Raymond was the first to notice Julie as she entered the classroom.
"Julie!" Nicole called out.
Julie smiled softly at them. Raymond let out a quiet sigh, pretending to act casual.
"Good morning," she greeted.
Without warning, Raymond flicked her forehead.
"Ow!" Julie winced. "What was that for?"
"Nothing," he replied. "I just felt like doing it."
"Is that how you cheer someone up?" Joel asked, shaking his head.
"Huh? Cheer up?" Raymond shrugged. "She's always smiling anyway."
Joel sighed, unimpressed.
"M–Melissa," Julie suddenly said, standing up. "S–Sorry."
Melissa froze. "N–No! It's not your fault, Julie. I should be the one apologizing. I'm really, really sorry." She reached out and gently held Julie's hand.
Julie shook her head. "No, Melissa. I should be the one apologizing—to all of you." Her voice trembled as she bit her lip.
Raymond saw it clearly—the fragile Julie, still haunted by her younger self.
"Raymond…" she whispered, then looked at the others. "Joel, Nicky, Melissa… I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry." Quiet sobs escaped her.
Gabriel, watching nearby, didn't interrupt. He simply let her speak.
Raymond sighed, stood up, and walked toward her. Then—bonk—he lightly smacked the top of her head.
"R–Raymond!" Melissa gasped.
"It's not your fault, silly," Raymond said gently. "It was just your brain reacting to what you went through."
Julie rubbed her head but didn't protest.
"It's okay to cry. It's okay to be scared. It's okay to feel small because of your past," he continued. "What really hurt was that you turned your back on us. That part stung, Julie."
He wiped her tears roughly.
"So stop crying already. All you had to do was call us. We would've listened—no matter how much you whined."
Then he pulled her into a hug.
Joel ruffled her hair. "It was a misunderstanding. You read our reactions the wrong way. We were terrified when we couldn't find you."
Julie nodded. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
Raymond sighed in relief. "Good. Because if not, Cielo would've scolded us again," he muttered. "Good thing he stayed calm when I told him what happened."
Nicole chuckled softly. "Yeah. We were really scared."
"S–Sorry," Julie said again.
"It's okay," Raymond replied. "You accepted all our flaws without judging us. You embraced us as we are. So let us do the same for you." He smiled faintly. "We accept you, Julie. All of you. So come back to us, okay?"
Julie wiped her tears. When her breathing finally steadied, she smiled—soft, but genuine.
"There," Raymond grinned. "That smile's back."
Just then, Cielo walked in and leaned close to her ear. "So early in the morning, and you're already crying again."
Julie pouted. Melissa and Nicole immediately wrapped her in a tight hug.
Joel laughed. "Hey, Julie, you should hear this."
He grinned. "You were really cute when you were little, right, Nicky?"
Nicole nodded eagerly. "Yep! If Kelly had seen you back then, she would've hugged and kissed you nonstop!"
Melissa laughed. "True! We always got squished because Sis Kelly couldn't resist cheeks like that."
Julie laughed too—lighter, freer.
Gabriel smiled faintly. "How do you feel now, Julie?"
"I feel… lighter," she admitted. "And I appreciate Raymond—even if he's terrible at cheering people up."
"That's good," Gabriel said. "When you're ready, you can tell them everything."
Julie nodded. "I will… but help me, okay?"
Gabriel sighed. "Alright. But just so you know—Caden's mad."
Julie groaned. "Yeah… I know."
"Julie," Jason called from the doorway.
"We heard what happened," Kenneth added.
"T–Thank you," Julie said softly.
Raymond watched her smile—the real one—and finally relaxed.
We were so worried yesterday, he thought. Those girls… how could they do that to her?
Joel tapped his shoulder.
Julie was laughing again, the fear gone from her eyes.
"My instincts are kicking in," Raymond muttered.
"Huh?" Kenneth asked.
"She's going to face her fears again," Raymond said quietly. "I can feel it."
Kenneth nodded. "Think they'll use that picture again?"
"Yeah," Raymond replied. "But this time, she won't be alone."
Gabriel exhaled. "I'm really glad she met you guys."
Cielo smiled. "We're glad we met her too. Especially me—my childhood friend… and my girlfriend."
Raymond rolled his eyes.
As Dawn's group passed by, Raymond's gaze sharpened.
They're planning something, he thought.But this time… let's see how it ends.