#juliettexlaney

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two left feet in the mouth || juliette and laney

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍: dance studio // spring 2021.

𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: juliette x laney.

𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐒: none.

𝐃𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐒: juliette is seeking dance practice for the upcoming wedding and makes a new friend along the way.

laney had just finished a session and she was breathing heavily as she walked over to the speakers, sitting down on the floor and looking at her phone. she smiled softly and she texted her dad back, when she heard movements behind her. turning her head around, her blonde hair stuck to her sweaty face as she looked at the doorway, where she saw someone wait. " oh, sorry, " she said, turning the music off before she leaned forward and stretched her thigh as she leaned down against the the top of her leg. " is there anything i can do for you?"

Juliette had never stepped foot into any of the athletic facilities on campus in the last semester. Honestly, she had to ask someone where the dance studio was. Juliette turned into the dance room and saw someone really going for it and she was too nervous to ask when the studio would be free or where the instructor was. Juliette stood in the doorway as the girl turned her attention to her, asking if there was anything she could do for her. To be honest, Juliette had no idea if she was an instructor or a student. "I was just looking for some dance lessons, I have this wedding to go to this month and I didn't want to step on my partner too much" said the girl. 

when she heard a female's voice, she turned her head around and looked towards her. hearing her speak about how she was looking for dance lessons, and how she had to go to a wedding this month, the smile on laney's lips widened. nodding her head, a small giggle fell from the girl's lips as she could definitely see why she would want to get lessons. " well, uhm, i'm sure there's someone here who could help you out. i mean, if you don't mind a stranger helping you out, i could totally show you a thing or two? "

Juliette had a nervous smile on her face, "I have the basics down, but I did cotillion a really long time ago and I'm really nervous about being as bad at dancing as my date thinks I am" said Juliette, realizing that she most definitely needed to ask Stevie out for real. They had shared a really intense emotional moment, but Juliette had the opportunity to be the person who does the will you be my girlfriend speech this time. Maybe she would ask at the wedding, maybe that would be too late. She had a lot to think on. "If you wouldn't mind being my practice buddy, that would actually be really great. Do you know if any of the dancing rules change if it's two girls? They always made me dance with boys" she questioned. 

" your date thinks you're bad? " laney said as she stood up, letting a soft giggle fall from her lips as she brushed her hair away from her face. " nahh, i wouldn't mind at all darling. if i can help you out, that would be great. don't want you to make a fool out of yourself at a wedding. those are the worst places to do that at, " she said and giggled as she walked over to the girl in the doorway. " why would there be rules if you're dancing with a guy or a girl? don't worry about it. just, do you know if your date is the leader? like, do you think she'll take the lead or do you want to? " laney asked, tilting her head to the side as she stopped in front of the brunette. " oh, by the way, i'm laney. laney callaghan. recently started attending brindleton. "

"Ah no, she doesn't think I'm bad. I just ... I'm very clumsy" Juliette explained. If she had stuck with pageants as a child, perhaps she would be less the way she was. But here we are, nose in a book and two left feet. Juliette thought about who would take the lead, "Well, she's much taller than I am. But I have more training in general? I'm not sure who would lead. But hopefully me? It would be kinda funny" said the girl, thinking about her having even minor dominance for a fleeting moment. "I'm Juliette Hastings, I transferred in January. Nice to meet you Laney" she said with a kind smile. Juliette had been more confident lately, and she was in a place where she was ready to set down roots at this college. To make friends for once. Laney also reminded her of an old friend, and it made her feel at home. 

" ahhh, gotcha! " the smile on laney's lips widened and she giggled, shrugging her shoulders in the process. " nothing wrong with being a little clumsy babe. well, how about we teach you how to lead? then you could surprise her? " laney said, nodding her head with a wide smile on her lips as the other introduced herself. " nice to meet you too, juliette. gorgeous name, by the way. makes me think of romeo and juliet, which i'm sure you've been told numerous times before, " she said and rolled her eyes at her own words. pulling her hair back, she put it up in a pony tail. " well, do you want to start right away? i have the room booked for another hour. "

"That would be really fun, thanks for helping me out" she said, a kind grin forming on her face. She had spent so much of the semester hiding out in her room, she had almost forgotten how kind people could be when you asked. "I do love Shakespeare. It's my moms favorite too" said the girl, she never really talked about her mom anymore. Things had been tough since she was sent away. But it always came out when she talked about her name. "I'm down if you don't mind sharing your time" said Juliette happily. She couldn't wait to surprise Stevie with her moves.

