JAY-JAY POV
That idiot. That literal, smiling gago. He didn't even look nervous. He just stood there at the front of the room, looking at me with a grin that made me want to go back in time and delete my entire existence.
He walked past me, the smell of his expensive cologne hitting me like a slap to the face, and stood next to Sir Alvin.
"Come in and introduce yourself," Sir said, looking completely oblivious to the fact that I was currently having a spiritual crisis.
The entire room went silent—the kind of silent that happens right before a bomb goes off. Everyone looked confused. Usually, the Kings know everything that happens in this school, but even that King—Keifer—looked like someone had just told him gravity was fake. His eyes were narrowed, darting between me and the guy at the front.
I don't think he was informed about this. No one was. Except maybe those two assholes at Ben's house yesterday.
"Hello, everyone," the guy said, his voice smooth and projecting throughout the room. "I'm Jasprit Jare Trip Frenadez Mariano."
For a second, the name just hung in the air like a bad smell.
Keifer didn't just react; he exploded. He stood up from his seat so fast his chair screeched against the floor like a dying animal.
"What the fuck?" Keifer barked, his eyes flashing with a mix of confusion and pure, unadulterated territorial rage. "Mariano?!"
"Mr. Watson, sit down!" Sir Alvin snapped, his voice barely cutting through the thick layer of tension in the room.
Keifer sat back down, but he didn't lower his guard. He looked like a ticking time bomb, and the countdown was already at one second.
"Jay, do you know him?" Yuri whispered, leaning in so close I could feel his confusion.
I didn't answer.
My vocal cords were currently on strike. I just stared at Jare, who was still standing at the front of the room like he was posing for a magazine cover. He caught my gaze and let out a small, playful smile that made my blood pressure skyrocket.
That was the trigger.
"I will throw this chair at you if you keep smiling like that!" I yelled, my hands already reaching for the edges of my seat. I didn't care that Sir was right there. I didn't care that I was in school. I just wanted to wipe that smirk off his face.
Sir Alvin looked like he'd just seen a ghost. He looked at me, then back at the newcomer, his glasses nearly slipping off his nose. "Mr. Mariano... are you related to Jasper Jean Fernandez Mariano?"
Jare didn't even flinch. He just tilted his head, his eyes sparkling with mischief as he looked directly at me. "Care to explain, Jay?"
"I'm really gonna hurt you if you keep talking to me!" I barked back, feeling the steam practically coming out of my ears. Leche. He's doing this on purpose! He's enjoying the chaos!
The classroom exploded into a chorus of whispers that sounded like a hive of angry bees.
"What the fuck?"
"They're acting like they know each other!"
"Gago, they do know each other! Look at how she's trying to kill him!"
Jare laughed—a light, annoying sound that grated on my nerves. He held up his hands to calm the room, acting like he was the one in control.
"Let me clear it up," Jare said, his voice dropping into a tone that was way too smooth for my sanity. "Yes, I'm related to Jasper Jean Fernandez Mariano."
He paused, letting the name hang in the air for maximum dramatic effect. I wanted to crawl into my backpack and hide forever.
"Actually," he continued, glancing back at me with that same 'Future' look he'd used in the texts. "I'm her twin brother."
The silence that followed was so heavy it felt horizontal. I could feel Keifer's gaze burning a hole through the side of my head, and I knew right then that my quiet life was officially over.
Leche. Percy, if you're listening... you are so dead for sending him here!
"Isn't that right, sis?" Jare said, looking at me with that playful, mocking glint in his eyes that I hadn't seen in two years.
My vision went red. It wasn't just red—it was Barracuda Red. Two years of silence, two years of me wondering where the hell he was, and he just shows up here? Acting like he's part of some high school rom-com?
"You son of a bitch!" I roared, launching myself from my seat.
I didn't just walk; I charged. I swung a fist at his face, but he ducked with that annoying, athletic grace he always had.
"You didn't talk to me for two years and now you just show up?!" I screamed, my voice cracking with a mix of fury and the kind of hurt I'd been hiding since I moved to this school.
