured, but before locking her phone a little banner appeared at the top of the screen, reading these words-

Peanut Gallery- Hey, I could be there in 10. Does that sound good?

A smile crept along the teenage girl's lips. Susie always had the best timing for random shit. She opened the messages app to text back.

QWEEN- Yep, I think that's plenty of time. You mind the little gremlins still being in the house? Or should I shove them down the toilet?

Julie put the device face down carefully onto the bed and picked out her clothes to change in the bathroom. It takes her 7 minutes at most and then she's ready to do something nerdy with Sue. She figured she should throw on something casual- a gray work shirt that had her mask design splattered onto it with red paint and yoga pants were good enough for the occasion.

When she got back into her room she wasn't surprised to see Fiona tapping away on her phone, probably playing one of those little grinder games that Julie had gotten to pass the time when bored. "Hey, give it back, please." The older sister said and held her hand out to collect her phone. Fiona giggled and handed it back. "Your friend is nice." She said eagerly and frolicked off to do god-knows-what. When Julie checked her phone she saw that Fiona seemed to have been running a conversation with Susie, who apparently hasn't even gotten out of the door yet.

QWEEN- Yo, I'm back. Get your candy ass over here, Sue

Peanut Gallery- Oh, it seems you are! I've been caught ;') I'll try to get there ASAP!

Julie sighed at her friend's silliness, locked her phone, and put it back on her nightstand. Where in the world would she be without Sue? Greg and Fiona started shouting and the teenager assumed that meant they wanted something, so off into hell she went.

Not even an hour into being awake and Julie was exhausted again. Not even 20 minutes and she wanted to retreat back into her room, but she waited at the door for the familiar flash of pink and the roar of an engine. She was awarded for her patience quickly. Susie didn't even have to knock on the door and Julie opened it, catching her short friend with her hand in midair. "Oh. Hi." Sue greeted with her eyes wide open, lowering her arm and a little smile on her face. Though it seemed to be tacked on there for a few seconds, it quickly became a natural one. That's when Julie liked to smile back.

The two huddled up in the kitchen, pencils pushed against paper and Susie's little hums and snippets of advice given when Julie wordlessly asked for it. She found the entire thing both really relaxing and pushing her out of her comfort zone, little by little, until she felt almost wound up too tightly whenever her senses wandered over to her friend to go pay attention to her instead of whatever they were doing.

"...So while some people hate it when you use the word 'very' in a formal paper or whatever, it's fine to use it in casual conversations and laid back works of literature. Just make sure to use it sparingly, okay?" Susie told her and gave her another sweet smile. Julie nodded and put her pencil down. "Now I'm bored, though. Can't we ditch the kids and go to Narnia or whatever?" She asked, and heard a giggle as her only response. "I don't think it's that easy, Jules. I WANT it to be, but..." The pink-haired teen paused, then walked over to the two young children and put her hands on her knees. "Hey, you two wanna visit Joe and his sisters?" Susie asked in the sweetest voice Julie has ever heard from her. It apparently worked on the kids because they looked at each other and smiled from ear to ear. "UNCLE JOE!" They yelled, and Susie looked back with a look of pride and smugness. It was all Julie needed to see to know that they just won themselves a Saturday off.

The girls had whisked the kids away to Joe (Who was more than happy to take Greg and Fiona off their hands, but gave Julie a devious smirk when he heard the words "alone for a while" come from Susie's mouth) and went on about the afternoon randomly sitting down somewhere in some park Julie couldn't be bothered to remember the name of. Sunlight looked just as good as moonlight on Sue- she was practically beaming with positivity either way. Julie sometimes tangled a hand in her long dyed hair and spent a few minutes braiding it, styling it, or just playing around with it each time she did. They migrated from spot to spot, with random topics that switched faster than a girl could change her own mind about something.

"Ay, that girl, she's looking like a snack. Whatcha think?" Julie asked as she pointed to a girl, undoubtedly a student at the same high school they went to. The taller of the pair didn't recall her name clearly. Wasn't it Katherine or whatever? Susie followed Julie's line of sight and seemed to smile at what her friend was looking at. "You just have a thing for girls who look good in shorts, Jules." She answered, which made Julie almost yelp in protest. "Are you sure I only like girls that look like that? I mean, you're pretty cute too, I'd smash if we were into each other that way. AND I'm bi, so girls aren't the only people I like." She replied defiantly, not really paying attention to what she was saying, but rather what point she was trying to make.

Susie laughed at Julie's protest, another unusual glint in her eye like the one she had last night. "Wow, alright. I see your point, Jules." She says, her giggles simmering down a bit. It was unusual for her to give up so easily, and she looked a little bothered by what had been said, but before Julie could ask what was wrong she sighed and relaxed her posture again. That was something she was taught to do during her therapy sessions a while ago.

