If Section E loved chaos, it loved competition even more.
The class adviser walked in that morning with a clipboard and the kind of smile that meant trouble.
"The representatives for the inter-class academic competition have been finalized."
Silence fell instantly.
Jay-jay didn't look nervous.
Across the room, Keifer didn't look surprised.
"Jasper jean Mariano . Mark Keifer Waston."
No gasps. No shock.
Just a collective, "Of course."
Jay-jay closed her notebook calmly. "Predictable."
Keifer leaned back in his chair. "You're welcome."
She turned slightly. "For what?"
"For carrying the class reputation."
A few students groaned.
"Oh please," someone muttered. "You two are going to fight more than the other sections."
Jay-jay stood. "We don't fight."
Keifer smirked. "We refine each other."
She shot him a look. "Don't get dramatic."
The adviser clapped once. "You'll begin preparation today. After school."
A collective "oooh" spread across the room.
Jay-jay ignored it.
Keifer did not.
After classes ended, the library was quieter than usual. Late afternoon sunlight filtered through tall windows, dust particles floating lazily in the air.
Jay-jay was already seated at a table, books stacked neatly, highlighter uncapped.
Keifer arrived five minutes late.
"You're late," she said without looking up.
"It's called a dramatic entrance."
"It's called poor time management."
He pulled out the chair across from her and sat down, stretching his arms casually.
"So what's the strategy?"
She slid a paper toward him.
"I made a breakdown of likely topics. We divide and conquer."
He scanned it.
"You did all this already?"
"Yes."
"You don't relax, do you?"
She finally looked at him.
"I don't lose."
For a second, he didn't respond.
Then he leaned forward slightly.
"Good."
Their eyes met.
Not challenging.
Aligned.
They worked in silence for a while surprisingly efficient. No sarcasm. No petty comments.
Just focused.
Half an hour later, Keifer spoke without looking up.
"You don't smile like that here."
She paused.
"You're still on that?"
"You didn't answer."
She closed her book slowly.
"I'm comfortable with my brother."
"And you're not comfortable here?"
She held his gaze steadily.
"Are you asking as my teammate or as something else?"
That caught him off guard.
He recovered quickly.
"As your teammate."
She leaned back slightly.
"Then focus on the competition."
He didn't look away this time.
"Hard to focus when you're distracting."
Her eyebrow lifted.
"I'm studying."
"Exactly."
Silence.
But this silence felt different.
Closer.
Less sharp.
A group of students passed by the library doors, laughing loudly, breaking the moment.
Jay-jay cleared her throat and returned to her notes.
"We present our practice arguments tomorrow," she said calmly.
Keifer leaned back again, watching her for a second longer than necessary.
"Yeah," he replied softly.
But he wasn't thinking about arguments anymore.
And for the first time,
Neither was she.