I was about to throw another punch—the kind that usually lands someone in the ER—when suddenly, the world moved backward. Two strong arms wrapped around my waist like iron bands, lifting my feet right off the floor.
"Let me go, asshole!" I yelled, kicking my legs in the air like a frustrated turtle.
I didn't even have to look back to know it was Keifer. He was the only one in this room with enough guts (and enough strength) to actually try and restrain me when I was in "murder mode."
The rest of the guys were just standing there, eyes wide, looking at us like they were watching a top-rated afternoon soap opera. Ci-N looked like he was five seconds away from buying popcorn.
Jare rubbed his jaw, though I hadn't even hit him yet, and let out a whistle. "Wow. Who taught you to punch your older brother like that? You've gotten mean, Jay."
"You son of a bitch!" I repeated, because honestly, that was the only phrase that fit. "You asshole! Idiot! Gago!"
"Okay, enough with the cursing," Jare said, smoothing down his uniform and looking at Keifer. He tilted his head, his expression shifting from playful to something a bit more... protective. "Watson, let go of my sister."
Keifer didn't move. He kept his grip firm on my waist, his chest rumbled against my back as he spoke in that deep, "I-don't-care" voice of his.
"No. She's gonna kill you," Keifer said flatly.
"Exactly! Let me go so I can finish the job!" I thrashed again, but Keifer just held on tighter.
Leche. Of all the people to walk through that door, it had to be Jare. My brother. The one who knew all my secrets and apparently knew how to use a burner phone to drive me insane.
I stopped struggling for a second, my heart racing, and looked at Jare. "If you think you're staying in this section, you're dreaming. Go find a different school! Go to Mars!"
Jare just laughed, looking around at the classroom like he was already planning where to put his bag. "Nah. I think I'm gonna like it here"
Keifer finally let go of my waist, probably realizing that holding back a hurricane was a losing battle. The second I was free, I didn't waste time. I lunged.
POW!
My fist connected straight with Jare's jaw. No misses this time. My knuckles stung, but the sight of him stumbling back was worth every bit of the pain.
"Son of a—" Jare groaned, hitting the floor with a heavy thud. He rubbed his face, looking up at me with an expression that was half-impressed and half-traumatized. "Are you even a woman, Jay? Leche, your punch is like a brick!"
A few chuckles erupted from the back of the room.
"That's what we've been wondering ourselves," Eren piped up, leaning back in his chair with a smirk.
I whipped around, pointing my throbbing fist at him. "You want to be next, Eren? I have two hands for a reason!"
Eren immediately threw his hands up and shook his head, looking like he wanted to hide under his desk.
I turned back to my brother, exhaling a sharp breath, and reached out to help him up. Because despite the fact that he was an annoying asshole he was still my blood.
"Who told you to come here anyway?" I asked as he dusted off his uniform, rolling his eyes as if I were the one being dramatic.
"Grandpa did," Jare said, his voice dropping into that serious tone he only used when the "Old Man" was involved. "Especially after your little dramatic phone call to him, crying about when you could move to NYC."
The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly. It was like I had just dropped a bomb on Section E's collective head.
"What the fuck? You're going to NYC?!" Keifer's voice was like ice, his eyes burning into mine with a look I couldn't quite name—somewhere between anger and absolute panic.
"Jay! Are you going to leave me?!" Ci-N wailed, his eyes welling up with his typical over-the-top drama. "What will I do without my manager?!"
I gave them a death glare that was sharp enough to cut glass. "Shut up!"
They shut up, but the tension was still vibrating in the air. I turned back to Jare. "So that old man sent you?"
Jare smirked, that annoying 'Future' look returning for a split second. "He sent me to keep an eye on you. To make sure you're still breathing."
"Idiot," I muttered. "Percy is already here doing that. Why do I need two babysitters?"
"Well, it's because your life is in danger because of certain people," Jare said, his eyes narrowing as he glared over my shoulder.
I followed his gaze. He wasn't just looking at the class—he was staring daggers directly at Keifer and Yuri. The protective "Older Brother" instinct was officially in the building, and it was looking for a fight.
I rolled my eyes so hard I thought I'd see my own brain. "So he sent you to 'protect' me? Give me a break."
