Cielo glanced at her again, noticing Julie asleep at her desk. He shook his head quietly and let her be. It wasn't his schedule to go to the faculty today, so he decided to stay nearby.
"What time is it already?" he suddenly heard her mutter. Her hand fumbled around her desk, searching for her phone.
"Ah, still early… I guess I got home too late last night," she mumbled, her voice sleepy.
Is she half asleep? he wondered, watching her drift off again.
Turning his attention to his own phone, he scrolled through his feed. A video caught his eye. He put on his headset so only he could hear it.
Screams erupted from the video—probably from an event in a nearby town. The only clear words he caught were a girl's nickname: Pop Princess. Then she sang.
Not bad. No wonder she's popular, he thought. He had never seen this Pop Princess in person, though his cousin had been eager to meet her. He'd heard plenty about her but had never cared much.
Pop Princess, huh? His eyes drifted toward the sleeping Julie.
He paused. If his memory served him right, Feah had once called Julie "Pop Princess" at the camping site. He frowned.
And when he had shown Kenneth Julie's info and picture from the school database, Kenneth hadn't said she looked like Crisha—he'd said she looked like a pop princess. He remembered thinking it odd at the time but had brushed it off, assuming it was just Kenneth's obsession.
No… maybe it's all just coincidence, he told himself.
Scrolling further, he stumbled on another video—this one showing the Pop Princess's face. He froze, staring.
No way. This is insane… Is this really real? he whispered. Now he understood why Kenneth had said Navares looked like a pop princess. He still couldn't believe it.
Wait… could it really be her?
Julie had never shown interest in any club auditions at school. Not once. He only realized that now.
Oh no, I'm overthinking this… maybe she just doesn't care about school clubs. But still… it's impossible, he argued with himself.
Turning off his phone, he shook his head. Did she do that on purpose, to be mysterious?
Then the warning bell rang. Julie stirred awake, stretching and yawning, her hair messy but her posture refreshed.
"Looks like you slept well," he remarked.
She blinked at him in surprise. "H—How long have you been there?"
"Since earlier," he said casually.
Julie quickly straightened herself, saying nothing further.
"You really didn't join any club activities here?" he asked.
She met his gaze, silent at first.
******
"No," she finally replied.
"Do you plan on making the honors list here?" he pressed.
Julie's mind flicked to her promise to her mother about transferring schools, but that thought felt distant. She had started finding friends here and quietly nodded.
"Really?" he continued, frowning. "No, it's not that. I mean… if you really aim for it, I know you can. I'm just surprised. Did you even read the handbook when you transferred here?"
Handbook? Julie thought. Oh, yes—the one the registrar had given her.
"You're hopeless. I guess you never read it," he sighed.
Is he insulting me? her irritation rose.
"What's in the handbook?" she asked.
He stared at her. "Seriously? You're that clueless? Not even a single page?"
"Why would I care? It's tiring to read whatever's inside," she muttered.
"Really? You don't even know the rules here?"
"Rules? What, are they going to put me in jail if I don't read it?" she shot back.
He shook his head.
"So you don't know how to qualify for honors or achievers here?"
"Ugh, I guess you just need to study hard and get high grades, right?" she asked.
"Are you stupid or just clueless?" he asked bluntly.
Her blood boiled. "You know what? Just explain it instead of insulting me," she said, arching an eyebrow.
"Fine. Here, read it." He tossed the handbook at her, and she caught it.
He actually carries this around? she thought.
"You know how to read the table of contents, right?" he teased.
Wow. His tongue is as sharp as a blade, she grumbled inwardly.
"Good morning, Pres!" Nicole suddenly greeted.
Julie decided to ask her instead. "What's that you're holding? Handbook?" Nicole inquired.
She nodded.
"Don't tell me you've never read that?" Nicole asked again.
"You've read this already?" Julie asked, surprised.
"Of course, idiot. I wouldn't transfer without knowing anything about this school," Nicole replied.
"That's not even yours, is it? Our handbooks have our names on them."
Julie checked the cover—Cielo's name was imprinted. Eh? I didn't notice that, she thought.
"Read it, so you'll at least have a clue if you want to become an achiever. Skip it if you don't," Cielo told her.
"Oh, so you want to make it to honors and achievers," Nicole added, grinning.
"Give me that," Nicole said, snatching the handbook. "Here, read it. It explains how our grades are computed and what behaviors are expected," she instructed.
Julie sighed, scratching her head. She had no choice but to start reading.
She didn't finish, though—class had started.
"Hey, let me borrow this for a while," she said, returning the handbook to Cielo.
"Yeah," he said.
She tucked it away, planning to read it during free time. Better not forget again, or he'll insult me nonstop, she reminded herself.
Sighing, she leaned back in her seat. At least the rumors about her and Jason were starting to fade.
Now I just need to concentrate… and think about what Mom said. Should I take it back? she wondered, scratching her head again.