#juniper2 and rose || 001

[abdicatedarchive]

coffee and questions || rose and juniper

𝐖��𝐄𝐍: the quad // february 2021.

𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: rose x juniper.

𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐒: none.

𝐃𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐒: rose takes it upon herself to vet juniper for her friend, stevie. 

Rosemary was out getting coffee, and eyeing boys in the quad when she remembered that she shouldn't be doing that right now because she was not about to lose this bet with her sister. That's when she saw Juniper, the girl that Stevie had shown her the other day, and she had seen her a few times at Striking Viper's concerts. She wanted to get to know the other girl, especially because this was the first person Stevie had talked to ... like actually talked to since Juliette. That whole thing had been such a mess, and Rose had been present for a lot of it. "Hey, I've seen you at shows and stuff. You're Stevie's friend, right?" she said, keeping it vague like she hadn't heard too much from Stevie. She wasn't going to embarrass her friend, she was here to wingman. If Rose couldn't go after people, she was sure as hell going to play cupid.

Despite the cold weather, Juniper still liked to sit out in the quad to do homework. She grew up in similar conditions, so it was nothing new to her. The bite of the cold air could be refreshing, and it was also a great way to keep herself awake when trying to get through her algebra assignments. She had one headphone in, listening to a playlist that Stevie had made for her, but she looked up when she heard someone come up and talk to her. "Oh, hey," she greeted, pulling out her phone to press pause and removing the earpiece for good measure. It was only polite. She recognized the girl, especially after the mention of Stevie. "Yeah, I'm friends with Stevie. And you're... Rose? You've got a killer voice."

Rosemary smiled and sat down next to her, "Thank you! It's all everyone else, I'm just the icing on top" she said, doing her best to be humble in the face of a compliment. Being in a band with other talented people had definitely been a humbling experience, but she was focused on how together they were the best. It still counts even if it's a team effort. "You two been hanging out a lot?" Rose pried, "Stevie is maybe the most relaxed person I have ever met, I could sit around for hours just listening to music with her. And such a good listener, she'll hear me complain about boy drama for hours" Rose wanted to clarify that Stevie and her were strictly platonic, that way the other girl would be more likely to trust her. She knew that anytime someone talked to her about a potential romantic interest and they seemed too friendly, she was immediately threatened. But then again, that was just Rose.

“So modest. I like it,” she said, laughing. It was nice that a singer in a band truly gave credit to their bandmates. June’s expression became more curious when the girl started asking about her and Stevie. She was kind of amused by it. What was this all about? “You could say that. She’s pretty cool, yeah, and she has some great music taste.” She chose to ignore the mention of boy drama. She didn’t want to invite that kind of conversation right now, especially when she already had a math-induced headache.

Rose was doing her best to not be too obvious, but just obvious enough that the other girl felt validated in Stevie's affections. Rose nodded her head when Juniper said that she had some great music taste, "She really does, she picks out the majority of our sets" said the girl, her cheeks rosey from the cold air. Rose took a sip of her coffee and held it in her gloved hands to keep her warm. "So what are you into? Music wise? Hobbies? Academics? What kind of person is Juniper?" Rose asked, wanting to get to know the other more, "Since I'm sure I'll be seeing a lot more of you around." She hadn't been able to know Juliette that well since she and Stevie dated in secret, and this time she was going to be a better friend and be there from the ground floor.

Juniper nodded along, not surprised that Stevie had some sort of say in the set list. Judging from the playlist the girl made her alone, she would have been shocked if she didn’t make those decisions. The onslaught of questions that came from Rose next had June laughing. “Woah, slow down! Are you trying to get my whole life story in five minutes?” She scrunched her nose, her smile reaching her eyes. Stevie apparently had a really good friend who wanted to vet Juniper. Did that mean that Stevie told Rose they were hanging out? Dating? What were they? Shaking her head, she decided it didn’t matter right then. “How about I answer one question at a time, and you give me one, too?” she suggested. Getting to know Stevie’s friend wouldn’t be a bad idea. “I play soccer and softball, for starters, and I’m an art major. Your turn.” She thought about suggesting they go into the nearest building since the girl looked cold, but she wasn’t sure how long Rose planned to question her.

