Page 3 of Being Julia

“Yeah. I didn’t want to run late today,” I said as I took out my cream-colored baby doll dress from the closet.

She gave me a weird and confused look.

“Okay.” She walked out the door.

I put on my dress and high-heeled brown ankle boots, curled my blonde hair, put on a little more makeup than usual, and went downstairs for breakfast. When I entered the kitchen, my dad, sitting at the table, looked up from his phone.

“You’re early today.”

“Morning, Daddy,” I said as I grabbed a glass of orange juice from the counter, walked over, and kissed his cheek.

“Morning, Princess. Don’t you think that dress is too short to wear?” he asked.

I rolled my eyes and sighed.

“Mom!”

“Connor, her dress is fine. It’s what all the girls wear. Plus, if it were too short, she wouldn’t be allowed to wear it to school.”

He looked at me and smiled. “I still think it’s too short.”

“Of course, you do, Dad. You think everything is too short. You’re just going to have to get used to the fact that I’m sixteen now, and I can wear what I want.” I winked as I grabbed a piece of toast and walked out of the kitchen.

As I grabbed my school bag, I walked back into the kitchen and over to my dad. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.

“What was that for?” He smiled.

I put on my princess face.

“I’m sorry if I had an attitude, Daddy. Can I please have the credit card so London and I can go shopping after school? I promise to buy longer dresses and skirts.” I smiled.

He looked at me as he reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and handed me his credit card.

“No short dresses,” he said.

“Thank you, Daddy. I love you.”

“I love you too, baby.” He smiled.

As I started to walk out of the kitchen, I stopped and turned around.

“Since I’m sixteen, don’t you think it would be best if I had my own credit card, so I don’t have to keep asking you?”

He looked at me and cocked his head but didn’t say anything. I could tell he was thinking about it. I kissed my mom goodbye as she shook her head while I stepped into the elevator and took it down to the garage where Collin was already waiting in the limo.

“It’s about time, Julia!” he said.

“Sorry. But I had to ask Dad for the credit card.”

Denny looked at me through the rearview mirror and smiled.

“Good morning, Miss Julia.”

“Good morning, Uncle Denny.” I smiled back. “I won’t need a ride home today. London and I are going shopping after school.”

The day couldn’t have gone by any slower than it already was. The only thing that was on my mind was seeing Brody after school. Nothing of the day mattered but him. I told London I’d told my parents we were going shopping after school, and she told her mom the same thing because she was meeting up with Rob at Starbucks. He was the twenty-three-year-old she’d been seeing for a couple of weeks.Thatwas another story.

The last bell of the day finally rang, and the butterflies in my belly instantly woke up. I grabbed London’s arm, and we headed out the doors and down the steps of Constantine’s. As I checked my phone to see if I had received a text message from Brody, he walked up behind me.

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