Chapter 29

"Phew..."

Two hours later, Queenie collapsed onto the floor, utterly exhausted. She looked over at Juniper, who was casually perched on a desk with her legs crossed, and felt her world tilting on its axis. "It's like you downloaded Master Lunar's entire brain into your head."

Juniper's familiarity with "Dawn" was uncanny. She knew every single move and could break them down to the finest detail. Under Juniper's guidance, Queenie had made rapid progress on sections that had previously stumped her. The improvement was staggering. If she didn't know better, she'd think Juniper was Lunar herself.

"Your dancing is fine. Just stick to the techniques we practiced, and get a feel for the stage during tomorrow's rehearsal," Juniper said.

"As for the costume..." she mused, "I have a friend who used to dance. She has a similar dress that you can borrow."

"Class is about to start, let's go." Juniper yawned, hopped off the desk, and started walking, trying to remember where she'd stored that seven-figure dress.

"Juniper, wait!" Queenie scrambled to her feet and hurried after her, her earlier suspicion now replaced with pure admiration. "Is there anything you can't do?"

She was now certain that the answers on that draft paper were Juniper's work too. Whoever had spread the rumor that she was a good-for-nothing was a complete idiot. The rumors were dead wrong.

...

Meanwhile, other students watched as Queenie, the top student, followed the 'delinquent' Juniper, beaming like a sunflower.

"Why is the star student hanging out with Juniper?" a few girls whispered in a

corner.

"Did you guys hear? Someone saw her eating at Moonlight Peak a few days ago." "Moonlight Peak?"

The name made all the girls' eyes widen.

"That's a super exclusive restaurant. I feel inadequate just walking past the entrance."

Most students at Aurora High came from average families. They rarely ate at restaurants, let alone one where a single meal could cost more than an ordinary family's income for decades.

"Doesn't Juniper live in Moultlands? How could she possibly afford Moonlight Peak?!"

"She's pretty," one of the girls said with a sneer. "Sometimes a pretty face is more useful than a good family or good grades. She's only been here a few days, and she already has Qadir wrapped around her little finger."

"Seriously?" The others looked on with disdain. "I don't know why they let someone like her in. Queenie's definitely going to be corrupted."

"Exactly," the first girl said, crossing her arms with a malicious smile. "Someone like her should be kicked out of Aurora High, don't you think?"

The other girls nodded in agreement.

On Saturday, Qadir and Dolce accompanied Queenie to the Eclara City Cultural Center for rehearsal. Juniper had to take care of some business with the 'jewelry design' and took a cab to meet them there.

After getting out of the car, she pulled her cap down low, obscuring all but the lower third of her delicate face. With one hand in her pocket and a lollipop in her mouth, she walked while talking to Luella on the phone. She exuded an effortless coolness.

"Yeah, that's the dress. I'll pick it up later."

Just as she finished speaking, a wave of loud, grating laughter came from nearby. "You won't believe this, but I just saw some people from Aurora High backstage." Hearing her school's name, Juniper slowly lifted her gaze. A group of students in Eclara High uniforms were clustered around a girl in a dance costume with elaborate makeup. She recognized her. Yolanda.

"Don't tell me they're doing a poetry reading again this year?" The students howled with laughter. "Can you even imagine how lame that was? A poetry reading in the middle of all the dance, singing, and instrumental performances?"

"The best part was the speaker got so emotional she started crying over her own poem."

"What, are the Aurora High kids trying to get extra credit for public speaking or something?"