Rose let out a laugh, "You've never done a life in five before? Because those are intense, we did them at summer camp. You have to tell your whole life story in five minutes with a multitude of personal details from birth to the present" said Rosemary, "Obviously I will not be asking you to do that" she said as another giggle fell from her lips. When she heard the proposal, she nodded, "That sounds like a fair game, and a lot more tolerable than a life in five." It truly was a good arrangement, and a little less like a one sided interview. "I am a cheerleader and do debate, and I am undecided on my files but I will be a political science major once I find a advisor who can keep up with all this" said Rose, moving her hand around her head. Rose was a little chilly, "We can head inside if you want, well, I know I want" said the girl as she stood up, touching the other girl on the shoulder and waving for June to follow her.

"Wow, that does sound intense. What kind of summer camp did you go to?" June asked, intrigued. Telling someone your whole life story in that short amount of time was a crazy level of bonding. She couldn't begin to imagine what would require an exercise like that outside of a cult, maybe. She laughed at her gesture to her head. That certainly sounded like a lot on her plate, and she knew that advisors typically liked to encourage exploration in the first year rather than students claiming to have the entire college experience planned. At least, that was how her own advisor came across when Juniper told her that she knew she wanted to be an art major. "Yeah, we can go inside. It is kind of cold, huh?" She grabbed her bag and stood up, asking, "Anywhere in particular you had in mind?"

"It's the christian camp that my bio mom wanted me to go to. I only went once before freshman year of high school" said Rosemary, brushing it off. It was a weird task for sure. Definitely not something to do with someone new to her, and when she was just making sure she was good for Stevie. "Yeah this weather gets me sometimes. I usually can brave the cold but sometimes it's too much" said the girl as they headed inside, "There's some seats in here." Rose put her backpack down and crossed her legs as she took a sip of her coffee. "So, I think it's your turn to ask a question" said Rosemary with a smile growing across her face. She wasn't sure what to ask the other girl herself yet. She didn't want to pry too much about the Stevie stuff, well at least just yet.

A Christian camp. That made sense, she supposed. Juniper had never been to one, but she could imagine that they would be all about deep emotional connections. "Got it. Must have really stuck with you if you still remember that." Following Rose into one of the buildings nearby, June chose a seat and settled into it, dropping her bag to the ground beside her feet. "Alright, let's see," she said, bending to rest her arms on her knees. "What made you want to join a band?" she asked, looking at the other girl curiously.

Rose thought for a second, "Well I was in a duo thing, with a friend and when that fell through, Stevie suggested that I start playing with her and Wren and it kind of all went from there. Now we have Casey, and it's just been really nice" she explained, "I've always been drawn to music, I think it ... it just makes everything so much better. Walking, talking, working out, pretty much everything but homework but that's because I have to focus. I wish that life had background music like TV so that you could know more about how everything was going. It just adds so much to the moment." Rose loved music, so deeply. It was a huge part of her being. "How do you feel about music?" she asked.

"That's awesome. You guys are pretty good. I try to go to as many gigs as I can. Do you think you'll make something of it, or is it just for fun?" she asked. She realized that this follow-up question was technically not allowed yet, but she couldn't help herself from asking. She had never actually gotten around to asking Stevie that question; they always ended up distracted. "I'm with you there, except I do listen to music when I do homework. That or just like hectic background noise helps me focus, believe it or not. I mean, music has always been in my life, so I love it. Probably a strange mix, but my music library ranges from, like, Clairo, to Saweetie. Then, of course, I have a soft spot for some Disney music."

"It's just for fun right now, but if we keep going and things really pop off ... I mean we will have no other option than to be big" she said, as she laughed a little. Considering how much Rose commanded attention, she had no intention of ever being famous. But if the opportunity presented itself, how could she say no? Rose nodded in agreement when the girl talked about having a large range of music, "Me too, Clairo is definitely a favorite, but I listen to a lot of indie stuff in that genre. Relaxing music definitely calms me down when I'm being too much" Rose replied, "You can tell a lot about a person from whether they prefer show tunes or Disney music" the girl added. It was just something about the vibe, and not to mention there was a huge difference between people who liked disney channel music and disney movie music. It was a whole thing.

