At the mention of J, Dolce''s eyes lit up. “Mr. Steele, could you help us get J''s


    autograph? We''re all huge fans," she asked excitedly.


    Melvin froze. He had no idea how to answer that. He instinctively looked to Juniper


    for help.


    Juniper raised an eyebrow.


    "What''s wrong?" Qadir asked, a sense of unease creeping in as the atmosphere grew tense. Had he stumbled upon some rivalry between the two racers? He''d heard that J had handed over the racing association to Melvin, so it couldn''t be that bad, could it?


    "Give me the pen and paper," Juniper said, holding out a hand to Qadir, her tone casual.


    Though confused, Qadir did as he was told. Juniper took the items and scrawled a single letter on the paper: J. The signature was stylish and untamed, the tail of the J curling with a wild energy.


    “Is this..." Qadir and Dolce huddled together, staring at the signature. They looked at each other, then back at Juniper. Had Juniper just signed J''s name? It looked remarkably authentic.


    “Juniper...” Dolce stared for a few seconds, a sudden realization dawning on her. "Don''t tell me... you''re J?!"


    Dolce was J''s biggest fan; she had watched every race countless times. J wasn''t particrly tall or muscr, and there was even a certain grace to their movements. She''d always assumed it was just part of J''s personality, but now, looking at Juniper, she realized their builds and mannerisms were strikingly simr.


    "What?" Dolce''s question hit Qadir like a ton of bricks, his jaw dropping so wide a pig could have fit inside. "Juniper, you... you''re J?"


    "You got your autograph. Now go home and study," Juniper said with a slight arch of her brow, tossing the pen and paper back to Qadir. “And keep this to yourselves."


    "Ahhh!"


    Another squeal pierced the air, but this time it was from Dolce. Ovee with emotion, she threw her arms around Juniper. "Oh my. god, niper you have no idea how much I love you My phone my room, my textbooks-they''re all covered in pictures of you!"


    Shanley''s brow twitched as he watched the girl clinging to Juniper, but he said nothing.


    "I know, I know," Juniper chuckled,


    ét


    patting the ecstatic Dolce on the back. "Go home and study hard. If you score higher than usual, you a personally signed photo."


    give


    “Really? Really?" Dolce squeezed her tighter. "Don''t worry, Juniper, I''ll study harder than ever before!"


    "Good," Juniper said, ruffling her hair. "Now go on."


    Dolce finally let go.


    Qadir, having recovered from his shock, stepped forward with his arms wide open. "Juniper, I—"


    "Let''s go. We need to get back to the hospital," Shanley said, stepping in and pulling Juniper into his arms, his tone a bit sulky.


    "Oh, okay.” Juniper nodded obediently and waved goodbye to her friends.


    "Get in," she said with a smile from inside the car.


    Shanley smiled back and was about to get in after her when Juniper''s smile froze. “I was calling for J, you know."


    Shanley silently retracted his leg and


    let J get in instead. The car pulled away, leaving the two


    men now united in their


    cradle-robbing tendencies to face each other.