Chapter 16: 1.5

❀Courtney's P.O.V❀

I lay down in bed with a pillow covering my ears as the moaning next door gets too loud for my liking.

"Ohh yes!"

"Now, that's just disturbing." I mutter to myself, reaching over for my earphones on my nightstand.

I pop them in and turn up the volume as I listen to The All American Rejects playlist.

I mutter a curse under my breath as I can still hear them faintly and I try to turn it up more, but I realize I already have it at its highest volume.

I open Emily's text and I type a quick response when she tells me that she's going on a date with Ricky, then I open Julian's text.

Julian:  Would you go on a date with me?

A smile finds itself onto my face and I quickly type into my phone.

Courtney:  That depends, where to?

It takes less than a minute before my phone dings with a response.

Julian:  I was thinking Yogurtland then we can maybe be in battle in laser tag? I know a place nearby.

Courtney:  I'm in, but when?

Julian:  Today? I'll go pick you up at four?

The moaning gets a little louder and I groan, fixing the earbuds deeper into my ears.

Courtney:  Can you pick me up right now? PLEASE!

Julian:  Haha eager now are we? I'll be there in ten.

Courtney:  Thanks, I love you.

Julian:  I love you too, gorgeous.

I shove my phone into the pocket of my light washed jeans as I get up from my bed and I throw on a black jacket over my burgundy long sleeved shirt.

I then step into my black converse and fix up my hair before I rush down the stairs. I pull the earbuds out of my ears and grimace when I can still hear the moaning from down here and I let out a breath of relief when the doorbell sounds.

I make my way towards the door and I pull it open, to reveal Julian with dark jeans, an unbuttoned flannel over a white t-shirt, and a pair of black and white Adidas shoes.

He grins at me and I smile back, admiring the two little dimples forming on his cheeks. I reach out to pinch one of his cheeks and he gives me a playful pout.

I laugh at him and lean up to peck his lips. "You're so cute." I tell him, reaching up to fix a strand of hair that was laying on his forehead.

"And you're so beautiful."

I look up at him as I feel my cheeks flush.

Just then, the girl Alex is with decides to scream out, "I'm coming!"

"We need to go." I quickly say, shutting the door behind me and interlacing our fingers together as I pull him down the pathway.

He looks back at the door as he laughs. "So that's why you wanted me to come sooner."

"Yeah." I grumble, spinning around to face him. "Can we just forget about that and enjoy our time being spent together?"

He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me closer, making our foreheads connect as he stares into my eyes. "You don't know how long I've been waiting for this moment." He tells me, before he goes in for a kiss.

I look into his eyes as I smile, feeling the slight stubble on his jaw. "I love you." I say to him truthfully.

His smile widens. "I love you too."

"So," I breathe out. "Lead the way, Ryder."

He does so, pulling me in the direction of his parked car on our driveway. "Can you say the word boyfriend for me please?"

"Boyfriend?" I say more in a questioning manner.

"I would love to."

I raise an eyebrow in confusion, but then I laugh as I understand. "You're such an idiot." I shove his shoulder. He laughs as he unlocks his car, pulling open the passenger's door for me. "Ooh, an idiot who is also a gentleman." I muse, climbing inside.

He bends down to peck my lips before he slams the door shut and goes around to the driver's seat.

"Get ready for the most amazing day of your life." He says, snapping his seatbelt in place and turning on the engine.

I snort. "Now, don't flatter yourself."

* * *

"Try it." Julian tells me, putting his spoon in front of my lips.

I eye it. "What is it?"

"Pistachio."

I part my lips for the spoon and he puts it in my mouth, pulling it back empty. I taste the yogurt in my mouth and nod my head approvingly.

"It's pretty good." I say. "You should try the combination of strawberry and Oreo, though."

"Let me try."

I scoop up both of the flavors onto the spoon and hand it over to him. He pouts but takes it nonetheless and eats it.

"Mm, that's good." He says, eating more of his.

I nod my head at him and continue to eat.

Once we both finish, we throw away our trash and go back outside to his car. He opens the door for me again and I kiss his cheek before getting in.

He shuts the door, and I put on my seatbelt as he goes around and gets into the driver's seat.

He puts on his seatbelt and begins to drive in a direction I'm not familiar with, so I just look out of the window until we get there.

"Ready to lose?" He muses and I turn to raise an eyebrow at him.

"Please, I used to beat you in our water gun fights when we were younger." I tell him and he laughs.

"True but hey, I've been coming here more than you so I have experience."

I blow him a kiss as I wink. "I guess we'll have to find out."

* * *

"Hey!" I shout, running after Julian. "You cheated!"

He laughs as he jumps over an obstacle and I stop, hiding behind a wall nearby. I see him peek out looking for me and I smirk as I take my chance to shoot the target placed on his head.

"Hey!" He whines and I begin to run, laughing wildly.

