He noticed Julie yawning again. When Cielo entered the classroom, he saw the cousins—and Nicole and Melissa—already there as well.
He had also noticed yesterday that Nicole was still trying hard to act normal around Julie, even though the fear still lingered in her eyes.
"Good morning, Pres," Melissa greeted cheerfully.
"Morning, Pres," Nicole added with a small smile.
"Morning," Julie mumbled sleepily.
"Yeah, good morning," Cielo replied as he placed his things on his desk.
"Don't you have duty at the office today?" Raymond asked him.
Cielo shook his head. "Joel, isn't it your turn today?"
"Nope," Joel answered simply. "Dennis is there."
Cielo nodded. The three of them chatted while he glanced at his phone.
"Hey, Ciel," Raymond tapped him. "I heard you met Pop Princess during your charity event?"
"Pop Princess? Oh, you mean what your cousin mentioned? That's why Kenneth joined, right?" Joel added.
"Yeah, she was with us," Cielo confirmed.
"Woah, really? That's exciting. Do you have pictures?" Raymond asked eagerly.
"I think I saved one. Want to see?" Cielo offered.
Raymond nodded quickly. Cielo scrolled through his phone—his cousin had sent photos too.
"Ah, here. During the event." He showed them the picture.
"Woah, she looks so elegant. She has a whole different aura on stage," Raymond commented.
"So, how is she? Is she a good person?" Joel asked.
Cielo thought for a second. "Yeah. She's a good person. Now I understand why her fans love her."
"She really looks like Julie," Raymond remarked. "Elegant or not, they look exactly alike."
"Yeah, of course—she's Julie," Kenneth's voice suddenly cut in.
"Oh, you're here, Kenneth," Cielo greeted.
"Yeah, good morning," Kenneth replied casually.
Julie sighed. "That's not me," she muttered.
"Yo, good morning, Julie," Kenneth greeted her.
"Good morning," she replied quietly.
Without warning, Kenneth snatched Cielo's phone.
"Give it back, Ken," Cielo demanded, annoyed.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll return it later," Kenneth said, smirking.
Cielo noticed Julie scratch her head again, clearly stressed as Kenneth approached her.
"Why do you always say that?" she asked him, frustrated.
Kenneth just smiled. "Nothing. But that's what I believe. Hey—we have the music activity today, right? Do you already have a partner?"
Right—Julie and the other band hadn't performed last time due to lack of time. Cielo remembered.
"I don't have one. How can I perform if I don't have a partner?" Julie said.
"That's why—be my partner," Kenneth said confidently. "You need to perform today."
"He's really persistent," Joel whispered to Cielo.
"Sure is," Cielo muttered. Well… I need to convince her, right? he thought.
"Why don't you just agree with him, Navares? Isn't that your only problem?" Cielo asked her.
XXXX
I really don't want to perform. I want a solo. Why can't the teacher allow it? Julie complained silently. And now his cousins are siding with him.
"It's not up to you to choose," she said aloud. "It's the teacher's decision."
"Eh?" Kenneth tilted his head. "But I can request. We have the privilege, remember?"
That's so unfair! Julie screamed internally.
She sighed. "Fine, fine. But don't blame me if you get a low grade for this performance."
"I won't," Kenneth said smugly. "And don't even think about singing off-key. I'll know—even if you fake it."
Is he threatening me? Wait—did he just read my mind? she wondered.
Then Kenneth ruffled her hair playfully.
What is wrong with this guy?! she fumed.I don't even know what I'm going to sing today. And he wants this on the spot?
"Ken, it's too early for you to be bullying someone," a new voice said.
They turned to see Dawn.
Cielo immediately frowned.
"Am I being bullied?" Julie asked Kenneth dryly.
"Bullying? Really?" Kenneth replied, still fiddling with Cielo's phone.
"Yeah, you're being bad, Ken. Cielo, stop your cousin," Dawn scolded. "It's not a good joke for Julie."
"Don't embarrass her in front of everyone," she added.
"Yeah, whatever," Kenneth muttered, walking away. "See you later," he told Julie.
"Julie, you really should refuse Kenneth," Dawn warned, worried. "You don't know him. And I know you prefer performing only for the teacher, not the whole class."
Is she insulting me? Julie wondered.
She smiled politely. "Don't worry, everything will be fine. Thanks for the concern, Dawn."
"I'm really concerned," Dawn insisted. "If you want to talk after the performance, just tell me." She tapped Julie lightly and smiled sweetly.
Julie smiled back.
As Dawn walked away, Kenneth's good mood had clearly disappeared.
"Just shut up," Kenneth muttered lazily.
Melissa looked at Julie with concern.
"Will you really be okay later?" she asked.
"Yeah, don't worry," Julie assured her.
"I hope so," Nicole said softly.
Julie sighed inwardly.
She didn't know what Kenneth was planning this time—or what surface-level act he was putting up—but she decided to ignore it.