Julie turned her head to her left side, seeing the little light that came from outside, passing through the cracks of the curtains into the dorm. Music played from her phone, which laid next to her head. She heard the sound of the soft keys of the piano that filled the room.

  Today will be a new day, and it will be better than the other days, she said to herself. When she got ready and left the dorm, she met Melanie in the corridor of the girl's Dormitorium, who was locking her room.

  "Good morning," Melanie greeted Julie with a bright smile. "What time did you wake up? I didn't see you in the shower room," she said.

  "Good morning, Mel," Julie returned the greetings with a bright smile. "I woke early today. I was completing the last assignments."

  Melanie nodded her head and put her hand around Julie, where both of them had turned to close friends like sisters compared to the first day when they had met here. Julie heard Melanie praise her, "Do you know how proud I am of you? I don't think I could handle one more extra curricular activity in my existing schedule."

  "We just learn to manage time," laughed Julie, where she had been stretching her hours and finishing her classwork during break hours. "Thankfully we have the tests only after the annual day which gives us enough time."

  Melanie nodded her head. She took a bottle from her pocket that looked like a medical prescription. She threw it in the trash as they stepped out of the Dormitorium. "That's vitamins that I don't need," said Melanie and Julie subtly raised her eyebrows.

  "Did they expire?"

  "I just don't need them," replied Melanie, "They taste really bad. Especially like iron tablets, they make me throw up. I am hungry, let's go," she smiled, tugging Julie with her.

  When they made their way towards the lunchroom to have breakfast, Julie noticed some of the students looking in their way, whispering something that they couldn't hear. It was as if there was gossip going on, which she wasn't aware of.

  "Did we do something, that people are looking at us?" Melanie asked in a low voice.

  "Not that I remember of. The stares are particularly more today than usual," replied Julie, and they stepped inside the lunchroom. The stares didn't stop even after they had picked up their breakfast from the counter. "Veteris has a reputation of students staring at others a lot."

  "Tell me about it," replied Melanie, and she sat down at the table. "I am somewhere worried Conner must have blabbed something he was not supposed to." That was possible, thought Julie in her mind.

  Even though Julie and Melanie had chosen the table in the backside of the lunchroom,? near the wall, it didn't stop the students from turning to look where they were seated.

  "Where is Conner? We would have found something from him, considering how he knows everything apart from being a blabbermouth," grumbled Melanie, feeling annoyed by the stares because it didn't stop.

  Trying to ignore the others, Julie said, "Would you like to come to the rehearsal room today, Mel? We are going to wear the costumes and check the fittings."

  Melanie nodded her head enthusiastically, "I would love to do that. It is nice that Ms. Piper set a periodical drama. The clothes are always the best."

  "That might be the only thing I am looking forward to right now," confessed Julie, and she took a bite from her toast.

  Hearing the lunchroom doors open, they turned and caught sight of Eleanor and her friends making their way inside. When Eleanor's eyes fell on the table where Julie was sitting, a glare was sent at Julie.

  What did she do now? Julie asked in doubt. She had been careful not to get involved in any drama, maintaining distance with people, which included being away from Eleanor's eyes. Shrugging her shoulder, she went back to her meal.

  When they headed towards the Blue Block, the students walking ahead of them turned to look at Julie.

  "Julie!"

  It was Conner who came rushing out of the building. He had an early assignment and had started his class early. Right now, he was wearing an apron on his waist, and he appeared to be in a rush to have to get back to his class.

  "Slow down, Conner. We aren't going anywhere," joked Melanie.

  "I had to say something important! But in the corner," he said so that they weren't standing in the way of the other students.

  "What's going on?" asked Julie with a suspicious look in her eyes.

  Conner cleared his throat, and in a low voice, he said, "Something very big happened last evening in the boy's Dormitorium. There was a fight between Moltenore and Jackson. Roman kept punching Jackson and it was the highlight for most of us," he chuckled at the memory, relishing at the moment before snapping out of it. "Anyways, just after the fight was over, Roman said something like 'The girl with glasses and sweater is mine'."