Juniper nodded and laughed along with the girl. "I would judge you if you didn't take the opportunity to go big if it came along." She liked that it was a 'just for fun' band; she imagined that made things less stressful than if they were trying to make it in the music industry. She had no doubt that Stevie would one day since she seemed to live and breathe music, but from what Rose had said about her desired major in political science, she assumed that Rose had her own separate dreams. Her taste in music wasn't bad from the vague answer she got, but June hadn't been much more specific. "And what can you tell?" she asked, curious. "Which one do you prefer?"

"Not putting too much weight on it means that we get to have a lot more fun. I know at least I'm a student first, Stevie just kinda goes with the flow with everything. I wish I could be like that, but I'm pretty sure my whole life would fall apart" Rosemary explained. She had to laugh when June asked more about how you can learn a lot from people based on what they prefer when it comes to Disney or show tunes, "Well it all comes down to the energy of the person when they talk about it. Both camps can have some really uppity people, or like people who are absolutely obsessed. Don't get me started on Disney adults, or my twin for that matter, she's constantly ready to fight any disney adult she sees anywhere" the girl added with a laugh. "But to answer your question, I do like Disney music, but I'm more of a Disney Channel listener? Like if I were to listen to disney music I would be popping in some Hannah Montana 2 / Meet Miley Cyrus type of girl."

Juniper laughed and sat back in her chair. “Yeah, I don’t know how she does it. I like that about her, though,” she admitted. It was nice to be around someone who was so flexible. She thought about what Rose was saying about Disney music. It made sense. June wasn’t obsessed herself, but she knew people who were. There was definitely an energy about them. “That’s cool. I watched Hannah Montana, but I was definitely a High School Musical girl. Was Hannah Montana your favorite Disney Channel show, or did you have another one?” She hadn’t talked about the Disney Channel like this since maybe the beginning of high school, but it was refreshing. With all the stress of college, it was nice to feel like a kid again.

The thing about Rose was that Stevie really balanced her out. She was the perfect amount of relaxed to deal with Rose's rigidity and future planning. She listened to what June had to say about Disney, and she shook her head, "Me and Marina were very tune in to suite life. Hannah Montana being a close second" said the girl, realizing how long it had been since she had been on this topic. It had to have been a few years at least. "But I totally feel you about High School Musical, the second one is my favorite though. First there's the iconic romance between Chad and Ryan, and secondly they did the most with their budget. Kenny Ortega basically invented camp as a concept, eat your heart out Met Gala 2019" the girl rambled, she got very into the conceptual idea of camp. She loved everything about it, it had so many rules but also none at all.

Juniper slapped her leg as the memory of the Disney show came to her. “Oh! Suite Life was amazing! Lincoln and I used to wish we lived in a hotel, like, all the time. That was my birthday wish, at least. I also was obsessed with Wizards of Waverly Place. Alex Russo still has a piece of my heart, I swear,” she gushed. This must have been the ice breaker they needed because June suddenly felt like she was talking to an old friend. “Right? The second one is great, and you cannot tell me that nothing happened between Chad and Ryan. I mean, come on, they switched outfits... platonically? I call bullshit.”

"No episodes of Wizards has my heart the way that the vampires/werewolves arc does with Juliette and Mason? That shit gets me every time. I thought I didn't believe in love any more when I was a kid, I was heartbroken for what felt like an eternity" Rose geeked out for a moment. That was around the time that she started to really go boy crazy. Thanks Mason. "If I was at an event and people left and came back wearing the other's clothes? Oh you know something went down" the girl added with a giggle. She was happy to be getting along with Juniper so well, not that she had any expectation that it would be hard. She loved Stevie, so any extension of her should be enjoyable.

Laughing, June nodded along. “I definitely get that. I was very invested in so many of those plots. I hope you believe in love now. Honestly, the part I loved most was the friendship between Harper and Alex. That’s goals.” Talking about the show made her want to rewatch it. Honestly, thinking back, she realized that she probably hadn’t watched it in a couple years. She grinned at Rose, eyebrows raised. “Facts. What other possible reason exists for that? I’ll tell you right now. There isn’t one.”

