❝ it's better to have a few good friends than a ton of popular ones. ❞

―

JULIANA GAVE OTHER STUDENTS THE EVIL EYE AS SHE WALKED BY THEM.

They were all laughing at Aisha's expense and calling her cruel nicknames. Juliana wasn't having it. She had been a victim of bullying and she didn't take it lightly. Over the years, Juliana had learned how to stick up for herself and develop thick skin. She vowed that she would always stick up for the underdogs.

Juliana wanted to punch every single person she heard making fun of Aisha with her pink manicured nails. She would actually do it too if Aisha would let her, but she had made Juliana promise that she wouldn't punch anyone. Aisha didn't say she couldn't glare at everyone though. It also helped that she trailed slightly behind her so that she couldn't see.

Aisha stopped in front of her locker where her former best friend, Samantha LaRusso stood. Most of what she had heard about Sam was from Demetri and Eli. Some of it was from Aisha. Demetri and Eli had pretty much given her the run-down on every popular person at West Valley. Sam LaRusso was one of those people.

West Valley's newest addition to the popular group, daughter of Daniel LaRusso who owned LaRusso Auto Group and was a former karate champion back in the eighties who built his brand on it. She used to be friends with Aisha, but after becoming friends with Yasmine and Moon, she spent more time with them instead of Aisha.

Juliana stood behind Aisha, crossing her arms as she glared at Sam.

"Hey," Sam greeted Aisha, completely ignoring the look that Juliana was giving her. "How are you feeling?"

"I've gone viral," Aisha responded, holding her binder close to her chest. "How do you think I am?"

"Look, they're mean, but they have short memories," Sam tried to reassure her. "They'll forget."

"Yeah," Aisha slammed her locker shut. "Well, I'm not gonna forget."

Aisha walked off. Juliana continued to glare at Sam. Now, Sam was staring back at her.

"You know, she was your best friend," Juliana stepped closer to her. "I get that you want to fit in with your new popular friends, but the least you could do is stand up for her."

"I'm sorry?" Sam asked.

Juliana stared her directly in the eyes. "You heard me. You think those girls are your friends? Been there, done that, sweetheart. Trust me, it's better to have a few good friends than a ton of popular ones."

Sam stared at her, shaking her head. "You don't know anything about me. You just moved here, so don't start acting like you know everything, okay?"

Juliana nodded her head. "Okay. But when they leave you in the dust for whatever reason, just know, that I'll be there for you. I know how it feels to have someone you considered a friend leave you behind."

Juliana stepped around her and walked down the hall, making her way to the library for study hall. When she walked in, she instantly made a beeline for the table that she always sat at with Demetri, Eli, and Miguel.

She placed her bag on the floor of the library and took a seat across from Demetri, huffing as she sat down.

"Hey, Juli," Demetri greeted her. "Everything okay?"

Juliana shrugged, pulling a pen with a pinky fuzzy bal at the top and a spiral notebook with a kitten on it out of her backpack. "I just feel bad for Aisha. It's not fun to have everyone laughing at you."

Demetri shook his head. "No, it's not."

"Did—have people ever laughed at you?" Miguel asked, tapping his pen on the table.

Juliana nodded. "Yeah. Back at my old school. It's no big deal, just some girls I used to be friends with."

"Well, they're dumb for letting you go," Demetri told her.

Juliana smiled. "Thanks, Dem."

Juliana pulled out her English textbook as she focused her attention on Miguel. "Hey, so is everything okay after what happened at the dance?"

"We were just talking about that," Miguel told her. "My mom doesn't want me doing karate anymore."

Juliana frowned. "I'm sorry."

"So, that's really it?" Demetri asked. "No more karate?"

"I guess so," Miguel responded.

Demetri nodded. "It's probably for the best. It was starting to boost your confidence."

Miguel turned to look at him. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"No," Demetri replied.

Juliana rolled her eyes and reached over the table to punch him in the shoulder. Demetri turned to look at her, an offended look on his face as she rubbed his shoulder.

"Don't listen to him," Juliana said to Miguel. "Having the confidence to stand up for yourself is a good thing."

"Yeah, when you aren't getting your ass kicked," Demetri said. "What was confidence ever gotten anybody except for a black eye and their backpack thrown in the trash?"

"Well, I thought it was kind of cool how you stood up to Kyler," Eli spoke softly.

