Jay's Pov
PE class.
Normally, I'd complain about running. About sweating. About the humidity trying to kill me.
But today was different.
Today, we were doing some kind of relay race thing, and Ci-n had decided that chasing me around the gym was the best entertainment ever.
"Chase me!!" Ci-n shouted while running, his little legs pumping like crazy.
"Shut up! You're DEAD!" I shouted and sped up even more.
I was REALLY going to catch this little monster. Because I'd just discovered that Ci-n—my so-called "best friend"—had been doing something evil.
He opened my Facebook on my phone. While I wasn't looking. He accepted ALL the friend requests from Section E. He even POSTED on my wall.
ANIMAL.
That's why I had so many notifications this morning!
"INSULT!" I screamed at him.
"Hahaha.. Chasing!" He laughed like a maniac.
I was about to catch up when he suddenly slowed down right in front of me and waved at someone.
In my annoyance, I kicked him in the back. Not hard, but enough to make him fall.
"Ouch! Who—Jay! Why did you kick me?!" Calix turned around, annoyed.
Wait.
That wasn't Ci-n.
I looked up. Ci-n was across the gym, waving at Rakki, who was sitting on the bleachers.
I'd just kicked the wrong person.
"Sorry, Calix!" I yelled, already running again.
Ci-n saw me coming and took off.
"I WILL END YOU!" I screamed.
"Hahaha! Catch me first!"
I ran faster. Caught up. Kicked him in the back. Same strength as Calix.
"Ouch! It hurts!" He rubbed his back.
"Because you're an ANIMAL!" I said and started running again.
I hadn't gone far when I saw David waving at someone. Another distraction!
I was about to step on his back—because why not—but I stopped when I saw a girl waving back at him.
"I Love You, my David!" the girl screamed.
My jaw dropped. "You have a GIRLFRIEND?!"
David's cheeks went RED. He tried to hide his smile. "Y-yeah."
DAVID. The one who sleeps all the time. The quiet one. The one I thought had zero game.
And his girlfriend was BEAUTIFUL.
"Good for you!" I patted his shoulder and kept running.
We were almost done with the relay when I saw Kiko waving at me.
Kiko was nice. Friendly. Flirted a little but in a harmless way. I slowed down and waved back.
"Hi—AAAAYYYYY!!!"
Someone KICKED me in the back. I flew forward and landed face-first on the gym floor.
The pain. The humiliation. The AUDACITY.
I scrambled up and turned around.
Keifer.
Standing there with his arms crossed, looking bored.
"OH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" I screamed.
"Tsk. You're going to get in the way." He said it like it was nothing. Like he hadn't just MURDERED me in front of everyone.
"IN THE WAY?! I WAS WAVING!"
"Wave faster next time."
"I WILL KILL YOU!"
I didn't think.
I just RAN.
Straight at him.
And kicked him in the back.
Keifer fell.
And suddenly, everything stopped.
The students running? Stopped.
The nerds reading notes? Frozen.
Section A? Staring.
The people just hanging around? Completely still.
Silence.
Complete, total silence.
Keifer slowly stood up. His back was to me, but I could feel it. The rage. The murderous intent. It was like a dark cloud forming above his head.
"Oh no," someone whispered.
"He's dead."
"Yuri! Let go of me!"
"Keifer is angry!"
"Who do you bet on? I'm with Jay-jay!"
Various reactions. None of them comforting.
I swallowed hard. My knees were shaking. My soul was trying to escape my body.
Keifer turned around.
His face was... blank. But his eyes? His eyes were screaming murder.
The space between his eyebrows—the little frown line—completely disappeared. That was somehow scarier.
"WHAT THE F*** IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" His voice boomed across the gymnasium.
It echoed off the walls. Made the windows vibrate. Made my BONES tremble.
I should have apologized.
I should have run.
But my mouth opened and stupid words came out.
"It's because you... you kicked ME first!"
Silence.
Even louder silence.
"YOU CRAZY WOMAN."
All the blood in my body drained out. I felt cold. Like a ghost hugged me. An icy, terrifying ghost.
