laws of attraction

owen grayson


"No." Owen said a little too quickly and forcefully as answer to her question about his own home. He knew he had been a little too firm in his answer, the smile that usually played on his lips had died a little. He could have told no in a nicer way, but fear had consumed him for a brief moment and he had slipped up. It made him sound like an asshole, but he tried to shake it off and attempted smile at her sweetly even if she wasn't looking at him. "I don't think we could do it there."

The dark haired boy could only hope she didn't take it to heart or have the wrong assumption, but if she did, he'd leave it as such. Because anything was better than the truth. Owen rarely let his friends over. To more precise they didn't come over because they knew some details of his house. His neighborhood was on the rough side and his house rundown and small. He hated bringing people over to see his pathetic little lifestyle, so he didn't.

The worst thing about his home was his father. The older man may have been out of the house now, but Owen had no idea how long he'd be gone and when he'd be back. Hopefully, it would be for an extended amount of time. Nonetheless, he wouldn't risk bringing Juliette over to perhaps meet the old man again after all these years. He wasn't the same.

Owen cleared his throat and continued. "I'll be free on the weekends ... I'll make the time." There was no denying his friends would drag him out to parties and drink and do dumb shit that teenage boys did. But Owen was determined to play his role in their assignment. More so since he knew that Juliette would not slack off. "So, we just need to find a place to work on it. Do you have any ideas?"
 
juliette highmoore

Juliette was a little startled by Owen's response to her suggestion. She had no clue why he had reacted that way but it was clear to her that even he realised his fault in doing so since he tried to quickly make up for it. It wasn't like she hadn't been to his place before. Unless he moved since they were kids. But even then, she didn't understand why he was so against them going there. Nevertheless, she decided not to pry, instead nodding slowly as he said that it wouldn't work out.

"Alright," she said softly, walking over to where the librarian sat so she could hand her the books they needed to check out for their assignment. Once they got there, she gently took the books from Owen as well, handing them over. She only spoke again once they got their books back and made their way out of the library -- Juliette was tired of whispering and the last thing she wanted to do was get kicked out of a place she considered to be her safe haven.

"Maybe we can just sit at the park?" She suggested as they walked down the corridor, books in hand. She had Algebra next, but there was still a few minutes before the bell would ring, so she walked without any worry. "The one near school. It's pretty empty during the weekends, save for the people that come to walk their dogs. It's quiet enough that we can sit and work." She knew since she did plenty of work there sometimes, when her dad was busy in the garage or if he was entertaining friends at home.
 
owen grayson


Owen was thankful that Juliette didn't delve into it any deeper, or at all, to be honest. The boy had plenty of stories that he could spin, he was a lot better at lying than what people gave him credit for. Why else would he be such a good actor? But when anything family related was brought up, he was tripped up. Then again, he hadn't been too overall worried that she would knowing her. She was a rather respectable person. And the shift of the conversation lifted his mood from the slightly nervous one he had carried. His smile had come more naturally and he easy relaxed as she took the books from him.

With a little nod, he agreed with a smile. "The park sounds great. I'll be there." He ran his fingers through his hair as he followed her, walking by her side as they exited their school's library. Admittedly, he was relatively happy to be out. His voice was no longer an excited whisper and because a little louder. "You're pretty punctual ... so maybe we meet early in the morning?" he asked. In truth, the time mattered not Owen, he would meet her at whatever time she pleased.

Gently, he took her hand and used the pen clipped to the pocket of his front shirt. "Just text me what time you'd like to meet and if I need to bring anything at all." he told her as he wrote his cellphone number onto the back of her pale hand. "Or just text me if you want to talk about life and how you've fallen irrevocably in love me. It's all good." Owen softly dropped her hand and clipped his pin back onto his shirt just as the bell rung.

"See you later, dear Helen."
 
juliette highmoore

And so, Juliette had went about things like normal till the weekend, shoving her face into books in the library, or opting to sit in the music room and practise playing the piano. Her routine hardly changed till it was suddenly Saturday morning and she was preparing to head to the park. She packed her backpack with the books they had gotten from the library -- books she no longer needed since she already scanned them page to page and knew the contents by memory and headed downstairs where her father was busy working on breakfast.

"Where are you headed?" He asked, turning away from the stove briefly. "I thought, since it's the weekend, we could go catch a movie. They're playing one of those scary ones, the ones you like."

