“Juniper, please?" the girl pleaded, her round eyes sincere.


    “Alright.” Juniper found her impossible to refuse. She pressed her thumb onto the ink pad and then onto a photo of herself. It felt a little strange.


    “Thank you!” The fan was ecstatic to get her idol''s signature—or rather, thumbprint and skipped away happily.


    Suddenly, a snide voice cut through the air. “She isn''t even famous yet and she''s already putting on airs."


    Juniper turned to see a group of girls standing nearby. The one in the lead, a girl with long, flowing hair named Jolene, was also a senior at Aurora High. She was staring coldly at Juniper, a mocking smile on her face.


    "What a coincidence," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "The music yer just happened to break right when it was Queenie''s turn. And what a coincidence that someone just happened to know how to y every instrument and stole the show,pletely overshadowing Queenie."


    "Did you hear? A TV station came by asking specifically to interview the one who yed the piano," another girl chimed in.


    "Exactly," a third girl sneered. "And have you seen thetest news online? The dress Queenie wore was a fake! I heard that brand hates counterfeiters and sues anyone they find. Queenie wearing a fake on the news? The brand would never allow it."


    "Well, if Queenie can''t be on the cover, there was someone else on stage, wasn''t there?" Joleneughed, the ridicule thick in her voice. "And wasn''t it a certain someone who borrowed that dress for Queenie in the first ce?”


    The implication was clear: Juniper had orchestrated the entire thing. Sabotage the music yer to get on stage and hog the spotlight, then use the "fake dress" scandal to keep Queenie out of the news, ensuring she would be the one on the


    cover.


    The girls went on, trading barbs,pletely ignoring Juniper.


    "Are you talking about me?" Juniper finally strode over and stopped in front of Jolene, her eyes like ice.


    "If the shoe fits, wear it," Jolene shot back, meeting Juniper''s gaze with open defiance. It didn''t matter if Juniper had done it or not. What mattered was that the dress was fake, and Juniper had been the one to borrow it. Her goal was to ruin Juniper''s reputation and get her thrown out of Aurora High.


    "Are you having digestive issues? Did you crap your brain out?" Juniper''s eyes narrowed, her entire presence radiating a cold fury. "Or did someone forget to put the cover back on the sewer, letting you crawl out to spew this garbage?"


    "What did you just say?" Jolene''s face contorted with rage. Ynda had told her cousin that Juniper was a timid mouse you could bully and insult freely. She''d even promised a reward if she could get Juniper kicked out of Aurora High.


    "If your mouth is that bored, go lick a toilet. Don''t stand here running it," Juniper said, her eyes narrowing dangerously as she fought to control her temper. She had promised her grandfather she''d be a good student, and good students didn''t get into fights at school.


    "Juniper-!" Jolene was so incensed she couldn''t think of aeback and could only shriek her name.


    "Why are you yelling so loud? You think I''m scared of a barking dog?"


    A passing student couldn''t help but snort withughter at Juniper''s scathing insults.


    "Bitch!" Jolene lost allposure, raising her hand to p Juniper.


    But in the next second, Juniper caught her wrist mid-air. Before Jolene could react,


    a sharp "smack" echoed through the hall as Junipernded a hard p across her face.


    She had promised her grandfather she wouldn''t fight. But the other girl started it. This was just self-defense.