"Alright, you think we should go home? Mother will flip her pancakes if she thinks I'm doing something crazy." Susie commented, and tilted her head to the side so that the little curls at the ends of her hair were visible. Julie would love to be her stylist or whatever one day. She'd love to even be her neighbor when they grew up. The dark-haired girl loved to close her eyes sometimes and imagine it.

"Wherever you go, I could go too. If only to spend another minute, alone with you." Julie quoted from one of her papers, a blissful smile settling on her face without her knowing it. Susie was temporarily at a loss for words at the sight, but quickly got her composure back and smiled with her. "I didn't tell you to speak in riddles, but that's fine...does it mean we can go home?" She joked, shrugging off whatever was trying to settle in her stomach and squeeze her throat until she couldn't breathe properly.

"Yeah, sure, let's ignore the ominous prophecy and take some killer naps." The older girl says and got up from her spot on the warm grass. Spring approached rapidly, the promise of milder weather was something that both of the teenagers were hopeful about. It's not that snow and winter were bad things in their eyes, it's just that Julie preferred going to school without feeling like she was locked in a freezer, and Susie could do without her fingers- no, her entire being- going numb when she got home.
They enjoyed the quiet walk back to the parking lot, and Julie was even more excited when she heard the rev of the engine right in her ears. She always liked holding on tight as Sue practically zipped through the quaint little town's streets, leaving behind both of their anxieties in the wake of dust the motorcycle kicked up. She loved being able to whoop into the fast-moving wind, raising all hell and feeling as heavy metal as she could manage.

The feeling of satisfaction as she pulled up to her house's driveway could be relived again and again, that was for sure. "Seems like this is your destination. Next stop, my house." Susie told her and yanked her arm like she was blowing one of those train whistles from the cartoons they would watch together. Julie's legs were shaky as she stepped off the motorcycle, and she looked back at her pink-haired friend with the hopes that one day she could finally put all her feelings, thoughts, and opinions on her down on paper and give it to her someday. So Julie could show her how much she- what, loved her? Appreciated her?

"Yo, Peanut Gallery, what's another word for appreciate? Just wanna ask before you hit the road again." She asked Susie, who had a blank expression for a moment before she raised her eyebrows, something she did when she figured out a solution to a problem. "Do you adore that girl we were writing for earlier? Maybe you idolize her?" Sue asked, and Julie nodded. "Yeah, those are the words. Thanks, Sue!" She exclaimed. She turned around and went up the steps to her house, but not without looking behind her. "Do we have any more plans this weekend?" She asked. Susie shrugged.

"It's your call, Jules."

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"WHAT IN THE FUCK, JOE-" Julie screeched like her tall ass of a friend just drop-kicked her to the moon. In response the obligatory mom friend holds the paper up higher and giggles like it was the funniest thing in the goddamn world. "I'm telling Susie~" He teased, a cheeky grin gracing his features. Julie huffed and tried to retrieve her notebook again, but Joe was simply a giant compared to her. "No, seriously, you shithead. Give it back!"

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The moment that Julie woke up she felt an overwhelming urge to cry, and she wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because she was coming to terms with the fact that in a few days she wouldn't be able to walk down the street, take a few turns, and end up at Susie's house for a playdate. Yep, that's definitely something to cry about, so Julie closed her eyes and laid there, trying to keep her breathing steady while all the emotions that didn't escape a few nights before now had their chance to get out of her mind. She cried out of frustration, out of such a bitter feeling that nested at the bottom of her heart and threatened its way into her throat, she cried for the sake of crying. A chunk of time definitely passed before Julie was willing to open her eyes and stare up at the ceiling. "I'm a fucking mess." She breathed and peeked at her alarm clock. It was 6:21 A.M. and school started in a couple of hours. Julie had to drag herself out of her bed and trudge all the way to her lights, flick them on, then mentally prepare for an absolute shitstorm.

It was a blur. Dialogue, plot, development, words. Julie skipped to the moments where she hung out with Susie, who seemed overly sensitive to her emotions today. She liked those scenes. She liked Sue. Julie had no idea until 5th grade that she did, though. But, yeah, there were feelings she never wanted to touch with a 12-foot pole that existed and were there. As much as she tried to drown it out with the liquor that she usually drank at parties that the host had to smuggle out of the cabinet or pantry, she seemed to have a high alcohol tolerance. Fuck, feelings were feelings, and logic be damned. That was her brain's philosophy. apparently, as she realized more and more that she didn't just want to settle for hugs and being friends.

After school, Julie couldn't be found at her normal hangout. She was already walking home, without saying bye to Joe and Frank. Or Susie. She felt like she was seething, and she didn't want anybody to get hurt trying to calm her down. Besides, I need the exercise, she told herself. Despite all her pent up emotions, a long walk back to her house left her too tired to be negative. At least, until she noticed that her father was home. Julie practically hugged the walls to avoid his drunken sobbing, because good god, he was a fucking mess. Maybe he passed it onto her. Maybe that was the reason why she was crying this morning.

