“She is with me.”
"Man I can't wait till this is all over, the break is well deserved."
Mel let out a small giggle as she walked back to her office with Julie. Julie let out a small smile, equally relieved that the term would be coming to an end, and she was going to have a very long break. If the heavens shined upon her, she would go on a vacation.
"Are you going anywhere for vacation Julie? I mean, out of the two of us, you work harder." Mel grinned as she grabbed the key from her suit's pocket, slid it in the door, with a bit of turning, it was wide open and both ladies stepped into the air-conditioned room.
"Hmm, I am not exactly sure where, but I would love to go on a vacation." She dropped the files on her table, going back to close the door as she didnt want any disturbances, especially not from students, "but based on one or two, I should be going out of town." she gestured with her hands before letting out a small laugh, she had been using her hands a lot lately and even Mel had noticed it.
"Maybe someone has gone back to the ring." Mel playfully rolled her eyes at Julie making her cheerful energy turn slightly embarrassed, "do you have any plans for tomorrow?"
"You play too much." she bent to slide into her seat before Mel hit her with the question, her eyes glinting with mischief, "what does that mean?" Julie gave her a suspicious look that made her associate burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.
"Every Friday you usually say you have to meet your trainer and then come back Monday with the prettiest glow on the earth. What happened to that trainer of yours huh? Don't you miss him?" her smile kept growing wilder as her words progressed and Julie kept getting embarrassed at what her friend was saying.
"Would you shut your mouth!" she barked at her, but it was very clear from her face that the taunting was working, "he was busy…with a match…he is a fighter you know…and he needs to rest! We will begin again Monday, so I am very sure that I am not going to see him this weekend." she raised her head in pride before Mel lazily grabbed her phone with a grin.
It was where the conversation ended but deep down, Julie wanted to train with Aaron again, he was so fun to be around him and he held great conversations. And most importantly he didn't make her feel bad about herself. She sighed a little and then was alerted by her phone, it was ringing and when she checked the ID, it was Camila.
She decided not to pick it or Mel would make fun of her, "you should pick it, he might be inviting you to a workout." The last word drew in Mel's mouth, one of her worst taunts yet and Julie so badly wanted to throw her phone at her, but she did throw a textbook, and it hit the target straight in the face, making her erupt in giggles.
She picked the call and had a short talk with Camila before it ended. She had called to remind her that she had to be at the party at all cost, or she would never forgive her. Julie had really got herself into a pickle.
Soon the school had closed, a week to exams and there were no lectures as students were preparing hard to ace all their courses. She also had to prepare and pray so that her students would ace her courses. She was a great teacher but with the majority of her class being rich kids and fuck babies, who were grossly uninterested in actually getting a degree, there was no amount of good teaching she would do. She just prayed she wouldn't lose her job, but she knew this was going to be the worst set in her entire teaching career!
Julie got to her old apartment, she had already begun some renovations, and it had started to come to life, but she was only able to do that by selling things. Expensive gifts and items that Christopher detested and gave to her out of anger. She sold that to make her life a bit better and soon, his presence in her house was depleting.
"The party is in a few hours and I have nothing to wear." she was right as she rummaged through her wardrobe, making a mess of her room, she didn't have so much, only a few dresses and suits, Christopher didn't like taking her out as he felt she was a disgrace to him, and she never had the money to take herself for a better shopping experience. Now the time had come to mix with the elites without being hinged to her ex's arm, and she had nothing to wear.
Nothing except for THE DRESS.
Yes, the dress.
She pulled it out and gazed upon it, this dress held so many of her memories. Christopher didn't buy it for her, she bought it for herself, and she wanted to surprise him with it, but the day had ended horribly for her, and he didn't care about her feelings, only making her feel worse by likening her appearance to that of a pig. Since then, she hid the dress and never got the chance to put it on.l
It was still new and boy was it expensive, she saved for months to get this dress. But now that she was no longer attached to her past, she had to feel worthy, and this dress always made her feel worthy. Of love and attention. She turned to her mirror, her hands holding the dress to her chest, she looked at her hair, and it was time for a makeover. She wasn't going to the salon, she planned to do it herself.
Around 9:30 pm, the party hall was buzzing with lights and loud music and the rather young elites were having the time of their lives. Drinking and grinding against one another. The same party that Julie was on her way to.
"This is the place." she told the driver and gave him his fare while she was still in it, looking at the large banquet hall through the window. She took a deep breath, "Elegance." she told herself, grabbing the handle of the car door.
