Daphne's POV
Well, it looks like a good morning today. He was supposed to pick me up, but he texted saying he'd be late-little brat.
Roman left early, probably avoiding me. As usual, he, Leon, and Mason hitched a ride together. Dad still won't let me take my bike, especially after Roman snitched about me crashing into Leon. Ugh. So, here I am, taking the car again. Maybe in a few days, I can sneak a ride on my baby.
I reach uni feeling slightly better. Sure, they still ignore me, but now that he's back, maybe things will smooth over. Deep down, I miss them-especially Ro. He won't even look at me.
A text pings.
JJ: Hey Ivy baby, running a little late. Save me a seat pls. Psst... ily.
Ugh, he's always late.
I flip open my book, trying to ignore the growing anticipation in my chest. The teacher walks in, pulling the class to attention.
"Good morning, class. We'll be having another new transfer student today. Though, I suppose he's late again. Old habits die hard."
Before I can say anything, the door swings open.
There he is. As fine as ever.
With a confident smirk, he struts in like he owns the place. "Hi, Miss Whitmore. Miss me?"
A few snickers ripple through the room.
The teacher sighs. "Mr. Everett, please reintroduce yourself."
Julian throws her a wink. "Hi, Eleanor. Still as stiff as I remember."
Gasps. A few muffled laughs.
"Hi, guys. I'm Julian J. Everett, but you can call me Jules. And Daphne calls me JJ."
He winks in my direction, and I can't help but "Laughter bubbles out of me before I can stop it. God, I missed him. The way he winks, the dramatic hand gestures, the sheer confidence in his voice-it's so unapologetically Julian."
Then, from behind me, Roman's voice cuts through the moment. "Can I call you mine?"
Silence.
Julian's smile falters-just for a second. A soft blush creeps onto his cheeks, but he ignores Ro completely.
"Mr. Lyr, behave yourself."
The tension cracks as a few students chuckle.
Miss Whitmore sighs. "Mr. Everett, please take your seat. And please-never again call me by my first name."
"Class, be quiet while I step out for a while," the teacher announces before leaving.
The moment she's gone, JJ turns to me with the biggest grin, sliding into the seat beside me. Without hesitation, I pull him into a hug, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. I missed him. My best friend. Technically, my only friend right now.
We barely get a moment to catch up before a voice from behind interrupts.
"So... you two a thing now?" Leon's voice is sharp, his expression unreadable, but there's something in his tone-something off.
Mason snickers. "Damn, so you guys are dating now? Should we start planning the wedding?"
I roll my eyes, but before I can say anything, JJ leans back with a smirk.
"Yep, she's my baby girl now. We're getting married next spring."
I burst out laughing while Roman scoffs, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Oh yeah, hilarious. I'm dying."
JJ's always had a way of pushing buttons, but for some reason, Leon isn't joining in this time. He looks... off. Quiet. Almost like-no, that can't be right. But before I can think too much about it, JJ nudges me and flashes a grin.
"Relax, guys, I'm just messing with you. Daphne's just my best friend-nothing more, nothing less. And besides," he pauses, glancing at the group, "I actually have something to announce later. I know you all missed me, so how about we skip a few lectures, hit the mall, and catch up? Just like old times?"
The second those words leave his mouth, the mood shifts.
"Nothing's like old times, JJ," Roman mutters.
JJ's smile fades instantly. "Nobody asked you, Roman. But yeah... I guess nothing between us will ever be the same."
Silence. Thick and heavy.
I sigh, standing up and grabbing my bag. "I'm out. You guys go ahead." My voice is steady, but my chest feels tight. "I already know what you're going to say."
JJ turns to me, frowning. "Come on, Ivy, please? I need you there." His damn puppy eyes.
(Ugh, those puppy eyes. If I hadn't fallen for Leon, I swear I'd have a thing for him.)
I hesitate but then shake my head and take back my seat. "Fine, I'll think about it. You know I always fall for your puppy eyes trick, annoying little man."
JJ beams in victory, and despite everything, I can't help but smile back.
Leon scoffs and is about to say something when-
Ms. Whitmore enters the room. "Alright, class, silence. Open your books to page one."
Before anyone can move, JJ interrupts. "Hey, Ms., it's your favorite student's first day. Can we skip the lesson and let me catch up with my old pals?"
Mason groans dramatically while the rest of the class erupts.
"FREE PERIOD! FREE PERIOD!"
I can't help but laugh.
"Silence, class!" Ms. Whitmore snaps.
She turns to JJ, unimpressed. "Mr. Everett, raise your hand before interrupting my class. And behave yourself-you're already a week late and have plenty to catch up on."
Then, she looks at me. "Daphne, please help Mr. Everett."