Nobody would expect Juliette to like anything so morbid, and her father hated such movies because he found the characters far too stupid, but he always accompanied her anyway. After all, who else would she go with?

"I'm actually going to the park, near school," she explained. This wouldn't come as a surprise since she went there to study sometimes. Just not the one near school. "I have a big assignment coming up so I want to get it out of the way."

Her father raised an eyebrow and turned to the table, frying pan in hand, before sliding two perfectly cooked eggs onto a plate. "Alright then. Do you need a ride?"

Juliette shook her head, grabbing a piece of toast that was already ready. "I'll take my bike," she assured him, munching down on the toast before waving with that same hand. "See you!" She called out, leaving the household before more questions could be ask. She'd rather not say that she was working with someone on this big assignment. Not yet.

Juliette found her way to the park easily, and quickly, and it was quiet, more than she had expected. There was only a couple in the distance, going for a jog, and one guy walking about four dogs. Juliette opted to sit away from all of them, taking the shade of a nice large oak tree. She had texted Owen that morning as to what time she would be at the park, and now she texted him again, to let him know of her location so they wouldn't waste any time with him trying to find her or vice versa. His number was now etched into her mind, whether she liked it or not, ever since she had seen him write it onto her hand.
 
owen grayson

The first week of school had been rather uneventful except for the one very big detail of him spending time Juliette Highmore for their assignment. And it was just for that, but it was still a semi big deal to him. They hadn't spent this time with one another in years even if it was only for school. And admittedly, Owen didn't have the best impression of her in a while. It was simply because she had seen so stuck up and above them all, like they were all idiots. Which was why he assumed she had gotten picked on, not that he ever picked on her, but he witnessed it and only dragged away his friends when he felt they had gone too far. And they could most certainly go very far depending on who it was. A lot of times, it was as if they were having a competition on who could be the biggest brute.

Now, after getting to know her slightly better after a long time. He found that she was in fact still a know-it-all nerd but not a a snob and she did care what people thought. Owen had gathered this from their first conversation based on what their assignment should be when she was so adamant to his suggestion. Most of their time together after that had been spent reading and planning, but he picked up enough about her.

He had spent his past few days going to school, Hockey practice, hanging out with his friend by drinking in their hangout spots, working and surprisingly reading over the books they had taken out again. Owen wanted to make no mistakes. He was determined to not let Juliette down on this one and maybe even impress her with this basic knowledge. Though, he doubted very much that would ever happen.

When Owen woke up and walked out of his bedroom, toward the kitchen, his nose picked up the smell of cigarette smoke. It was nothing new, their house reeked of cigarette smoke and some other unpleasant smells like dirty laundry. But Owen saw the fresh smoke with his own to brown eyes.

Jack Grayson was home. And he was surprisingly sober. Arguably, a sober Jack was more terrifying than a wasted or high Jack.

"Aren't you going to tell your father good morning?" The man asked gruffly from his favorite chair in the living room. He was wearing a slight smile and that always scared Owen. His smile was an omen of bad news.

"Good morning, dad." Owen forced himself to smile and glanced toward the kitchen where Quinn was already up and silently eating a bowl of Cheerios in his pajamas.

Jack rocked in his seat, rolling his cigarette between his fingers as he examined his son. Owen was obviously dressed to leave with his backpack over his shoulder. "Where are you going?" He asked.

"The park. I am working on an assignment for school." Jack did not usually care what his kids did half of the time. His disinterest and irresponsibility played a part in Quinn becoming disabled. But when he asked a question, they were to answer. And when he made a demand, he excepted it to be done.

"Take your brother." He said with a wave of his hand.

Owen happily obliged.

After helping Owen get ready to go, his father surprised him further by letting him use his rundown truck. Someone was in a good mood and it made Owen anxious. But he was also thankful. With Quinn's lame leg it'd take forever to get to the park on foot. So, he drove and parked as close he could to their destination. Then he checked his phone, reading the texts that Juliette had sent him.

"Sorry, I'm a late." Owen called out to Juliette when he caught sight of her, sitting at the oak tree. But he kept his walking pace with his brother.