"JAY! RUN!" someone screamed.
I ran.
I turned and SPRINTED.
Behind me, I heard footsteps. Heavy. Fast. Getting closer.
Keifer was CHASING me.
I looked back for one second. BIG MISTAKE.
His legs were SO LONG. One of his steps was two of mine. He was GAINING.
"GO JAY GO!" Ci-n screamed from somewhere.
"Faster!"
"Don't let him catch you!"
Easy for them to say. THEY weren't being hunted by an angry Keifer.
I was almost at the exit. Almost free.
And then—
I tripped.
No. Not tripped.
Someone TRIPPED me.
I went flying. Rolled across the floor like a log rolling in sugar. My ankle screamed in pain.
"Aaaawww..." I groaned, looking up.
Yuri.
YURI was standing there, smirking at me.
"Sorry," he said. Not sorry at all.
"YOU—"
Before I could curse him out, a hand grabbed the back of my collar and LIFTED.
Suddenly I was dangling. Feet off the ground. Face-to-face with a very angry, very close Keifer.
"You think you can run away from me?" His voice was low. Dangerous.
He pulled me closer. Our faces were INCHES apart.
Oh no. Oh no no no.
If either of us moved even a little, we would—
"I will punish you," he said slowly. "Until you cry and beg for my mercy."
I tried to push my face away. Just a little. I did NOT want to accidentally kiss him.
"Move your face away!" I ordered.
He suddenly laughed. A creepy laugh. The kind villains do before they win.
Then he pulled me CLOSER.
"How about that?" He was teasing now. Enjoying my panic.
"I said MOVE AWAY, not CLOSE!"
"I don't want to!"
I squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn't look at him. If I looked at him, I'd die. Or faint. Or both.
Okay. Just breathe. He'll let go eventually. Just wait it out.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
I slightly turned my face toward him. Just a tiny bit. A microscopic movement. The smallest shift possible.
And then—
My lips touched his.
Time stopped.
For less than 0.01 seconds, my brain tried to process what just happened.
Then regret hit me like a truck.
I thought it would be a peck. A quick smack. Just lips touching lips.
It wasn't.
It was DEEP. Our noses bumped. The contact lasted longer than intended. WAY longer.
My heart EXPLODED.
Beat. Beat. BEATBEATBEATBEAT.
Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.
"OH... THEY KISSED."
Someone's voice broke the spell.
Keifer dropped me immediately.
I stumbled back, gasping for air.
He was staring at me. Eyes wide. Face SHOCKED.
And his cheeks? RED. Bright, burning red.
Jusme! You're not the only one shocked!
My face felt like it was on FIRE. My chest was tight. My throat was closing.
Breathe, Jay. BREATHE.
I couldn't.
And then I remembered.
The ENTIRE GYM just saw that.
Everyone. Every single person. Students. Teachers. Everyone.
I looked around.
Hundreds of eyes. All staring. All processing what just happened.
Ci-n had his hands over his mouth. Felix looked like he'd won the lottery. Mia was GASPING.
And Section A? They were approaching.
Aries. Mykel. Kiko. Walking toward us.
I tried to speak. To say something. Anything.
But Keifer grabbed my collar again.
AGAIN.
"You did that on PURPOSE!" He accused me.
I shook my head vigorously, looking anywhere but his eyes. I couldn't look at him. I WOULDN'T look at him.
"Put Jay down!" Aries ordered.
Keifer just looked at him. If he let go, I'd fall. My feet were barely touching the ground.
"And if I don't?" Keifer's voice was teasing again.
Aries grabbed my arm and PULLED.
Keifer didn't let go.
Suddenly I was being stretched between them. Human tug-of-war. And I was the rope.
"LET GO!" I screamed.
They ignored me.
Aries pulled harder. Keifer held tighter.
"ARAY! Let me GO!" Tears pricked my eyes. It HURT.
Still ignored.
"Why are you even affected?" Keifer asked Aries, smirking.
"I'm not affected. I'm just concerned about my COUSIN."
