JAY JAY POV
After the whole volleyball-to-the-face incident, Jare went into full "overprotective bodyguard" mode and basically put me under house arrest for a week. I tried to argue that a swollen nose didn't require seven days of bed rest, but my twin has a special kind of stubbornness that even my London sass can't break.
We were finally out for a walk in a nearby park, trying to enjoy some fresh air that didn't smell like clinical gauze, when my phone started vibrating like crazy.
The caller ID made my heart drop. MAMA REYCEE.
"Jare, did you tell Mama?" I asked, stopping dead in my tracks and staring at the screen like it was a live grenade.
"No," Jare said, his eyes darting around suspiciously.
I reached out and pinched his arm as hard as I could.
"OWW!" Jare yelped, rubbing the spot. "What was that for?!"
"Asshole! Now she's gonna start her Mom speech! If you didn't tell her, then one of the squad must have leaked it on social media," I hissed. I took a deep breath, adjusted my face to "Everything Is Fine" mode, and picked up the phone.
"Hi, Mama Reycee!" I chirped, trying to sound like a girl who hadn't just spent a week hiding from society.
"JASPER JEAN!" Mama Reycee's voice boomed through the speaker, so loud I had to pull the phone away from my ear. Even Jare winced. "Why is Sarah posting pictures of you with cotton in your nose? Why did Ben send me a photo called 'The Fallen Athlete'? And why has Jare been ignoring my messages about your attendance?!"
I shot a look at Jare. He looked away, suddenly very interested in a nearby tree.
"It was just a small accident, Mama! A volleyball went rogue," I explained, walking faster to keep up with my nervous energy. "I'm totally fine now. My nose is back to its original, beautiful shape. No harm done!"
"A small accident? Your brother Percy almost booked a private jet the second he saw the group chat!" Mama Reycee huffed. "And Keifer's mother, Serina, called me worried sick! She said Keifer has been acting like a tiger in a cage because you haven't been in class."
I nearly tripped over my own feet. Keifer? Acting like a tiger in a cage? The only cage that guy belongs in is one with a 'Do Not Feed the Animals' sign.
"Mama, please tell Tita Serina I'm fine. And tell Percy if he lands a jet in Manila for a bruised nose, I'm moving to the North Pole," I groaned.
"You listen to me, Jasper Jean. If I hear about one more 'accident,' I am flying there myself and dragging you and Jare back to London by your ears. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Mama," Jare and I said in perfect, defeated unison.
After another ten minutes of "The Speech"—which included instructions on how to ice my face and a warning to stay away from "aggressive ball sports"—she finally hung up.
I glared at Jare. "You're dead. You were supposed to handle the parents."
"I did! I told them we were busy with 'cultural immersion'!" Jare defended himself. "How was I supposed to know Sarah would post a 'Get Well Soon' reel with a sad slow-motion filter?"
I sighed, ready to give him another lecture, but then I spotted a familiar face across the grass.
"Jay, Jare! Come here!" Aries called out. He was sitting on a massive blanket spread under a Narra tree; it looked like he was having a fancy picnic with his family.
I looked at Jare, silently asking if we should bail, but Jare just nodded. We walked over to the group.
"How is your nose?" Aries asked immediately, his eyes scanning my face for any lingering swelling.
"It's better now," I said, feeling a little self-conscious.
"You didn't show up for school this week. I went to the Section E building every day looking for you," Aries said.
"You went to the Section E building? Shocking," Jare said, his voice flat. He still hadn't forgiven Aries for the "accident," even if it wasn't entirely his fault.
"He felt guilty," Ella Chimed in, though she looked more annoyed than sympathetic.
"I was worried," Aries corrected firmly, not taking his eyes off mine.
"Aries, who are these two?" a woman asked, stepping forward. She was elegant and had the same kind eyes as Aries.
"Mom, this is Jasper Jean and Jare," Aries said. "Jay, Jare, this is my mom, Gemma."
"Hi, Tita," me and Jare said at the same time.
Tita Gemma looked at us for a long second, her expression flickering with something I couldn't quite read. She looked at Aries, and Aries gave her a small, meaningful nod. Suddenly, Tita Gemma lunged forward and pulled me into a tight hug.
