Page 40 of Revelry
I’d just met Julie that morning, and I already decided I liked her. She was sassy, just like the teenager she was, but also spoke like a young woman—with poise and thought. She held onto my tube with one hand while the other lazily dripped water on her chest.
“Wait,” I started, head snapping toward her before glancing back at Tucker to see if he was listening. He had his hand hooked to Davie’s tube and they were talking about football, so I focused my attention back on Julie. “You know who I am?”
She lifted her sunglasses from her eyes long enough to give me a pointed look. “Are you kidding? I’m a sixteen-year-old girl who grew up right outside of Seattle, of course I know who you are. I’ve been wearing your clothes since I had boobs big enough to fill them out.”
At that I laughed. “I’ll be damned. I think you’re the only one here who recognizes me.”
“Like that’s a surprise. You’ve seen how everyone dresses in Gold Bar, haven’t you?” She smirked, tapping her toes on the top of the water. She was a tiny thing, feet barely reaching the river from where her knees hooked over the tube. “When Momma Von told me a girl named Wren who was a fashion designer was staying in town, I thought, ‘Nah, there’s noway.’But then I saw you a couple weeks ago at Yvette’s bonfire and almost died. I had a hard time not fangirling and asking you for your autograph.”
I barked out a laugh. “It’s not worth much.”
“It is to me,” she said, leaning up a little. “I saw you once when I was at the boutique. I’d just walked out of the dressing room and was showing my mom the dress I had on when you popped out from the back. You told me I looked cute and I nearly fainted.”
I shook my head. “That’s crazy! I’m just like you.”
“Maybe, but you’re also a fashion genius. Your clothes are the only ones that make me not look like a boy. My curves are so nonexistent I practically have valleys for tits.”
I chuckled, cheersing my beer in the air. “Welcome to my entire life, sweetie.”
“That’s what I’m saying. You get it. I hope you never stop designing, or I’m going to have to start stuffing my bra.”
She giggled, glancing behind her toward Zeek. They mouthed something to each other and she stuck her tongue out as I watched them, half paying attention and half wondering how many girls I would let down now that I was broken.
I hadn’t sketched anything of worth since I left Keith. Every cell in my body told me I was a failure, that I’d only been successful because I’d been comfortable. Now that my comfort was gone, so was my passion.
I didn’t know if it’d ever come back.
“How long have you two been together?” I asked, choosing to ignore the anxiety planting roots deep in my psyche.
Julie smiled wide, revealing the gap between her two oversized front teeth. She reminded me of one of my favorite models based out of London. “Our five-month anniversary was yesterday.”
I couldn’t help but smile, remembering when time together was measured in months instead of years. Keith and I had been the same way, and I supposed every high school couple was. It was a miracle to survive the drama of football games and illegal drinking and stick it out with just one person in the midst of it all.
“He told me he loved me last night,” she whispered, cheeks pink.
“Did you say it back?”
She nodded, biting her bottom lip. “But don’t tell Momma Von. She’ll tell my mom and then she’ll tell my dad and it’ll be a big mess.”
“Your dad doesn’t like him?” I asked, holding my beer lazily in the water so the can would stay cold.
“Not at all. No one is good enough for his baby girl, you know?” She rolled her eyes. “Like he’s the best one to decide what makes a good boyfriend.”
My brows tugged inward and I tried to ask her what she meant but I was cut off.
“Butts up!” Tucker yelled.
We all laughed, letting go of each other’s tubes and using our elbows and legs to prop ourselves up as we rolled over a shallow part in the river. Tucker’s tube stuck on a rock, and Julie floated past us, Zeek not too far behind her. By the time Tucker kicked us loose, we’d fallen to the back of the group, and it was just the two of us.
“Having fun?” Tucker asked, checking the rope around our tubes before dipping his sunglasses in the water to wipe off a little sunscreen.
“I am,” I answered honestly. “I’ve never done anything like this.”
“Such a city girl,” he teased, popping his sunglasses back on with a wide smile. “You going hiking while you’re here at all?”
“Yes, actually. Anderson told me about a few beginner hikes around here—he’s supposed to take me on one next weekend.”
Tucker pursed his lips, finishing the last of his beer before crushing the can and tucking it into the backpack resting in his lap. “He’s been with you a lot lately, huh?”
