Draft Number 1: (So, completely unedited/ no revisions yet, so it's a very rough draft)

***Sorry about the excessively long chapters :,) I'll probably split them up once I finish the first draft!***

Micah shoved Rowan back towards his closet. He gestured to his clothes with a look of fear in his eyes.

"It's atrocious," he mouthed. Rowan threw his hands up in defeat and went back inside to find something different. Ben watched as Rowan came back out, wearing the same thing as before, but in different colors.

"Dear sweet Rowan..." Micah started. "It's almost as if you're trying to repel everyone," he stated bluntly. "In other words, it's-"

"Atrocious," he finished.

"Great! Now go find something decent that doesn't look like you've been stuck in your room for a decade." He looked at Ben with a disappointed face, using his eyes to motion towards the closet.

"From what I've seen, he's hopeless, but I have good news."

"Thank god," Micah sighed in relief. "I thought he was going to end up all alone and droopy at the party. He's acting differently though."

"That's part of the good news. He snuck out yesterday and came back late."

"I can hear you!" Rowan yelled from inside. "If you're going to gossip about me, I don't want to know what you're saying."

They both walked out of the room and shut the door, whispering so Rowan wouldn't hear them. Micah gestured for Ben to come closer, to which he leaned in with his ear.

"Julie's friends called me," he started. "They said they both are getting close. You don't think that's why he snuck out..?"

Ben gasped in realization and furiously tapped his friend's shoulder. He caught the hand that had suddenly surged with excited energy.

"He was talking about playing Romeo yesterday!" He whisper-yelled. "I completely forgot and fell asleep!"

"You fell asleep?! Really, Ben?" Micah replied in the same volume, letting go of the hand he caught. "I have an idea, but we're gonna need to lure him into it. Both of them in fact."

He whipped out his phone and began dialing the very people that would help him execute his plan. The dial tone rang, and Micah began speaking to Ben before the other side picked up.

"This better work."

...

"Hey, Jules. Give me a second. I have to take this call," Rose said, walking away with the device to her ear.

Nessie eyed her suspiciously, but let it go after noticing who she was talking to. She grabbed another two dresses from her closet, throwing them into Julie's open arms.

"Hey, is this really necessary?" She asked, being careful not to drop all the cloth in her hands. Nessa looked back at her, a frown evident on her face. She stopped shuffling through the racks and sat down, taking a deep breath before continuing.

"Julie," she started. "Your family is well-off, right?"

"Yes, but why?" She asked, confused at the question.

"That means this party that your father is hosting is formal. It was literally in the invitation you gave us. Not to mention, Pierre is going to be there. Why not show him what he lost?"

"This event is for him, Nessie. I haven't told my father what happened and I don't want to. He's so happy every time I mention his name." 

"Maybe today is the day to tell him?" Rosaline suggested, finally done with her call. She took the pile of fabric from Julie's hands, throwing it onto the bed to examine. Her eyes lit up as she spotted the perfect one. She signaled for Nessa to look at the very dress that had caught her attention. Her eyes matched Rosaline's as they both looked at Julie with high hopes.

"Can you please wear this one?" Rosaline asked, picking up the black satin dress. Nessie nodded furiously with a devilish look in her eyes.

"But you hate the color black. Both of you do. You were just telling me about how it picks up dust easily-" Rosaline put a finger to Julie's lips to silence her, showing the dress against her body in the mirror nearby.

"It's perfect," she said, staring directly at Nessie instead of Julie.

...

"See, was that so hard?" Ben asked Rowan, who was currently tugging at his tie every few seconds. He glared at his cousin, finally managing to get the tie off of his neck and onto the ground.

"Can we lose the tie?" He pleaded. "It feels like I'm being choked."

"Absolutely not," Micah said, walking in with a rose and the invitation in his hands. Rowan immediately understood what was happening and started shrugging off the blazer that he had on.

"You are not setting me up. Not today."

"Oh, give me a break!" Micah hollered. "How much longer are you going to hold onto Rosaline? She lied about you to everyone!"

"It wasn't even that big of a deal. People forget things faster than you think. I forgot pretty fast."

"That's because you're so infatuated with her!" Ben said, joining the conversation. "Look, it's not healthy to be all sad over a girl who doesn't like you."

"Fine, then tell me who you set me up with."

"You'll find out soon! The party is tomorrow and the timing is..." He glanced down at the invitation to see that it said seven pm, but he decided to fudge the numbers. "Six O'clock," he said with confidence.

"Ok then. It's late. I'm going to leave," Rowan said, grabbing the blazer and tie and heading out the door. He paused for a moment and turned back. "It better not be someone I hate."

"I assure you. It's not."

Ben followed him, but Micah held him back from leaving.

"You thought I forgot about you?"

"Rowan, come back!" Ben yelled. Rowan continued walking down to his car and threw the stuff in his back seats. He started the car, not waiting for Ben to come outside.

"I guess I have time to go tell her." He watched as Ben began running outside, and he started driving away, leaving him behind. "That's what you get," he mumbled under his breath.

