"Where did you say you found the bracelet?" I asked Juliet.
At lunch hour, she was already waiting in my homeroom. She looked way too excited—almost glowing. Why was she so hyped about lunch today?
"So, it's lunch time," she said as we walked to the cafeteria.
"Huhn?" I pretended not to notice, acting innocent.
She stared at me with that death glare. If looks could kill, I'd have been six feet under.
"Yes," I said quickly. "But what about we get food first?"
We grabbed our trays, settled at our usual table, and before I could even sit—
"Now spill."
Juliet and Julius said it in unison, Julius mocking her tone, grinning, until Juliet's sharp glare nearly sliced him in half. He shut up fast.
"I'm serious," Julius added quickly.
"You better start talking while there are still only four of us here," Juliet warned, eyes narrowing like a detective. "Confess before my colleagues who break fingers arrive."
I rolled my eyes. "Okay, fine. But listen fast. Yesterday, I went for a run. Bumped into Desmond, turned back, got carried away, almost died thanks to street racers—but Raymond saved me. He walked me home. I lost my bracelet in the mess, went back to find it, bumped into him again, and he gave me a ride to school. Hence, the big drama this morning. Full details later at home."
The boys stared, mouths open. Juliet… oddly calm. Which meant—she already knew something.
"You almost got into an accident?" Julius asked, his voice filled with worry.
"I'm fine," I assured him quickly.
"Not even a scratch." I paused, suddenly realizing I hadn't even checked if Raymond got hurt yesterday when I fell on him. Ugh.
"So you almost died, and you didn't tell us?" Juliet's voice was low, almost angry.
"I was going to! But not during lunch in the middle of the cafeteria. Yesterday, I wasn't in the mood. This morning was too rushed. I was saving it for later at home."
Juliet inhaled, then sighed. "Thank God you're safe. We'll thank Raymond when we see him."
"Not today," I muttered.
"Why not?" Julius asked.
"Because I told him if I saw his face today, I'd punch it. He pulled a stunt this morning."
"Hmmm…" Juliet and Matt hummed at the same time, clearly not buying my excuse.
Then Juliet leaned forward. "You said you bumped into Desmond yesterday?"
I nodded.
"Interesting," she muttered. "Because I ran into him too. At the tennis club room."
"Wait," I frowned. "Then why did I see Raymond walking out of that same room this morning?"
Another suspicious "hmmm" from Juliet. Classic Juliet—putting puzzle pieces together in that scary brain of hers.
Before she could press further, Julius cut in. "So what about your bracelet?"
"I don't know yet. But I'll find it. Raymond promised to help."
"Are you really going out with Raymond?" one of the girls who had just joined our table blurted.
We all turned and stared at her. Seriously? Life and death on the table and that's all she heard? She shrank back to her food.
"Don't worry, we'll help you too," Julius said, smiling at me. "We'll split up and check all the places you went. We'll find it."
"Thanks." I smiled back, warmth flooding through me.
"And next time, don't get lost daydreaming in the middle of the road," he scolded.
"Wait, what? That's Juliet's job!" I shot back, laughing. "Yes, Captain."
The tension finally broke. We teased, laughed, and for the first time since yesterday—I actually felt lighter.
Then Juliet casually pulled something out of her pocket and set it on the table.
My bracelet.
Except… not exactly.
I gasped, snatching it up. The "Juliana" design was intact, but the black woven leather had changed. Now, it had a sleek gold strand woven through it, complimenting the golden letters. Even the clasp was different—gold on one side, black on the other, and when closed, the name "Juliana" gleamed perfectly: Juli shining in gold against black, ana glowing gold against the dark side.
My heart flipped.
"Where did you say you found this bracelet?" I whispered.
"Somewhere private," Juliet said smoothly, dodging my eyes. "Do you like it?"
"I love it!" I squealed. "But… when did you have time to do all this?"
"I didn't. Someone else did."
My eyes narrowed. "Who?"
"I can't tell. He said not to."
"He?!" Julius smirked, and Juliet shot to her feet, tray in hand, escaping before I could pin her down.
I scrambled after her. "Is it Raymond?"
Juliet smirked faintly. "Maybe one of your secret admirers."
"Juliet!" I groaned.
"It's not Raymond," Julius said firmly.
Matt squinted. "You know who it is?"
"No. But I know Juliet and Juliana. Which means I'm 80% sure. And no, it's not some secret admirer."
"Who then?" I demanded.
"Don't. Say. A word," Juliet threatened.
Julius raised his hands. "Nope. Not trying to die."
"Traitors! This is betrayal!" I glared. "Best friends aren't supposed to keep secrets!"
Juliet only smiled, blowing me a kiss. "You'll find out soon. And it'll be beautiful."
"I hate surprises," I groaned.
"You love surprises," she teased. "And you taught us suspense-with-a-twist is classic."
Julius joined in, both of them saying in unison, "Suspense with a twist? Classic."
They were using my own words against me.
"Oh no," I groaned, dragging out the sound as my friends laughed.
Fine. If they weren't going to tell me, I'd just find out myself.
I'll ask Raymond.
And when he cracks, I'll know.
At the end of the day, Juliet, Matt, and I were waiting outside for Julius when he finally showed up—with Raymond at his side.
"Hi," Raymond said, grinning.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
"I'm walking with my classmate." He slung an arm around Julius's neck like they were old buddies. Only then did I remember—they were classmates.
