you can't help but become the sun / julien baker

chapter eight

"JULIEN! JULIEN! JB! YOU HAVE A DATE GET UP!" Phoebe yelled as she shook her bandmate awake.

"Phoebe I'm gonna kill you, what time is it?" Julien groggily sat up, smoothing out her hazel hair down.

"Ten something, I don't know," Lucy mumbled, still half asleep.

"Look! She texted you!" Phoebe shouted, waving Julien's phone in the air. "She said she's excited to see you today!"

Julien rubbed her eyes and reached for her phone. She was secretly glad that her friend woke her up, but she would never tell her that. As she read the text message, a smile spread across her face.

"Alright, alright, I'm up," Julien said, swinging her legs out of the bed. She quickly responded to Magnolia, then said, "Thanks for the wake-up call, Phoebe."

Lucy yawned and stretched. "Do you know where Magnolia is taking you?"

Julien walked over to her duffle bag full of clothes. "No idea, she's coming to pick me up at 12. Shit, what do I wear?"

"Don't worry, I got you." Phoebe walked over to help Julien with her outfit. "Oh my God, just wear what you wore for 'The Film's' premier."

Lucy smirked. "Oh yes, please! Please wear that!"

"Isn't that a little.... flashy for a first date?" Julien's eyes flashed at her friends.

Phoebe chuckled. "It's not too flashy, it's perfect. You looked amazing in that outfit."

Lucy agreed. "Yeah, and it's just a vest and some pants."

Julien hesitated for a moment but then decided to trust her friends. "Okay, I'll wear it."

Phoebe clapped her hands. "Yes! You won't regret it, trust me."

"I'm gonna take a quick shower, please don't let me stay in there too long," Julien got out each item of clothes, draping her cross necklace over the top of the pile.

Meanwhile, over at Magnolia's apartment, it was all panic. "Why does my body look like that in a dress?" she let out a frustrated groan.

Tina and Chloé sat on her bed, watching their friend going through a mini breakdown trying to find something to wear for her first date.

Tina, who had been trying to figure out the right words for the situation, suggested, "Maybe this isn't the date you wear a dress to?"

Chloé nodded in agreement. "It's just a casual date, right? Maybe you should try something else?" she added, hoping to reassure Maggie that she didn't need to stress too much about her outfit.

Magnolia, who was still going through her closet, paused and looked at her friends. "I know, but I want to look good for her," her voice trailing off as she spoke, feeling a bit embarrassed.

The couple exchanged a quick glance, knowing that their friend was just nervous about the date. They both wanted to help her ease her anxiety.

"Of course, you want to look good," Chloé said with a smile. "But you always look good, Magnolia. If you don't feel good in a dress then try something else, plus you rarely wear dresses."

As she continued to sift through her closet, she pulled out a pair of brown, baggy corduroy pants. "Are these good?" she asked, holding them up for her friends to see.

Tina scoffed, "I mean those are mine, but sure you can wear them."

"Why are they even in my closet? We are two totally different sizes though, would they fit? I feel like I'm too big for them," Magnolia gestured to her body.

Tina furrowed her eyebrows, "Don't say that, babe. You'll look great in those pants. They're stretchy, they'll fit."

She was still hesitant, but Chloé chimed in, "I think those are the ones, they're casual, but it still looks like you care. Wear that low-cut loose shirt that you like with them! So you have something you're confident in to help balance it out."

"Okay, that looks fine. You two have to go so I can change. Tina, you have work," Magnolia said, ushering her friends out the door. She closed the door behind them and let out a deep breath. She was nervous about the date, but she was also excited. She quickly threw on the clothes, staring at herself in the mirror. The pants fit fine and the low-cut shirt looked great with them.

The timer on her phone startled her as she was still trying to approve of her outfit. She knew she had no time to put on makeup. She had planned to put on more makeup than her normal routine, but now she only had five minutes to spare before she was supposed to be out the door.

She quickly rubbed moisturizer into her face, slipped on her ring, and clasped her cross necklace around her neck. She took a deep breath and looked at herself in the mirror. She was ready.

She grabbed a small, black clutch that had her money, ID, her sobriety coin, and other random miscellaneous things in it, then rushed out of the door.