Chapter Two: Dancing with the stars
Juliana's POV
After the earlier chaos, my day snaps back into focus. I meet up with the art class for final rehearsals—sound check, light check, the works. And just like that, the party begins.
Students and parents start arriving. Some stayed back after school, others went home to glam up. I changed in the school dressing room; so did Juliet. The backstage girls help with quick makeup. Julius? Missing in action—probably with the guys.
"Let's hit the red carpet before I get stuck backstage," I say, pulling Juliet along.
"Where's Julius?" she asks.
"Either with the boys or flashing smiles at someone's daughter," I shrug.
Excited voices and compliments fill the air as students hype each other up:
> "You look amazing!" "Where'd you get those shoes?" "That dress is fire!"
It's lively, sparkly chaos. Jane's already there in blue. I'm in black—my favorite. Juliet's in white. We're a trio of contrast.
Then, loud gasps echo. Definitely not for us. I glance back—oh wow.
The basketball team arrives like a scene from a movie. Julius leads the pack, draped in a long black blazer and white fur, serving serious alpha wolf energy. The rest of the team is in coordinated black and white, with fur accessories.
They're owning the name White Wolves today.
"Daren and Austin even dyed their hair?" I say.
"Hair strands, not dye," Juliet corrects. "We saw them this morning. Daren's mom would end him if he did."
"You genius," I grin, giving her a thumbs up.
The boys reach us.
"Whose idea?" I ask.
"Who else? Me." Daren beams.
"Collective," Austin says with a wink.
"You dyed your hair?" I tease.
"What can I say," Daren shrugs. "Gotta serve looks."
"Y'all ready to eat this carpet up?" I smirk.
"You two are killing it too," Austin says.
"It's giving fairy and the devil," Daren adds, eyeing me.
I playfully glare at him.
Daren drags Austin to the carpet. Julius stays.
We look at each other.
"Boy—" I start.
"Girl—" he echoes.
"You're fire," we say in unison.
Juliet watches, unimpressed by our usual craziness.
"How many girls you broke today?" I ask.
He grins. "How many boys passed out when you walked in?"
He takes my hand, gives a dramatic bow, does the same for Juliet.
"Stop flirting with us," I laugh, shoving him toward the red carpet.
We take our pictures—solo, duo, group—then Juliet and I head backstage, leaving Julius to the eager crowd, Jane included.
Juliana's POV
We perform an epic musical drama: The Queen and the Commander.
The story? A dying king prepares to crown his only daughter as queen. But powerful enemies plot in the shadows. They hire a deadly assassin to eliminate the king... and the princess.
The twist? The assassin is the princess's secret twin—trained from birth to protect the royal bloodline. Raised in the shadows, the first sis was meant to be both Queen and Commander.
I play the assassin.
There are fight scenes, tears, laughter, and triumph. It's powerful, and the audience is completely locked in.
As the drama unfolds, more guests filter in. And then—I spot him. A guy standing at the back of the crowd. I can't see his face clearly, but his red hair and black leather jacket stand out like a spotlight in a blackout.
We end with the queen's coronation. Our cast takes a bow.
Applause thunders.
But he doesn't clap—he just stares.
Is he looking at me?
I blink the thought away.
Backstage, I dash to change.
"Lily, you got my clothes?"
"Here," she says, handing them over as I yank off my costume and hurry into the girls' dressing room.
I'm up for a solo performance next—this time with the school's dance elite, The Moon Steppers. They performed earlier without me because of the drama.
Now it's our final act.
Lily touches up my makeup while I warm up, my mouth making soft vocal sounds.
"You got this, Jul," she says with a proud smile.
The way these people believe in me... it makes me want to give everything I've got. I smile back, heart pounding.
Then the MC takes the stage.
> "Are you ready to be blown away?"
Cheers rise.
> "For our final performance... You know who she is, Starry High—you know who she is..."
Oh God. This MC is going to get me in trouble.
> "Give it up for Juliana and The Moon Steppers!"
The crowd erupts. We run onstage.
"Are you ready?" I shout into the mic.
The beat drops—we start dancing.