"You get cozy with people too quickly, don't you?" I said dryly.
He laughed, ready to brag, but before the words could leave his mouth, my fist met his cheek—light enough not to cause damage, but sharp enough to sting.
"Ouuch!" he groaned, holding his face. Julius burst out laughing, while Juliet tried to hide her smile.
"Why did you do that?!" Raymond groaned again.
"I told you if you ever showed up in my face again, I'd punch you."
"I thought you forgot since Julius came to meet me!" he said, looking at Julius for backup.
"I didn't say she wouldn't punch you," Julius said flatly. "I only said it was fine if you told me."
"Isn't that the same thing?!" Raymond protested.
"Nope. The sting on your face should've already told you otherwise." Julius's expression didn't even twitch.
"Sorry," Juliet said with a little smile. "That's just Julius."
"Since you said it, I'll let it slide." Raymond winked at her, making Julius and me roll our eyes at the same time.
"We didn't invite you here to get beaten," Juliet explained gently. "We just wanted to thank you for saving our friend."
"I'm glad I could." He gave a fake little frown, then added, "Now I get to see her pretty face frowning at me every time I talk."
I folded my arms. "I was going to ask if you got hurt yesterday, but clearly, you're perfectly fine." I started walking off.
"You see what I mean?" he called after the others.
A moment later, he caught up. "Why don't you ride with me?"
I spun on my heel, silently signaling a big fat NO. But, of course, my so-called friends betrayed me, pushing me straight into the passenger seat. We all ended up riding back with him to the dorm.
On the way, I asked, "Were you the one who found my bracelet?"
His eyes widened. "You already found it?" He sounded surprised—and for some reason, I believed him. He didn't seem like the type to sneak around secretly doing things.
When I explained that my friends hadn't wanted to tell me who it was, he gave a long "hmmm." What was it with people and that sound today?
"So you can just show up in front of my room unannounced and annoy me? No, thank you," I said firmly when he asked if he could come upstairs.
He looked at Julius, then at Matt. Juliet and I both turned to them too.
"Yeah… no thank you," they both said in perfect unison.
"And if you so much as ask someone for our room number, I'll break your legs," I added as we entered the dorm compound.
Raymond only rubbed the back of his head with a crooked smile, looking crazy handsome.
You can't think every Diamond boy is handsome, I told myself, slapping that thought away internally.
—----
Raymond didn't stop at his dorm building. Instead, he drove past it, circling around until he reached the spot where the accident had happened. He wasn't even sure why—maybe just testing his luck. And he was lucky.
There Desmond was, crouched low like some forensic investigator, inspecting the faint marks the tires had left on the asphalt.
"I guess she wouldn't suspect you since you're always fighting," Raymond said casually, stepping closer. "But I do. I saw you last night."
Desmond didn't even spare him a glance.
Raymond smirked. "Doing things secretly… that was always my best friend's style. But now that she's caught your attention, she's caught mine too. So, tell me—what are we going to do about that, best friend?"
Desmond finally stood, his face carved in ice, eyes bored. He walked past Raymond toward his bike without a word.
"What if I ask Juliana to be my girlfriend?" Raymond's voice carried after him, laced with mischief.
Desmond paused, turning his head slightly. His voice was cold, sharp. "We are not friends for this to be gist. And I'm not your father for you to report to me. In other words—I don't care."
Raymond's grin widened. "Redesigning her bracelet is a lot of effort for someone who doesn't care."
"I do what I want with my money," Desmond replied flatly, already turning away again.
"If you keep this up, Ice Prince, every one of your girls will end up in my arms. You remember last time," Raymond said, deliberately pushing.
Desmond paused mid-step, his back still to him. A low scoff escaped his lips. "Since you can't live without me, maybe I should find a place without your shadow." He swung a leg over his bike and gunned the engine, leaving Raymond behind.
Raymond chuckled to himself, shaking his head. Not many people could break through Desmond's icy walls—but he could. He always could.
Back then, when they were friends, Desmond had been more cheerful, even if he was still the Ice Prince of their group. Raymond was the sunshine—cheerful, loud, playful, a shameless flirt. Edmond was the balance, cool and athletic, steady between them. Girls had always been drawn to Desmond's cold aura, fascinated by the mystery, even college girls whenever they went out together. He barely spoke, but that was part of the charm.
And yet, with Raymond, he had been different—lighter, chatty, even open with Laura and Edmond. Until the incident that tore them apart, pulling him back into the frozen shell he wore now.
But Raymond still broke through sometimes. He knew Desmond too well. Knew the secrets he guarded.
And now, he knew something else too—Desmond felt connected to Juliana.
But,why? He doesn't even know her.
That damn instinct that made them friends in the first place.
He turned slowly toward his car, straightening his shoulders, eyes narrowing with intent. "If she can reach you where no one else can… then she's not just a girl. She's a leverage. A weakness."
"I don't need to win her heart," he continued in a murmur, "I just need her close enough to rattle you. Close enough to remind you that no matter how far you run, I can always touch what you're trying to protect."
His grin returned, sharper now. "You taught me the game, Desmond. And no amount of defense you build. I'll be the one to burn them down—brick by brick—and I'll use her flame to do it."
With that, he shoved his hands in his pockets, strolling away from the scene to his car and drove off.