Like the dumbass she was Julie ignored all the texts from Susie and the boys as she laid in bed, just like she did this morning. She listened to the faint crying and the rush of wind as cars drove by on the street she lived on. The occasional melody of "You Are My Sunshine" played when Susie started calling instead of texting. Yeah, I'm supposed to answer. Julie shook her head, strengthened her resolve, hit the answer button, and brought her phone up to her ear. "Julie, are you okay?" Susie immediately asked, and the brunette winced a little because she could physically feel the wave of both worry and relief coming off her bestie. "Yeah. Completely fine, Sue." She answered, a little unsure about whether it was true or not. Julie had no fucking clue if she was okay. Not like she could tell Susie that.

"I would hope that you're fine...I didn't see you after school, it got me nervous. You could've told me that you were walking home." A small tremble in her words gave away that it had honestly made her anxious. Julie felt like an ass for not telling her that she needed to take a walk. "I'm sor-"

"My concern for you is nothing to be sorry about. Try again." Susie said firmly, and her friend sighed, a slight smile on her face. "Fine. Thank you for worrying; I appreciate it. I'm fine, at home. You wanna hang out?" Julie asked, remembering what she was supposed to say. Susie had insisted that she should turn all her "Sorry"s into "Thank you"s, and even though it's been plenty of years since she brought it up she's always reminding Julie to turn her negative words into positive ones. Though it was very quirky and hard to do without practice, it's one of the things that made Julie simply adore her best friend even more.

"It depends. Are you going to screech at me like a raptor?" Susie pulls her back into the real world with her response, making the brunette snort in amusement. "No, but I can roar at you like a T-Rex. You want that instead?" She offers. On the other end of the phone she heard a laugh and she knew that's what got her right hand woman all bubbly. Of course it'd be fucking dinosaurs. Nothing else. "I'll be over in ten." Julie said, eager to get out of this shitty house with a shitty dad in it, who couldn't do better than to cry on the couch. Susie hummed in response and the brunette hung up so she could get her worn out running shoes back on. She had a date with the Peanut Gallery tonight.

Even though she really hadn't planned to say anything that night Julie found herself with an increasing urge to raise all hell for Susie and the shitty living situation her mother forced her into. She saw plenty of boxes in the living room, kitchen, and hallway. Despite how much Elizabeth told Sue to start packing the only thing she had was a decently-sized box, but other than that, her room was completely empty of possessions. She still had a handful of shirts in the closet, though. Julie figured she had clothes laid out for school and nothing else besides that.

"Julie?" Susie asked suddenly as she sat down on the edge of the bed, playing with her hair like she was anxious about something. Julie snapped to attention and joined her, taking a spot next to her on the bed. "What's up?" She hesitantly replied, not expecting Sue's cold hand intertwining with hers. "I was considering... dying my hair back to what it used to be." She confided, eyes fixed on the carpet and nowhere else. Her thumb traced over Julie's knuckles out of habit, and the brunette involuntarily shuddered at it. "Why? Just because you're moving it doesn't mean you should dye it back to black." She reasoned, recalling the time before Susie had pink hair. Everyone used to call her emo. Julie was satisfied when she kicked all of their asses.

"It was a thought I had, and I wanted to know your opinion before I went and did something stupid." Sue finally looked up at her best friend, with a smile on her lips and a hint of laughter that lived in the last part of her sentence. Julie had the biggest urge to plant a kiss on her lips right then and there, despite all her best efforts to push her feelings back into the little burrow in the Earth she had personally dug for them. God, Susie had a big effect on her, an influence that nobody else would ever have. It was both unnerving and exciting to Julie.

"I'm glad that I have a say in you doing stupid things, Susie." She says, biting back what she wanted to add at the end of her response. Wouldn't be worth it to say it right there.

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Susie was at first panicked when she felt her hands resting on something other than a plush toy, completely confused as to why she felt so warm despite the lack of blankets on her. But she was absolutely amazed when her eyes were able to register Julie's sleeping figure, which was holding Susie's head closer to her chest. Sue could hear her heartbeat, which would sometimes kick up randomly, then calm back down again, and start pounding again a few moments after. Her dark brown hair pooled onto one of the pillows that Sue had apparently fished from the closet, little patches of sunlight lit it up and turned it amber. And this, she thought, is why Julie is pretty.

Susie reached up with her right hand and weakly ruffled Julie's hair to get her awake. It only served to make her heartbeat start going faster. The brunette held her closer in response, a slight whine bubbled up in the back of her throat. "Jules." Susie whispered, combing through the mentioned teen's rather thick hair. "Hey, boo. Wake up. Please stop keeping me in a headlock." She repeated, voice barely above inaudible. "It's the last day that I'm here. Please wake up." Susie lightly tugged on Julie's hair, still quite dazed from dreamland herself.