I blink, completely caught off guard. "Uh-what?"
Ms. Whitmore sighs. "Help Mr. Everett catch up."
"Oh. Right. Yeah. Sure," I mumble, still dazed.
I can feel JJ smirking beside me, fully enjoying my moment of confusion.
Leon scoffs, about to say something, but before he can, the door swings open.
Ms. Whitmore strides in, heels clicking sharply against the floor.
"Alright, class, settle down. Open your books to page-"
Julian throws his hand up dramatically. "Hey, Ms. It's your favorite student's first day! Can we just-oh, I don't know-skip the whole learning thing and let me catch up with my old pals?"
A beat of silence.
Then-
Mason hurls his pen in the air. "FREE PERIOD!"
The class erupts.
"FREE PERIOD! FREE PERIOD!"
I can't help it. I burst out laughing.
Ms. Whitmore pinches the bridge of her nose, muttering something about early retirement. Then, she slowly turns to Julian, fixing him with a look.
"Mr. Everett, I should assign you detention for interrupting my class. But given your chronic inability to stay quiet, we'd just be here every day, wouldn't we?"
Julian grins, completely unfazed. "Exactly, Eleanor. No point in fighting fate."
Ms. Whitmore glares. "That's Ms. Whitmore to you, and I swear, one day I will punish you."
Julian winks. "Kinky, but okay."
A few gasps. Someone chokes.
I slap a hand over my mouth, but the laugh escapes anyway.
Ms. Whitmore inhales sharply, eyes dark with the weight of all her regrets. "I truly should have expelled you when I had the chance."
Then, her attention snaps to me. "Daphne, since you seem so amused, you can help Mr. Everett catch up."
It takes me a second to register what she said because-well, I was still recovering from Julian's audacity.
I blink, completely dazed. "Wait-what?"
Ms. Whitmore gives me a pointed look. "You heard me. You'll be tutoring him."
Julian leans closer, resting his chin on my shoulder. "See, Ivy? You're stuck with me forever."
I roll my eyes, shoving him off.
Leon exhales sharply from across the room. "God help us all."
Class drags on, and I can barely keep my eyes open. I didn't sleep much last night-not that I've been sleeping well since I got back.
My head grows heavy, the professor's voice fading into background noise.
Eventually, I give in.
I rest my cheek against my palm, letting my eyelids flutter shut.
Leon's POV
Shit.
For a second, my heart stopped when Julian joked about marrying her.
I know JJ. He loves messing around. But after they left together, I couldn't help but wonder-was there actually something between them?
The thought made me sick.
They've always been close. Always had their little inside jokes, their stupid nicknames. And yeah, I was her best friend too, but it was different with him.
It always made me jealous.
And I hated that.
But the moment JJ laughed and said they were just friends, I felt it-relief.
"If she knew how much I loved her... would things be different?"
JJ said he has something to announce. God, if he turns around and says, "Hey guys, I was joking about the marriage thing, but we are dating," I might actually lose my mind.
More than anything, though, I just... miss her. I miss how things used to be. I miss when we were kids and there wasn't all this distance, all this unspoken shit between us.
And I know she misses us too. She wants to talk to us. It's written all over her face.
But her pride-our pride-won't let it happen.
Still, she hurt us. And she needs to know that.
I glance over at her, only to find her-
Fast asleep.
My lips twitch.
She looks so... peaceful.
Cute, even.
The way her head tilts slightly, the way her lashes rest against her cheeks-adorable.
The way she's drooling-
I barely stop myself from laughing.
God, she's a mess. And yet, I still want to kiss her.
And that realization alone?
It scares the hell out of me.
Daphne's POV
The bell rings, and before the sound even fades, JJ practically jumps out of his seat.
"Come on, guys! Lunchtime!" he exclaims, his excitement barely masking the nervous energy beneath it. That alone makes me curious-what is he so eager to tell us?
Ms. Whitmore sighs, rubbing her temples. "Mr. Everett, class is over when I say it's over. Please behave yourself."
JJ gives her his signature innocent grin.
"And Daphne-nap time's over. Get up."
I blink awake, groggy and confused, as laughter ripples through the room.
JJ leans down, nudging my arm. "Rise and shine, princess. Time for lunch."
I groan, stretching. "You're way too excited for someone who just got back."
"Maybe." He winks. "But you'll want to hear what I have to say."
Now that gets my attention.
Ms. Whitmore claps her hands. "Alright, class dismissed! And you-" she points at us, "-Chaos 8, I want all of you back after lunch. All your lectures. No skipping just because JJ's back."
JJ smirks, looking way too pleased with himself. "Wouldn't dream of it, Eleanor."
Ms. Whitmore shoots him a glare. "Mr. Everett."