Quinn followed his older brother's gaze to Juliette and paused, holding his crutch close. His cheeks became a slightly rosy red color. "Um ... hi?"
 
juliette highmoore

"That's okay." Juliette hadn't waited very long and she was a reasonably patient person so she wasn't so bothered that Owen had appeared a bit late to their meeting in the park. She did, however, notice that Owen didn't come alone. With him was a younger boy on crutches. It did not take Juliette long to figure out that this was his brother. She vaguely remembered him having a younger sibling. But of course, Jueliette herself had been very young at the time so she didn't remember when she encountered Owen again after all these years. His brother had been just a baby too, and Juliette was stunned she has forgotten at all. It was unlike her to forget anything.

Nevertheless, when Owen's brother spoke, Juliette perked up slightly, her gaze shofting away from her project partner to the kid. "Hi," she said with a kind smile. It would probably be surprising since Juliette, at school, rarely smiled. Not unless she was being praised by a teacher yet again. She had no reason to be happy in school, save for her stellar grades. And she had never interacted with children, but Owen's kid brother seemed shy and Juliette could somewhat relate to that.

"I'm Juliette," she introduced herself to him, getting on her knees from her previous cross legged position in order to match his height a little better. Vaguely, she wondered what was wrong with his legs that he needed crutches. He seemed so you g that she attributed it to a sports injury or something, but she knew better than to assume. For once, she also knew better than to come right out and ask in her typical blunt fashion. Instead, she held her hand out to the boy in a polite greeting, as gentle as ever. "What's your name?"

For the moment, Juliette overlooked the fact that they had an assignment to do.
 
owen grayson

Juliette's gentleness didn't come as a surprise to Owen. She looked as someone who was soft with the right people, or simply soft in general but it was hard to see. But it warmed his heart to witness her being tender, especially with his younger brother. Quinn was perhaps the most important person in Owen's life and he was too fragile to bring around his friends except for Josh maybe. But now he knew not to worry to bring him along when seeing Juliette. He had been afraid she'd be upset with the extra person around who may interrupt their work and watch them practice and put their act together.

"I'm Quinn," the younger Grayson introduced himself shyly as he brushed away dark strands of hair from his forehead. How strange, he was never so shy when he was being a smart aleck or with others who deemed "not capable of understanding common sense". Perhaps Quinn and Juliette had a lot more in common than he had first thought. Or Juliette was too beautiful for him to be his usual self. They were both on the nerdy side of the spectrum.

Quinn cleared his throat and smiled at Juliette and Owen snorted, holding back a laugh. The boy glared at Owen but said nothing and looked back to Juliette. "Owen told me you two were working on an assignment for school. I won't get in the way, I'll sit here and watch and help if you ever need it. History is my strong suit. That and general science." His little smile became somewhat more proud before he dropped his bookbag at the trunk of the tree. "So, consider me at your service."

"Yes, we definitely want the advice of a grade schooler." Owen rolled his eyes at Quinn's honestly adorable little offer to help. And Owen was of course joking. Quinn was a boy genius, he was in every advance class at school and passed with flying colors. Though Owen hated to admit it, he was certain the boy was smarter than him because he studied far and beyond than what was just taught at his school.

Quinn huffed, his cheeks puffing full of air briefly. "I'm middle schooler, Wenn! I skipped to the sixth grade." Quinn said as he turned back to Juliette to clarify his brother's inaccurate statement. His brown eyes glanced back to his brother once before again shifting to Juliette as he used his finger to gesture her to come close before leaning in and whispering. "I went over the Trojan War with him every night for the week. And I am efficient, so you have nothing to worry about." Quinn promised Juliette.
 
juliette highmoore

Honestly, Juliette thought that Quinn was quite adorable. She never thought she would be so gentle with kids, but in her defense, she had never actually encountered that many kids before. She had never been graced by their innocence. Instead, she had been thrust into a world with teenage bullies. So this was a nice change and Juliette was embracing it.

And the interaction between both brothers was quite amusing to watch. Juliette would have never thought of Owen having such a good bond with his younger brother, but then again, they hadn't exactly spent much time around each other lately for her to know. Still, it warmed her heart, because she knew many others who would grudgingly bring their siblings along when forced to, only to ignore them the entire time. Juliette sure as hell wasn't going to ignore Quinn, that was for sure. And judging by the conversation, Quinn was a genius.

