"Ah, she's here," Gabriel said.
The newcomer wore a hood. Without hesitation, Gabriel reached out and tugged it down.
Raymond froze.
"Yeah… she really does look like Julie," he muttered in disbelief.
"I told you. My cousin has common features," Gabriel replied calmly. "But Crisha—she's the one who really looks exactly like Julie."
"Who is she?" Dave asked.
"Oh, she's my cousin on my mother's side. Good thing she agreed to this," Gabriel added with a soft chuckle.
"It's nice to see you again, Julia. You've really grown up," Chris said warmly.
"Ah, Chris… it's nice to see you too," Julia replied politely.
"This is Marianne Julia Santos-Guillermo—my cousin on my mom's side," Gabriel formally introduced.
At once, Julia retreated behind Gabriel, half-hiding.
"You're still shy as ever, Julia," Chris laughed.
"She always has been," Gabriel explained. "She's shy around crowds, so please be patient with her. Besides, she knows Julie."
Raymond nodded thoughtfully. "With a bit of makeup, she'll be Julie's look-alike. She can sing too, right?"
"Don't worry," Gabriel reassured them. "She may be shy, but when she needs to act, she delivers. You all know that from before."
"Yeah," Raymond agreed. "She really nailed Julie's mannerisms and the way she speaks."
Chris chuckled. "Well, of course. Julia and Julie were inseparable in elementary. They were classmates from first grade to fourth—until Julia transferred. But they still saw each other often."
"That's nice," Raymond said before turning to her. "Well, Julia—nice to meet you. We're Julie's friends. And this guy here is her boyfriend."
He gestured toward Cielo.
Julia nodded shyly.
"Nice to meet you, Julia," Cielo said kindly.
Julia glanced nervously at Gabriel.
"Go on," Gabriel murmured. "Julie's friends are kind."
She proceeded to shake hands with the rest, her timid nature still apparent.
She's really a timid person, Raymond thought.
"Oh, Julie's calling," Joel said, answering his phone.
"Yes, Julie?"
"Nothing," Julie's voice chimed through. "I just wanted to ask—has Julia arrived?"
"Yeah, she's here. She really looks like you," Joel replied.
Julie laughed. "I told you—I've got such a common face."
"Want to talk to her?" Raymond asked, gesturing toward Julia.
"Julia!" Julie shouted excitedly through the phone when she saw her.
"Always so loud," Gabriel muttered, shaking his head.
"She's really something," Melissa commented under her breath.
"Julia, these are my friends," Julie continued. "You've met Nicole, right? And this is Melissa—you know her too. She's from the Theatre department."
"Ah, yes! I know her," Julia said softly. "We became friends during that competition."
"I knew it!" Julie laughed. "Oh—and Melissa has a boyfriend. He's standing behind you."
Raymond could only shake his head at Julie's bluntness.
"And have you met my boyfriend?" Julie teased.
Julia nodded, smiling shyly.
She's really proud of Cielo, Raymond observed.
"Julia, sorry for dragging you into this," Julie said sincerely. "But thank you for helping your cousin."
"It's okay," Julia replied. "It's nice to see you again. We'll be together later anyway."
"I'll hug you the moment this is over," Julie promised, making Julia laugh softly.
"She's really close to Julie, Gab," Raymond commented.
"Of course," Gabriel replied. "Julie's the one who taught Julia her mischief. They're opposites, though—Julia's more like Melissa, actually."
That earned a laugh from the group.
"I still don't know how Cielo handles Julie's hyper energy," Raymond muttered.
Gabriel chuckled. "I'm just glad someone can handle her wild side."
The call ended, and Julia gave Joel a small smile. "Thank you."
Joel smiled back.
"I think we're ready," Chris announced. "Let's go."
******
Whoa… she really does look like Julie.But honestly, Crisha still resembles her more, Kelly thought as she stared at Julia.
"N-Nice to meet you," Julia said softly.
They smiled at her.
"Ah, it's Julia," Melody said, recognizing her.
"You know her?" Kelly asked.
"Yes," Melody replied. "She's a great actress. Even if she's shy, she keeps up with anyone—and she commits fully to her roles. She also has a lovely voice."
"Ah, so you know my sister," Kelly said proudly.
"You mean Melissa? Yes. I know Meli—she's kind and very talented," Julia replied.
"I'm so proud of her," Kelly said with a smile.
Kean then signaled them. "Get ready, Julia," he said firmly through the small earpiece. "From now on, you are Julie."
Julia nodded, determination flickering in her eyes.
As they exchanged nods, a familiar voice interrupted.
"Ah, so you're here. Where's Julie?" Dawn asked, approaching them.
"You're looking for me right away, Dawn?" Julia replied—her tone, posture, and expression perfectly mimicking Julie.
"Oh, no," Dawn laughed lightly. "I just thought you might not come. It is a big event."
Kelly immediately noticed that Dawn wasn't alone. Airah stood nearby, accompanied by a man. The way his eyes lingered on Nicole made Kelly uneasy.
Even though Airah looked cheerful, Kelly could already sense the mask beneath it.
"You're here too, Airah," Julia said evenly.
"Of course," Airah smiled, though her gaze was sharp. "I'm glad Dawn invited us. It makes me so excited."
Her eyes lingered on Julia—assessing, measuring.
"That's nice, Airah," Nicole replied politely.
"Oh, by the way," Airah added, "this is my boyfriend. You probably know him—Charles."
Kelly studied him carefully.
Handsome. Confident. A gentleman's façade.If I didn't know what he was really like… I might actually believe it.
Charles smiled pleasantly.
"Hello. Looks like we'll be seeing each other again at the dance competition."
His gaze swept over the group—until it landed on Kelly.
Her body stiffened.
His eyes lingered too long, sliding over her from head to toe, stripping her bare with his stare.
She took a step back instinctively.
He's bad news.
"Nice to meet you," Charles said smoothly. "You're Kelly, right? You're a great dancer too."
He extended his hand.
Kelly hesitated, dread pooling in her chest, before forcing herself to accept it. His grip was firm—too firm—his fingers subtly massaging her palm as he refused to let go.
Jonathan casually draped an arm around her shoulders, gently pulling her away.
"Nice to see you again, Jonathan," Charles said.
Jonathan merely smiled, but Kelly felt her hands trembling.
I'm scared.
Kevin noticed immediately and pulled her closer.
"Just calm down," he whispered. "I'm here, okay?"
Kelly clutched the hem of his jacket, grounding herself, fighting the tears threatening to spill.
"Let's watch," Jonathan said lightly. "It's about to start."
"Yeah," the group replied.
Kelly's eyes drifted back to Airah's group. Their gazes met.
Charles smirked.
Not far from him stood another man. To Kelly's horror, she saw him lick his lips while staring straight at her.
"Kevin…" she whispered.
"It's okay," Kevin said quietly. "I saw that too."
His grip tightened protectively as she clung to him—unwilling to let go.