Then it slows. I step forward and sing:
🎵 It's a little bit scary
A little bit unassuring
A bit of freezing and of staring
We don't know what the future is holding
But we're here seeing it unfolding.🎵
Bridge:
🎵🎵
My friends are cheering
My guys believing
So I'll keep going
My angel is guarding
The beat rises again—we dance harder, faster, freer.
Chorus:
🎶🎵🎶
He's watching, my guardian angel
He's leading, my guardian angel
Protecting, my guardian—
He's my guardian angel.
The crowd is on fire.
And there he is again—red hair, black jacket, still watching.
I hit the final note strong and clean. The music cuts. Silence.
Then—
> "Jul dance with the Stars!"
"Jul dance with the Stars!"
The crowd chants.
The beat switches up—high energy. We go all in.
And on the final beat, we all collapse in a choreographed drop.
The audience explodes. Screams. Cheers. Flashing lights. Darren is blowing kisses from his seat, Juliet and Julius are on their feet clapping and already moving backstage.
I breathe in, eyes scanning—
And land on him again.
The redhead.
He's giving a slow, deliberate clap.
Something about that stare—
> If you're cold ice... I'm global warming.
I smirk as we rise for our final bow.
And exit the stage.
Juliet's POV
The crowd erupts with cheers. Julius whistles beside me.
Juliana lights up the stage every time she gets on it. She's like the sun in the solar system—like she's really dancing with the Stars.
"She out did herself," Julius comments.
"She always does," I reply with a smile.
We head backstage.
Juliana's POV
Backstage, I'm seated, catching my breath. The guys are chattering.
🎶 "This girl is on fire… this girl is on fire…" 🎶
I hear Julius sing-talk as he and Juliet walk in.
"Girl, you were fantabulous. That was a bomb," Juliet says, hugging me tightly.
"You guys were amazing up there," she adds, turning to the others.
"BTS," Julius quips.
"Behind the scenes?" I raise an eyebrow.
"Burn The Stage. You're burning the stage, girl."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," I say, still panting a little.
"Yeah… did you see the boy with red hair?" I ask.
"Who could see anybody else when you were shining on that stage?" Julius replies.
"I'm serious," I insist.
"We didn't," Juliet answers. "He's right."
"But why?" she asks, curious now.
"Nothing," I shrug, trying to play it off.
"Huh-uhhh…" They both drag the sound in unison.
"Do not even—"
The MC's voice cuts in, calling the principal to the stage.
"…And now, a special announcement."
Red-Haired Boy's POV
They were already halfway through the play when I arrived.
There were two girls in the lead, but she stood out. She played a female warrior—maybe that's what made it so magnetic. Strong. Unbothered.
The play ends. The crowd cheers. I just stare. I'm not really in the mood for clapping.
The MC announces the next performance, and suddenly the crowd is electric. The students are practically losing their minds.
"Give it up for Juliana and the Moonsteppers!"
Moonsteppers? What kind of name is that? And what's with all the hype? I'm not impressed.
They run to the stage. She's changed—different costume. Confident. Commanding.
Juliana. So that's her name.
I say it under my breath.
The performance ends. The crowd explodes. My hands move on their own. I'm clapping before I realize it.
I admit it.
She's good.
And then, the principal walks up.
Something about a special announcement…
Juliana's POV
The Announcement
The principal walks back on stage, smiling like he's holding back a secret.
"Once again, thank you all for the energy and support today. Before we end this beautiful evening, we have a special guest with an exciting opportunity for our students."
He clears his throat and gestures toward the side of the stage.
"Please welcome Mr. Daleb, a representative from the prestigious Diamond College."
The name alone sends a ripple through the crowd. Some students gasp. A few even start whispering. I see Juliet straighten beside me like someone just rang a mental bell.
A tall man steps up—clean suit, polished shoes, confidence practically dripping off him. I cross my arms.
Why is he even here? I murmur under my breath.
"I think they pick a different school every year to make the announcement," Juliet whispers back without looking at me, eyes fixed on Mr. Daleb.
Mr. Daleb speaks smoothly, like he's used to being listened to.
"For the third year running, Diamond College will be awarding full-ride scholarships to ten of the most outstanding students from across the country," he says, voice booming. "This initiative is part of our commitment to discovering brilliance beyond privilege."
Of course, I think. Always sounds noble when they say it like that.