Rose took a sip of her coffee, her mind drifted to how hurt she had been in high school. Of course she still believed in love, she just didn't know if she could trust anyone to hold all of her love. It was too daunting of a task, but she did not need to talk about that with her new friend. They were definitely friends, this was good. "The Harper stuff was a little rough every once in a while, but I'm glad they didn't make too much fun of her. Like I get that she's quirky, but she was the butt of the joke a lot. Makes me sad, because she was always in Alex's corner." It was definitely time for a rewatch, she would put that on her list. "It's just such a director choice, I can't imagine having a fight with someone, making up, and then just switching clothes. I get the symbolism is that they can finally see from one another's point of view, but I think something definitely occurred in the locker room" she said with a slick smile on her face. She was surprised at how comfortable she was being weird around this girl already, usually she kept things very pristine around new people. Humor comes later, and especially children's niche character analysis.

"Ugh, yeah, don't remind me," Juniper mumbled, groaning. Harper was eccentric, yes, but she was sure of herself. That was something to admire, not make fun of. Unfortunately, she got that high school students did make fun of anything outside of the realm of normal, and she had been one of those stupid kids a couple times. She had never been truly mean, though, and she tended to befriend the "weird" kids in high school more often than the "popular" kids--they were more fun. "Aside from Alex, for obvious reasons, Harper was my favorite character. She's honestly so underappreciated." Juniper laughed at the comment about the locker room paired with the expression on her face. "I like you, Rose. You're funny. You've got great taste in Disney Channel shows, too," she pointed out. She wondered what else she and Rose might have in common. It had taken her a little by surprise when the girl approached her to get to know her, but now that they had talked for a few minutes, June was sure a great friendship was on the horizon.

She thought for a minute about who her favorite character was, "I think side character wise, it's definitely Zeke. He's adorkable. Main characters, Alex is the obvious choice. Justin was cute, but so deeply annoying and hyper-fixated" said Rosemary, as if the mirror wasn't up to her face right now as she described herself. "I would agree that we both have excellent taste" said the brunette with a laugh, "and I like you too, I have no idea how we got onto this conversation, but it's definitely worth it." She was thankful that she was going to get along with Stevie's new girl, as surprising as it was that she was thankfully and finally moving on.

Juniper nodded, appreciating the girl's answer. They were all great characters, so there really wasn't a bad answer for a favorite. "Justin isn't terrible, though. He had his moments when he was sweet or funny," she pointed out. "But yeah, I don't know how we got on this topic either. While we're here, though, what else do you like?" She leaned down to her backpack and grabbed her water bottle, which was covered in stickers. Several of them were related to pride, but she had some of Studio Ghibli films, Avatar: The Last Airbender, cats, among others.

"Well, why don't we let the waterbottles speak for themselves?" said Rosemary, pulling her hydroflask out from her backpack. It was also covered in stickers, about Star Wars, feminism, comic books, and her favorite songs. "I see we both fall victim to sharing too much of our personality on our belongings" the girl teased as she let out a little laugh. Her laptop was adorned the same way.

Raising her eyebrows in anticipation of what Rose was on about, June laughed when she pulled out her own sticker-clad bottle. “Amazing. I don’t know what you’re talking about, though. I have so much more personality than this,” she teased. Her water bottle was covered with essentially everything about her. Rose’s looked a lot more neat and manageable. She held her water bottle out and asked, “Want to trade and check them out?”

"Oh I bet you do" said Rose, chiding back. "I would love to trade" said the girl as she passed over the pink water bottle. "Studio Ghibli fan, I see" Rosemary observed out lout, "and pro-pun, that's always good". She scanned the water bottle for more things, it was funny seeing how they had the same idea but had executed it so differently.

Juniper took the pink water bottle in one hand while she passed her turquoise one to Rose. The first sticker she saw made her laugh. “I love this uterus one. It’s perfect,” she commented. “And yes, very pro-pun and big Ghibli fan. How could you tell?” She turned the bottle over in her hands, looking at the other stickers. “Avengers... nice. Spider-Man is my favorite. I love Cap, too.” She saw the wave sticker and stopped, looking up at Rose. “No way, you know this piece? I mean, I guess it’s not obscure. I’ve seen it on tapestries and posters in people’s dorms. I feel like I’m totally going to disappoint you by not recognizing the space thing in there. I mean, unless it’s NASA related, my guess is Star Wars?” She had been told many times that she should watch the movies, but she had never taken the time to do so. All she had seen were snippets of the first couple episodes.