  "What?" Julie asked in slight shock, taken aback by what Conner said.,

  "You are the one with the glasses and sweater," explained Conner as if Julie had not understood it.

  "See! I told you he was flirting with you!" Melanie pointed out with a laugh.

  Julie had met Roman last night in her dorm, but he hadn't mentioned anything about it. She finally realized why he had bruises on his knuckles. He had hit the porcupine for her sake?

  "Are you sure he used those words?" asked Julie to confirm, and Conner nodded his head.

  "Positive. Trust me, that is all everyone has been able to talk about. He warned the people to stay away from you," replied Conner and having relayed the information, he said, "I should get going now. Catch you both later!"

  Julie pursed her lips. This was why people were looking at her with a curious look in their eyes.

  "I have the sudden urge to go back to my dorm and sleep," murmured Julie, but she made her way inside the building with Melanie.

  Students didn't stop staring at her, especially girls who had a glare in their eyes and some who looked at her with envy. As they climbed the stairs, Dennis stood in the corridor where his classroom was located. Though Julie didn't notice Dennis, the senior stared at the girl in her usual modest attire.

  "Do you think they are going out?" asked one of the students who wasn't too far from where Dennis stood.

  "When do you think they started to go out? Maybe that is why Roman has been tutoring her," said another student. "Someone said that he threatened others to not go near her."

  Dennis' lips set in a thin line on hearing this. Roman was a bad influence on a simple girl like Julie.

  When Julie reached the top floor, she turned to Melanie and said, "I will meet you in the class."

  Melanie nodded her head, offering Julie an encouraging smile before she left her side and walked away from there.

  Julie took a deep breath before making her way to where Roman's classroom was located. She had never walked on this side of the floor because of the number of delinquents that the classes held. Softly gulping, her feet came to a stop right in front of Roman's classroom.

  She took a peek inside the classroom, where the students either sat at the edge of the windowpane or on top of the desks as if they owned the classroom. Her brown eyes searched for Roman, but he wasn't in there. Some of the students, who had turned to look at her, had turned back to what they were doing.

  When Julie turned around, Roman stood in front of her.

  Compared to the way everyone was looking at her, Roman had the same expression on his face. His eyes stared right into her eyes, and Julie turned a little more conscious than usual. Next to him was Simon.

  "Can I talk to you?" Julie requested Roman before adding, "Alone."

  Roman jerked his head to the side as if telling her to follow him and Julie did that. He turned around and then asked, "What is it?"

  Julie held on to the straps of her bag, and she said, "That… Something happened yesterday in the boy's Dormitorium. People have been staring."

  "Ignore them."

  What a simple solution, thought Julie to herself while staring at Roman.

  "It is hard to do that, especially with all the whispering and murmuring. Did you say something yesterday about my glasses and sweaters?" Julie was nervous as she asked, her eyes looking left and right, noticing how some of the students looked where she and Roman stood.

  Roman had a calm demeanour that made Julie wonder if others had probably misunderstood his words. He seemed barely fazed, but then that was because he was used to people talking about him and staring at him.

  "What did you hear?" Roman asked her with his head tilting. All the time, his eyes didn't leave hers.

  Julie felt her heart skip a beat. Feeling her lips dry, her tongue peeked out of her lips before it quickly disappeared, and Roman's eyes caught this little action.

  "Something about calling me as yours," Julie's head had already started to reel out with lack of ability to make proper sentences.

  "That you are mine?" The words that left Roman's lips were simple, but it struck a chord in Julie the way he said it. He took a step forward while Julie's feet were glued to the floor. "I don't want another repeat of what happened yesterday in the rehearsal. I had to make a point, so I did. That you are mine."

  Blood pumped and coursed through her veins faster, rushing it upward from her neck and coming to settle on her face.

