“Yo, Jules!” Juleka looked up from her locker and saw her best friends already rushing to her. She smiled shyly, braving her as they came straight at her, dogpiling her in a hug. Now in the middle of a very affectionate group hug between her band members, she giggled.
“You don’t have to hug me every time...” She mumbled shyly.
“What are you talkin’ ‘bout, Julie? Of course we do!! You deserve love and affection, and we got it in spades!” Amy, a half-Chinese student with short black hair with a purple streak, black lipstick, and lots of piercings was grinning at her as she wrapped an arm protectively around her. She was damn good at the guitar, and was probably one of the girls Juleka was closest too. Amy was bombastic and didn’t tolerate injustice. The moment Juleka transferred out of Bustier’s, Amy had basically adopted her.
Juleka hummed happily and leaned into her.
“Plus, those stupid preps in your old class have been causing trouble again. We know that it’s probably difficult for you, so we want to make sure you get as much support as possible.” Ebony piped up. She was shorter than Juleka, quite pale, and could be very intimidating at times, but she was a good person at heart who cared heavily for the safety of her group. Even if Juleka was the newest member, she was no exception. Ebony was particularly disgusted at what Rose had done to Juleka, and did her best to build Juleka’s self esteem back up.
“Hmm... She’s right.” Resident Japanese keyboardist, Korekiyo, put a bandages finger to the place on their mask where their mouth would be. “They have been accepting butterflies more often than not.” He sighs, tugging on her skirt. “I wish my Mother could do something about this. Unfortunately, the principal of this school is very good at covering his tracks, and I don’t to transfer out.” They said, irritated.
Korekiyo was neither a girl or a boy, but they were still considered part of their all-girls group because they felt they were both male and female at the same time. They were very kind and reliable, though, and their mother had purchased a music studio they could practice in. Not only that, but she was happy to be their manager and get them gigs. Basically, Mme. Ludenberg was the best, and Kiyo was even better.
Still, Juleka gave them a tight hug to try and ease their worries. They held her in turn, stroking her hair.
The warning bell rung, and the girls (plus one genderfluid) sighed in frustration, splitting apart.
“Don’t worry, we’ll meet up for lunch! And then after school we have practice!” Any grinned. “You’re bringing Himiko, right, Kiyo?”
“That’s correct. Speaking of, I need to make sure she didn’t fall asleep in the middle of the hall or something. I’ll see you all at lunch.” Kiyo walked off elegantly.
“Bye.” Ebony waved. “I gotta go, too. If you need anything, text me or Kagami. I can get there faster, but Kagami has a sword. So weigh your options, I guess.” She started to walk away, apparently done with the conversation.
“Speaking of Kagami...” Amy’s grin was catlike. “You ready to train your girlfriend in the art of goth?”
Juleka blushes harshly. “I, well, I mean— She already said she wanted to join the band, so, uh—“ She couldn’t stop stammering.
Amy laughed at her, nudging her playfully. “Well she’s in your class now, so have fun making googoo eyes at her.”
Juleka’s face burned and she swatted at Amy, but she danced out of range of her attack, laughing all the way. “See you at lunch!” Amy calls, running to her classroom.
Juleka sighs fondly, and then grabs her stuff out of her locker, making her way to Mendeleiev’s classroom.
As she enters, she sees that class has not yet started, and most people are hanging out in their little groups. Kiyo is here, along with their girlfriend, Himiko. The two Japanese transfer students are in the back of the classroom, talking quietly about some reality show they both liked. Nathaniel and Marc are in the other back corner, busily working in their next comic. Juleka waves, and they wave back happily.
In the back center, she sees Marinette and her best friend, Chase. Chase is a good guy, who treats everyone with kindness unless they’re a bully. Juleka likes him, and is glad that Marinette has finally gotten over Adrien.
She smiles at Marinette, who beams at her. It’s nice, to see Marinette so stress-free. It makes Juleka happy, because Marinette really is a special friend to her. She goes to sit at her desk, pulling out her current drafts for songs and perusing them, seeing if she feels any sudden inspiration to continue them.
“Juleka-chan.” She hears from behind her, and feels her face redden. Behind her is Kagami, starting to wear darker clothes and accessories, as a result of all the time they’ve spent together lately. It makes Juleka immensely happy to see Kagami trying new things, and trying to come into her own. She knows about her past with her mother, and she wants to support her the best she can.
She leans her head back to look at her backwards, smiling shyly. “Gami.” She greets happily, giggling as Kagami steps closer, smiling warmly at her. Juleka sits back up as Kagami sits in the chair beside her. As usual, they scoot close together, their thighs pressed against each other.
“May I see what you’re working on?” Kagami asks, a bit timidly.
“Of course! Besides, maybe you can learn something. Have you figured out what instrument you want to try and play?” Juleka inquired.
“I’ve been thinking about it very deeply. I know you have the bass, Ebony has the drums, Kiyo has the synthesizer, Amy is the lead guitarist, and Himiko mixes the songs. So I was thinking, maybe that I could be the singer.”
Juleka beamed. “I think that’d be amazing.”
