"Oh, what happened to your forehead, Julie?" Kelly asked, curiosity shining in her eyes.
Julie scratched the sore spot, wincing slightly.
"She bumped her forehead yesterday," Nicole answered for her.
"Huh? Why?" Kelly pressed.
"We don't really know," Nicole replied. "All we heard was a loud thud, and then she'd already hit her forehead. I don't even know what she was thinking." She shook her head.
Julie sighed, rubbing her head again.
"What were you thinking yesterday? Were you so tired that you decided to punish your innocent forehead?" Nicole teased.
Julie muttered, "Nothing… my hand just went out of balance," making up an excuse.
"You? Out of balance? How does that even happen during push-ups?" Nicole shot back, laughing.
Julie didn't respond. She knew they'd just laugh at her again.
Nicole suddenly tapped the sore spot.
"Ow! Stupid! That hurts!" Julie exclaimed, glaring.
"Come back to earth, Julie. We're still here," Nicole teased.
Julie scratched her head again. "Really, it's nothing," she said, shrugging.
"Oh? So you were thinking about something yesterday?" Kelly pressed.
"You're both so nosy. Just forget it," Julie replied quickly.
Nicole leaned closer, lowering her voice. "Julie… you're attracted to Pres, huh?"
The sisters exchanged glances. Julie's cheeks warmed.
"What? No way! With that attitude? Never!" she blurted, defensive.
Nicole grinned mischievously. "Wow, so defensive? He was your childhood friend. You like him, don't you?"
"I said no!" Julie insisted.
"Julie, it's normal to like someone. Especially Pres. Come on, he's handsome and has that strong presence. Having a crush is fine," Kelly said gently.
Handsome… Julie thought, recalling yesterday when he had checked her injured forehead. He had only been doing his duty, but still… his face had looked kind, not strict at all. She caught herself thinking that.
"Hey, she's overheating, Kelly. Fan her, quick!" Nicole teased.
"Yep, it's obvious now—you like your childhood friend. Calm down," Nicole laughed.
"No! This feeling will fade. It'll pass!" Julie insisted.
"She admits it!" Nicole clapped.
"That's okay, Julie," Kelly said warmly. "You're really cute when you admit things."
"Hey, don't fall for him, okay? Someone already owns him," Nicole warned.
"Not sure about that yet," Kelly disagreed.
"Well, better not fall for someone who's already taken," Nicole argued.
"Who says I'll fall for him?" Julie shot back.
"Julie, just keep your mouth shut. We can't control what your heart feels," Nicole teased.
"Yeah, one-sided love is hard," Kelly added.
"Like your one-sided love, Kelly," Julie shot back.
"Love already? You're overreacting," Julie muttered again, sighing.
"Shh, stop it. Pres is here," Melissa whispered.
Julie straightened up as she noticed him walking past. She shot Nicole a sharp look, regretting having told them everything.
"Navares," Cielo called.
Julie looked up quickly, instinctively holding her forehead. Her heart raced.
"That's quite a lump. Does it still hurt?" he asked.
Calm down. He's just concerned because he's the president, Julie reminded herself.
She shook her head.
You bit your tongue now, Julie, she scolded herself internally.
"That's good to hear." He ruffled her hair. "You really are clumsy," he sighed before walking away.
Julie wanted to reply, but he was already gone.
"Julie, come back to earth," Nicole said, trying not to laugh at her dazed expression.
"I'll go ahead," Julie said quickly, standing up.
This will go away in a week. He's just being a responsible officer. Don't get attached, she reminded herself firmly.
Later, Julie went to the comfort room, where Dawn and her friends were also present.
"Are you sure you're okay with that bump?" they asked.
Julie nodded and went straight into a cubicle.
When she emerged, everyone else had left. Standing in front of the mirror, she told herself, You're being silly. This is nothing—just admiration. You were only overwhelmed because your friends were around.
She exhaled deeply, fixed herself, and left the comfort room.
****
"Hey, where did you come from?" Nicole asked when Julie returned.
"I just went to the comfort room," Julie answered.
Nicole gave her a meaningful look. "Okay, fine. I won't tease anymore," she said.
"I know you can't keep that promise," Julie replied, heading back to her seat.
She noticed Dawn and Cielo entering together, chatting happily.
So that's Pres's type of girl, Nicole thought, scratching her head. Well, what can I do if that's his type? Don't judge, Nicky; you don't even know her well yet. She sighed. Besides, there's nothing I can do about it.
Glancing at Julie, who was quietly focused on her notes, Nicole reassured herself: Maybe Julie really only feels admiration.
Unlike Kelly—no matter how much she denied it, Nicole thought, she was obviously head-over-heels. Nicole shook her head and sighed.
"—Nicole Villa."
Startled, Nicole looked up to see Joel standing there.
Oh no. The hot-headed, grumpy guy, she thought nervously.
He handed her an activity notebook.
"W-What's this?" she asked.
"Nicky, we're checking our activity now," he said, a slight frown forming.
She gasped softly and grabbed her notebook, noticing his impatient stance.
"S-Sorry," she blurted.
"Where's your notebook?" he asked again.
He's the one checking my notebook? Nicole thought anxiously, handing it over quickly.
He sighed after taking it. Scary, she thought, deciding to avoid him as much as possible.
She needed to focus on the teacher now, or she might not be able to answer during the oral recitation. Nicole scratched her head again, trying to calm herself.