Gabriel lightly tapped Cielo's shoulder.
"Don't worry, Ciel. She's okay," he said, exhaling deeply. "If she's not here… there's one other place she might go."
Cielo looked around. They were already near the area surrounding International Beda School.
What is she doing here?How did she end up all the way here?
"You're wondering why Julie came here, right?" Gabriel asked, almost reading his thoughts.
Cielo blinked. "D-Does she know some shortcut around here?"
"Yeah. She does," Gabriel replied with a faint smile. "And of course, I know them too."
He gestured ahead. "This place… she's very familiar with it. She studied here for a while in elementary—before transferring to a public school. Before that, she went to an exclusive academy near her home."
Cielo followed the direction Gabriel pointed.
The road led toward the Navares residence.
"And that school," Gabriel added, pointing again.
Cielo saw it clearly now—a grand, private campus just a few blocks away.
"That's Aurora Crest Academy," Gabriel explained. "She studied there until Grade Two."
Aurora Crest Academy…Cielo's chest tightened. That school was well-known—almost on par with St. Benedict's.
He suddenly realized how little he truly knew about Julie's childhood.
After they turned six, Julie's family had grown distant—busy, rarely visiting.
Julie…Is this why you hate exclusive schools?What kind of bullying did you endure back then?
His fists clenched.
Please don't hide anymore. I'm here now.
Gabriel suddenly stopped.
Cielo followed his gaze—and saw it.
A small, secluded playground. Old. Rusted. Quiet.
"What would Julie be doing here?" Cielo murmured. "She's scared of ghosts."
Gabriel let out a soft chuckle. "Yeah. But this place… this was her hideout when she was little."
"Is… is she here?" Melissa's shaky voice broke in.
Only then did they realize the others had followed them.
"Yes," Gabriel answered, nodding.
"W-Where?" Nicole asked anxiously.
That was when Cielo noticed the crumpled photo in Melissa's hand—the same one from earlier.
Gabriel glanced at Cielo, as if sensing his questions. Joel had already told him the reason Julie ran.
Gabriel walked toward a broken slide.
Chris switched on a small flashlight.
And there—
Curled behind the rusted metal—
Was Julie.
"Julie," Cielo called softly.
She flinched and looked up.
"C-Cielo…" she whispered.
She tried to step forward—until she noticed everyone behind him.
Julie froze.
Then she backed away, trembling.
"No… no…" she whispered, covering her ears. "I don't want to hear it."
Everyone stopped.
"Please… stop," she murmured, pressing her hands tighter against her ears, as if silencing voices only she could hear.
Cielo's chest shattered.
He had never seen Julie like this—so small, so broken.
"Julie," Chris said gently, "let's go home now."
She shook her head violently, tears streaming down her face.
"N-No… no…" she repeated. "I—I don't want to."
"Maybe we should leave," Raymond whispered. "Seeing us might make it worse."
"She misunderstood everything," Joel added quietly. "Let her calm down."
"No," Gabriel said firmly. "Don't leave."
He looked at Cielo. "Help me."
Cielo nodded and stepped forward with Gabriel.
"Julie," Gabriel said softly, crouching a little. "Let's go now. Stop being stubborn, hmm?"
She didn't respond—only cried harder.
"W-Won't they laugh at me?" she asked shakily.
Chris forced a small smile. "No one's going to laugh at you. But if you keep crying like that, your cousin might—because you look like a mess."
Julie sniffled weakly.
"Cielo…" she whispered.
He moved closer, gently wiping her tears."Julie, let's go. No one will laugh at you. No one will judge you."
"You… you won't laugh at me either?" she asked, voice breaking. "You won't insult me?"
"No," Cielo said softly. "I promise. I'll never laugh at you. I'll never judge you."
That was all it took.
Julie threw her arms around him and sobbed.
Cielo held her tightly, his heart splintering with every sob.
I don't know what happened back then…But I know it hurt her deeply.
"Let's go," he whispered, kissing her forehead. "Don't cry anymore."
She nodded weakly.
When they stepped out, Melissa and Nicole were waiting anxiously.
Julie avoided their eyes, tugging at her sleeve.
Kelly stepped forward—but Julie flinched.
Instead, Kelly pulled her into a tight hug.
"You idiot!" Nicole cried, joining them. "Don't ever do that again!"
"I'm sorry," Melissa whispered.
Julie said nothing. She just cried.
Joel and Raymond ruffled her hair gently.
"You really misunderstood everything," Joel sighed. "You always overthink."
They stayed with her until she calmed down.
Since her house was nearby, they brought her home.
The moment Julie entered, she collapsed into her mother's arms—crying until exhaustion pulled her into sleep.
Later, after changing her into pajamas, Cielo sat beside her bed. He brushed her hair back, staring at her peaceful face.
I need to know the truth about her past.
Downstairs, their friends waited quietly.
"Melissa," Cielo asked, "what's that you're holding?"
She looked down, startled. "T-This… the photo those girls gave Kelly."
"Can I see it?"
She hesitated—but Kelly nodded.
Cielo studied the photo.
This is Julie…She really was chubby when we were kids.
"That explains why she doesn't like dancing," Chris muttered softly.
"C-Cielo…" Nicole asked nervously. "Y-You don't feel different about her… after seeing that?"
Cielo smiled gently. "Of course not. She's my childhood friend. She was adorable."
He looked at Chris. "So… she was bullied because of her weight?"
Chris nodded. "All through primary and elementary school. She suffered a lot."
"What really happened?" Kelly asked softly.
Chris sighed. "There's a story there. But Julie should be the one to tell it."
Cielo nodded silently.
I still have a picture of us as kids, he thought.I'll ask Mom if she still kept it.