Julie stepped out of the car, her presence instantly commanding attention. She wore a stunning gown that seemed to be crafted from stardust itself. The dress was a vibrant purple, each sequin catching the light and shimmering with every move she made. It hugged her curves perfectly, accentuating her hourglass figure. The fabric clung to her body before flaring out gracefully at the knees, cascading into a mermaid silhouette that ended in a short, elegant train sweeping the ground behind her.
The gown featured long sleeves and a daring plunging neckline, adding a touch of bold elegance. Each step she took was a blend of confidence and grace, the sequins creating a mesmerizing effect under the surrounding light.
Julie's hair was a masterpiece on its own. Styled in loose, voluminous curls, it cascaded down her back in waves, the dark brown tresses contrasting beautifully with the vibrant purple of her dress. The deep, rich colour of her hair gleamed with a healthy shine, and the side part added a sophisticated touch, framing her face exquisitely.
As she walked, heads turned and whispers followed. Julie embodied glamour and elegance, looking every bit the goddess in her stunning ensemble. It was all in slow motion and even the bodyguard couldn't help but feel someone important had arrived. From her beauty she looked like the elite of the elites, and expected her to be very obnoxious but instead, she blessed him with a warm smile, dipping her hand into her small purse that matched her dress and handed him her invitation.
"Good evening, I hope you are having a wonderful day." she was swaying gently in excitement, the purple in her hand below her stomach, the guard kept losing his cool and after checking her card, let her in too with a smile.
"Enjoy your time miss." he knew she would enjoy her time because the moment she stepped in, heads turned, both boys and girls. Elegance. It was what she was and everyone had noticed it the moment she stepped in and went to the bar to get her drink first. The party was loud, and she needed refreshments if she was going to keep up.
So many boys kept waving at her, and she would wave back, and a few had approached her, but when Christopher, who was also attending the party, caught sight of the beautiful damsel, he was drawn to her immediately. And sure he preferred slimmer women, but this one was just irresistible. She was alone, having her drinks and conversing with the bartender who was also trying to get her number until he came up to them and ordered him around.
"A sex on the beach, what would you like miss? Just get her whatever she was drinking before." he turned to her and when he saw his ex, his amusement reached the heavens, he knew this was going to be fun, "I never expected to see someone like you here, or even this beautiful." he reached out to touch her but after the event with Charles, she was very picky who held her hand, she yanked it away from him before he even had a chance of his skin touching hers.
"And I am not surprised that you are here, this is where you belong after all." she gave him a caustic smile and immediately took her drink the moment the bartender brought it, "thank you for the drink." She raised the glass and took a sip from it.
"Julie, are you still mad at me? We can talk about it, you know." he took a sip from his drink, not taking his eyes off her. Julie felt very uncomfortable with him around and wanted to be alone as soon as possible, she didn't plan on staying long but just long enough to catch Camila once or twice and then she was out. She wanted to be in her bed sleeping as soon as possible, "let us have a dance together."
"No Christopher, I do not want to dance." she refuted.
"Why? You never wanted to do anything that would make me happy. Why are you so selfish?" His calm demeanour had turned sour the moment she denied him access to her, "you are too full of yourself, there are prettier girls here and here you are acting like the queen of the world."
"Then go meet them." she didn't even spare him a glance, he was confused.
"Who?"
"The prettier girls." she stared at him with wide mocking eyes, her eyeliner had given her eyes a smoky look and her lips were a glistering pink thanks to her lipstick. She got up to her feet, taking the last of her drink, letting it burn her throat. Tears were forced to her eyes, but they didn't fall, instead they gave her eyes a dreamy look, "go meet the prettier girls and leave me alone." she was walking out on him till he grabbed her hand.
"I came to you, they are with other people, and you are by yourself. You don't want to be at a party like this because at the end of the day, men will still be men." he was intimidating her, she tried to take her hand back, but he kept squeezing on it, hurting her, "you are alone Julie."
"She is with me."
A voice came out of nowhere, and it was powerful enough to cut through the noise of the party. Aaron, in a blue and white three-piece suit came into the scene, not liking the way Christopher was treating his client, grabbed his hand and broke his grip with force he was not prepared to deal with. His intervention has caused an ugly expression to show in Christopher's face.
"And who the hell are you?" he eyed him from head to toe, he looked like an elite like himself, one that was not to be messed with.
"Aaron Evans, Julie's trainer. And if you lay a finger on her ever again, I will cripple you and that will be the end of your career."