"I am a huge cap girl, but my favorite is probably Wanda. I've been watching her new show religiously" said Rosemary, excited to be talking about the things that she loves. She smiled when the girl recognized the play on art, "Yeah it's The Great Wave off Kanagawa, one of my favorites. It depicts a large rogue wave, but yes also Star Wars ... another kind of rogue" she said with a smile. Sometimes she felt like a rogue wave, and it reminded her that you cannot control everything. It was one of her therapists tactics a while ago. It made her think really hard about how there was beauty in the uncontrollable. "Are you a Star Wars person? Because I will admit I have not seen any Studio Ghibli and paid attention, always getting distracted" Rose added. Maybe one day they could do a movie marathon, watch both of their things. But that was a lot to ask from someone she had just started to get to know, she just loved media content. Anything she could get into, she got into it a little too much.

Grimacing a little, June looked over at Rose, almost sheepish. "I haven't seen it yet. I really want to, though. Wanda is a badass, for sure." She quickly relaxed back into her seat, and the grin she'd been wearing appeared on her face again. She chuckled at the comparison of The Great Wave and Star Wars. "I love that, very clever." She had been unsure about how to answer about being a fan of Star Wars until Rose mentioned she hadn't really watched any of the Studio Ghibli movies. "I'm not, no. I mean, I know some of the plots and characters, even a few quotes, but I don't remember if I've ever actually seen any of the movies all the way through. My brother is always trying to get me to watch them."

"Wanda is 100% badass, the show is trippy though. It's fun watching youtubers work through their fan theories every week and comparing them to the comics" Rosemary replied, she had done her fair share of reddit postings, but she would say that there were plenty of people way more informed than her. "I'm kind of a media junkie sometimes" she said with a little laugh, "and a big star wars nerd, so obviously ... like the rest of America, I do recommend you give them a full watch." Rose took a small sip of her coffee, "But I guess it would only be fair if I watched some Studio Ghibli, so I will keep you updated!" Rose smiled at the other girl, this whole afternoon was very pleasant. Juniper was a good match for Stevie, and she could see the other girl getting along with her, Wren, and Casey anytime she came around.

She was intrigued by this girl’s passion for the topic. Tilting her head in curiosity, she asked, “Do you read the comics? For Wanda or any of them, really.” She wasn’t big into comics, herself, but she had read a few and enjoyed them. The art alone made her want to read more. There were so many styles in the comic world that she was surprised at herself for not being more into them. “Alright then, if you’re going to watch some Ghibli, it’d only be fair if I watched some Star Wars. I’ll let you know when I start that.”

She usually didn't talk about comics with people, but at home she had a temperature controlled space for her comics. It was a little more than an interest, it was a collection. "Yeah I read the comics from time to time" she said simply with a kind smile, "but there are a lot of people way more into it than me." She was excited at the idea of them leaning about what the other one liked, "Sounds like a plan to me, let me get you my number and you can text me whenever." Rosemary unlocked her phone and opened up a new contact before passing her phone to the girl.

"Hey, I don't think it matters if other people are more into it. Your interest is all that should matter, right?" Juniper said, lifting a shoulder in a casual shrug. "That's pretty cool, though. I've read some of the Spider-Man comics and then some from The Runaways. The art is stunning in that one. Have you read those?" Talking about it made her want to go back to reading them. She couldn't remember exactly why she had stopped--probably just distracted by something else. June hadn't planned on talking to this girl today, let alone getting her phone number, so the statement took her by surprise. Rose was interesting and apparently not the type to sit idly by and wait for things to happen. She'd have to mention to Stevie what she thought about her friend. She was pretty cool. "Alright, sure," she responded with a hint of laughter in her voice, pulling out her own phone to open a new contact. She traded phones with the girl and put her number in, saving the contact under june.

When it came to anything, Rose had a compulsion to just be the best or the most invested. When it came to fan culture it was overwhelming and too much to take in. "I have, I love Spiderman" said the brunette as she finished up her coffee. Rose smiled as her phone was passed back to her, "I have to go, my itinerary for the day is jammed" said the girl as she got her bag. "I will see you around, June." Rosemary headed out of the building and off to do her planned tasks of the day, but she had enjoyed taking an unplanned break to talk to Juniper. It had been a pleasant surprise, and she was glad to have a new friend. [END]