As if to respond, Julie tightened her arms around Susie, and the latter noticed that one of her hands rested on her waist. Sue could feel tears seep into her hair and she prayed to whatever's out there that Jules wasn't having a nightmare about losing her. "I'm here, Julie. You have to wake up." She tried to reassure her best friend, who was sleeping and not listening to her words at all. Despite her pleads, Julie didn't seem to be dreaming something good. Susie understood what was being conveyed through the stifled sobbing and need for contact, and she had no idea what to do besides try to wake her best friend up, something she wasn't doing a very good job of at that moment.

"Julie, it's Saturday. Get your hat on backwards, it's time to fucking party." Susie muttered against the brunette's ear while she pulled on her hair and poked her stomach- all very good ways to get Julie up and running. With a sudden twitch and a yelp, the taller of the pair's eyes shot open and she practically dug her nails into Susie's waist and neck. "HOLY FUCK." Julie made it seem like a statement rather than an exclamation. Sue had a hard time biting back laughter. "Good morning, Jules." She greeted her now awake friend innocently. Julie had to breathe for a second- her heart rate was through the roof- before her iron grip on Susie's entire being relaxed, allowing the absolute nerd of a geek to breathe again.

"DON'T 'GOOD MORNING' ME YOU FUCKING GREMLIN." Julie shouted, her face completely flushed and eyes wider than moons. She gave Susie a quick once over and pulled her in close again, thankfully without the head lock. "Oh my god, Sue. You just gave me a fuckin' heart attack and a half." Julie breathed, and Susie noted that her heart seemed to have finally found a pace to stick to. She let herself giggle at that fact.

"Apologies. Thanks for not dying, though. Really helps to know you're still kicking." Susie replied, "That'd suck a lot more than it'd swallow." She added.

Julie hummed, now a little calmer, and her entire body relaxed into the bed. "I wanna go back to sleep." She pouted. Still a tired woman-child? Check. Susie untangled her hands from Julie's hair- which the brunette also pouted at- and instead intertwined them with the taller teen's. "Wouldn't that be a treat..." Sue agreed with a blissful smile. Now it was Julie's turn to be at a loss for words- the good kind, of course. Her fingers tapped on Susie's knuckles like she did to hers last night, trying her best not to drift back into sleep. "So, you plan on chilling in this bed, or are we going somewhere today?" Julie asked, and she was responded with Sue sitting up on the bed, who then stretched like a cat and smiled lazily at her.

"Bed's nice, but I think you might have a bad dream again, so let's do something at the park or whatever." She replied, Julie was intent on doing whatever she wanted to do, so she hummed and sat up too. "Alright. Where are we going?" She asked. Susie slipped out of her bed and wrestled a shirt out of her closet before giving a quick glance at Julie. "I was thinking we could go walk around downtown for a while." She said and disappeared into the hallway.

While she was getting ready Julie laid back down on the bed, breathing in the odd scent of raspberries and vanilla. It was rather therapeutic- Julie wondered if this was something that Susie did herself or was recommended to do, whatever had been done to make the room smell great.

Unfortunately it made her fall asleep again.

"Hey, get up, sleepyhead. No more snoozing." Susie's voice was beautiful and pleasant to listen to. The only thing that was bad about it was that it was telling her to wake up. Julie growled and opened up her eyes again, which met with Susie's immediately. She always loved the color of them. The windows to Sue's soul couldn't be prettier.

"God," Julie's sentence was cut off by a yawn, but she smiled and stretched her back in response. "How many roses would be needed to adequately convey those three words to you?" She asked to nobody in particular. Susie's face seemed to heat up when she heard that.

"Oh...? How many?" She asked sheepishly, a small smile on her face. Julie's eyes widened for the second time in the past hour. "Huh? I said something?" She asked, because she genuinely forgot that she just flirted with her best friend. Susie didn't know that, but her eyes flickered with an assortment of emotions before her smile got wider. "I guess you did, silly." She said, standing up from her seat on the edge of the bed and walking over to the doorway. "C'mon. Let's go wreck havoc on downtown Ormond." Sue told Julie, who sat up yet again and nodded eagerly.

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"...I, uh, was thinking." Susie spoke up while the pair of teens were walking down the streets of downtown Ormond, which was a rather busy place for a quaint town. Susie worked at a gas station nearby; because of how many people, including tourists, would fuel up there and indulge in whatever candy was stocked at the checkout area, her pay was decent. Julie was quite surprised to find out that Sue had a job before her. Even though it was a distant memory, she barely recalled feeling bitter and teasing Susie about maturing so fast.

"You were thinking. That's not uncommon." Julie replied, a smirk on her features, and even though she wasn't directly looking at her short companion she could practically feel her eyes rolling. It was odd- Susie's sarcasm was more openly expressed than most of her other emotions. Julie wasn't entirely surprised, since she had grown up with her, but it was nonetheless something she payed attention to, along with about fifty other details about her best friend that she could name off the top of her head.

