𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐒 𝐍 𝐉𝐄𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐒┃ 𝖨𝗌𝖺𝖺𝖼 𝖦𝖺𝗋𝖼𝗂𝖺 (𝗢𝗡 𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗗)

━ 𝟎𝟎𝟑

Isaac cut him off, "I don't know."

Elijah leaned back in his chair, not wanting to bother his friend. Meanwhile, Juliana sat alone, unfazed since she didn't know anyone. Suddenly, she felt a presence beside her. Turning, she met a girl with dirty blonde, curly hair, blue eyes – undeniably pretty.

"Hey," the girl smiled.

Juliana smiled back, "Hey."

"Are you new?" The blonde asked, she kept a smile painted her face.

Juliana maintained her smile, responding with a simple "Yes" to the blonde girl's question. The prospect of a new friend in this unfamiliar school excited her.

"Well, Juliana..." The girl paused, causing Juliana to wonder, "How does she know my name?" The thought lingered as Juliana questioned, "How do you know my name?"

"That doesn't matter," the girl's demeanor changed abruptly. Once a smiling blonde, she now turned blunt. "I just want to tell you, just because you live with Isaac, doesn't mean you have a chance."

Juliana's smile disappeared as she stared at the blonde, caught off guard by the strange comment. The idea of someone bluntly telling her to stay away from Isaac was bewildering, especially since she lived with him.

"I have no interest in that boy." Even if she found him attractive, it didn't necessarily translate into genuine interest, "And who are you?"

Before the blonde could respond, Mr. Fitz's voice cut through the tension, redirecting their attention.

"Everybody back to your seats!" he called out, clapping his hands, prompting a hasty return to the classroom, making his way to the front.

The girl turned back to Juliana, "I'm his girlfriend," she declared, making her way back to her table with friends. Juliana observed as they exchanged looks and laughter.

Confused more than hurt, Juliana shrugged it off; she had faced worse.

Mr. Fitz, the English teacher, took notice and addressed the class. "So, class, as some of you know, we have a new student." His words made the entire class turn their attention to her.

Blushing at the sudden spotlight, Juliana, not one for attention, felt her cheeks flush. The professor, maintaining a kind tone, asked her to stand up and introduce herself.

With a sigh, Juliana rose, "My name is Juliana, and I moved here from New York." She quickly sat back down, preempting any further questions.

"Now that we've got that out of the way..." Mr. Fitz began, and Juliana felt relieved that he didn't delve into further questions. "I assigned a poem for each one of you this weekend and gave you a word."

Surprisingly, six kids raised their hands. Mr. Fitz was taken aback. "I haven't even explained yet."

"No need to explain," a brown-skinned boy said confidently. "Could I share first?"

The professor nodded, turning to Juliana, "Since you're new, you can just watch, ask questions if needed."

Juliana nodded, curious about this unexpected turn of events.