"Are you insane?" Demetri asked. "Let me ask you. What is the best superpower anyone could have?"

"Super strength," Miguel answered quickly.

"Wrong," Demetri responded.

Juliana crossed her legs, tapping her pen. "Invisibility."

Demetri pointed at her, clicking his tongue. "Bingo. A distant second would be super speed to run away fast."

"Run away from who?"

Juliana looked up, rolling her eyes when she saw Kyler leaning over the table.

"Whom," his friend, Brucks, corrected him. "It's the object of a preposition. Remember English class."

The three boys sitting at the table with Juliana quickly stood up, grabbing their belongings before they began to walk away from the table. Kyler grabbed Eli by the neck, turning his head around.

"Hey, where are you going?" Kyler grabbed his chin, tilting his head up. "Oh, look at this freak."

Juliana stood up, pushing her chair back. "Leave him alone!"

Kyler turned his head. "What are you gonna do about it, Strawberry Shortcake?"

Juliana clenched her fist as Kyler and Brucks laughed. She could feel her fingernails digging into her palm.

"What kind of girl would want to kiss this shit?" Kyler asked, looking at Eli's lip.

"Leave him alone, Kyler," Miguel chimed in.

Kyler pushed Eli to the side before approaching Miguel. "What'd you say? You haven't had enough, 'Rhea? Huh?"

Juliana reached her hand out to Eli. He walked closer to her, grabbing her hand. She gently placed her hand on his back, asking him if he was okay. She let go of his hand, keeping the other on his back.

Kyler pushed Miguel head. "Get the hell out of here, man."

Eli started to follow him out of the library. Brucks shoved him as he walked past him. Juliana's fist clenched even tighter as she saw Kyler grab Demetri's bag, pulling him back. He held Demetri's backpack over the trash can for a few seconds before dropping it.

Demetri reached in the trash, pulling out a yogurt covered backpack before turning around and exiting the library. Juliana clenched her jaw as she put her pen and notebook back in her backpack. She swung one of the straps over her shoulder as she stepped around the table, stopping once she stood directly in front of Kyler and Brucks.

They stare down at her, laughing. Juliana folded her arms across her chest. Kyler continued to laugh as he pushed her to the side. Juliana balled up her fist. She promised Aisha no punching, but she hadn't promised Demetri and Eli.

"Hey, Kyler!"

Kyler turned around. He didn't even have the chance to say a word before Juliana's fist collided with his face.

"Oh, shit!" Brucks laughed, covering his mouth with his hand.

"You think this is funny?" Juliana questioned him. "How about I punch you too and wipe that gap-toothed smile right off your face?"

Brucks shook his head. Kyler glared at Juliana, touching his lip with his fingers. Juliana straightened her posture and held her head up as he pushed past Kyler, exiting the library and making her way to her next class.

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Juliana sat on her front porch, Demetri and Eli sitting next to her. She stared up at the clouds, her heart-shaped sunglasses shielding her eyes from the sun. She turned her head at Demetri, pushing her glasses farther down onto the bridge of her nose.

"You really punched him in the face?" he asked.

Juliana nodded. "Why's that so hard to believe?"

"I don't know," Demetri shrugged.

Juliana turned her head at the sound of Eli's soft voice. "I think it's really cool. With the way you stand up for us, you're like a real life superhero."

Juliana grinned. "Thanks, Eli, but it's really no big deal. I just hate seeing other people get bullied. And you guys are my friends. I'll have your backs no matter what."

"Thanks, Juli," Eli said with a smile.

"Yeah, thanks, Juli," Demetri said. "Everyone should have someone like you to stick up for them."

Juliana just smiled, leaning back on her elbows as she continued to stare up at the clouds.

"Hey, uh, Juliana?" Eli asked, getting her attention once again.

"Hmm?" Juliana hummed in response. 

"What happened with those friends you mentioned earlier? The ones that laughed at you?"

A sad expression formed on Juliana's face as she stared down at the ground, watching a piece of grass blow slightly in the wind.

"Oh, I-I didn't mean..." Eli stammered after noticing the look on her face. "I'm sorry I asked. You don't have to talk about it..."

Juliana shook her head, sitting up straight. "No, it's fine. It's part of the reason why we moved. Well, other than the fact that my mother got a job promotion and got relocated. It's actually why I didn't care about having to uproot my entire life."