"Yeah, but it's still a thought. I wanted to get you something before I moved." Susie's eyes avoided Julie, making her expression unreadable, but her body language (which was just as reliable to read as her words, if that made sense to anybody other than Julie) hinted at anxiety. Julie wasn't sure if she could test her boundaries, though she tried to lay a hand on Susie's shoulder for some kind of reassurance. When Sue looked back at her she offered a smile. "Hey, I'm fully aware that you're my best friend, but it doesn't mean you have to spoil me." The brunette joked, patting the spot her hand rested on. It made the smaller of the pair laugh, and she quickly ducked to avoid walking into a stranger who seemed to be waving his arms around and calling for somebody. She glanced back at the strange man and then turned her attention to Julie again. "Why shouldn't I indulge you in your desires, your majesty?" She asked with a cheeky smile.

"Oh my god, you're so fucking cheesy." Julie groaned, She cast a quick look at Susie, though, and gave her the most caring smile she could muster before looking in front of her again. Sue knew what it meant. She giggled and bumped shoulders with the brunette before rushing forward and turning a corner.

"Hey, wait up!" Julie squawked, rushing after her best friend before somebody pulled her back. "Hey, long time no see." The all-too familiar voice of Frank Morison made her shudder, from both fear and relief that at least she was chatting with somebody she trusted. Julie looked back to see his gleaming hazel eyes and smiled somewhat nervously. "Yo, Frank. I was trying to catch Sue before somebody gets her first. Can you believe she just ran off like that?" She asked, shuffling into a store for their conversation. It was rather antique, with little old-timey tea kettles and stereos placed on the shelves. The clerk at the counter was a young lady, maybe somewhere around Susie's age. She perked up as they entered.

"Look, Jules, I'm not going to tell you how to live your life. That's one of the only things I don't actively seek to control about my gang members. However, I'm very aware of your infatuation with Susie. Care to explain to me?" Frank asked, his hands on his hips in a typical Joe fashion. The clerk looked interested and leaned in, a little smile on her expression. Julie's face flushed and she looked down at the ground. "I'll admit it. Yeah, I've got a giant lesbian crush on Sue. Why would it matter to you?" The brunette confessed, biting her bottom lip from anxiety. She was ready for whatever teasing Frank sent her way.

Instead, he chuckled. It was a hearty laugh that seemed to come from the bottom of his heart- however surprising it may be to hear he had one.

"What are you laughing about? I'm trying to be genuine about my feelings and you're over here making fun of me?" Julie sputtered, rather embarrassed about how easily she submitted to her gang leader. Frank gives her a smile and shrugs. "Just wanted to confirm it before Joe bursts in and tells Susie." He says, gaze flickering over to the clerk- who was obviously listening to every word- and then back to Julie. He seemed to sense the unease in her expression, though, because he sighed and handed her two items. The first was her journal, the one she kept all her poetry in, and the second item was a pencil.

"Here are the weapons you need for your quest. Would you like to skip the tutorial?" Frank asked. Julie bit her bottom lip again and shook her head. "Nah, I have the controls down." She answered somewhat anxiously. Her leader nodded and made his way for the exit. "Sue should be with Joe. If you're lucky, he hasn't told her about you being gay for her yet...I suggest you hurry." He says, slipping out of the shop and back into the crowd of people. Julie sighed, took a glance at the clerk as well, and clenched her fists. This should be easy enough. Three words.

Julie found herself in whirlwind of limbs and voices the moment she went back outside. Unfamiliar faces would look at her, some would smile, others would whistle at her smugly and go about their day. The brunette started to walk in the direction that Susie had went in, intent on retrieving her before Joe fucked something up big-time. Sometimes she bumped shoulders with eager tourists, and she might have once accidentally stepped on somebody's foot. She wouldn't have known- she was determined to find her best friend.

On the good side, she found Sue in no time. Bad news? Joe was whispering something to her, and giggled at her reaction to it. Susie seemed confused about what her friend just told her, but then she smiled and nodded. Julie hoped that was good. "Yo, what's up nerds?" She asks, trying to keep herself calm and casual. Susie beamed at her excitedly, jumping up and down so quickly that her hair was all over the place while she moved. "Oh, it took you long enough!" She exclaimed with a concerning amount of happiness. She grabbed both of Julie's hands and tugged her along, not knowing the effect she was already having on her. "C'mon, I got something for you!" Susie beams and the brunette sighs.

"What did I just tell you about spending-"
"Hey, do you want to see the view or not? Because I heard that looking at pretty nature is free, and you seem to be a stickler about money anyways."

Julie kept her mouth shut after Susie's comeback, and tried her best not to squeeze the life out of her small, cold hands. She simply let Susie guide her wherever they were going. Surely it couldn't be worse than her personal favorite location, six feet under with no way for people to bother her ever again.

