A Vicious Circle
Title: A Vicious Circle
Character: Juliet
Rating: PG
Spoilers: 3.07 "Not in Portland"
Disclaimer: Not mine!
lostsquee luau: For tellshannon815, who requested The Missing Years
She'd slept with the letter underneath her pillow for months. The crinkle of the paper below her head was reassuring. It kept her going.
She took it with her when she went to her father's house on the weekends and often woke up clutching it in a tightened fist when she woke. It was soon an unrecognizable mess and her palms and fingers were covered in tiny paper cuts, but she felt no sting. Juliet knew every word, no matter how smudged and creased.
Both her parents were on their best behavior when they dropped her at her first dorm. Tense and proper, like they'd had a private conversation about being civil and were barely managing to keep their tight smiles painted on.
Her mother tells her she's proud and Juliet hears the unspoken. This is your chance to escape, to be more than I was allowed to be. Don't fuck it up.
Her father says it's great that they give such scholarships and that Juliet's gonna give the boys a run for their money. Silently, his eyes speak loudly: Just like your mother, wanting more. Medicine's a man's job. Get back in the kitchen where you belong.
But Rachel's the worst. Her sister holds her gaze as she enters the elevator, lodged between their mother and their father, and she's trying not to cry. Don't leave me. Don't leave me behind. Don't leave me with them.
The elevator doors close and Juliet's on her own. So is Rachel.
She chokes back tears of her own but it's no use. A reassuring hand is set on her shoulder.
"Hey, don't cry. It's just college." Juliet wipes her face in embarrassment and forces a wide smile, turning to face her comforter.
"I'm fine," she says brightly. He's shorter than her, older than her, but he's steady and solemn, his smile a bit sardonic. He reminds her of her father.
"What's your name?"
"Juliet."
"Juliet. What's your major, Juliet?"
"Pre-med," she replies weakly, and his smile turns genuine.
"About time we got some pretty faces in the department," he states, offering her his hand to shake. She obliges and he holds her grasp for too long as he gives her the blatant once-over. She blushes, unused to the attention. "I'm Edmund. Don't call me Ed."
"I won't Edmund. Do you...do you live here on the floor?"
He looks around, laughing.
"In this pit? No. Just visiting someone. C'mon, I'll give you the campus tour."
"Oh, I've already-"
"I know all the good spots, believe me. You're lucky you met me, Jules, I'm invaluable."
He nods toward the elevator, which conveniently dings open just at that moment like it knew they'd be waiting. It's empty now. Edmund walks inside and pulls Juliet with him. She thinks about resisting but she doesn't feel like saying no to someone who's just trying to be nice.
"Sure, thanks." She ducks her head and follows him, dutifully ignoring the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach and smiling instead.