"Hi," she whispered, before reaching out and hugging Jare too.
I smiled. It was weird; she gave the exact same kind of warm, "snuggle-fit" hug that Mama Reycee gives us. It felt surprisingly like home.
"Aries, are these the exchange students you were talking about?" another man asked, walking up. He looked like he was in his late 20s—definitely Aries' older brother.
Wait, why was Aries talking about me to his family?
Asshole, I thought. He was probably telling them how stupid I looked when my nose bled and I was sprawled on the gym floor. But then again, Aries isn't really that type of guy. He said he was worried, and he sounded like he meant it. But then again, Ella had said he was just guilty.
"Jay, Jare, this is my other brother, Angelo," Aries said.
"Hi po," I said to him, trying to be polite.
Angelo stared at us—I mean really stared—with an intensity that made me want to check if I had food on my face. He looked at Jare, then at me, as if he were trying to memorize every single detail of our features.
"Just call me Kuya Angelo," he said, his voice softer now, lacking that initial shock.
"Grumpy," Jare whispered to me from the side of his mouth.
I nodded in agreement, feeling the weight of the awkwardness. These people were nice—frighteningly nice—but there was a level of intensity in the way they were looking at us that made me want to hide behind Jare.
"We should probably get going, Tita Gemma," Jare said, putting on his 'responsible twin' face. "We still have a lot of unpacking to do at the new house."
"Oh, of course!" Tita Gemma said, though she didn't let go of my hand immediately. She gave it one last squeeze, her eyes looking a bit misty. "Please, visit us. Aries knows the way, and Angelo can come pick you up anytime. Promise?"
"Promise," I lied, just to be polite.
We said our goodbyes and started heading toward the park exit. The second we were out of earshot, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.
"Okay, what was that?" I asked, looking at Jare. "Kuya Angelo? And why did Tita Gemma look like she wanted to adopt us on the spot?"
"I'm telling you, Jay, something is definitely off," Jare muttered, glancing back at the picnic group. "Did you see Angelo's face? He looked like he'd just seen a ghost. And the 'Kuya' thing? We just met the guy!"
"Maybe they're just really friendly?" I suggested, though I didn't even believe it. "Aries said he was worried. Maybe his family is just... extra."
+++++++++++FEW WEEKS LATER++++++++++++++++
JAY JAY POV
Life in Section E is actually... pretty great. The guys treat me like family now, which is a massive upgrade from being the "Trashcan." Felix and I finally made up, too. I still have absolutely no idea why he was so ice-cold and mad at me in the first place, but whatever—I'm just glad he stopped looking at me like I was a piece of bad evidence.
On the other hand, there's Yuri. I get this vibe that he might actually like me, but I definitely don't feel the same way. He's nice, and his hair is basically a mood, but my heart just isn't doing the "Hanamatchi" beat.
Then there's Ci-N. He's still a genius-level toddler who is a literal full-time job to take care of. I spend half my day making sure he doesn't accidentally offend someone or explode his own brain with too much math.
And Aries? We've grown surprisingly close. He's become like a constant presence, always checking in on me and making sure I'm surviving the madness of Section E. Even though Keifer and Jare both look like they want to swallow a lemon whenever Aries is around, I can't help but like the guy. He has this way of making me feel safe, which is a rare commodity in this school.
But the biggest change? The Lollipop King.
Keifer hasn't called me "Trashcan" in a week. Instead, he's been... attentive. In a very Keifer way. He'll drop a candy on my desk without a word, or he'll walk me to the gate in a silent, broody standoff against any other guy who looks my way.
I was lost in my own thoughts, my eyes trailing over to where Keifer was talking to Yuri. Honestly, it's a total disaster. I, Jasper Jean Mariano, have officially developed a crush on the King of the Assholes. I know, shocking, right? It's pathetic. But the way he's been acting lately—dropping candies on my desk without a word, walking me to the gate like a silent, broody bodyguard—it's doing things to my heart that I didn't give it permission to do.
But the problem is, he's just treating me... fine. Like a teammate. It's infuriating.
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