THE DAY I WOKE UP

CASSY GETS POISONED

As soon as I said those words, regret flooded in like a tidal wave. Yes, I like her. But if she doesn't feel the same, I have my self-respect. That's why I made up the Amelia part. I'm desperate to move on. I don't want her in my thoughts anymore. I want peace. But no matter how hard I try, she's always there, haunting my thoughts and even my dreams. I can't even sleep peacefully anymore, all because I've realized I have feelings for her. Yet, what's the point? She's already taken, and I should be content knowing she's happy. That's what I should focus on...

She appeared briefly taken aback by my words, her cold demeanor softening for a fleeting moment before she regained her composure and snapped, "Why are you still standing there staring at us like a creep? Just leave already!"

"Yeah, go find your girlfriend and stay away from mine," I retorted sharply.

Approaching Jacob quietly, I whispered so only he could hear, "Don't you dare make her cry."

With that, I turned and walked back down the stairwell. Each step weighed heavily with a mix of confusion and sadness. Why did her words sting so much when I barely knew her? Why did I feel this urge to protect her, even after being rejected so harshly? There was something unsettling about Jacob, but what right did I have to interfere? She seemed to resent me deeply, though I couldn't understand why. I had only ever tried to help. Did she think I had ulterior motives? And why did she believe him over me? Why not me?

Frustration boiled over, and I yelled in anger, kicking the wall as I walked down the hallway. I vowed then never to involve myself with her again. Maybe she wasn't as special as I had thought. Perhaps she was just like all the others—a mean, rude girl full of herself. Maybe I was the one who misunderstood everything. What had I expected, after all? She was just another one of those girls. I needed to erase her from my mind.

I searched everywhere for Victor but couldn't find him. When I called, his phone went straight to voicemail. What was going on with him?

~PRESENT~

JULIAN'S POV:

I snapped back to reality when Gina waved her hands in front of my face, clearly preparing to slap me. Just in time, I caught her hand and exclaimed, "What?! What happened? Why are you hitting me?"

She burst into laughter, joined by Ricardo, and eventually managed to compose herself enough to explain.

"No, Ju, you... just now you zoned out so hard you didn't even hear us shouting your name a million times, and the expression on your face—"

She broke into laughter again, unable to contain herself. I wasn't sure what I had done to amuse her so much, but I felt glad I did. It seemed like she hadn't laughed like that in ages.

"The expression you made when you said 'what??' was hilariously priceless, man."

"No! It wasn't funny, it was overloaded with 'Julian cuteness,'" she teased.

I blinked, feeling a mix of embarrassment and joy at Gina's comment.

"Sorry, I was lost in thought. I didn't hear what you guys were saying."

"What were you thinking about so seriously that you forgot the world around you?" Ricardo asked.

"I was thinking about you," I replied.

Ricardo almost choked on his drink, and Gina, clearly caught off guard by my answer, looked like she was trying to process it. She blinked rapidly, turned away, and pretended to sip water, her face as red as a tomato. I chuckled at her reaction.

After recovering from her embarrassment, Gina scolded me, "Ju!! You can't just say things like that out of the blue!"

"They're not random; they're specially reserved for my wifey," I said with a grin.