" hey, honestly, it's fun for me too. i love dancing and i love getting to know new people, so really, this is a win-win situation for me, " she said and giggled softly, nodding her head as she started to walk further into the room. " yeah? it's a tragic love story, but at the same time... there's something pretty beautiful about the story too, you know? " shrugging her shoulders, laney bit her bottom lip and looked at the brunette. " " nahhh, i'm not busy at all. i'm totally down to teach you a few things that i've picked up. put your stuff over there, " she said and nodded towards the mirror. " it's always a good idea to dance in front of the mirror, because you see what you do right, and what you do wrong. "

Juliette put her bag down in the room and followed Laney to the floor. "Mostly trying to nail a simple waltz" said the girl, thinking nervously about this wedding. It was going to be a big event, Stevie's cousin was getting married. Everyone from home would be there. It was going to be their first time out in front of everyone, and Juliette wanted the dance to go perfectly. "So are you seeing anyone, do you get to dance like this often?" she asked awkwardly, trying to make conversation before she was dancing close to a stranger.

when the other female asked if she was seeing someone and if she got to dance like it often, the blonde shook her head. " god no, i'm single as a freaking pringle, " she said, rolling her eyes lightly while her cheeks turned into a soft pink. " i'm pretty new here, to be honest and... you know, i guess i haven't really turned heads yet. i've not spoken to many guys here. " sinking her teeth into her bottom lip, she nodded towards the spot in front of her. " i'm sure i'll meet someone though, some day. "

Juliette laughed, the idea of this girl not turning heads was a little ridiculous. "Well I know a few boys, more so my girl type friend really radiates guy friend energy. So I have guy friends adjacent" Juliette said as she was making conversation, "I'm sure if you were to come hang out with all of us sometime, someone will catch your eye" she encouraged. Because Juliette was back with someone she loved, she hoped everyone could love like this too. The steps flowed easily, muscle memory kicking in. It made Juliette think it might be time to be a little less insecure about her abilities.

a soft chuckle fell from the blonde's lips, as she said she knew a few boys. " well, maybe i'll meet some of them at one point. who knows. " when she said that she could come hang out with them, her smile softened. " really? you'd let me hang out with you and your friends? even though you don't really know me? " laney was a little surprised, but also happy to think that maybe she had made a friend here. " that would be great. thank you. i mean, for asking. that's really sweet of you. "

Juliette smiled, "I mean you don't really know me and you're helping me out. Seems like a good way to pay you back" she replied. It was about time Juliette made a new friend, and maybe Florence would like meeting her too. That way they could both get out of their shells. Who would have ever thought Juliette Hastings would be the one to be a driving force in making a new friend. "We'll exchange numbers before I leave, and I'll make sure the next time my friends are preforming that you'll get a text" she added. 

" i... well, i guess you're right, " she said and giggled softly, sinking her teeth into her bottom lip. she was grateful for how sweet and friendly this girl was being. nodding her head, laney smiled at what juliette said about exchanging numbers. " great! i'd love that. and uhm, okay, so are you ready? " she asked, tilting her head as she stood in front of her. " also, if you mind me touching your wait, let me know. " she wanted to be respectful to the girl, especially as you couldn't know someone's story.

"totally ready" said Juliette as she faced the other girl, "I'm all good. Don't worry I'm very taken" she said with a laugh. As if she would catch feelings for a straight girl. That was a thing of the past, and was also definitely more Stevie's forte. "Let me know if my hands are okay too" Juliette clarified as they got close and began to dance. She wanted everything to be perfect for the wedding, and this was such a huge help.

" perfect, " she said and nodded, smiling brightly at the other. nodding her head, laney tilted her head to the side. " You know, your girlfriend is really lucky. i mean, i know we don't know each other that well, but you seem like a sweetheart. " she meant that too. as they began to dance, a soft giggle fell from laney's lips. " hey, you're doing great, " she sad and laughed softly as she moved her hand to grab juliette's. " a little higher on the back there and it's perfect. " 

Juliette smiled, she was honestly still beaming from being with Stevie again. "We're not official official yet. But we've dated before" Juliette explained as they began to dance, moving her hand when she was instructed. "Got it" she replied. "Have you ever been to a wedding? I haven't been to one since I was a little kid" Juliette rambled. She wanted to get to know Laney a little better.

