"Hey, Nic," Julie called.
Nicole turned. "Why?"
"When are you going to audition?" Julie asked.
"Shh." Nicole quickly covered her mouth and glanced around to make sure no one overheard. "I'm still thinking about it." She scratched the back of her head.
"Why are you still thinking about it?" Julie raised an eyebrow.
Nicole scratched again. "I'm nervous."
"Huh? That's normal. Of course you'll be nervous," Julie shot back.
"Whatever," Nicole muttered.
"What do you mean 'whatever'? Are you planning to audition after it's already over? Face your fear already—everyone has their own fears, you know," Julie reminded her. "You do realize they're only accepting auditions until this week, right? If you miss it, you'll regret it."
"I know… but I'm still nervous," Nicole admitted.
Julie lightly tapped her shoulder. "Go for it. I know you can do it—and besides, I know you love what you're doing." She smiled at her.
"I'll let you know when I finally audition," Nicole said.
Julie laughed and slung an arm around her shoulders. She glanced around the classroom—no teacher yet.
"Nicky," she asked again. "Do you have any friends from your old school?"
Nicole frowned. "What kind of random question is that? You're so random."
"Don't complain, just answer."
"And you're demanding too," Nicole said, laughing.
"I'll flick your forehead, you know," Julie teased.
"I do… but only one." Nicole finally answered.
Julie nodded. "Doesn't your friend get sad that you left her?"
Nicole burst out laughing.
"Are you crazy? What's funny about my question?" Julie raised a brow.
"Sorry, but the friend I'm talking about is actually my neighbor," Nicole explained.
Julie arched a brow.
"That friend I'm talking about is Kelly's younger sibling."
"Kelly has a sibling?" Julie asked.
"Yeah, the youngest. They'll be moving here soon."
"Wow, so you all live close to each other."
Nicole chuckled. "You really don't know, huh?"
"Know what?"
Nicole leaned closer. "Kelly is my cousin," she whispered.
"What?! No way! Cousins?!" Julie blurted.
"Shhh! Quiet!" Nicole covered her mouth again.
"For real?" Julie noticed a few classmates looking their way.
"Yes, but keep it down! It's our secret. Kelly doesn't want people to know we're cousins," Nicole explained.
"Why not?" Julie asked, frowning.
"Just… I'll tell you the story later," Nicole replied.
"Honestly, if you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have noticed the resemblance," Julie admitted.
"Idiot," Nicole muttered, laughing.
The teacher arrived, and the class settled down. Julie noticed a bit of commotion—some classmates seemed excited about something. Even Nicole looked curious but confused.
*****
"Hey, Nik!" Kelly called as she arrived at the table where Nicole and Julie were waiting.
"What now?" Nicole asked lazily.
Kelly smacked her on the head. "When are you finally going to audition, idiot?"
"Did you really have to hit me?" Nicole rubbed her head. "That hurt."
Julie laughed at the two of them.
"I'm still thinking about it. Besides, why should I tell you? You can't keep your mouth shut—you'll just blab to my brother," Nicole muttered.
Kelly raised a brow. "Excuse me? You're blaming me?"
Julie butted in, still laughing. "You two really are cousins."
Kelly froze, staring at Nicole, who glared at Julie.
"Nick!" she hissed.
"Oops." Julie clapped a hand over her mouth.
"Julie, not here," Nicole warned.
"W-Who else knows?" Kelly's eyes widened.
"J-Just her," Nicole admitted.
"Y-Yes, only me," Julie added quickly.
Kelly sighed. "Julie, please don't tell anyone else, okay?"
Julie nodded.
"By the way, my older brother is one of your classmates," Julie added, smiling.
Kelly stared at her, confused. "You still don't know Julie's last name?" Nicole asked.
"N-No, I never asked. She never told me," Kelly admitted.
Julie chuckled. "It's Julie Marie Navares."
Kelly froze. "Navares?" She gasped. "You… you're Pres' sister?"
Julie nodded. I became friends with the president's sister?! Kelly swallowed hard.
"Why are you only telling me this now?" she asked.
"Well, since I found out your secret, it's only fair to share mine. And besides, we're friends, right?" Julie scratched her head.
Kelly sank into her seat.
"We're still friends, aren't we?" Julie asked.
Kelly smiled faintly. "Of course. I was just caught off guard. I wasn't prepared for that revelation."
Julie laughed. "Me neither. Don't worry, even my older brother doesn't know."
Kelly smiled back. The bell rang, signaling the return to class. She still couldn't believe she was friends with Chris' sister. Does Jonathan know about this? she wondered, scratching her head. Well, it's not like the president ever meddled with me, right? Still… her curiosity grew stronger.
"When are you going to drop the act, Kelly?" a sneering voice interrupted.
She lifted her head to see the same two faces again. She wanted to avoid them, especially since she had promised her brother she wouldn't get into fights. But they were testing her patience.
She didn't respond, choosing to ignore them.
"What, deaf now?" one mocked.
Just ignore them, Kelly. You need to graduate without causing trouble, she reminded herself.
Thankfully, the teacher walked in, and everyone hurried back to their seats.