Julius POV
I walked out of the basketball changing room in a fresh jersey, rolling my shoulders to loosen up. Today was tryouts.
Some students were already seated in the stands—girls chatting, boys catching up, and other hopefuls stretching or bouncing balls while they waited their turn.
I moved to the sideline and started warming up.
"The scholarship boy is trying out too."
I heard it, low but sharp enough to find my ear.
I bent down, tying the lace of my sneakers tighter.
"Feeling nervous?"
I looked up. Juliet, arms crossed, eyes knowing.
"Not really. This isn't my first time," I said, standing. "So I've learned not to be."
"I know you got this," she said, smiling that small, solid Juliet smile. The kind that actually meant something.
Then Matt joined, slapping my back lightly.
"You're looking fly," he said, grinning.
I chuckled. He's been talking more lately—we've gotten closer than I expected.
"This is the first time I've seen you in a jersey. Except for the pictures."
"Thanks, man. Where's Juliana?" I asked, scanning the gym.
"Thought she'd be here," Matt said. "She left class before me."
"Probably got held up," Juliet added, glancing at the door. "But I know her—she'll show."
And just like that, the door opened.
Juliana walked in, eyes scanning the gym like she owned it—or might burn it down. Her steps were sharp. Confidence. A little too confident.
"Speaking of the daredevil," I said with a smirk.
Juliet smacked my shoulder lightly.
"What happened?" she asked as Juliana approached.
"Nothing," Juliana said, voice clipped.
Now I know her.
When Juliana says nothing like that, it means everything.
But we let it slide—for now.
"You're nervous?" she asked, crossing her arms.
"Come on. I was Alpha two years in a row," I said with a grin.
"You guys really believed you were some kind of wolf pack back in Starry," she shot back.
"It kept us coordinated," I shrugged.
The coach's whistle blew, cutting the banter.
"Your cocky ass," Juliana muttered with a roll of her eyes as I jogged to the center court with the others.
I didn't look back, but I heard Juliet chuckle softly behind me.
***The Tryout***
The court was buzzing. Names were being called. I was somewhere in the middle of the list, which gave me time to watch, stretch, and measure everyone.
Then they called mine.
"Julius Lakes."
I stepped forward.
Some people clapped. Others whispered.
"That's the scholarship kid?"
"He looks chill though."
"Too soft for court. Watch, he's gonna miss."
Wrong.
The coach tossed me a ball. "Let's see what you've got."
I dribbled twice—fast, low—then shot a three-pointer without hesitation.
Swish. Nothing but net.
The gym rippled with sound.
"Oooh, that was clean!"
"Did you all see that?"
"Wait, wait—run it back!"
The coach nodded once. "Full run. Five-on-five. You're red team."
I joined the game, already calculating angles and spacing. The ball moved fast—but I moved faster. Reading the court felt natural, like breathing.
Midway through the scrimmage, Joshua—one of the known basketball stars—smirked at me. He was tall, built, confident, and clearly not used to someone else stealing attention.
"You wanna play, scholarship boy?" he asked loud enough for the crowd to hear.
I didn't answer. I just smiled.
Next possession, I cut through defense like smoke, faked a left, spun right—and slammed the ball into the hoop with a loud, clean dunk.
Gasps. Cheers. Screams.
Especially from the girls in the stands.
"Did you see that?"
"He dunked on Joshua!"
"Oh my God—he's hot and talented?"
Joshua tried to block me on the next play — harder this time.
He'd already shoved me earlier, and I'd lost the ball.
Now he was all chest and elbows, trying to rattle me because we were already leading.
"You're not scoring again," he muttered, trying to get in my head.
"You're not that good."
I just smiled. Calm.
Then I dribbled once, stepped back —
And shot clean over him.
Swish.
The ball sliced through the net like it belonged there.
Coach blew the whistle.
"That's it. We're done here."
His eyes landed on me as the players slowed and the court began to clear.
"Impressive," he said, giving me a nod. "We'll talk."
From the bleachers, a burst of noise exploded.
"Let's goooo, Julius!"
Matt was nearly standing on the bench, his sketchpad forgotten.
Emily and Kim were screaming from the pinch, hands cupped around their mouths.
Juliana whistled so loud it echoed. Juliet just crossed her arms, smirking with quiet pride.
"Show-off," she mouthed, but her eyes said proud.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Edmond watching. He's a player too but wasn't playing with us.
Calm. Arms folded. Face unreadable.
But I knew that look.
That was a composed amazement.
That was respect.
I walked up to Joshua with a calm smile, the kind that made it hard to tell if I was being friendly… or making a point.
"Julius," I said, stretching out my hand, smirk intact.
He looked at it.
Didn't take it.
Instead, he scoffed, muttered, "I'll remember that," and brushed past me, shoulder tight with frustration.
I didn't say anything. Didn't have to.
I already gave him the answer.
It was lit up on the scoreboard.
When I jogged off court, Juliet and Juliana were already waiting with wide eyes and grins. Matt raised a thumbs up, sketchpad in hand.
"What?" I said, catching my breath.
"We knew you were good," Juliana said, "but… damn."
"I'll take that as a compliment," I smirked.
"You should take this too," Matt said, flipping around his pad.
He'd drawn me mid-air, arm stretched toward the rim, the ball about to slam through the hoop. The pose. The motion. The detail.
It looked like a comic-book panel.
"You did this now?" I asked, stunned.
"Yeah." He shrugged. "I sketch fast."
"You're a genius," Juliet breathed.
Juliana gently took the pad to look. "Matt. This is insane."
I stared at the drawing again—me, flying.
It didn't feel like just a picture.
It felt like a moment being remembered.