Chapter Text

Country roads do in fact take Julie and Susie home. They wound up walking for a while, down some dusty old trail that used to have signs for directions, but the wood had rotted a long time ago. Susie often kicked the dust up with her high tops and Julie smiled at her impulses to do childish stuff. At the end of the day their journey was rewarded with a secluded part of the forest that laid just beyond Ormond. Julie spotted a little rocky cliff that seemed almost too perfect to sit on the edge of, and could hear water rushing in the distance. "Now, if this ain't something romantic..." She started and smiled at Susie. The pink-haired teen smiled back, then walked away from Julie to sit down on the rocky ledge that gave her a gorgeous view of the sunset. It was a mildly convenient place, perfectly made for this moment and possibly more just like this one.

"If this isn't romantic I'd eat a pencil." Susie responded, giving her bestie a playful glance and an innocent grin to match. Julie forgot to breath for a second.

"Then it'll be my job to make it totally not romantic." The brunette joked and took a spot next to Sue, who seemed to be humored by that comment. Her laugh never got old, even though it was something that Julie was almost too familiar with. She loved every second that Susie spent giggling.

Conversation popped up a few times, but the pair decided to mainly sit in silence and watch the sun dip below the horizon and trees that Julie couldn't name the species of even if her life depended on it. They mostly talked about little things and memories about how badly they might've messed up. Susie managed to make her failed schemes seem so humorous, and Julie had a hard time believing she actually attempted to prank people a few times when she wasn't looking.

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot!" Susie suddenly shot up and fished something out of the pockets of her skinny jeans. In her held up hands there were two necklaces in the shape of hearts. "I got these a while ago but now I think they'd be nice to remember each other by." She said, dropping one into Julie hands. "You know, put little photos inside or something." Susie elaborated, then her bashful smile faded a little. "I'm going to miss you when I'm gone." She added, casting a quick glance at Julie and then turning her attention to the sunset, which was almost over already.

Her shaky hand went up to touch her temple, She closed her eyes and exhaled quietly, leaving behind a bitter feeling to roost in her throat. She was afraid, to say the least. It took concentration to not cry. Susie winced when she felt an arm wrap around her waist, pulling her closer to Julie. "Hey, you know we'll still be close. Just...over a stupidly long distance." The brunette reassures her best friend. Sue's eyes were now opened and staring into Julie's. Goosebumps found a home on the taller girl's skin, making her shudder. Susie obviously noticed it.

"Do we need to go back?" Sue implored, leaning back on her hands. Julie's hand had reluctantly retracted from her body, and she wishes she could do it more often. She keeps herself busy by inspecting the locket she had been given instead.

"I know it might sound unusual, but I feel like you should be aware that...I care about you, and I have no clue what I'm going to do without you around bossing me around all the time." Susie abruptly confessed, keeping her eyes trained on the fading light of the sun that washed her hair a breathtaking mixture of the evenings oranges and her normal fuchsia hue. Julie had no idea those two colors could even be blended together so well.

"Hm, sounds sappy to me." The brunette hummed lightly and leaned on Susie's shoulder a little bit. "But probably not as sappy as it is when I say I'll miss you more than you could ever know, and that if I had a penny for every time I thought about you, I'd only have one. Haven't stopped thinking about you yet." Julie adds smugly, enjoying the surprised look on Susie's face in response to her words. It was like the day in the park, but now it was a lot more private. "Is that supposed to mean something?" She gave a sheepish smile along with her question, apparently not sure how to reply to that. Julie shrugged. "What do you  think it's supposed to mean, nervous Sue?"

"What, are you trying to flirt with me or something?" Susie guessed with a finger twirling around some of her hair, a habit of hers that was somewhat suppressed around certain people. It was Julie's turn to be caught without a good comeback, once again. She gave an anxious smile and stared into space, hoping that was a good enough response. Her hum of uncertainty sparked an entire landslide of butterflies in Sue's stomach. "...Does that mean you are?" She pressed with a quieter tone. Shit. It was the one she used when she wanted answers. And fast. Fuck me with a chainsaw and call me daddy, she's onto my shenanigans.

Julie turned her head away and tried not to make it obvious she was blushing. "I wouldn't say I'm flirting, just gushing over you, I guess." She lied, hoping and praying that Susie believed her. It was complete silence for a moment or two- minus the water in the background, obviously- before the brunette heard her best friend sigh and lay her head on her shoulder, just like how the taller of the pair did with her a few minutes ago. "This is such bad timing for flirting, but hey, whatever floats your goat." Susie says like she was tired.

"It's whatever floats your boat, Sue."
"Whatever floats your goat."
"Does it mean you don't mind...? I mean, what I'm feeling, that's okay by your rules, right?"
"Yeah. I would assume that's what it means. You chose the worst possible romantic scene to admit it, but...the feeling's mutual, I guess."

Julie wasn't sure what Susie meant by the feeling being mutual, and she didn't feel very confident about the entire situation in general. Her go to for these situations was to breathe and calm down that way- maybe it'd work again. She swallowed a bunch of air, held it for a second, then allowed herself to deflate and relax her shoulders. Great, now do that fifty more times and hope for the best, she thought sourly.