He continues, listing benefits—state-of-the-art labs, international exchange programs, personal mentors, performance theaters, tech incubators, Olympic-level sports facilities... you'd think heaven opened a branch on Earth.
Julius nudges me. "We're doing this."
"Yeah, right," I mutter, folding my arms tighter.
"Come on, Jul. It's Diamond," he insists.
"I know. That's the point." I glance at him. "Isn't this just a way to collect the best students so no one else gets them? Package it like a gift when it's really just strategy."
"It's not that bad," Juliet says gently. "Sure, maybe they benefit—but so do we. They have the best libraries, sports arenas, business centers… and their art wing, Jul." Her voice lifts with quiet passion. "It's a dream."
"If we're doing this," she adds, turning to me seriously, "we're doing it together."
Julius grins, already hyped. "Just imagine it: 'The Julies' carved into Diamond's legacy."
Juliet rolls her eyes. "You mean your name carved into the hearts of half the girls."
I chuckle despite myself. "That sounds more accurate."
"Yeah, yeah, I heard you," I say finally, exhaling. "I'll take the exam."
Juliet's eyes light up. Julius throws a fist in the air like we just won something.
"But," I add, "it'll take a miracle for all of us to get in—especially me."
"Trust me," Juliet says, reaching out and squeezing my arm. "You're going to do great."
"We'll study together," Julius adds. "Operation: Julies to Diamond."
I smile faintly, warmed by them, even as I try not to show it too much.
By the time we finish plotting our next moves, the announcement is over. Mr. Daleb is gone, already swept out with the rest of the VIPs.
And when I glance toward the back—where the red-haired boy was standing—he's vanished too.
Juliet's POV
And just like that, the year ended.
We registered for the Diamond College test. And yes—we studied. A lot. Switching between each other's houses became our little system. My mom started calling us "the Julies Study Club."
But it wasn't all equations and textbooks. It was the holidays, after all. We made space for life too—parks, movies, class hangouts, spontaneous picnics. We even had a family camp-out where Julius tried (and failed) to grill marshmallows without burning them to charcoal.
Two days to the exam.
We were walking through the park one cool evening. I was running a mock test with Juliana—she was doing surprisingly well, even though she kept saying she'd "just try."
We spotted an empty bench and were about to sit down when Julius jumped onto it like a stage and threw his arms dramatically into the air.
"Diamond, wait! Your prince is coming!" he shouted loud enough for birds to fly off nearby trees.
We both stopped and stared at him—long, deadpan stares.
"You're really obsessed with Diamond," Juliana said, unimpressed.
"And being a prince," I added.
Juliana sighed like she was genuinely reevaluating her life.
"When did I become friends with this boy?" she muttered.
"The day you set eyes on me, baby. You know I'm irresistible," Julius replied with a wink.
We didn't even argue. Juliana was already stressed about the exam, and honestly, Julius being ridiculous was better than both of us being anxious.
"So, shall we continue, Prince Charming?" I said with a smirk.
"Yes, my lady," he replied with a bow.
Then came the exam. And went.
And now, we waited, hoping for the best.
Juliana's POV
Even though we sat for the Diamond College exam, we also applied to other schools for 11th grade—just in case.
I still don't understand why Starry High didn't offer 11th and 12th grade. It's like they raised us halfway, then kicked us out the nest.
Two weeks before resumption.
The results were out. Pasted on the school board for all to see.
We were on our way to check them, and I could feel the tension pressing against my ribs. No one spoke about the results. Not directly. Julius tried distracting us by rambling about random stuff—something about his new sneakers being good luck charms.
But we all knew.
When we reached the board, we stood still for a moment before walking closer.
Top ten students across the country. Only ten.
Juliet Adams.
I smiled immediately. Of course, she made it. She's a genius. Quiet, focused, and terrifying during exams.
Julius Lakes.
A school basketball captain and brilliant? I rolled my eyes slightly. Of course Julius made it too. He may play around, but his brain works overtime when it counts.
Regina Camps.
My eyes scanned up and down again. Once. Twice.
Nothing.
No Juliana Johnson.
I didn't make it.
I didn't even enter.
Since my friends are there I hope, I really hope but nothing.
May be is not meant to be.
I'm not meant to be there.....