Julie was still in awe of what Nicole had said earlier.
"That was really brave of you, Nicole," she said, still sounding a little stunned.
She had been more than ready to charge at Airah when the girl threw something that cut Nicole's cheek.
"Nicky, is your face okay?" Melissa hurried to her cousin's side, while Joel anxiously checked whether the wound was serious.
"I'm fine," Nicole reassured them gently.
"It took real courage to say that," Raymond added, shaking his head in admiration. "I'm sure Joel is proud of you."
Nicole's cheeks flushed pink. "I—I just said what I was thinking. And I hate how Joel keeps getting blamed for things that aren't even his fault."
Julie let out a small laugh. "You did great, Nicole."
"Thank you for standing up for me, Nick," Joel said sincerely.
Nicole smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "I just wanted to fight by your side at that moment."
She nestled closer into his embrace.
"Alright, let's go before someone here starts feeling jealous," Raymond teased, grinning at Julie.
She shot him a glare before following the others. Their ride had arrived, and since her older brother had gone ahead earlier, she knew he was already waiting at their next stop.
Inside the vehicle, Julie sat beside Cielo.
"Now it's okay to hold your hand, right?" he asked as he slipped an arm around her.
She nodded and leaned into him. "Are you tired?"
"I'm fine," he replied softly. "I'm just tired of pretending I'm not your boyfriend."
Julie chuckled. "What are you talking about? We're still together."
Cielo lifted her hand and kissed her palm, as if reassuring both of them."Yeah. I know."
"Hey, you two are getting all lovey-dovey again," Raymond teased from across the vehicle, making Melissa laugh.
"And what's it to you?" Julie shot back with a grin. "I don't care what anyone says—I'm going to cuddle my boyfriend."
Across from them, Joel carefully treated Nicole's wound.
"Nicky, are you really okay?" Julie asked again, still worried.
"I'm fine, Julie," Nicole answered with a small smile.
"If Melissa hadn't stopped me earlier, I would've slapped that girl myself," Julie said, the memory making her furious all over again.
"Don't be too violent," Cielo sighed, though he never let go of her hand.
"I couldn't help it," Julie replied. "But don't worry—Nicole already slapped her back and said everything that needed to be said."
She smirked before turning to Joel. "You're lucky. Nicole will always defend you. She really loves you."
"I know," Joel replied warmly. "That's why I'll always love her."
"Good," Julie warned playfully. "Because if you ever cheat on her, I'll kick you myself—and Kelly will join me."
Joel laughed. "I'll reward her instead."
He leaned in and kissed Nicole, making Julie groan.
"Ugh. Now I'm jealous."
"Why?" Raymond asked. "You've got Cielo right there."
"You want a kiss?" Cielo whispered.
Julie's cheeks burned as he gently pressed his lips to hers, still holding her hand.
"I'll always love you, Julie," Cielo murmured.
"I'll always love you too, Ciel," she replied with a soft smile.
"Wow, this is so sweet it's making me sick," Nicole joked. "Are you two done kissing yet?"
"Yes, done," Julie laughed.
"We're almost there," Raymond announced, pulling Melissa closer.
"Wait, I haven't even seen you two kiss yet," Julie teased.
"Want me to show you?" Raymond asked mischievously.
Melissa blushed, but before she could protest, Raymond captured her lips in a passionate kiss—then softened it by pressing a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Julie burst into laughter.
******
Later…
"Kelly, can you please calm down?" Jonathan sighed as he sat beside her.
"Oh—they're here," he added when he noticed the arriving vehicle.
"Sorry we're late," Cielo said as they entered.
"No worries," Chris replied.
Kelly immediately noticed the bandage on Nicole's cheek and rushed over."What happened to you?" she asked anxiously.
"I'm really fine, Kelly," Nicole assured her.
"Tell me—did that witch hurt you?" Kelly demanded.
"Hold your horses," Jonathan said, pulling her back. "Can you calm down for a second?"
"So what really happened, Nicky?" Jonathan asked.
"I'll tell the story!" Julie jumped in eagerly.
"You really enjoy teasing your friends," Chris muttered, shaking his head.
Julie smirked as she narrated everything—especially the part where Nicole boldly confessed her feelings for Joel.
"Nicky, Joel can't be taken away from you," Kelly said with a sigh. "You really love him."
"Oh, listen to yourself. Don't drag me into this," Jonathan snapped back, making Kelly blush.
The others laughed.
"At least they're finally standing up for themselves," Kevin remarked. "I just don't know if Airah will stop bothering you, Nicky."
Nicole nodded quietly.
"By the way," Dave spoke up, "there's another rumor spreading fast. Cielo, are you really involved in that?"
"I'm ready," Cielo answered firmly. "If they've already started, maybe it's time we make our move too."
Kelly sighed heavily.
"Kelly, can I ask you something?" Nicole said, her tone suddenly serious.
"That question's been bothering you for a while now, hasn't it?" Raymond asked knowingly.
Nicole nodded, glancing at Kelly with concern.
"Do Claire and Dawn know that you overheard something about the money?" she asked.
Kelly thought for a moment. "Probably not. I only know that Dawn borrowed money for Crisha—I saw it myself. As far as they know, all I did was help save Crisha. Why?"
"Because it's dangerous if they find out you know their secret," Nicole said quietly. "The real question is… where is Crisha's passbook now?"
"That's the hard part," Jonathan admitted. "Her mother still has access to it. And for now, we shouldn't bring it up—it's still too painful after what happened. But if we can trace that passbook, we might find out who really used the money."
"One step at a time," Chris reminded them. "What matters is that they don't know Kelly already knows about the passbook."
Everyone nodded. Silence filled the room as their thoughts turned heavy, each of them quietly piecing together what their next move should be.