"Brother," Julie called out to him.
"What is it?" Chris asked simply.
She sighed deeply before speaking, scratching her head a little.
"I only got rank eight… just with honors," she finally said.
He simply nodded. "You can still make up for it in the finals of the first quarter," he told her.
"I just want to say something to Mommy. She's coming home today, right?" she asked.
He nodded again.
"You did great, Julie." He ruffled his sister's hair.
Julie chuckled softly. "I'm not sad."
"But… I didn't fulfill the promise I made to Mom, even if I only reached rank five," she added quietly.
"You know Mom is already happy with what you're doing, Julie. She knows you did a great job," he reassured her.
She smiled faintly. "Don't you have practice today, Brother?" she asked.
"None. Want to go home now?" he offered.
She nodded, and when they arrived home, they immediately noticed their mother's things.
"Welcome home, my children," their mother greeted warmly, pulling them into a hug.
"Mommy!" Their youngest sister clung to her sweetly.
"I know the results came out already, right?" she asked, clearly excited.
The siblings nodded.
"Rank one, Mom," Chris replied. "With highest honors."
"Wow, congratulations, Chris!" their mother exclaimed, hugging him proudly.
"And you, Julie?" she asked, eager to hear her daughter's achievement.
Julie glanced at Chris, who gave her a small nod.
"Rank eight… just with honors, Mommy," Julie said softly.
"You're doing great with that rank. Though yes, you didn't achieve the promise you made to me," her mother said gently.
Julie nodded faintly.
"Mom, I want to tell you something."
Their mother turned to her. "What is it, Julie?"
"I've decided not to transfer to a public school anymore."
Her mother looked at both of them, surprised by what Julie had just said.
"Why?" was all she asked.
"I already have friends there, and I'm happy being with them," Julie explained, smiling at both of them. "And there are others I get along with well, too. So… I'll take back our bet, Mom."
Her mother chuckled softly. "I'm happy you've made friends there. But Julie, even without our bet, you still have to study hard."
"Of course, Mom. I'll still study well," Julie promised.
"Aww, my sweet child."
"Come here, both of you, let me hug you. This is why I love you so much—you take away all my tiredness, and I'm happy you've both grown into good people."
Chris just smiled at that.
"Alright, go to your rooms for now. We'll eat later—and to celebrate your achievements, okay?" their mother said, her happiness shining clearly.
Chris ruffled Julie's hair again. "Mom's really happy."
Julie only smiled.
"Go change; we'll help Mom prepare later."
"Okay," she agreed softly.
Chris was genuinely happy seeing his sister slowly adjusting to her school's environment. He was glad she had made friends who matched her energy and craziness. He just shook his head every time he thought about it.
Well, I'm happy she's adjusting to her environment, he thought to himself.
******
"I can't believe your partner on the dance floor is Miss Villa," Raymond muttered, shaking his head.
Joel didn't answer, lost in his own thoughts.
"Hey, Joel, are you really okay with her?" Raymond asked again.
Joel turned to him, sighed, and replied, "If she's really a good dancer, then there's no problem with me."
"Let me remind you," Raymond said, "the only reason she became your partner is because she's new. And Dave also saw potential in Nicole—that's why she was paired with you."
"She just needs to prove that she really has potential."
"Idiot," Raymond muttered, shaking his head again. "Nicole isn't the problem—you saw how good she was during the audition. What I'm worried about… is your temper."
"What's wrong with my temper? As long as she doesn't get on my nerves, she'll be fine," Joel shot back.
"Really now? I know you. You're not like Cielo, who can admit his mistakes and has tons of patience. You? Can you admit when you're wrong?" Raymond asked pointedly.
"That's nonsense, Raymond. She needs to learn how to adjust to the people around her."
"Adjust your face! You also need to adjust your temper. You can't handle it—you get mad over the smallest things," Raymond mocked.
Joel sighed. He admitted it to himself—his patience was really thin.
It's annoying how this guy always points it out, he thought.
They began practice. Sometimes there were exercises with their partners, and he noticed Nicole seemed uncomfortable with him.
She often had a frown on her face around him. He couldn't read what she was thinking.
They didn't really talk much either.
"Whatever, I need to sleep," he muttered to his cousin later.
Raymond just shook his head as Joel headed to his room. He needed to rest both his mind and body.
The next morning, they entered the classroom together. Nicole let him go in first.
"Scary," she whispered under her breath.
She's afraid of me? Joel wondered.
He glanced at her—she was cheerfully greeting her friend, even hugging Chris's sister, Julie.
He ignored it and sat down quietly. Nicole was the opposite of him—cheerful, always smiling.
Maybe she should be the one to adjust, right? She's a transferee here, after all, Joel thought to himself.
He didn't notice his friends had already arrived until Cielo stared at him.
"What is it?" Joel asked.
"Nothing. I'm just worried about your temper," Cielo replied. "Well, I'm sure you can control that, can't you?"
He didn't answer.
Their eyes met—until suddenly, she looked away.
Am I scary when I stare? Joel thought.Why am I getting conscious about it? I don't even care.