"You skipped a grade?" She echoed, clearly impressed, and this was evident in her expression. "Well then, I have a little more faith in our assignment," she said with a small chuckle. To even see Juliette laughing was a rare sight. But she felt happy. And it was nice getting to know Owen and his brother outside school. Turns out she may have gotten a few things wrong.

When Quinn asked her to lean in, she did so, and upon hearing what he said, she smiled. "Well, if end up getting the best grade in class, I'll know why," she told him in return once she sat back up right. "Owen, you've got yourself your own little wise Yoda."
 
owen grayson

When was the last time Owen seen Juliette laugh yet alone smile? He couldn't quite remember, but she was brilliantly beautiful when she did. Well, she was beautiful in general. And was strange how it flew over everyone elses' head. How it had flown over his head. Perhaps it was because he had been more focused on her negative traits rather than her positive traits. Now that he was quite frankly stuck with her for more than half the school year for this assignment, he was recognizing bits of her he had forgotten. She was truly quite a sweet girl and more than perfect enough to play Helen in his eyes.

Hearing her chuckle made Owen and Quinn chuckle as well. The younger Grayson couldn't help but grin proudly at Juliette's remark even if he was blushing a little in regards to it. Owen quickly took note that Quinn may have gained a little crush. And therefore, he would tease his brother relentlessly about it later when they were in private again. Because it was too good not too.

"Lucky, he is." Quinn added in his own Yoda impression which was horribly and Owen groaned in response to. "With our combined forces, we will train this padawon into the greatest jedi there is." The younger boy said very happily as he set his crutches against the tree and lowered himself onto the ground to sit.

"Oh no, you're both nerds." Owen realized, his tone mocking horror and even held affection. He shook his head sat the two as if to express clear disappointment but in reality he was trying his hardest not to laugh. "It's a trap!" He played along with them.

Because if Juliette and Quinn were nerds then Owen was an obvious dork.
 
juliette highmoore

Juliette realised that it was quite fun, being with Owen and his brother. Of course, she remembered it being fun back when they were kids too. She just never thought they could go back to that place. She never even thought she'd have proper friends when she joined middle school. She was just... different. She didn't fit in with everyone else, and everyone else saw her as a stuck up know-it-all. But this, sitting in a park and actually laughing for the first time in what felt like forever, was nice.

Unfortunately, Juliette rarely got nice things, and when she did, it was quickly threatened. Just like right now.

She was about to say something to Quinn when a voice interrupted her from doing so. It was a familiar voice, one she recognised only because she had associated it with Owen before. And she didn't need to turn to look to know that it was one of his friends. However, when she did look, she saw that it was not one, but three of his friends.

Juliette had never bothered learning their names because they had never shown her any decency, and the smile that had graced her features moments ago was now gone, replaced by a look of unease.

"Hey, O Dog!" One of them yelled out, chuckling. They hadn't noticed Juliette just yet, though this was of course because she was more or less invisible to the eyes of high school students.

As they neared, however, one of them did notice her, and Juliette immediately began to look everywhere else but there, not wanting to make eye contact.

"What are you doing with the nerd?" He asked, the three of them standing close to Owen's side but looking at Juliette like she was out of place there. And Juliette wanted nothing more than to pack her things and leave without a word, but for the moment, she remained where she was, figuring they'd say what they needed to and head off. She was used to just enduring whatever hit her, without a word from her end.
 
owen grayson

The moment of peace and joy was broken by the arrival of his friends. They all played on the hockey team and he was generally happy to be around them, except when they were being total tools. Sadly, that was seventy-five percent of the time. He was the one out of them all that kept them all mild and stopped them from crossing the line. Someone had to, right? Other than that, they were lively and energetic and they liked him. Hell, they were all part of the reason he was popular and gained so many friends. Friends ...

But Owen would have to be blind to not see how fast Juliette's mood shifted. Even Quinn grew quiet, but unlike Juliette, he kept his dark brown eyes on the boys and glared at the one who called Juliette a nerd. Even Quinn frowned at that. Just a few days ago he wouldn't have even batted an eye at the name. After all, he had heard worst names before. He had endured and seen treatment that was all too worst. What was so bad about calling a anyone a nerd? That had been his thought process.

How was it that his whole idea of it changed the moment he saw Juliette change?

