I pushed Joel away. "We'll see who has the last laugh."
As I juggled studying and running the ad agency, the campus Independence Day Gala finally arrived.
In my previous life, the gala was a painful memory. Juliette closed the show with a sensational dance that drove the crowd wild. At the end of her performance, she turned the spotlight on me, dragging me onto the stage and announcing that I would also perform a dance for Joel despite my complete lack of experience.
I was thrust onto the stage in front of a jeering crowd, feeling like a clown. Amid the laughter, I saw Joel and Juliette standing together, sharing a private joke. Juliette playfully punched Joel's arm and leaned on his shoulder, laughing as he smiled at me and said, "Erica, you prepared a dance for me? Let's see it! Don't let me down!"
The laughter grew louder.
"What dance could she possibly do? Does she think she's Juliette? Her family collects trash…"
"Look at her, trying to perform. She should be hiding in a hole instead…"
"Going out with Joel? He wouldn't even hold her hand. If I were her, I'd just disappear…"