Julia was anxiously twisting the ring on her finger as she and Hailey walked out of school. So it was all true. They had found Brady and Alison alive. She had checked her phone when school got out again and saw that Mrs. Carson had called her, twice. Julia shut her phone off and looked over at Hailey who was now also well aware of what was going on.

"I can't believe it," Hailey said, shaking her head. "Of course she's alive, I mean it's Alison freaking Hart, of course she would find some way to make a grand entrance like that, she is such an attention seeker."

"What are you talking about?" Julia asked.

Hailey rolled her eyes. "You really believe that crap?" she asked. "I mean come on, there's no way they were just stuck in a basement being tortured by a freak this whole time. That's just too unreal for this lame town."

Julia frowned.

"You think they're telling the truth?" Hailey asked when she saw Julia's face.

"I don't know," Julia mumbled.

Julia took a deep breath. In all the years that she had known Alison and Brady, they had never been liars.

Julia spent her entire ballet class thinking about the rumor that started when school began after Alison and Brady had gone missing. The rumor that Alison and Brady had secretly loved each other and had just ran away to be together.

When Julia had heard that, at first she scoffed. There was no way, Brady and Alison were polar opposites. Alison had always been angry and bitter. A girl who acted out because her parents didn't give her enough attention at home. Julia didn't mind though she adored her fiery best friend, but Brady was different. He was a bundle of joy, always laughing, always smiling, if Alison was seen as a fighter, Brady was a peace keeper. There was no way it was true.

Still, the thought had always crept in from the back of her mind, that maybe Julia's best friend did run away to be with Julia's boyfriend.

As she arrived home and began getting ready for her date with Jackson tonight, she thought about Max. She wondered if he heard the rumors too. Did he think they were true?

Julia thought about all the things she and Alison used to tell each other about their boyfriends. It was pretty clear to Julia that Alison loved Max. Just from the way she spoke about him, although Alison would never admit it out loud. But even though they had only been fifteen, Alison had once confided in her that the only person that made her feel like her life was worth living was Max. If that wasn't love then Julia didn't know what love was.

It was funny. If you had asked Julia when she was sixteen and dating Brady if she loved him, Julia would have said yes. Except now she wasn't so sure. If she loved Brady, then would she not have been excited to hear that he was alive? All she felt was dread.

She thought about all those nights where she would tell her parents that she was spending the night at Alison's for a sleepover only for the boys to also come over and for Alison and Max to disappear into her room and for Julia and Brady to sleep on the extra bed in the basement.

All the nights where she and Alison would spend hours getting ready for the boys beforehand. Alison had taught her how to shave and what kind of expensive underwear to buy because her older friend, Kate, had shown Alison. The way Alison would do just the right amount of makeup on Julia and teach her secrets for her and Brady when they were alone.

Julia still remembered the last sleepover at Alison's house before they went missing. It had been only a few weeks before they had gone missing. The night hadn't really gone to plan. To her dismay, Brady wasn't interested in losing his virginity in Alison's basement.

In the morning, she and Brady were awkwardly sitting in silence in Alison's kitchen eating breakfast when Max and Alison came in with the biggest grins on their faces. When Brady and Max left, Alison excitedly went over to Julia and asked her what happened with Brady.

"Nothing," Julia mumbled.

Alison's jaw had dropped. "Did you start with what I said? He didn't like it?"

Julia's cheeks flushed bright red. "He just kind of kissed me back and then said he was really tired."

Alison frowned. "That always works with Max."

Julia stared at her friend with wide eyes. "You mean this wasn't your first time?"

Alison chuckled. "Obviously not, we had sex for the first time over winter break, his mom was out and he invited me over."

Julia was upset. Why didn't Brady want to have sex with her?

"Maybe he's waiting," Alison suggested. "Isn't his family Christian? Maybe he's waiting until marriage."

Julia sighed. "Well, I'm not Chrsitian."

Alison patted her shoulder. "Maybe you two will get married, then you can have all the sex you want."

Julia had just blushed even harder.

In the present, as Julia waited, makeup done in a skirt that was just a little too short, Julia thought more about her relationship with Brady. Dating him had always been complicated.

He was always busy Sunday morning because he went to church. Both were busy throughout the week because of Ballet and Basketball. She was never allowed to have him over because her parents would flip. So Saturdays and late nights were typically theirs. But that was the good part of their relationship.

She also remembered the bad parts. The solo she ruined on stage because she couldn't remember the ending after being up too late with him the night before. The countless fights with her parents over him. The strange rejection of losing his virginity to her.

Julia had changed a lot while he was gone. Now, her light blonde hair was always styled. Her makeup was perfect. Her outfits were expensive and revealing. Her mother was so proud.

When she heard the sound of Jackson's Jaguar outside she checked herself over in the mirror before leaving her room.

"Is that Harold Reeve's kid?" her father asked as she passed him in the living room.

Julia nodded.

"All right, he's a good kid, be back by eleven," he said to her.

"Okay," Julia said.

With an approving nod from her mother as well, Julia left the house and got in Jackson's car.