"Hey, man," Owen greeted Bryce, the one who had dared to be so rude to Juliette. The smile on his face had become less genuine and a little more forced. More than anything, he would have preferred to be left alone with Juliette and his brother and start on their project. "Me and Juliette are partnered up for a history assignment so we were just getting ready to work on it. "

Her name was Juliette not nerd. And he would hope they were smart enough to read into that with his tone. But he seriously doubted that they would.

"Oh damn, sucks to be you." Tyler, the third member to the party, chuckled softly. His gaze feel upon Juliette, eyes full of amusement and cruel mockery as he added in his bit. "Why don't you just do the work yourself? You're good at working and studying and everything that isn't fun."
 
juliette highmoore

It truly would have been a good thing if Juliette had noticed the fact that Owen was trying to support her in front of his friends by referring to her actual name, but she couldn't bring herself to look at anyone around her, so she didn't see his expression as he said the words, and she was too consumed with the actual situation to notice that his tone of voice had changed.

It was funny how something that had been fun could be taken away so quickly, just with the arrival of a few guys from school.

Normally, Juliette would find some way to clapback, but not this time. She was caught off guard, since she was actually enjoying herself before this, and that was ruined. Her fingers curled inward and dug into her palms as one of the members of the party continued to speak, and of course, he didn't exactly have nice things to say. In her eyes -- or head rather -- Owen may not be the one using those names for her, or describing her the way that his friends did, but she also knew he wouldn't speak up in her favour against his friends. Why would he?

"You know, I think he's right," she said softly to Owen, still not looking at him as she packed up the books she had taken out not too long ago while she had been waiting for Owen to arrive. Sliding them into her bag, Juliette got to her feet, her head bowed because even on any normal day, eye contact with someone was rare, but right now, she just couldn't look at any of them or she'd probably have a panic attack.

"I'll figure something out," she continued, still standing where she was for the time being, but ready to bolt. "It's the weekend, you should hang out with your friends."

"Well look at that," Bryce piped up with a grin, nudging one of the guys beside him playfully. "She can actually take a hint."

Juliette's lip twitched and she itched to say something in response. Instead, still not looking at anyone, she walked past the guys, not knowing where she was going, but wanting to just get out of there.
 
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owen grayson

"What?" A surprised look colored Owen's face as Juliette began to pack away her things and leave them. For a moment, he was left in a state of genuine surprise. Under normal circumstances, he knew that Juliette would have some smart comment to hit them back with. He used to be so annoyed when she would do that, talk down to his friend and sometimes himself when he was a part of the group. But he had been anticipating the moment she would do it now. Owen wanted her to speak up against his friends who were acting like total jerks and quite frankly -- he realized -- they were bullying her and he hadn't done a single thing.

He glanced over to his younger brother Quinn who was also upset. He was not only frowning at the guys but Owen now. And suddenly Owen felt not only anger at his friends action and guilty that Juliette had left thanks to them, but shame. Shameful that his brother had to witness the type of people his friends could be and that he sat back and let them do so. The shame was so potent that Owen nearly sat back down, but he couldn't leave it as that.

His gaze fell on Bryce and Tyler. "What the hell, guys?! Why do you have to be such assholes." Owen glared at their shocked faces. Clearly, they hadn't been expecting such a haughty response from Owen. He was usually so mild tempered that it was rare anything ever bothered him enough to raise his voice or bring a frown to his face. Least of all anything that included Juliette Highmoore.

"What?" Tyler responded with a shrug. "We were just doing you a favor."

Owen shot him the deadliest glare he could muster which was surprisingly terrifying enough to shut him up on the spot. But he didn't have anything more to say to the guys. He quickly stood up and dashed after Juliette. Fortunately for him, working out and playing Hockey paid off in numerous ways. He was fast enough to not only catch up to Juliette step up in front of her, preventing for going any farther.

"Juliette, wait. Don't go. I'm sorry." Owen quickly said. When was the last time he had ever apologized to Juliette? Maybe when they were kids and he put bugs in her hair or hurt her feelings. But it certainly had never been on behalf of his friends who had put her through enough. "Can't we just go somewhere else and work on our project?" He asked, desperately.
 
juliette highmoore

The last thing she expected was for Owen to actually come after her. Why should he need to? She was giving him what he probably wanted. An out. She'd finish the project and he'd get the credit, just like every other project she'd ever had to do with a partner or a group. Usually, Juliette didn't mind. She did it so she got the best grades. This was the first time she was expected to think outside the box and Owen was clearly better at doing that than she was. She had actually been looking forward to it, especially since Owen said she would make a good Helen.