My brain short-circuited.
Cousin?
"What?" I whispered.
But no one heard me.
"Same thing. You're still affected." Keifer again.
"It's not the same."
Aries pulled again. My shoulder screamed.
"ENOUGH!" I yelled.
Aries finally looked at me. Something flickered in his eyes. Concern? Guilt?
He let go.
I stumbled and fell against Keifer's chest.
"Have mercy on me..." I muttered.
"She belongs to Section E," Keifer said, his arm now around my waist. "Whatever we want to do to Jay is none of your business."
Belong? Since when did I BELONG to anyone?
I opened my mouth to argue.
But then his other hand grabbed my neck.
And he kissed me.
Not like before. Not an accident.
This was ON PURPOSE.
Deep. Intense. His lips moved against mine like he meant it.
My heart STOPPED.
One pulse. Then EXPLOSION.
Oxygen! I need OXYGEN!
I couldn't move. Couldn't think. Couldn't breathe.
He was looking at Aries while doing this. Staring at him over my head. Like he was proving a point.
This is not happening. This is NOT happening.
I tried to push him away. He just pressed my head closer, his hand firm on my neck.
And then—
His lips started moving differently. Like he was getting carried away.
And I felt it.
His TONGUE.
PUT A TONGUE IN A GLASS! THIS IS NOT HAPPENING!
My brain officially left the building. Went on vacation. Might never come back.
Meanwhile, in the Bleachers...
Mia had her hands pressed against her cheeks, eyes the size of dinner plates.
"JARE. JARE, LOOK."
Jare was already looking. His expression was a mix of shock, amusement, and "I can't believe this is my life."
"Is my sister... is she being kissed by your brother?" he asked slowly.
"AGGRESSIVELY kissed. Yes."
"This is insane."
"This is BEAUTIFUL."
Ci-n appeared between them. "MY SHIP! MY SHIP IS SAILING! WITH TONGUE!"
"Ci-n, you're 14."
"Age doesn't matter when love is involved!"
Felix was literally CRYING. Happy tears streaming down his face.
"This is the greatest moment of my life," he whispered. "My husband-wife radar was RIGHT."
Ben was filming. Obviously.
"Historic," he murmured. "Absolutely historic."
Sarah grabbed Bella's arm. "I can't believe this. I literally can't believe this."
Bella, calm as always, just nodded. "The tension finally broke."
"What tension?!"
"All the tension."
Dave was too busy eating chips to fully process, but even he paused mid-chew. "Whoa. They're really going for it."
Back on the Court...
Keifer finally pulled back.
I just stood there. Frozen. Brain empty. Soul departed.
He looked at me. His ears were CRIMSON. His breathing was uneven.
But he was SMIRKING.
"That's for kicking me," he said.
I couldn't even respond. My lips were... were they swollen? They felt swollen.
Aries was still standing there. His jaw was tight. His fists were clenched.
But he wasn't looking at Keifer.
He was looking at ME.
Something in his eyes. Something complicated. Something that looked almost like... guilt?
"You okay?" he asked quietly.
I opened my mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.
"I... what?"
Aries stepped forward. Keifer's arm tightened around my waist.
"Don't," Keifer warned.
"I just want to talk to her."
"She doesn't want to talk to you."
"How do you know?"
"Because I know her."
"You've known her for like a week."
"And in that week, I've learned more about her than you ever will."
Aries's eyes flashed. "You don't know anything about her family."
"And you do?"
Aries was quiet for a moment. Then he looked at me again.
"Jay. Can we talk? Alone?"
"Why would she talk to you alone?" Keifer again.
"Because I'm her—" Aries stopped. Caught himself.
"Her what?" I asked.
He didn't answer.
Just stared at me with those familiar eyes. Eyes that reminded me of someone. Someone I couldn't place.
"Nothing," he finally said. "Never mind."
And he walked away.
I watched him go, confusion swirling in my brain.
Cousin? He'd said cousin. Did I have a cousin here? In the Philippines? Mama never mentioned—
Keifer's voice broke through my thoughts.