" ohhhh i see, well, i'm sure you two are adorable. what's her name? " laney questioned the female, smiling softly as she wanted them to get to know each other better. she really liked juliette already. as she took the instructions that laney gave, their dancing helped a bunch. " no, i've never been, " she whispered and shook her head, looking at her as she said she hadn't been to one since she was a little kid. " i'm sure it's going to be amazing though. you get to dress up and everything! " she said and giggled softly. " have you decided on your outfit yet? "

"Stevie" said Juliette, smiling at the mere mention of the other girl. That fresh feeling was definitely there, not that it ever faded before with Stevie. "I'm sure you'll be tired of weddings before you know it in a couple years. With college friends getting married and older siblings" Juliette continued on. Before everything, for events like these, her mother picked out her clothes. But now her cousin Katie did those selections for her. Like that was her actual family. It still brought her a lot of pain to think about her mother.

" stevie, that's such a nice name. " laney smiled at juliette, who smiled at the mention of the other girl. laughing softly, the blonde nodded and brushed her hair away from her face, before she nibbled on her bottom lip. " gosh, i can't even wait for friends to start getting married, " laney spoke and laughed, nodding her head gently. tilting her head to the side, laney looked at juliette and it was obvious that something about her question had hurt the girl. " i'm sorry, you don't have to answer." 

Juliette realized she hadn't answered at all, "Oh sorry, sometimes I space out. My cousin Katie is a wedding planner so she picked out my outfit for me. It's a beautiful dress, but not too beautiful. It's Alice's big day" said Juliette, rambling to make up for the silence that she provided. "My mom and I used to shop for my formal clothes, she'd make an event of it all" said the girl, not super wanting to talk about her mom. But she trusted this girl, it was strange how easy it came to her. Usually Juliette wasn't one for trust.

“ don’t worry about it,” she said and giggled softly. “ ohhh, I’m sure it’s beautiful. I can’t wait to see photos of the dress and you! “ she smiled softly, nodding her head as she listened to her talk about how she used to shop dresses with her mom. She never really got that herself. “ that sounds lovely. “

She hadn't meant to bring up her parents, especially at a time like this. When the two girls were dancing and just getting to know each other. You never know what parental baggage looks like, and she should have known better with her own situation and with Jonah's. "Yeah it was" Juliette responded, remembering that not all her memories of her family had to be negative.

"yeah, i can imagine. do you have any siblings? " laney asked, looking at juliette as they continued to move around the room. a soft giggle fell from her lips and she came to a stop. " you're gonna be great, babe! honestly, you have absolutely nothing to worry about, okay? " laney said, nodding her head with a soft smile on her lips. " your girl and family will be so, so impressed. " 

As they continued to dance, Laney began to ask questions to get to know Juliette. "Yeah, I have an older brother. He's a sweetheart under all the other stuff" said the girl, thinking about how far away Montag was right now. But she would see him soon once summer began. "What about you? Do you have siblings?" Juliette asked with a smile. She accepted the compliment, "That's good to know. I get in my head about these things" she replied.

**an older brother? does he go here? or? " she questioned, tilting her head a little to the side as she looked at juliette. " me? i do, yeah. i have... i have a younger brother. he's amazing, too. " laney smiled softly, nodding her head as she thought of her brother. " you definitely have absolutely nothing to worry about. it's gonna be amazing. i hope you'll post photos so we can all see how amazing you'll look and how much fun you'll have. "

"No, sadly he's at MIT. But he'll be home for the summer" said Juliette. Montag being home meant she might actually go to the house, she hadn't been back yet. Some things you just put off. "Younger brother? That's sweet. How old is he?" she asked, wondering what Laney's home life would be like. Someone this kind must have the best people in her life. But she didn't want to pry. "Oh I will most definitely be posting photos" said the girl with a little laugh.

the blonde's smile widened and she tilted her head a little to the side as she listened to juliette speak about her brother. " well, i'm glad that you'll get to see him during the summer at least. " licking her lips absentmindedly, laney took a deep breath and she sighed gently. " my brother's name is andrew and he's four years younger than me. so he's fifteen. " laney smiled brightly and nodded her head excitedly. " good, good. i can't wait to see what you post, babe. "

"I always wanted younger siblings" she said as they finished the dance. The brunette heard her phone going off, "speak of the devil" she said as she showed her brother's name pop onto the screen. "We should grab coffee sometime!" said the girl before she took the call, "Hey Monty, can you hold on for a second?" she said as she grabbed her card out of her bag. "Here's all my contact info! Text me!" said Juliette with a smile, "It was great to meet you Laney".

the blonde smiled at the words coming from juliette's lips about how she always wanted younger siblings. " he means a lot to me. we're pretty close too. " with everything that they had experienced, they had a special relationship. after-all, when they had found out about their mother, she had been babysitting him. watching juliette take the phone, she took a step back and nodded. watching her interact with her brother. " oh, it was great to meet you too, juliette. and i will. good luck in the wedding! " she waved at juliette who then walked off.