Now she didn't know.

He came to a stop in front of her and she was forced to come to a stop as well, abruptly, so she almost dropped her books in the process. She caught them at the last minute but continued to avoid making eye contact with Owen till he properly apologised and then suggested they go somewhere else. Despite his friends intruding, he'd rather sit and work on the project with her like they planned. And that definitely surrpised Juliette. So much so that she looked up to meet his gaze with stunned eyes.

"I do know somewhere we might not be disturbed," Juliette admitted after a moment of digesting the fact that Owen had apologised to her, and wanted to continue working with her. Did she fall and hit her head? Why was he even doing this? The idea that anyone wanted to continue working with her after being given an easy out was a miracle, in her eyes.

"Are you sure?" She asked him, seemingly unsure. "I don't... I don't want to bother you. I'm fine doing it on my own if you want to hang out with your friends." Her tone went a bit bitter when she uttered the last word, but for good reason. Owen at least she held respect for considering their past. The same could not be said of his friends.
 
owen grayson

It would be a lie if Owen said he wasn't surprised at all by when Juliette actually spoke to him. He had fully expected her to give him a sharp comment, perhaps call him an idiot and stomp out on him. He wouldn't blame her at all if she did. And honestly, Owen was quite used to such treatment from his ex-girlfriend whenever he did something wrong. It took him days to win back her favor and he was more afraid that it would be the same with Juliette. And he would hate himself more because he could clearly see how wrong he was for the first time. He had hurt her feelings and Owen knew more than anyone how damaging that could be, not to mention his friends had been doing it to her for years.

Imagine his surprise when Juliette didn't get angry or walk away but suggested another place to study. She even asked him twice, to be sure about his desire to participate. Even if her tone was bitter at the end, Owen couldn't blame her. He was upset with his friends but she had more of a reason to be angry with him than he did.

"Of course not," Owen quickly responded. And he meant what he said. Owen didn't even want to be around his companions right now, he wouldn't trust himself to be the usual goofy boy he was with them. What Owen really wanted was to work on his project with Juliette and in turn return to the good time, they had been having together not long ago. He was starting to see a side of Juliette he had never known before. "I'll drive us, we can put your bike in the back up of my truck."
 
juliette highmoore

Juliette still seemed unsure but in the end, she supposed that if Owen really would want a way out, he would have taken it when he got it instead of continuing to insist that they finish what they had come here to do. But Juliette had never actually met someone who wanted to work with her, especially not someone like Owen who was popular in school and liked by pretty much everyone. So naturally, she was still under the impression that he was either doing it to be nice or ensure that he also got credit for the assignment. She wanted to think that wasn't the case, but it would probably take a while until then.

"Okay," she said with an eventual nod when he suggested sticking her bike in the back of his truck. That would work. She already visualised the place she was going to be taking him -- it wasn't a place she showed anyone really, not even her dad. He knew she usually snuck off to some place unknown to him when she wanted time alone or just a breather, but if Owen really wanted to help then this was the only place they would remain undisturbed. And she was hoping it would be wide enough to accommodate them since they had to practise for a play, but it wouldn't involve much action anyway so in the end, she decided it was more or less perfect.

"We, um... we left Quinn back there. We should probably go back because my bike's there too," Juliette suggested, nodding back in the direction they had come from. She only then realised how strongly she had been holding back her tears. Sure, maybe years ago, she would have cried for some assholes bullying her, but she had been used to that. She didn't know why it affected her so much now. Maybe because Owen was involved. He hadn't done the bullying but it happened in front of him, and it had made Juliette feel uncomfortable. Nevertheless, she wasn't going to forget that he had stood up for her. "Once we get Quinn I can show you the place."
 
owen grayson

"Okay, yeah, you're right." Owen nodded his head softly. He had almost forgotten his brother. The hockey player had been too busy baiting his breath and wondering if she'd agree to try working on the project with him again. Juliette didn't say anything about forgiving him or anything of the like, and he didn't blame her. This type of thing, where he stood on the sidelines while his friends bullied her had been going on for long enough. In fact, it was a surprise that she even agreed to do this project with him anyway. It just proved so much to Owen at once. Juliette wasn't the girl he had preconceived her to be as he grew up and apart from her. And he was stupid to think that she was some sort of ice queen who thought herself above everyone else.