"Am I allowed to?" She asked, still hoping her luck was good and Sue would understand her nervous babbling. Her best friend looked into her eyes briefly and smiled at her, apparently with the same anxiety levels as her. "Yeah, you're allowed to." Susie replied. Another quiet breath was required for Julie to get her courage up again.

"Alrighty," the brunette announced, moving herself closer to Sue for both convenience and to reassure herself. "Scooch your boot. We're cuddling." She said, ruffling Susie's hair while saying it. There seemed to be something constricting her windpipe to keep her from getting her words out. She wanted to sock the feeling in the face and tell it to fuck off. Her sudden hesitance stirred up Susie's interest.

Julie nearly jumped up six feet into the air when she felt a small arm find a grip on her waist and hold her closer to Susie. Her paranoia about the entire thing really got to her sometimes, and why did one of those times have to be right now? "Scooching the boot, don't mind me." Susie said casually and jokingly laid her legs over her bestie's with a cheeky smile. Julie gave her a pout. "That's not how you cuddle, you absolute microwave." She complains and sticks her tongue out, scrunching up her face at Susie. She was rewarded with a laugh and more contact- Sue had slyly found a way to get closer to Julie's body without it being obvious. She could hear the taller girl's heartbeat again, just like this morning. "Then tell me how to do it, you arrogant cactus." Susie replied, maintaining the mischievous look on her face.

"Well first, I'd say that you might be trying to flirt with me. Then I'd ask you if I'm right about it. If so, then I grab you and run away with you in my arms forever and ever. If not, I'd be incredibly sad but I'll respect your personal space anyway." Julie said, a thoughtful look on her face. It made Susie's heart try to soar away from her. She was pretty sure it was beating out her her chest if she was being honest with herself. Her left hand went up to Julie's cheek in a somewhat confident manner, and she smiled to indicate her intentions. Julie's face flushed because of it. "Would you be happy if I was flirting?" Susie asks, cocking her head to the side and sending a reassuring look Julie's way.

"I guess I would be."

Susie didn't need any more words than that. In a rough motion she pulled Julie's head closer to hers and planted a small kiss to her lips, pulling back immediately after, her cheeks slowly turning redder by the second. The brunette was completely silent, wide eyes making contact with Sue's. "Ah, um..." Julie fumbled, almost gawking at Susie's boldness. "I, er, yeah." She awkwardly trailed off and looked away. Her best friend smiled widely. "Does that mean you liked it?" She asked, legs bouncing over Julie's. Her confidence was unfamiliar to her, but that didn't mean she didn't want to at least make an advance.

(Hold on. Having an existential crisis...this might fuck up the next few sentences...wait nevermind I'm back)

"Oh, um...yeah." Julie's voice was low, like a bunch of people were watching the girls, waiting for their next move. "Yeah...I guess I did." She repeats, a smile making it way onto her expression. Susie couldn't feel any happier than she was right now. She was completely content when Julie intertwines their hands together as the pair watched the stars in the sky appear slowly, one by one. She was content to stay in the moment forever. She didn't want the fact that she was moving to sour it.

Susie doesn't recall much of the night, but Julie could remember it almost perfectly. Their first kiss led to more eventually, the taller teen's hands found themselves up in Sue's hair, twirling the strands around and sometimes pulling in the middle of their longer kisses. She had to admit that her best friend had some experience. Julie could tell, somehow, in some way.

Is this what intuition feels like? If so, it doesn't feel bad.

Chapter Text

The day after Julie's confession was surely the hardest for her and Sue. She woke up on Sunday and found herself crying again, because now Susie had a romantic connection with somebody she'll never see again. Surely it must be distressing for her. What if...she didn't even like me? What if that was just her being nice, like all Canadians are? Julie shuddered at the thought and tried to dismiss it, staring at the blinds to her bedroom window and letting tears fall down her cheeks. I hope she actually returned the interest. Wait, no, that'd make it harder to move. Another shudder and the brunette closed her eyes. God, she hoped Susie liked her back, and yet she wanted her best friend to be able to move on quickly, maybe find a better person to love-

Her eyes snapped open at the doorbell. Her parents weren't home, and Fiona and Greg were at the daycare that mother had started dropping them off at, so who could be ringing at this time of day? Julie groaned and got out of bed to answer it. Her hair stuck out at awkward angles, there was still mascara on her face from last night (it had also rubbed off on her pillowcase. Dammit), and she couldn't care less. She grabbed her hunting knife for protection, and looked out of the windows to see who it was.

Good lord, who would've guessed? Julie saw the motorcycle before she actually saw the mystery person. Holy hell. That's Sue. Her eyes widened as her brain was trying to process that. How is she here? She just moved. Another ring and Julie remembered that she was gonna have to answer the door. She half shuffled half scurried over and flung that sucker open as soon as she turned the lock. Without warning she lunged at Susie for a hug, wrapping her arms around her so tightly she must've squeezed the tar out of her best friend.

