It started mid-morning.
Grace was in class, quietly taking notes. Julian sat beside her, occasionally nudging her to smile at a joke she whispered to him. Everything felt… normal.
Then, her phone buzzed.
A text from her mom:
"Grace, can you come to the office? Lily has been asking questions about you."
Grace froze.
Julian glanced at her. "Everything okay?"
Grace shook her head lightly. "Lily… she's up to something."
Grace's mom was already expecting her when she walked in.
"Mom?" Grace said softly.
Her mom smiled, calm. "Hi, sweetheart. I'm glad you came. Lily came to me earlier… she seemed very concerned about you."
Grace's chest tightened. "Concerned? About what?"
Her mom's expression softened. "Well… she said she thought you weren't being treated fairly and wanted me to check in on you."
Grace's eyes widened. "WHAT?!"
Before she could panic, her mom held up a hand.
"But don't worry. I already talked to your friends first. They told me everything — how supportive they are, and how protective they've been. I think they've got your back."
Grace blinked. Her jaw slackened.
"So… Lily tried to make me look bad?" she whispered.
Her mom nodded gently. "Seems like it. But I trust your friends. I trust you. And more importantly, I know you can handle this."
Later, outside school, the group waited for her.
Dylan grinned immediately. "Told ya we had it covered."
Ethan added, "She didn't even get one word in. Classic."
David laughed. "Our strategy meetings paid off."
Zoey nudged Grace. "See? Nothing to worry about. The squad has your back."
Ella smiled. "You've got more allies than she realized."
Julian stood quietly beside her, giving her a small, reassuring squeeze of the hand.
Grace felt warmth bloom in her chest. "I… I didn't think I could feel this safe with her here."
Julian smiled softly. "You always are. We just make sure everyone else knows it too."
Lily, meanwhile, had walked away, still smiling politely, thinking she had done some clever maneuver.
She hadn't counted on the group.
She hadn't counted on Grace's mom.
And she definitely hadn't counted on Julian, Zoey, Ella, Dylan, Ethan, David, Nate, Adrian, and even Lucy quietly forming an unbreakable shield around Grace.
That night, Grace texted Julian:
Thanks… for everything today.
He replied almost instantly:
Always. That's the rule.
Grace smiled to herself. She realized: she didn't have to fight alone anymore.
Not Lily. Not anyone.
Because her friends — her family — had her back.
And Julian? He was right there too.