  "W-why did you phrase it that way?" asked Julie, looking into his black eyes that reflected herself.

  Julie didn't know if he was teasing her again, bullying her in front of anyone. Only two weeks ago she had seen a girl with him. She pursed her lips, as Roman had not answered her for many seconds.

  Roman watched the girl stare at him, her eyes demanding an explanation, something she had found hard to figure out.

  He didn't want to admit how he felt, but it was hard to brush it away when the signs were right in front of him. He took a step forward, his hand gingerly raising before he pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. When the bell rang, soon, students started to make their way inside their classrooms.

  "Go back to your class, instead of asking silly questions. I have classes to attend," said Roman, and Julie felt him flick his finger on her forehead lightly. When he took three steps away from her, he turned to look at her and said, "Tutoring at six in the library. Don't be late."

  Julie saw Roman leave and disappear inside his classroom while she stood there with a small frown.

  "Ms. Winters, would you like to have a special bell for you?" questioned Mr. Borrell, who had stepped into the floor with a stern look on his face.

  Julie quickly rushed to her class before the teacher would hand her detention. She took a seat at her desk, not paying heed to any glance or whisper as her thoughts started to fill with Roman's words.

  It had been only a few days since she had been promoted from Roman's apprentice to his friend, so did he mean not to mess with her as she was his friend? But remembering the way Roman's hand had pressed her hands against the surface of the bed, Julie was quick to turn flustered.

  In the evening, Julie lingered in front of the library building for some time before making her way inside. There was no point wasting time when she had lots to study. Climbing up the stairs, she walked to the usual place where Roman tutored her.

  But instead of Roman, Julie found a girl she had seen next to Roman, someone who wasn't in his clique. The girl had curly black hair and luscious looking lips with black eyes. She was sitting with her legs crossed.

  "What are you doing here?" demanded the girl, "Leave this place. It is occupied."

  "I am here to study. This is my usual spot," explained Julie, noticing the girl had no book in her hand.

  The curly-haired girl scanned Julie from head to her canvas shoes before looking back up at Julie's face.

  "Well, I am sitting here now. I can tell that you are dull, but the backside of the libraries are never used to study, but to do other things. Now leave this place before I get busy with Moltenore. Go now," the girl raised her hand, waving her wrist.

  This is what she was speaking about, said Julie in her mind. Roman was possibly joking with everyone about what he said.

  "He probably forgot to inform you that he is tutoring me today. You should check with him once he comes here," replied Julie, taking a seat on the bench and the other girl's eyes narrowed at her.

  "Seriously, just get out of here or find some other place to sit. This is reserved," stated the girl.

  Julie looked at the walls and then the racks before calmly saying, "I am sorry, I don't see any reservation board." She opened her textbook and started to flip pages to bookmark from where she had to start studying.

  "Aren't you a little too desperate to stay around, when I already told you that Roman and I are spending time together here?" The girl stood up from where she had been sitting and came to stand in front of Julie.

  "Yes, I am. What are you going to do about it?" For a person who wore glasses and a sweater, appearing to be meek and nerdy, the other girl couldn't believe the audacity of the words Julie spoke. "What year are you in?" questioned Julie.

  "Sophomore," answered the girl, crossing her hands and staring down at Julie. "I know you are the girl who gets tutored by Roman. You must have a really dull brain that needs to be tutored," taunted the girl.

  Roman wasn't here yet, and Julie didn't want to be in the company of this rich and spoiled brat. If he hadn't told her to come to the library, she wouldn't have come and would have instead gone back to her dorm.

  Though Julie tried to ignore the girl, the person didn't stop herself and decided to belittle Julie, "I mean look at you, who even dresses up like this anymore? It looks like second-hand clothes, where did you buy it from? I might need the address, so I can buy it for my maids."

  Julie knew that the clothes she wore didn't match up to most of what the students wore here that were fancy and branded. But that didn't mean she was any less of a person. She was much better than most, and she knew it.