Juliana chewed on the inside of her cheek before explaining. "There were these two girls that I was friends with. We did everything together. I didn't think it was possible to have friends as amazing as them."

Juliana sighed. "But then I found out, after an entire year of friendship, that they had only been pretending to be friends with me. I overheard them talking one day about how I was a loser and how sorry they felt for me. The only reason they wanted to be friends with me was because my family lived in this nice, fancy house with a pool. They said it was perfect for throwing parties..."

Juliana sniffled, pushing up her sunglasses to hide her tears. Demetri wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer. She rested her head on his shoulder. Eli, unsure of what to do, place his hand on her shoulder, letting her know that he was there for her too.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through that," Demetri told her. "You didn't deserve that."

"You're amazing, Juli," Eli added. "Those girls don't know what they're missing."

Juliana wiped her tears and smiled as he lifted her head. "Thanks, guys."

"Hey, you three," Juliana turned her head at the sound of her mother's voice. "The food is ready. The sooner we eat, the sooner the campaign can begin."

Demetri removed his arm before standing up. He held his hand out in front of Juliana. She grabbed it with a smile, allowing him to help pull her up to his feet. She let go of his hand, looking down at Eli.

"Come on, Eli," Juliana told him, extending her hand out.

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Juliana sat at the head of the table, facing her parents, Demetri and Eli. In front of her, sat her Dungeon Master screen, shielding viable information about the campaign from their eyes. Her pink D&D dice rested hidden on behind it, along with her notebook and a pen.

A folder matching her kitten notebook that contained copies of the character sheets laid concealed under her notebook. To the side, stood several miniature figures of various types of creatures and characters.

"After speaking to a group of peasants who overheard that the lost Amulet of Dethadron, belonging to the most powerful queen in all the lands, Queen Emora, had been stashed deep inside the cave," Juliana spoke, continuing the campaign. "You approach the cave."

"As you enter the cave, it's dark and you can't see a thing," Juliana told them. "You can make out the faint sound of dripping water, but you cannot tell where it is coming from."

"Do we hear anything else?" Demetri asked. "Any monsters or creatures that might be lurking around?"

"Check for perception," Juliana instructed him.

Demetri picked up his D20 and rolled it on the table. Juliana leaned over the screen, watching to see what number the dice faced upwards.

"Fifteen," Demetri read the number before adding his modifier. "So, seventeen."

Juliana nodded her head. "In the distance, you hear a low growl. You're unsure what it is, but you know for certain that it's something far more sinister than a simple bear."

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After pausing the campaign for the night, Juliana walked on the sidewalk between Demetri and Eli, making their way to Demetri's house. She had a smile on her face as the two boys went on and on about how awesome and amazing her campaign was.

"It's my first campaign," Juliana told them. "It wasn't that good. It could definitely use some work."

Demetri raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you kidding?"

Juliana chuckled. "You guys are too sweet."

Demetri and Eli glanced down at the sidewalk, trying to hide the blushes on their cheeks. They stopped in front of Demetri's house. Juliana rocked back and forth on her heels.

"See you tomorrow?" Juliana asked.

Eli nodded. "Yeah. Tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow," Demetri responded.

Juliana grinned at them, dimples forming in her cheeks. She held her arms out to the side before embracing Demetri in a hug. He stumbled backwards, freezing in place as his eyes widened. Juliana pulled back, turning to Eli and hugging him. His eyes went wide, close to the point where they were practically bulging out of their sockets. Eli turned to Demetri, a look on his face as if he were asking him if this was really happening.

Juliana pulled away from the hug. "Thanks for being my friends."

She gave them one last smile before turning on her heels and making her way back to her house. She looked over her shoulder, seeing the two boys standing in front of Demetri's driveway, wide-eyed and staring back at her.

Juliana faced forward, shaking her head as she smiled. Her heart pounded in her chest. As she walked up the stairs to her bedroom, she couldn't stop smiling.

— EMILIA'S NOTES

okay, listen, my dungeons & dragons knowledge is limited. i've only played once and have watched others play a handful of times. so if it's inaccurate don't come for me lmao. i just really wanted to include a little bit of it.

also i was not about to write out the whole campaign, sorrrryyy.

anyway juliana continues to be an absolute legend. where can i get a juliana?

ugh i just love her so much.