Bad News | KOF

2. Cracks In The Facade

Monday morning arrived with a palpable tension in the air. As Julie walked into school, she could feel eyes on her, hear the whispers that followed in her wake. Her rejection of Travis had sent shockwaves through Westview High's social hierarchy.

Belle and Haneul flanked her protectively as they made their way to their lockers.

"Don't worry," Belle assured her. "We've got damage control covered. We'll just say you weren't feeling well that night."

Haneul nodded eagerly. "Yeah, and maybe you can talk to Travis today, smooth things over?"

Julie opened her mouth to agree, then hesitated. The thought of falling back into her predetermined role suddenly felt suffocating. "I... I don't know if that's what I want," she said quietly.

Her friends exchanged worried glances. "Julie," Haneul said gently, "are you okay? You've been acting strange lately."

Before Julie could respond, a commotion down the hall caught their attention. Natty had just arrived, her presence as disruptive as ever. As she passed by their group, her eyes locked with Julie's. There was a glimmer of something – respect? intrigue? – in that gaze that made Julie's heart race.

"Ugh, she is such bad news," Belle muttered. "I bet she's loving all this drama."

Julie felt a sudden urge to defend Natty, but bit her tongue. Instead, she said, "I need to get to class early. I'll catch up with you guys later."

As she hurried down the hall, Julie found herself following Natty. She wasn't sure what she was going to say, but she knew she needed to talk to her.

She caught up to Natty at her locker. "Hey," Julie said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Natty turned, surprise flickering across her face before her usual smirk settled in place. "Well, if it isn't the talk of the school. What can I do for you, princess?"

Julie glanced around, acutely aware of the stares they were attracting. "How did you get my number?" she asked.

Natty's smirk widened. "I have my ways. More importantly, why did you text back?"

Julie felt her cheeks flush. She hadn't even realized she had responded to Natty's message until now. "I... I don't know," she admitted.

Natty's expression softened slightly. "Sounds like you're doing a lot of things you don't understand lately."

Their eyes met, and Julie felt that now-familiar jolt of electricity. The warning bell rang, breaking the moment.

"I should go," Julie said, but made no move to leave.

Natty studied her for a moment, then pulled out a scrap of paper and scribbled something on it. "Here," she said, pressing the paper into Julie's hand. "In case you decide you want to figure it out."

As Natty walked away, Julie unfolded the paper. An address was scrawled there, along with the words "Tonight, 10 PM. If you dare."

Julie stood frozen in the emptying hallway, the paper clutched in her hand. She was standing on the edge of a precipice, and for the first time in her life, she was considering taking the leap.

The final bell rang, snapping her out of her reverie. As she hurried to class, Julie realized she had a decision to make. Would she stay in the safe, familiar world she'd always known? Or would she step into the unknown, drawn by the magnetic pull of a girl who challenged everything she thought she knew about herself?

As the clock struck 10 PM, Julie found herself standing on an unfamiliar street corner, her heart pounding. The address Natty had given her led to an old warehouse on the outskirts of town. Music pulsed from within, a deep bass that Julie could feel in her bones.