Page 21 of Being Julia

My dad walked over and put his arm around me as I started to break down.

“Julia, hold it together. Don’t give him the satisfaction,” he said as he walked me back to our locker room.

I held it in until we reached the room. As soon as the door shut behind me, I sobbed into my father’s chest. He held my head against him, telling me it would be okay.

“I know it hurts, baby. Let it out.”

“You…you…were right all along,” I sobbed.

My mom walked over and rubbed my back. “We all make mistakes, Julia. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t be human. I know you’re hurting, but we’re here for you.”

And that was what happened when I was sixteen. I lost my virginity, disappointed my parents, and I somehow managed to get over Brody Sullivan. My mom was right. Time does heal all wounds; the best way to heal those wounds is to find another hot guy!

CHAPTER 8

I’d dated a multitude of boys over the past year. My dad kept a careful eye on me for the fear that he’d catch me having sex in the penthouse again. My mom took me to the doctor and had me put on the pill. She told me not to mention it to my dad because he wouldn’t understand. I hadn’t had sex since my little romp with Brody because of all the guys I’d dated, none of them were worthy. London and I went to the mall practically every day after school. We’d sit in the food court and watch the hot guys walk by. We were on a mission, or should I say, I was on a mission to find the perfect boyfriend because London was still dating Rob, whom I couldn’t stand. He was only using her for her money and sex. As much as I tried to tell her, she would just tell me I was jealous. I was concerned because he used drugs and, sometimes, when I’d see London with him, she looked high.

I had an art competition in a few days, and I needed to finish the painting I was entering in the contest. The prize was a $15,000 scholarship to Columbia University, and the winning portrait would be displayed on the wall in one of their most prestigious halls. I really wanted to go away tocollege, but when I mentioned it, I saw the hurt and sadness in my dad’s eyes, even though he told me that he would support whatever decision I made. I liked to tease him, so one day, I told him I had applied to a university in Italy. He went on a rant and threw his hands up in the air. It was funny to see him get all worked up.

Later that night, I overheard him talking to my mom, and he told her that if I was serious about going to Italy, he would start looking for a house, and they’d live there for the next four years. I quickly told my dad that I was joking and wanted to go to Columbia, here in New York, so I didn’t have to leave him or my home. He wrapped his arms around me and held me so tight, that I could barely breathe.

“You have no idea how happy I am that you decided to go to Columbia,” he said as he kissed my head.

“Yeah, Dad. I think I do,” I said as I tried to take a breath.

He broke our embrace, and I told him I had to go down to the art studio to put the final touches on my painting. He smiled and told me not to stay down there too late. I loved the art studio because it felt like my own apartment when I was there. The best part of painting at night was when the light from the moon shined into the big windows and onto my canvas. I loved sitting behind my canvas at night, painting and looking out at the brightly lit city. One final brushstroke and I was done. The painting for the art contest was finally finished and would be ready for submission in a few days. I looked at the clock on the wall, and it was midnight. As I was cleaning up my paints and brushes, my phone rang. I looked over to where it sat on the counter and noticed it was London calling.

“Hello,” I answered.

“Hey, is this London’s best friend?” a strange male voice asked.

“Yeah. Who’s this?”

“My name is Garrett, and I think you need to come and get your friend from my party. She’s really strung out.”

My mind was in a state of confusion as I tried to process what Garrett had just said.

“Where do you live?” I asked.

He rattled off his address as I wrote it down on a piece of paper. I started to feel sick and had no idea what to do. I couldn’t get her by myself because if my parents were to check up on me like they frequently did, I’d be grounded for life.

“Thanks. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Please hurry. She’s in really bad shape,” Garrett said as he hung up.

I locked up the apartment and ran up to the penthouse. My mom and dad were sitting on the couch, watching a movie. I opened the door, and my dad looked at me.

“I was just about to come down and get you,” he said.

“Dad, Mom, we have to go get London. Someone named Garrett just called me and said she’s at his party, and she’s really strung out.”

My mom looked at my dad, and both got up from the couch. My dad grabbed his keys as we went down to the parking garage, and we climbed into the Range Rover.

“Do you have the address?” my dad asked.

I rattled it off to him as he punched it into his GPS. My mom turned around and looked at me as I sat there on the verge of tears.

“Honey, did you know she was going to this party?” she asked.

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