Owen could clearly see the glassy eyes of hers. They were filled with unshed tears. This wasn't even the worse that they had done to her and so he couldn't help but wonder did she cry many times before. It was painful to think about, to think that he could have indirectly inflicted pain on one person who was softer than they seemed to be. "Again, I'm really sorry," Owen whispered softly to Juliette, the remorse reflected clearly in his eyes, but he looked away before she could say anything more.

"You don't have to come back over, I'll get your bike." With that promised he jogged back over to the spot they had been peacefully sitting at before his "friends" came along. They were still lurking around and had been watching Owen and Juliette thoroughly curious and confused. Which was why he informed her that he would return with her bicycle. If he could prevent her from running into anymore bullying interactions than he would and he did. It was quite frankly the least he could do.

So, he ignored the questions the three were asking him and only sent them glares to shut them up. Owen Grayson frowning at anyone let alone his good buddies? It was unheard of. And he would most definitely get ragged about it later. He didn't even care to think what Josh would say, and he would say something. But Owen didn't care about any of that now.

The boy helped his young brother onto his feet, handed him his crutch and grabbed Juliette's bicycle. Because it made getting away from the group of assholes faster, he put Quinn on the seat of the bike and rolled it over to where Juliette was waiting for them. "Just this way." He told her and offered a soft and hopeful smile.
 
juliette highmoore

Juliette looked at Owen as he apologised again. She wanted to say it was okay because it was. She had faced much worse before. And this was the only time someone actually stood up for her, so of course she was grateful, even if she was still a little shaken by the fact that she couldn't even spend time outside her home without getting picked on by someone or the other from school. But that was how it had always been. Being partners with Owen certainly brought some complications considering who his friends were, but she was slowly starting to feel that, for the duration of the project at least, maybe she wouldn't have to face much trouble.

So, for now, Juliette merely nodded when Owen said he would bring her bike over along with Quinn. She stayed put, shuffling from foot to foot slightly nervously. The place she was planning on taking him was one she had never shown anyone else, not even her dad, but they needed somewhere that they wouldn't be disturbed, and besides, she just felt comfortable taking Owen and his brother there now, since he had stood up for her. He wouldn't need to over there since nobody knew about it, but it was still something she wouldn't be forgetting.

Juliette realised, as she stood there, that her views of Owen weren't completely accurate. Sure he had mean friends -- well they were mean to her at least -- but Owen wasn't a bad guy. He wasn't like his friends, and up until then, she had assumed that he was just like the rest of them.

Soon, Owen was walking back, wheeling her bike which now had Quinn seated on it. She managed to offer the younger boy a smile because quite frankly, besides Owen, he was the closest thing she had to a friend, and she had only just met him. She fell into step beside them and followed Owen to his truck before helping him get her bike into the back and then crawling into the passenger seat. Once they were all strapped in, she began to give him directions.

"It's not much but... we won't be disturbed, at least," she explained to Owen as he drove, hands fidgeting because she was nervous. She kept her gaze out of the window, at everything passing by. Most days, nobody would notice that she was different due to her autism, but if someone spent time with her enough, they would notice her tendency to fidget with things, her inability to hold someone's gaze for too long, and how she had all these weird quirks that nobody else normal would have. When she was nervous or shaken up, it just became that much more obvious.

"Right up there," Juliette said, pointing ahead after a few moments of driving. They'd come away from houses and parks, and were close to the outskirts of their small suburban town. They were met with just more tall grass and a bordering forest, and they'd gone a little uphill. It was far away from anyone and everyone and if they just parked the truck there and sat in the back, they'd be able to see the whole town. At night it was even more beautiful.
 
owen grayson

Even as Owen rolled over Juliette's back and his little brother, she didn't dip off even though he half expected her to regardless of her accepting his apology and the fact that he had her bike. Maybe it was because he was used to being told one thing and then seeing the other happen. Naomi had always been that way. She was either really angry and expressed it or angry and lied about it, constantly pulling him along on a string. Not that he thought of Juliette in the same way, he was just nervous and sorry to the girl after what had occured and he hoped what had happened wouldn't damage the good and sweet time they had spent together only a few minutes ago. He had never seen her that way and so he wanted to keep her comfortable, but if he had to work back up to that vibe again, so be it. Owen would befriend her.