...

"So, we're having a party for me?" Pierre asked. "Sounds exciting."

Julie opened her fridge to grab a few pieces of fruit, trying to ignore him. His gaze dug into the back of her head, making her more irritated with every passing second.

"It's not exciting," Julie replied in a monotone voice. "Why would you tell him we're still together!? He's doing all of this now and if I tell him, it'll be embarrassing."

"When did we ever break up?"

"When you left for college and ghosted me for five months. That's when," she told him, slamming the fridge door in his face. He flinched at the loud sound and watched as Julie stormed off.

"Julie!" He called, gaining her attention for a few seconds. "Should we match?"

"I'm going to wear something black. Do what you will with that information," she said, sprinting up to her room.

"Then I'll leave!" He yelled to Julie who had already slammed the door to her room. "A goodbye would have been nice..." He muttered.

He grabbed his bag and began walking to the door when he saw someone pull up outside. He noticed that it was Rowan, and he let out a relieved sigh. Pierre went to open the door and was immediately greeted by Rowan's half-enthusiastic voice.

"Pierre?" He asked. "I thought you weren't coming back for a while."

"Change of plans," he said with a smile. He adjusted the lump on his back to be more comfortable as he walked out. To Rowan's surprise, he didn't question anything, but that's not what was important right now. With a few steps back out of the house, he pressed the doorbell, waiting to be let in.

Julie ran down the stairs with an exasperated look on her face, which disappeared at the sight of someone who wasn't Pierre. She was still in her dress, trying on jewelry with her friends who were bickering upstairs.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" She noticed his suit and gestured to her collar, referencing his clothing. "What's with the formal attire?"

"It's nothing. Micah is just... something. He made me try this on. How about you?"

Julie looked down to her dress, letting out a small airy laugh. She took a deep breath before saying, "For the party. I'm just trying on a few things."

"Anyway, I came here to tell you-"

"Julie!" Nessa yelled. "Are you trying to get out of this?" Her footsteps became louder, and she came into view. Her eyes widened as she saw the two of them in their coordinating outfits. She tried not to show her panic and glided down the stairs to grab Julie. She looped her arm with hers, giving Rowan a side glare.

"Why are you here?" She asked through gritted teeth. "You're not supposed to be here."

"I just wanted to say something, but if you're all busy, I can leave."

"No, it's fine. I just need to finish trying on a few things in my room. Why don't you join? Give me a second opinion?" She asked, completely oblivious to the sheer fear in Nessie's face.

"Sure. Unless Vanessa has other plans?"

"No," she said, exhaling sharply. "Not at all. Jules, why don't you go upstairs?" She suggested. "I'll join you momentarily."

"Ok," she replied, lifting her skirt back off the floor and treading up the stairs. She looked back down, smiling one last time before disappearing into her room. Nessie turned to Rowan with a look of disappointment in her eyes.

"Micah really couldn't do anything?" She asked, confusing Rowan. "It doesn't matter. My question is, why couldn't you just tell her over the phone?"

"I just thought she'd appreciate it more if I said it in person. Besides, I wanted to see her. Is that so wrong?"

She groaned and motioned for Rowan to follow her. He walked through the familiar hallways and spotted an old mark Jayden had caused when they were children. The dent still hadn't been fixed or even slightly changed, bringing back memories that he cherished.

He could practically hear Jayden sobbing as he held his head in pain. He had toppled over the wrong way, slamming his skull into the thin walls. Rowan had ended up pulling him to his parents to show them the injury. By the look they had in their eyes, they weren't pleased.

Nessa opened the door to show Rosaline holding multiple necklaces, yelling at a clearly bored Julie. Now it made more sense. She'd invited him up as an excuse to end this dress up disaster early. Rose's eyes widened at the sight of him, and she set down all the objects she had in her hands.

"I think I should go. It's getting late," she said, hesitating to grab her bag. Once she saw the reassuring look in Julie's eyes, she took it as her only chance to leave. Without another second to waste, she had sped out the door and outside to walk back home.

"I'll go with her," Nessa mumbled, walking through the door frame. She popped back from behind the wall for a moment. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you later," Julie replied as her friend disappeared again.

It was at this moment she realized that Rowan was the only one left, and he stood there awkwardly, fiddling with his hands.

"So, what were you going to tell me?" She asked, breaking the tension.

"I'll-"

"Julie?" A voice came. Her brother walked in to see Rowan and frowned. He had a box of what she presumed was more jewelry. He placed it on her desk and left, glaring at Rowan one last time.

"Sorry about that. I asked my mom to see if she could find anything other than this thing," she said, gesturing to the necklace she was wearing. "Now tell me. You have my full attention," she told him, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"I'm..." He thought about it for a moment. If it was that awkward around Rosaline and Jayden, how could he possibly perform an entire two hours with them? "I'm still considering the play."

"That's a bummer. I was hoping you'd join. Auditions are in a week and the last day to register is tomorrow, so give it some more thought."