"You're keeping it," Matt said, sliding it toward me. "It's yours."
I blinked. "Thanks, man."
"That's Julius Lakes," Juliet said softly, almost like she was narrating a documentary. "Cool on the ground, but when he jumps... the whole court watches."
I grinned, fanning myself. "Yeah, that's me."
"Don't let it get to your head," Juliana teased.
"Too late." I said,
And we all laughed.
Edmond POV
By the time I got inside, the tryouts were already in full swing. I didn't suit up—I just stayed on the bench, arms folded, watching.
Joshua called out, loud and casual.
"Scholarship boy, wanna play?"
I tilted my head slightly. Classic Joshua.
The boy—Julius—stepped up with a calm swagger, like he'd done this a hundred times before. His body language was relaxed, not showy. But something told me: this guy wasn't here just to try out.
The Diamond basketball team on court right now is good. Fast, sharp, aggressive. But Julius? He moved like he was in control of time itself.
He didn't just play.
He dismantles.
Joshua started on offense, confident, even cocky—until Julius flipped the script and turned him into a defender. And then broke the defense like it was made of paper.
When Joshua got aggressive and blocked him the first time, Julius didn't flinch. He laughed. Then next possession, he pulled up from the third circle and sank it like it was a warm-up shot.
Silence.
Then whistles.
Even the girls on the bleachers—Emily, Kim—were screaming like it was the final quarter of a championship.
And then came the best part.
Julius walked straight up to Joshua, stretched out his hand with a small smirk.
"Julius."
That wasn't just an introduction. That was a correction.
My name is Julius—not 'scholarship boy.'
Joshua didn't shake it. Just muttered something and walked past him.
Julius didn't respond.
He didn't need to.
He already answered—with the scoreboard.
I watched him walk back to his spot, laughing with his friends in the stands.
And I thought—
They're all like that.
Juliana. Juliet. Julius.
Daring. Sharp. Unafraid.
Different.
And Diamond has no idea what just walked through its gates.
Julius POV
Later that evening…
I ended the video call with a grin still lingering on my face. My mom had looked so proud, and my sister — predictably — teased me the entire time.
"You're famous now, Mr. Jump-Over-Somebody," she laughed. "Just don't forget your roots when they start offering endorsements."
I told them about the tryout, the crowd, and the dunk. Showed them Matt's drawing. My sister wanted a copy, and my mom said something about framing it and hanging it next to my baby photo.
"You're still my little boy in shorts," she said, smiling.
"Mum," I groaned, and they both laughed.
Now, back in the lodge, I joined Juliana and Matt in the living room. The drawing was laid out on the center table like it belonged in a museum.
Matt was sitting cross-legged on the rug, chin resting in his hand, proudly watching us admire his work. Juliana was curled up sideways on one of the armchairs, legs tucked under her, eyeing the picture with a grin.
"I still don't know how you caught him mid-air like that," Juliana said, eyes fixed on the drawing. "It's not even fair."
Matt beamed. "It's talent. But also... inspiration."
"Should we frame it?" I asked.
"Definitely," Juliana replied. "We'll put it in your living place. So every time we walk in, we remember the day you started a fan club in Diamond."
"Hey," I said, holding up a finger.
Juliet caught it with her cold hand. She'd just come out of the kitchen — she'd been doing the dishes. Most times, I went to their dorm, but today they came to ours to praise Matt's drawing… and roast me while they were at it.
We had noodles — Juliet and Juliana cooked. Juliet didn't want the place messy after, so she took care of cleaning up too.
"She's not lying," Juliet teased from behind me. "Just get ready to start giving autographs."
With wide eyes like she'd just had a brilliant idea, Juliana chimed in:
"Or even better — getting autographs… right here." She tapped her cheek with a grin.
"Oh, yeah," Juliet agreed instantly, popping her head out with excitement.
I rolled my eyes. I knew exactly what they were doing.
"One day," Juliana said dramatically, "I want Matt to draw me too. Mid-performance. Like… hair flying, hands in the air, lights everywhere."
She threw her hands up like she was on stage.
Matt squinted at her. "Challenge accepted."
"Draw me throwing shade," Juliet said flatly. Not missing a beat.
"No one can capture that level of sarcasm," Matt replied, dry as ever.
Juliana leaned her head back laughing.
I leaned against the back of the couch, smiling to myself.
"By the way," I said, turning to Juliet. "How's the debate club thing going?"
She sighed and dropped onto the arm of the couch.
"They're not letting anyone in just yet. First, I have to write two mini-debates by tomorrow."
"Two?" Juliana perked up. "About what?"
"One's on whether young people make better leaders than adults. The other… monarchy versus anarchy. I think it's their way of seeing if you can think critically under pressure."
"Let me guess, you already started both," I said.
Juliet raised a brow like I should already know.
"I'm done."
Juliana nodded, impressed.
"Go off, queen of the courtroom."
Juliet gave a small smirk.
"More like the queen of controlled chaos."
"Still royalty," Matt added with a grin.
Juliana turned to me, eyes sparkling.
"I'm trying out for the dance team Friday."
"You'll crush it," I said without hesitation.
"She'll do more than crush it," Juliet added. "She'll leave sparkles on the floor."
Juliana tossed a cushion at her.
"If I fall, I'm dragging you both into the mirror with me."
We all laughed.
I leaned back again, soaking it all in — the teasing, the warmth, the easy rhythm we'd found.
This?
This was home.
Not the walls. Not the fancy neighborhood. Not the polished school down the road.
This — the inside jokes, the ridiculous banter, the quiet joy — this was where I belonged.
And for the first time in a long time,
I didn't feel like I was trying to fit into Diamond…
I felt like I was planting roots in it.