He quickly catches up to me and I groan as he spins me around and aims at the target placed over my heart.

"Kiss me." He orders and I do, on his cheek. "No, kiss my lips."

I smile and peck his lips.

"Longer."

I lean up and hold the back of his head with one hand as I kiss him for a few seconds.

Then, the sound of my target beeps twice – signaling that I've been shot – and I look behind me to see the other couple that entered not long after we did. I turn back to Julian and we don't have to say a single word as we begin to run after them.

I chase after the girl and he goes after the guy.

"You guys got distracted, we took our chance!" She laughs and I aim at her, barely making my shot. "Aww, come on!" She whines as her target beeps and now it's my turn to run away from her.

I hide behind a wall and walk backwards, looking out for her. She pops up after a few moments and I shoot her three times, catching her by surprise.

I laugh and gasp when I bump into someone. "Nice shot." Julian says and I let out a breath of relief as I turn around.

He smiles down at me and I smile back, until I see the guy behind him getting ready to aim and I push him away as I take the shot instead. I fall to the floor dramatically and rest my hand over the area where he shot me.

I lay there as I don't move and Julian kneels down beside me. I open my eyes and seconds later, we all begin to laugh hysterically.

"That was the most dramatic moment I've ever witnessed in my entire life." The guy comments and I calm my laughter, as Julian helps me stand up again.

"Yeah, she's like that." Julian says, kissing my cheek.

"She must be fun to hang out with." The girl joins in and I turn to smile at her. "I would like to be friends."

"I would too." I tell her honestly and she opens her mouth to say something else, but she gets cut off with a beep.

"That's the signal, telling us our time is up and I'm betting that we won." They guy says and we all walk towards the score board. "Aha, I knew it!"

I take off the targets from my body and put them back where they belong, hanging the gun back on the wall. Everyone soon follows and we exit the building.

"I don't want to sound creepy or anything, but can I have your number?" The girl asks me and I take out my phone from my pocket before handing it over to her.

She smiles as she takes it from me and she opens my contact list – I don't have a password – and she adds her phone number.

"Jessica." I say her name out loud as I read it from my screen and she nods her head. "Nice to meet you, my name is Courtney." I smile, and she smiles back.

"Nice to meet you too. It was fun battling with you guys."

I notice that the guys are doing the same thing and once we all have each other's numbers, we go our own separate ways.

"She's so nice." I tell Julian as he unlocks his car and we get into the car, putting on our seat belts.

"Christopher is cool, even if he is from our rivalry school." He says, sticking his key into the ignition and I laugh.

"I still don't understand why we consider ourselves rivals."

He shrugs. "Honestly, me neither, but I am in the soccer team and I have to follow the rules."

"And you're cool." I say sarcastically, watching the road as he pulls away from the parking lot.

"I am." He chuckles.

"If you find a man that's worth a damn, and treats you well-" I quickly press the accept button for Emily's ringtone and put it to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Whyyyyy!?" Comes her ear-piercing, loud cry of misery and I wince as I pull my phone away from my ear, putting it on speaker instead.

"Woah, Em, calm down. What's wrong?" I ask and Julian gives me a quick side glance, keeping his attention on the road.

"Ricky! H-he dumped me!" She cries and I see Julian grip the wheel tighter. "I thought I meant something to him!"

"Em, take a deep breathe, I'll be there soon. Just, calm down okay?" I tell her carefully and she intakes a shaky breath.

"O-okay." She answers and I hang up the call, hearing another loud cry a second before I do so.

"I'll kill him." Julian mutters through clenched teeth and I rest my hand on his shoulder.

"How about we just try to comfort your sister instead?"

He huffs out a breath and nods his head. "Alright."

He pulls onto their driveway and I hop out of his car, before running to the front door. I knock five times and Blake opens the door, his eyebrows furrowed and one of his hands in his hair.

"Thank god you're here, Nichole is out with your mom and Emily is in her room. I tried to give her a piece of chocolate to cheer her up but she cried harder, saying that's the brand Ricky used to give her. Please help." He tells me, pleadingly.

I nod my head at him and he moves to the side, so I can walk in. I can hear her loud cries of agony from the bottom and I rush up the stairs.

I knock on her door and the only response I get is a loud cry, so I let myself in.

The only light source is coming from her window and sad instrumental music is being played on her computer. I turn to see her hugging a pillow on her bed and I slowly shut the door behind me, before I walk over to her.

"Em?"

She looks up at me and sniffles, holding her arms out. I lay down beside her and cuddle with her, letting her cry on my chest.

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There goes chapter 15, a chapter mainly dedicated to the Jourtney fans. And yes, a distressed Emily as well. Just know, Alexander will soon be having an interesting role in this book. *wink* Los amo! Adios.

❤︎Much Love with Hugs & Kisses❤︎

Kimmy Hers 💋