Susie chuckled at this. "Is that a knife in your hoodie or are you just really happy to see me?" She asked, and Julie laughed. "Oh my god, I thought I was gonna die and you had to crack a dirty joke?" The brunette shot back, burying her face into the other teen's neck deeper than somebody could ever go in their lover. Susie hummed in response and hugged back, trying to pull Julie in as close as humanly possible. "Yep." She answered with her chin on Julie's own shoulder. The tears that ran down both of their faces were from happiness, surely. It ruined the last bits of makeup that Julie had never bothered to wipe off from the night before, and she had a hard time giving two shits about it. Susie was here, in her arms.

"Are you saying goodbye?" She suddenly asked, worried that Sue hadn't actually moved yet. "Hm? Of course not. I'm saying hello." Her pink-haired bestie replied, almost making Julie choke in surprise. "You are? How?"

"Elizabeth and I just moved. We're right next to your house." Susie pulled away from her- which made Julie pout; she missed her warmth already- and jerked her head in the direction of the house to their left. Yep, that was when the brunette actually choked.

"All that worrying for nothing? Dear lord, Sue, you had my heart in a choke hold!" She exclaimed with a giant smile on her face. Susie held her hands up in front of her, like Julie had done at the party which started before this whole mess, and then she shrugged. "Hey, don't look at me. I had no clue where I was going." Julie practically screeched out of excitement and hugged Susie again. At least Sue was fine with the contact, hugging back once more and smiling contently, even though her best friend didn't see it.

The moments that passed lifted a giant weight off Julie's chest, and she was sure of it. When she leaned away a bit to give Susie a once over she grinned from ear to ear. "Am I allowed to kiss you again?" She asked bashfully, earning a giggle from her almost-lover. "Of course, silly. I don't just randomly make out with people if I didn't want to kiss them again in the future." Susie answered yet another question with patience, something that Julie always appreciated in her. The brunette's smile got impossibly wider and we all know she pecked the fuck out of Susie's lips, and went so far as to comb a hand through her beautiful pink hair while she stole some smooches.

When she finally was able to keep her lips off of Sue's her heavenly smile returned and she was able to catch glimpses of the universe in the other teen's eyes. "I can't believe you actually like me back. I must be one hell of a lucky person." Julie praises Susie while still playing with her hair. "You're a fucking miracle to me, y'know that?" She added, still very aware that her heart was doing acrobatics in her chest. Susie smiled back, nodding. "I could say the same with you, Jules." Her grin became a little nervous while making eye contact. "I don't know if you would consider this, but I guess the timing isn't any worse than yours..." She joked, cocking her head to the side. Her nose was turning red despite the warm temperatures outside. Before Julie could jab back at her she looked at the ground and tapped her fingers on the back of her best friend's neck. "Do you wanna... I dunno, date or something?" She got really quiet as she murmured it out, not seeming very confident in herself. Julie was probably gonna explode from happiness right now.

"Yeah! I mean, uh, yeah, of course. We were literally just snogging a second ago. Why wouldn't I wanna be your girlfriend?' The brunette answered with an almost excited look on her face. She was hopping up and down while she said it, customary of all teenage girls when they are in love. Susie's relaxed posture came back almost instantly, all tension leaving her alone. "I guess that's a good point." She said, linking her hands together from behind Julie's neck and pulling her closer for yet another kiss. Before their lips connected, though, she stopped and blinked in what could've been surprise. "Uh..." She blinked again. "Am I allowed?" Susie almost joked, a sheepish grin on her lips. "Oh my gosh, you're just as bad as I am with this." Julie chuckled and finished pulling in for the kiss.

Unlike their previous kisses, this one lasted a while. Susie was surprised that Julie wasn't trying to use tongue, but what did she expect? It was still a very nice kiss, at least. Her senses seemed to block everything but the brunette out and she wasn't complaining about it. Susie loved being able to hold her after a while of falling in love and hiding it in fear of heartbreak. Her mind had always told her that Julie never felt the same way. Sometimes, like this moment, she was happy to prove herself wrong.

Susie was sure she would never breathe again before Julie pulled away for air, panting a little and still giving Sue a flirtatious look all the while. "So, are we gonna go inside? It's kinda awkward to hang out here, I'd assume." The brunette joked, and didn't fail to make Susie chuckle again. "What are we doing inside?" She asks, already smiling again. "We're retreating into the house only to write praise about you, of course!" Julie replies in a silly voice, and Susie accidentally snorted and then burst into laughter. She nods and follows Julie inside, still laughing about it.

"What a way to celebrate now being official girlfriends."
"There's no other way to do it, though. Now, I'm gonna compliment you until the sun burns out through poetry. Won't that be romantic?"

They had a generally good time writing, even though they abandoned poetry halfway into it and watched horror movies on the living room couch. Of course Julie couldn't stop kissing Susie, but the latter was still able to pay attention to Halloween despite it. Call her a geek, but she was in absolute love with both Julie and a good number of slashers.

She still preferred Julie, though.