Jules knocked really hard on the wooden door, and the sound resonated in his heart. His hand fell to his side where they stayed bawled up and stiff. He thought about the reason he was knocking on the door of the Beckett house while he waited for the door to open.
"Come over to my house tomorrow." Venus had looked at him over the book she was holding. It sounded like a weird mixture between a question and a command. Her eyes never left him even when he looked away, he could still feel her stare.
Like waves crashing violently upon the cliff.
After an incident as a kid when he nearly drowned, Jules has had an unreasonable fear of water. He hated the sea and everything that had to do with it. Nothing reminded him of the sea more than Venus's eyes so why didn't he feel like running away? He hated it but he wouldn't mind drowning in them.
"Why? You said you liked hanging out at mine because it
Jules didn'tknow what to think.It had been a week and a few days sinceJules and Venushappened—that's exactly what people were calling it— and while Jules expected for a major change in his life as he knew it.The last thing he expected was the masses to be just as aware of the change in his life as he was."What's Venus thinking? Jules, really? I wonder what that freak must have done to get her attached to his hip."Jules the freak, had just exited his English class and was heading for Calculus when the voices stopped his descent down the stairs. Two girls were in front of the water fountain which just happened to be next to the stairs."I know right, I mean it's bad enough that that weirdo Venus is the shiny new thing that everyone's obsessed with. Now she's hanging with Jules?! Did you know she blew me off forhim."Girl number one replied. "She blew you o
Venus fell ungracefully on top of her bed with a sigh and Jules watched her awkwardly by the door as she stared at the ceiling. She looked like a teenager, an angry angst teen and although it shouldn't, it made him want to smile. She motioned him forward without looking at him, he approached her bed slowly.He had only intended to sit at the edge but immediately he made contact with the bed she pulled him down so he fell unceremoniously beside her.He got a strange sense of déjà vu.Her eyes were still trained to the ceiling, Jules turned his head and stared at the side of her face. "Do you enjoy making me fall for you?"Her only reaction was a blink and Jules sighed looking away from her to the ceiling. It was like every other ceiling, there wasn't much to look at but she was still staring—like there were words written only she could see. It made him notice the tiny plethora of fractures that were
Venus traced Jules's lips with her fingers and although they were cold it left a trail of fire against his skin.He thought of nothing, then everything as he held her. He thought of how clouds of gas and dust collapse into itself to form galaxies, he thought of how she was a star that had a person's name. Vee-nuhs. He thought of Venus.When he closed his eyes he could still see her engraved on the back of his eyelids asking the same question she asked the day they met. Are you alive or just existing?He opened his eyes finally ready to answer. "I'm alive."She smiled like she knew what he was talking about but she probably didn't—since it all happened in his goddamn head, after all—or maybe she did, maybe she was lying when she said she couldn't read his mind.He looked at her. Can you hear me, Venus? If you can I just wann
"What do mean you can't come home?! Now you listen here Johnathan you better get your ass back in this house in the next 24 hours!" Marie screamed over the phone.Jules let his head rest on the door with a thump he wasn't really eavesdropping he could already hear Aunt Marie having a screaming match with his father over the phone from his room upstairs, so he decided to come downstairs to feed the pain growing in his chest. He listened to the one-sided conversation outside his father's study."—Johnathan," Marie gasped. "That boy is your son! Why would you ever say that?""—that's no excuse! I can't believe you left him alone for this long! What would Moria say? Do you think my sister would have wanted this?!""—Don't you dare raise your voice at me, Jace! She was my sister first before your wife.""—shut up! Just shut up!" She sobbed. "That boy did not
Venus took him away from the field and they ended up in an indoor swimming pool. She acted like she didn't see the closed sign as slipped through the window at the side of the building that just happened to be cracked open. She opened the front door for him with a Cheshire cat grin."We are trespassing!" Jules hissed even though he had already stepped into the foyer looking around."Do you really think someone will catch us?" She smirked. "Mind reader, remember?""What if another Jules comes along and you can't read him until he find us?"She laughed then, boy did she laugh like he had uttered the craziest thing. Jules never wanted it to stop because just being there, hearing it—made a part of him light up inside like a fucking bonfire and suddenly, the world was a beautiful place. "You're the only Jules, in the whole fucking universe and don't you forget!"Fuck my life
"It's not fair!" Kenya murmured, lethargically while rubbing her eyelids."Stop, moving." Jules scolded from behind her. He had been given the task of taming her wild fro into cornrows, something he had gotten experience from the countless times he did it for his mother. "And what's not fair?""Why do you have to go to a fair with some girl? When we came all the way here to go with you and have fun."He laughed. "You did not come all the way here to go to the fair with me, don't be ridiculous besides we are still going to have fun together. I'm just going there a bit earlier with Venus."Venus had been smiling before he popped the question. She'd just finished rereading one of her favourite books, Black holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays. "Listen to this, Jules" she'd said eyes closed and cheeks flushed. "Black holes of stellar mass
Jules didn't die—he wasn't all that certain though.Although his limbs were still attached to his body, his heart, stomach, and ego had taken some serious clobbering.The drive to Oakville's annual fair was just half an hour and during that time Jules thought he just might die."Jules!" Venus had screamed when his hold on her neared suffocating. "You're crushing me!""Ah, sorry." He'd said loosening his grip. Just a little."You know," she'd slowed down for a second, turning her head to give him a backward glance, visor up. "If I didn't see it for myself in people's heads I wouldn't have ever believed you were Oakville's very own heartthrob/football star. I mean aren't you supposed to be all male with testosterone oozing out of your pores."OuchJules had responded with. "Keep your eyes on the road."
"I still can't believe that you emptied Mr. Alston pocket so easily," Jules said shaking his head.Venus fanned herself with the wad of cash in her hand. "It's not my fault he kept putting his wallet on the line."They had just closed up shop. After a dispirited Mr. Alston left Jun had spared word (like Venus predicted) about the psychic that could see all your secrets. Safe to say in the next hour they were flooded with people, some actual wanted their fortunes read, some wanted to speak to deceased loved ones but the majority just wanted to see if Madame V could actually read minds.She could, obviously.It was fun but Jules was glad it was over and thankful that other than Mr. Alston (who will never be able to look Venus in the eye again) no else found out who Madame V actually was."Come on, let's drop this in the dona