"I will," he assured her. She nodded and walked over to her window to close the curtains. She paused for a moment and turned back around.

"Is that it?" She asked again, expectant.

"If it's fine with you, do you want to go outside for a breather?"

"Why all of a sudden?"

"Your face is pale and it's stuffy in this place. Not to mention what happened the other day. I wanted to ask about that. It's been on my mind for a while."

"O-ok," she stammered. "Let me get my jacket. You can wait outside."

"Ok."

"Ok," she repeated. They both stared at each other for a few more moments before Rowan decided to leave the room.

...

"You had one job, and you couldn't do it," Nessie told Micah who was just glaring at the wall in front of him. "And what are you even doing?"

The two were standing outside Nessa's house, talking about whether the two of them would figure out their plan. Micah was lost in thought while she was rambling about how the entire thing had been foiled due to his negligence.

"I'm thinking. I don't think they'll realize. Rowan's not exactly the best at picking up details like that. If anything, he doesn't notice anything other than a person's face."

"How do you even know this?" She asked.

"Years of experience," he said, his face unmoving. "I broke my leg once and he didn't notice for a whole thirty minutes. We're fine."

She looked over to Julie's house to see the two of them standing outside, talking to each other. Her attention shot up and she pointed to the distance, her energy levels going to an all-time high.

"They're over there!" she said, pointing in the direction that she'd seen them in. Micah squinted his eyes and immediately gasped in shock.

"I knew it! He's been sneaking out to see Julie recently."

"What?! And you didn't think to tell me earlier? What if they figure it out?"

"It wasn't relevant until now!"

"It was always relevant, you little-" She stopped herself from becoming more angry than she was already becoming. "If this fails, I'm going to say it was all your fault."

"Vanessa," he started, but stopped. "That's fair."

"Should we follow them?" She asked.

"It wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on them," he said, a small smirk escaping his lips. "I'll consider this my payback for when he outed me to someone I liked."

"Wait, I heard about that. Wasn't that like five years ago?" She asked.

"A grudge must be held, otherwise there's no point in being mad in the first place."

"That's the weirdest advice I've heard all day, and I'm fine with it."

"If only Rowan could understand my genius like you do. Then he might actually understand everything I say."

"Who the hell told you I comprehended a single word you said?" She asked him. Micah turned to her, blinking in confusion.

"I feel betrayed."

...

Julie had changed out of her dress, but Rowan still had his suit on, drawing stares from passersby. She cleared her throat as he opened the car door for her to enter. She sat down, playing around with the air vents in front of her as he stepped into the drivers side. Her necklace gleamed as she dropped her head onto the window, tired from all the yelling that she'd gone through.

"Why am I doing this again?" They both thought.

He started the engine, but was stopped by Julie. She had a map pulled up on her phone, and she let out a smile when he saw it.

"You picked and asked questions last time. Now, it's my turn."

He laughed nervously as she kept her stern expression, indicating that she was completely serious. His face dropped in an instant.

"You're not joking?" She just gave him another blank stare, as if she were saying yes. "I swear, I'm not that interesting."

"Well, I have questions, so drive," she told him, pointing to the GPS. He groaned as he squinted at the screen, reeling back in surprise.

"A park? That's so unoriginal."

"Trust me. I've been going for years."

"Whatever you say," he muttered, the car slowly drifting to the direction of the arrow shown on the map. A few turns and bumps later, he stopped at an empty park, lined with rusted gates. He looked back at Julie for confirmation that this was the correct place, but she was already getting out of the vehicle.

"Have you ever been here?" she asked, bending down to show her face.

"Never," he said, opening the door on his side. The fresh air hit his nose the moment he stood up, getting rid of his drowsiness. There was a broken lock on the gate, which Julie easily grabbed and threw to the side.

"Come on, I know the owners."

She skipped through the trail, and Rowan followed close behind, hesitating to enter a random new place. They both walked for a while before Julie stopped, holding a hand up to make sure he didn't say a word.

"Do you hear that?" she whispered.

"I don't hear anything."

"Exactly. There's no one here. Now," she began, sitting down on the fresh grass. She noticed the suit she was wearing and hurriedly looked around for a bench.

"Julie," he started as she dragged him away. "Why are we here?"

"I told you, knucklehead. You owe me some answers."

"Like what?"

"What's the incident you and my brother keep talking about?" she asked, not hesitating to get to the point. He paused for a second, processing the question. His face shifted from a happy expression to a serious one.

"It's nothing," he insisted, his voice monotone. "I should go. I'll see you tomorrow."

As he turned to leave, Julie began to speak, "If you ever need someone to hear you out, I'm always here. It's totally fine if you don't tell me, but I am curious."

"Right, ok..." he mumbled. "Let's go then."

"Rowan," she called again. Although he was standing in front of her, her voice seemed to be blurred in his mind. "You better show up tomorrow."

"I will. I promise."

He had made the same promise years ago, but didn't keep it due to his negligence. It may have seemed small back then, but he would never break it again. Why?

It cost him his entire life.

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-Hershey