"You okay?"
I looked up at him. Really looked.
His face was still red. His eyes were soft now. Worried.
"I... I don't know."
"Your lips are swollen."
"YOUR fault."
"Worth it."
"KEIFER."
He almost smiled. "What? I'm just observing."
"You're OBSESSING."
"Same thing."
I wanted to hit him. I also wanted to kiss him again. My brain was a MESS.
"I need to sit down," I said.
He let go of my waist immediately. "Yeah. Okay."
I took two steps and my legs gave out.
He caught me. Obviously.
"Easy," he murmured.
"Don't 'easy' me. You did this."
"I did this?"
"YOU kissed me!"
"You kissed me first."
"That was an ACCIDENT!"
"And mine wasn't."
I stared at him. "What?"
He didn't answer. Just helped me walk toward the bleachers.
Toward my friends. Toward Mia. Toward Jare.
Toward the chaos I knew was waiting.
We reached the bleachers and I was immediately SWARMED.
"JAY!" Mia grabbed me. "JAY! THAT HAPPENED!"
"I KNOW!"
"YOU KISSED!"
"I KNOW!"
"TWICE!"
"I KNOW!"
"AND THE SECOND ONE WAS WITH TONGUE!"
"I KNOW!"
Ci-n was jumping up and down. "MY SHIP! MY SHIP IS REAL! IT HAS TONGUE BUT IT'S REAL!"
"Ci-n, STOP saying tongue!"
"BUT THERE WAS TONGUE!"
Felix was still crying. "I'm so happy. I'm so, so happy. My husband-wife radar is validated."
"Felix, STOP."
"Never! This is my greatest achievement!"
Sarah grabbed my shoulders. "How do you feel? Are you okay? Do you need water? A therapist? A new identity to move to another country?"
"All of the above."
Ben held up his camera. "I got it all. Every angle."
"BEN, DELETE THAT."
"Absolutely not. This is going in the archives."
Jare finally pushed through. My twin. My other half. My supposed protector.
"You good?" he asked.
"I don't know."
"Your face is really red."
"I KNOW."
"Your lips look..."
"DON'T."
He smiled. Actually smiled. "Keifer's a good guy."
"HE JUST KISSED ME IN FRONT OF EVERYONE!"
"Exactly. A good guy."
"THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!"
"Love never does."
I screamed into my hands.
Across the gym, Aries was watching.
Ella, his girlfriend, stood beside him. "What was that about?"
"Nothing."
"That didn't look like nothing."
Aries didn't answer.
His eyes stayed on Jay. On the girl who didn't know. The girl who had no idea they shared blood.
His phone buzzed.
MOM: Did you meet her?
ARIES: Yeah.
MOM: Does she know?
ARIES: Not yet.
MOM: You need to tell her.
ARIES: I know.
MOM: Soon, Aries. Before someone else does.
He put his phone away.
Looked at Jay again.
She was laughing now. Surrounded by friends. Mia hugging her. Ci-n jumping around. Keifer standing nearby, watching her with an expression Aries recognized.
An expression he'd seen on his own face when he looked at Ella.
Great, he thought. My sister is falling for my enemy.
This was going to be complicated.
Back with Jay...
I finally escaped the swarm and sat down. Alone for two seconds.
My phone buzzed.
GAGONG BALIW: You okay?
ME: NO.
GAGONG BALIW: Good kiss though.
ME: KEIFER.
GAGONG BALIW: What? It was.
ME: I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU.
GAGONG BALIW: Believe what? That I've wanted to do that since the first time you called me Gagong Baliw?
I stared at the screen.
ME: You're insane.
GAGONG BALIW: Possibly.
ME: Completely crazy.
GAGONG BALIW: Definitely.
ME: Gagong Baliw.
GAGONG BALIW: ❤️
I looked up. Across the gym, Keifer was looking at his phone. Smiling.
Then he looked at me.
Mouthed something.
Worth it.
I wanted to throw something at him. I also wanted to kiss him again.
This boy was going to be the death of me.
And honestly?
I was already dead.