  "Why don't you google it, unless you don't know how to use it," replied Julie. Closing her textbook, she picked up her bag.

  The girl turned annoyed by Julie's reply, and when Julie turned her back, she pushed Julie's shoulders for Julie to fall over the bench, and her head almost missed hitting the wall next to it. Her bag slid down from her shoulder.

  A sigh escaped from Julie's lips as she stared at the wall before standing up straight and turned around.

  "Did you think I would let you leave after you insulted me?" huffed the girl, and Julie looked at the girl with narrowed eyes.

  "I think you need to take up a class on how to be behave and be polite to people," stated Julie with her eyebrows knitted together

  The other girl rolled her eyes at Julie's words, "What are you going to do huh?" The Sophomore year girl tried to slap Julie. But Julie was quick to step backwards, and only the long nails of the girl swept across her face.

  "What is wrong with you!" Julie exclaimed, not understanding how the crazy girl's head was working, seeing the girl was only looking for a fight. Before the girl could do anything, Julie stepped right on the girl's toes, and the girl yelped in pain. She said, "This is what I will do."

  If the girl was asking for a fight, Julie was going to give her that.

  Both the girl's held each other's hands, pushing the other.

  "I told you to get out of here! This is my place and my time," said the girl, turning aggressive.

  While Julie put her strength, suddenly she felt her vision turn black. One moment, she couldn't see anything, and the next moment, she saw the very same girl in a different place and time. The girl had blood dripping down from her skin, red blood that was wiped away, and when Julie blinked again, she was back in the library.

  A little lost, Julie's hold on the girl's hands had loosened, and the other girl pushed Julie backwards in force.

  Instead of her back hitting the wall, Julie's back went to hit someone's hand. Roman had appeared at the scene and had caught Julie by stretching his hand to the side.

  "Roman!" On seeing him, the girl looked relieved, and she said, "This girl is fighting with me and telling me I am not supposed to be here!"

  On the other hand, Julie didn't know what was going on. She blinked her eyes a couple of times, looking at the girl to see if there was blood. One second she saw things, and the next, Roman's arm was around her waist.

  When annoyance came to settle in Roman's eyes, the girl was sure that Julie's lessons would be ending soon. But instead, he looked at the girl in front of him and said,

  "Leave."

  "What?" The sophomore year girl's jaw fell. "She stamped on my foot and chipped my nails."

  "It will grow," deadpanned Roman, least bothered about nails, and he jerked his head towards the exit of the corridor in the direction of the stairs.

  Julie tried to step away, but Roman's hand was firm around her waist.

  "She said she was desperate to have you!" the girl pointed out like a stubborn child, and Julie felt the embarrassment sinking into her. She had retorted only in the spur of the moment, and it wasn't something for Roman to hear!

  Roman turned to look at Julie, noticing how she refused to meet his eyes.

  "Did you not hear what I said?" Roman's eyes narrowed, "Get out of here and don't show your face in front of me."

  "But I didn't do anything—"

  "Every once in a while, someone falls from the railings and it is easy to be called as suicide," stated Roman, looking behind the girl where one could lean forward and see the below floor. His eyes then shifted to look at the girl, and he said, "I will count to three. One, two…" and the girl bolted out from there with tears.

  The receding footsteps could be heard of the person that moved towards the stairs before the place turned quiet. Julie quickly stepped away from Roman's hold and turned to meet his eyes.

  She started to complain, "You said sharp six o clock, and you had a prior appointment with a girl. It was a confusi—"

  "I didn't know she was coming here today," came Roman's solemn words, staring at her.

  But Julie was not done, and she went on to say, "You have crazy fans and we have already spoken about this. I do not want to be involved in this crazy frenzy thing. It felt like she would even murder me at an opportunity. Once a person comes with a bat, then the next person wants to try to hit me. Instead of having all these confusion, you should have picked just one thing and it would avoid the possible conflicts—"

  "I pick you."