Despite being so popular and the talkative joker, Owen could think of nothing to say as they loaded her bike in the bike and even as he began to drive. Quinn said nothing either and the silence became uncomfortable for Owen, so he opened the windows and turned on the radio, cursing himself for now bringing his aux cord. The only exchange of words between himself and Juliette was when she was giving out directions to the spot she had in mind. One that they would not be disturbed in. And so, that was how their truck drive was spent, words of direction and popular music playing through the truck speakers. All until they reached their destination.

Owen was highly intrigued by the new landscape they had come into. When he finally parked the car, he did not get a good look until he helped Quinn out of his seat and the younger boy gasped. "Woah." He breathed. It caused Owen to turn and take a good look at what took his younger brother's breath away. And it nearly took his away too.

"Woah, indeed," Owen agreed with a little nod, taking in the pretty view before them. He could only wonder how much prettier it would be at night. This little spot was both beautiful and perfect to get away from not only their school but the town. When thinking about how it was Juliette's spot, he came to realized that meant it was also an intimate and sacred place. "This place is amazing, Juliette. And you don't need to worry about me or Quinn telling anyone. We'll keep your secret." he promised the girl and planned on keeping it to the end.

"Our secret now," Quinn offered a sweet smile. "I think I distracted you two long enough, so I'll be sitting over here while you two work." He informed the two older teens and limped a little away to sit down and read his book. Owen could tell it was a Percy Jackson book from where he stood. How ironic, they were working a Greek myth play of their own.

Running his fingers through his short brown hair, he turned back to face Juliette. "Well, should we get started?" It seemed as if they had been distracted long enough. And he knew that Juliette wanted a good grade on this assignment. He had also promised not to bog her down after all.
 
juliette highmoore

Juliette had looked to both Quinn and Owen with a bit of nervousness. She worried that they may not like the place. That maybe it was too far, or maybe it wasn't good enough for what they needed to do there. But she was able to breathe a small sigh of relief when she saw their reactions to the place, and was able to identify that it was not discontent, but rather they were intrigued by it. Or maybe happy with it. Juliette wasn't sure, but she knew for a fact that it wasn't a negative emotion and that was good enough for her.

"Thanks," Juliette said with a small smile, once Owen said that he and Quinn would keep this place hidden to everyone else. Nodding at Quinn's followup comment, she watched him walk a little further away before he sat down to read his book. Needless to say, Juliette was already taken by the younger boy. She had never had any siblings growing up, so she didn't know what it would feel like, but she was already quite fond of Quinn, despite having just met him a while ago, and she knew that she was also already somewhat protective of him. Strange. Juliette had never really felt that sort of thing.

And yet, now she was also beginning to feel that for Quinn's older brother, Juliette's former friend.

Owen turning to her and suggesting they start was what jerked her from her thoughts and she shook her head a bit to clear it. "Yeah, we should start," she nodded. They'd been delayed enough, and now that they were at a place where nobody else could disturb them, they could have a few hours of peace and actually get some good progress with their project. Juliette was now feeling better about doing a play. She had a feeling it would go well.

And so, time passed, while Juliette and Owen sat there, near his truck, discussing the play they were going to pull off, putting together a script, and figuring out if they were going to get costumes or not, and if so, where from. Juliette was, fortunately, good with memorising lines since she had an eidetic memory. It was just getting the emotions right that was a little harder for her, but with some practise with Owen, she was sure they could turn their play into a success.

Most of the day had passed, and it was slipping into evening. The sun was setting, painting the sky orange, and giving the town before them a nice afterglow. Juliette was content with the way the day had gone, even if it didn't start off all that great at the park.

"I think we made some good progress," Juliette said, setting her notebook and pen down. Tons of notes were scribbled down on it in her messy handwriting, including the script to their play. She was admittedly a bit nervous about doing something between two very famous lovers for a play, and with a very popular Owen, when she was the exact opposite, but she would not voice out this concern. "We can meet up again after class tomorrow to rehearse lines?"
 
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