𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐒 𝐍 𝐉𝐄𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐒┃ 𝖨𝗌𝖺𝖺𝖼 𝖦𝖺𝗋𝖼𝗂𝖺 (𝗢𝗡 𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗗)

━ 𝟎𝟎𝟒

PEARLS N JEWELS
"He was pearls, she was jewels."

JULIANA AND JACKIE found themselves in an ice cream shop called Monty's with Grace and Skylar after missing the car ride at 3:30 sharp. Juliana began to question if they intentionally left without them, and the answer seemed to lean heavily toward "yes." Now, stuck with two people she barely knew, Grace and Skylar, Juliana felt a sense of unease.

Skylar was a familiar face from her AP English and Chemistry classes, but Grace had made a less-than-stellar impression. Upon entering the classroom, Grace failed to notice Juliana and Jackie and promptly started gossiping about the two cousins. While Jackie remained gracious, Juliana found the whole situation odd.

The school gossip mill worked at an astonishing speed, spreading news like a relentless virus. Before missing the car ride, Juliana and Jackie walked with Grace and Skylar.

Grace couldn't help but comment on how incredibly lucky the two cousins were to live with the Walter boys. Juliana, disinterested in the topic and more concerned about having a roof over her head, paid little attention to the conversation.

The drama continued when Erin confronted Jackie about leaving Cole alone. Juliana couldn't help but wonder about girls like Erin; their confrontational nature weirded her out. Standing behind Erin was an Asian girl named Olivia, and the blonde girl with curly hair, the one from AP English.

Juliana quickly observed that Olivia seemed to be the nicer of the two. Despite the familiarity, Juliana still didn't know the blonde girl's name. It struck her as amusing how this girl knew Juliana's name, while Juliana remained oblivious to hers.

And now, here they sat, in an ice cream shop—four individuals.

"So, back to the Walter topic," Grace chimed in, a smile playing on her face as she enjoyed her cotton candy ice cream. "Did one of you two get the Cole effect?"

Skylar sighed, casting a disapproving look at Grace. Despite his objection, Grace proceeded, "I definitely got the Cole effect."

Juliana, indifferent about the Walter boys after being left behind, decided to entertain Grace. "I definitely did not," she asserted.

Jackie laughed, attempting to share her perspective, "I didn't eith—"

Juliana cut her off, bluntly stating, "Bullshit."

Grace, shocked by Juliana's sudden reaction, left her mouth agape. "What?"

Skylar, with a smile, jumped in, "You have the Cole effect?"

Jackie's face painted red as she looked between her cousin and the two best friends. "He's cute, but I definitely do not have the Cole effect."

"Whatever you say," Juliana teased her cousin with a smile.

Grace swiftly changed the topic to Juliana, making both Jackie and Skylar turn their attention to her. "What about you, Juliana?"

Juliana raised an eyebrow, playing coy. "What about me?"

Jackie, unable to resist, chimed in, "She has the Isaac effect." Grace and Skylar immediately shot smiles at Juliana, causing her cheeks to paint red.