At first, Julia was worried about what her parents would think of her new boyfriend. However, last night when she found out her father played golf with Jackson's father, she became relieved and no longer made him park around the block.

"Hey, babe," he greeted her with a kiss.

"Hi," Julia smiled back.

"Which restaurant are we going to?" she asked.

"I was thinking we could do something else," he suggested.

"What?" she asked.

"My parents aren't home," Jackson said with a flirty smile.

Julia blushed. "Are you sure?"

"That they're not home? Yeah, I checked their calendars," he said as he began to drive.

That wasn't really what Julia meant, but she just nodded.

Jackson parked the car in his driveway and they got out. He led her in and straight to his parents' liquor cabinet where he poured her a glass of expensive wine.

"My dad's best stuff," he announced proudly, as if Julia was supposed to be impressed with that when her father had better wine at home.

Julia drank the whole thing though, mostly for her nerves. Jackson quickly filled her glass again and then again as he droned on about sports and other things Julia never cared for.

When they had finished the bottle, Jackson grabbed another and took her hand. He kissed her knuckles and pulled her up to her feet.

Under other circumstances it would have felt romantic but she was swaying from all the wine and could barely hold herself up.

"Let's head upstairs," he whispered into her blonde hair as he snaked his arm around her waist and supported her.

Jackson's breath smelled of alcohol. Julia's probably did too, but she still wanted to go into his bedroom with him.

He closed the door behind him and Julia held in a sigh. Where was the romance though? Was she really going to lose her virginity tonight to a boy with sports themed wallpaper?

He pushed her into the wall with his muscular arms on either side of her. Julia bit her lip nervously but it seemed to appease Jackson more, who grabbed her waist, but his hands quickly began to roam.

"You're perfect," he whispered ravenously as his hands moved around grabbing at what he liked. "That dancer's body, so hot."

She internally rolled her eyes.

He leaned closer again and began to kiss her. Softly once but quickly speeding up. Pressing his lips against hers harshly and with no consideration. He dragged his fingers up her thighs, pulling her skirt off. Jackson then slowly dragged his fingers back up her legs and to her ass. He squeezed it almost a bit too hard, but Julia reciprocated anyway and ran her fingers through his hair tugging gently on small tufts of his blonde hair making him moan in her mouth just as Alison had taught her all that time ago.

Jackson's lips began to roam. He kissed her jawline and then her neck. He began to leave a hickey or two as Julia gasped for breath.

He then worked his way back to her mouth and practically shoved his tongue down her throat, and Julia tried not to groan. Not from pleasure but from his stupidity. Teenage boys never knew what to do. She tried to redirect his hands to where she wanted them, protectively around her body, making her feel safe, but instead he slipped his hands under her and grabbed her ass, hoisting her into the air now.

"So perfect," he murmured as he pushed her back into the wall.

Julia knew what she was supposed to do next, she didn't want to do it. A tiny voice in her head was yelling at her to stop him but she didn't.

She just began to kiss him back instead. Julia pulled his shirt off and her kisses began to roam too, from his clavicle to up his neck where she began to leave a hickey too.

He groaned, and pulled her shirt off too. Only in her fancy black underwear and black lace bra now he began to get a hungry look in his eye.

She felt him move his arms around her hips as he then moved them onto the bed. He went on top of her kissing her again, slipping his tongue once more into her mouth. Julia then watched as he took his shorts off. He was attractive, smart, popular, her parents approved, but Julia couldn't stand him. Just as he was about to put a condom on, she woke up from her haze.

"Stop," she said at once.

"What?" he asked in between breaths.

Julia quickly pushed him off of her.

"Are you serious?" he asked, starting to get angry.

Julia found her clothes as she got up from the bed.

"Julia, what are you doing?" Jackson asked.

"I can't do this," she said, shaking her head.

Jackson looked pissed.

"You're such a tease," he said exasperatedly. "I mean come on, we go out for like two months and then you're just going to flake?"

Julia glared at him. "And what about it, huh? Maybe you should learn a thing or two about a girl's anatomy before you try to use her just for sex."

Julia stormed out of the house and made her way to the end of the driveway when she remembered that he had driven her here.

"Shit," she whispered.

It was a long walk home and she was still slightly tipsy, so she called Hailey and asked her to pick her up. Hailey arrived no less than ten minutes later and began asking questions.

"What happened?" she asked her.

Julia sighed and leaned her head on the window. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Was he bad?"

"Did he know what he was doing?"

"Why are you leaving early?"

"Oh for the love of God, stop it Hailey!" Julia yelled exasperatedly. "Can't you see that I don't want to talk about it?"

"Okay, fine, sorry," Hailey apologized.

The car ride was silent for the rest of the way to Julia's house.

"Thanks," she mumbled to Hailey when she arrived home.

"Call me when you're in a better mood, okay?" Hailey said before driving off.

Julia just sighed. She couldn't believe that she had just done that. Rejected a hot guy and yelled at her best friend.

She was also mad at herself, because when she first opened her phone after leaving Jackson's house, the first person she wanted to talk to was Alison.