─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Juliette felt a mix of excitement and trepidation as she walked up the stairs from the dance studios into the main part of the school on Monday morning. The familiar corridors were buzzing with the chatter of students recounting their weekend adventures. She spotted Léa, Sophie, and Eloise by their usual morning gossip spot near the lockers and made her way over.

"Hey, Juliette!" Léa greeted her with a bright smile. "How was your weekend?" Juliette shrugged, her mind flashing back to the dinner with Tegan. 

"It was okay. We had some guests over on Friday night."

"Oh? Who?" Sophie asked, curiosity gleaming in her eyes.

"Maman's friend Jen and her niece, Tegan. Tegan just moved here from England," Juliette explained.

"Is she nice?" Eloise inquired, adjusting her backpack. Juliette paused, considering her words. 

"She's... interesting. Kind of quiet, but I think she's still adjusting. She seems cool though, just different."

"Different how?" Léa pressed. Juliette hesitated. 

"I don't know. She just seems a bit guarded. But I guess moving to a new country can do that to you." Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Matthieu and his group of friends. Matthieu's best friend, Jacques, was dating Sophie, which often meant their groups mingled - Juliette didn't find this ideal. Matthieu had a charming grin plastered on his face as he approached. She hated how much she liked that grin.

"Hey, ladies," Matthieu greeted, his eyes lingering on Juliette for a moment longer than necessary. "How was everyone's weekend?"

"It was good," Sophie replied, smiling at Jacques. "Just the usual stuff."

"We had a movie night," Léa added. "What about you, Matthieu?"

"Pretty chill," Matthieu said, then turned his attention to Juliette. "I heard you had some new guests over?" Juliette blinked in surprise. 

"Yeah, just a family friend and her niece." Matthieu's grin widened. 

"Sounds fun. Hey, speaking of fun, my birthday is this Saturday and I'm having a party. You should all come." Juliette's heart skipped a beat, thudding so hard in her chest that she thought she would pass out. She noticed her friends exchanging excited glances.

"Of course we'll come," Sophie said, her voice a bit too enthusiastic.

"Great," Matthieu said, then added almost as an afterthought, "You know what, why not invite that person who came to your place too, Julie? The more the merrier." Juliette's friends collectively gasped at his casual use of "Julie." She laughed, feeling a mix of embarrassment and amusement.

"Sure, I can ask her," Juliette replied, trying to sound nonchalant. Matthieu nodded. 

"Awesome. See you all then." He waved and walked away with his group. As soon as he was out of earshot, Léa, Sophie, and Eloise practically pounced on Juliette.

"He called you Julie!" Léa squealed. "That's so cute!" Juliette rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling. 

"It's just a nickname. You guys probably call me Julie more than my actual name."

"But from him!" Eloise pointed out, wiggling her eyebrows. Juliette laughed. 

"Alright, calm down. It's just a party."

"So, are you excited?" Sophie asked.

"Yeah, I guess. I'm a bit unsure though. I mean, Tegan hardly knows anyone," Juliette admitted.

"Well, she'll get to know us! And parties are the best way to make new friends," Léa said encouragingly. The bell rang, signalling the start of classes. Juliette's friends all groaned and headed to their respective rooms, but she was glad that they had been interrupted. She felt a mix of anticipation and anxiety as she walked to her first class. Matthieu's invitation had thrown her off balance. She was pretty sure that she liked him, but she was not at all sure if she was ready to handle the attention of being 'official' with anyone or the potential drama of the party.

The day dragged on, with each class blending into the next. Juliette found it hard to concentrate, her mind repeatedly drifting back to the party and her conversation with Tegan. During lunch, she sat with her friends in their usual spot in the courtyard, picking at her food.

"You're awfully quiet," Sophie observed, nudging her. "Still thinking about the party?" Juliette nodded. 

"Yeah, I guess..." She tried frantically to think of a reason to be worried about it. "I just hope Tegan has a good time. She seemed a bit out of place at dinner."

"Don't worry about it," Léa said. "We'll make sure she feels welcome."

"Besides," Eloise added with a grin, "it's Matthieu's party. How could it not be fun?" Juliette laughed, feeling a bit more at ease. Her friends always had a way of making her feel better. The afternoon classes passed by more quickly, and soon it was time to head home.

She was greeted by the familiar warmth of her house and the comforting smell of dinner cooking. "Hey, everyone," she called out as she entered the kitchen. Her parents were already seated at the table.

"Hi, sweetie. How was school?" her mother asked, serving up some pasta.

"It was good. Actually, Matthieu invited us to his birthday party this Saturday," Juliette said, taking a seat.

"That's nice," her father said. "You and your friends?"

"Yeah, and he also said I could invite Tegan," Juliette added.

"That's thoughtful, he's such a nice young man," her mother remarked. "It'll be good for her to meet more people."

Juliette nodded, ignoring the compliment. "I hope she wants to come. I'll message her and see."

After dinner, Juliette retreated to her room and pulled out her phone. She opened Instagram and started typing a message to Tegan.

juliette_dubois: Hey, Tegan, how are you settling in?

She saw the typing indicator pop up almost immediately.

tbutterzzzzz_: hi, im ok, how are you?

juliette_dubois: Good. I wanted to ask you something.

tbutterzzzzz_: sure, what's up?

juliette_dubois: There's a party this Saturday. My friend Matthieu's birthday. Would you like to come?

tbutterzzzzz_: a party?

juliette_dubois: Yes.

tbutterzzzzz_: hot french people?

juliette_dubois:I don't know, maybe?

tbutterzzzzz_: ...

tbutterzzzzz_: alcohol?

juliette_dubois: Most likely.

tbutterzzzzz_: lemme ask jen.

Juliette waited, her fingers drumming against the desk. After a few minutes, a new message appeared.

tbutterzzzzz_: ill be there.

Juliette smiled and quickly typed back.

juliette_dubois: Great! I'll send you the details.

She put her phone down and leaned back in her chair, feeling a mixture of relief and excitement. Tegan's agreement to come to the party was a small victory, and it made her feel more confident about the weekend. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.