Flick!
I yelped as Jare's finger hit my forehead. Aray!
"No," he corrected me, looking smug. "He sent me to make sure you won't get in trouble. There's a difference."
I showed him my fist again, my teeth gritted. "Flick my forehead one more time, and I'll make sure you won't be able to taste food for a week."
"Miss Mariano, Mr. Mariano... as much as I'm enjoying this family reunion, are you guys ready for the lesson?" Sir Alvin asked,
I gave Jare one more warning look and stomped back to my seat. Leche. This was supposed to be my safe haven, and now it was filled with my brother's glares, Keifer's questions about NYC, and mystery texts.
I sat down, feeling the weight of Jare's presence behind me and Keifer's gaze on the side
Sir Alvin's class went by in a blur. My brain was too busy processing the fact that my brother was now my classmate.
"I'll buy you something. Wait here," Jare said, acting like the typical bossy older brother before disappearing out the door.
I didn't want to wait. I needed air. I needed to be away from the suffocating stares of Section E. I got up and headed for the stairs, my mind a mess of NYC, my brother's arrival, and that stupid Ulupong text.
But before I could even reach the next floor, a hand clamped onto my arm. I was suddenly being dragged—not just pulled, but hauled—toward the old music room.
"What the fuck?!" I yelled, ready to swing, but a hand instantly covered my mouth, muffling my scream.
The door slammed shut, and the silence of the music room felt like a heavy blanket. I looked up and saw those eyes. Cold, intense, and filled with a storm of emotions I couldn't decipher.
It was Keifer.
"You son of a bitch!" I hissed the second he let me go, my voice echoing off the dusty instruments. I stepped back, my chest heaving. "What do you want, Keifer?!"
He didn't yell. He just stepped into my space, looming over me like he wanted to block out the rest of the world.
"You better not leave the Philippines," he said, his voice low and dangerous.
"Who are you to tell me what to do?" I shot back, my heart doing that painful pak-pak rhythm. "You don't own me!"
He didn't answer. He just stared at me, his jaw clenched so tight I thought it might snap.
"What the hell do you want, Keifer?!" I yelled, the frustration of the last few weeks finally tearing through my throat. "You already got what you wanted! You made me cry, you pushed me away, and now I'm finally moving on! Let me go!"
"NO!" Keifer's voice exploded, his hands reaching out to grab my chin, forcing me to look at him. "After everything we've done together.You're not moving on from me, Jay-Jay. Don't you dare."
"Why?!" I asked, my voice breaking as the first hot tear escaped and rolled down my cheek. "Why do you want me to suffer? Isn't it enough that you broke me once?"
He froze. The fire in his eyes flickered, replaced by a momentary look of pure agony. Seeing me cry was the only thing that could ever truly stop him.
"Trust me, Jay," he whispered, his thumb trembling as he wiped the tears from my face. "Just... give me some time."
"What are you talking about?" I asked, completely confused, my vision blurred by my crying.
"I'm giving you some space, Jay," he said, his forehead resting against mine. "I'm going to London. But when I come back... you will be mine. Whether you like it or not."
Before I could process his words—London? Space? Mine?—his lips crashed onto mine. It wasn't a soft kiss. It was desperate, salty with the taste of our mixing tears, and filled with a promise that terrified me as much as it pulled me in.
I hated him. I wanted to push him away. But my hands stayed gripped to his shirt, pulling him closer as I kissed him back with everything I had left.
In that dusty music room, with our tears blurring the lines between love and hate, I realized one thing: No matter how far I tried to run—to NYC or beyond—I was already anchored to the ground by Keifer Watson.
Leche. This wasn't moving on. This was just the beginning of a much more painful distance.
He pulled back, breath warm against my lips.
"I'm going to London tomorrow," he whispered, eyes soft in a way that made my stomach twist. "Just wait for me, Jay."
Then he kissed me again.
I pushed him away, my chest tight, my brain screaming, and walked straight out of the music room before he could say anything else.
But of course, the universe hates me.
Because the moment I stepped into the hallway—
Another one appeared.
Rooster.
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