Jay's POV
The lunch bell had barely ended when Kit walked into the classroom.
"Everyone, change into your P.E. uniforms. We'll be heading to the court in five minutes."
A chorus of groans echoed through the room.
I grabbed my P.E. uniform and stood up, ready to head to the restroom to change.
...Except no one else was moving.
Instead, the boys casually began unbuttoning their polo shirts right there in the classroom.
I blinked.
"...Seriously?"
One by one, white polos hit the desks, followed by blazers and ties.
What the hell?
I quickly averted my eyes.
Have some shame! There is literally a girl in this room!
I hurried toward the door, determined to escape before I accidentally saw something I wasn't supposed to.
Unfortunately...
I looked up at the exact wrong moment.
Kiefer had just pulled off his polo.
For a split second, my brain completely stopped working.
His skin was unbelievably fair—even paler than mine—and every muscle looked like it had been carved by an artist. Broad shoulders, defined arms...
A literal Greek god.
Jay.
Get a grip on yourself.
What the hell are you staring at?
"Enjoying the view?"
The teasing voice beside me made me jump.
I whipped my head around to find Cin already changed into his P.E. uniform, a smug grin plastered across his face.
"W-What?" I stammered.
"I said..." he repeated with a laugh, "enjoying the view?"
"I was not!"
"Oh, you absolutely were."
"I wasn't staring."
"You were practically admiring the architecture."
"Oh, shut up."
My face burned with embarrassment as I shoved my uniform against my chest.
Cin chuckled and nudged my shoulder.
"Come on, Romeo."
"I'm not Romeo."
"No?"
"No."
Groaning, I bolted out of the classroom before he could embarrass me any further and made a beeline for the nearest restroom.
I still couldn't get Keifer's image out of my mind.
His body.
His fair skin.
JAYYYYY.
STOPPP.
What the fuck are you even thinking?
Get a fucking grip.
Focus.
I took a deep breath and stepped out of the restroom.
Right now, we were in P.E. class.
"Okay, class! Pair up," Miss Ross called out as she walked onto the volleyball court.
"Start practicing your serves. I'll be back in a few minutes."
And just like that...
She left.
"Cin!" I called out. "Partner?"
"Obviously," he replied, tossing me a volleyball.
I smiled and walked over to him.
Just as we were about to begin, I noticed a familiar group entering the court.
Well...
Of course.
It was my horoscope cousin with his entire army.
Since Section A had three consecutive P.E. periods, they had come to use the court too.
The second Aries stepped onto the court, he walked straight toward his long-lost lover.
Aka...
Keifer.
I rolled my eyes.
Of course.
Then I noticed Percy.
He waved enthusiastically.
"Heyyy, Baby M!"
Why the hell is he calling me Baby M?!
Still...
I didn't want to be rude.
So I gave him a small wave.
Big mistake.
The moment I did, I felt Aries' icy glare burn into me.
I looked over.
Yep.
He was glaring at both Percy and me.
Seriously?
I simply rolled my eyes and turned away.
Whatever.
I had better things to do.
"Ready?" Cin asked, bouncing the volleyball once.
"Always."
I had barely gotten into position when Kiko jogged over.
"Hey, Jay!"
"Hey," I greeted with a small smile.
Before either of us could say another word
"Mariano."
Keifer's voice interrupted us.
Kiko looked over.
"Do you know how to take a serve?"
I frowned.
Was he talking to me?
"I asked if you know how to take a serve, Mariano."
"Y-Yeah, I"
THWACK!
Before I could even finish my sentence, a volleyball came flying toward me.
Pure instinct took over.
I stepped forward and received the serve.
The ball popped back into the air.
"Nice one," Cin muttered.
I barely had time to breathe before another ball came flying toward me.
Then another.
And another.
Soon, almost everyone from Section E had joined in.
One after another, they kept serving volleyballs in my direction.
I tried my best to receive every single one.
Some hit my forearms.
Some slammed into my shoulders.
A few bounced awkwardly against my wrists.
Each hit stung more than the last.
"What the hell..." I muttered under my breath.
Were they seriously using me as target practice?
Another serve.
I took it.
Another.
I stumbled but managed to return it.
Another.
This one nearly knocked me backward.
I quickly glanced toward Aries.
He was sitting with his group a little away from the court.
Percy was laughing about something.
Yuri looked completely entertained.
Even Aries...
He wasn't saying anything.
He wasn't stopping them.
A lump formed in my throat.
I knew he hated me.
But...
Couldn't he at least tell them to stop?
Students from both Section A and Section E had started watching us.
Some whispered.
Some laughed.
Heat rushed to my face.
I had never felt this humiliated before.
"Not bad," Keifer said, catching another volleyball.
He bounced it once before spinning it lazily in his hand.
A slow smirk tugged at his lips.
"Okay..."
He tossed the ball into the air.
"Let's see if you can take this."
He jumped.
His body twisted effortlessly as he smashed the ball.
It shot toward me like a bullet.
It was aimed straight at my hands.
"Jay!" Cin suddenly shouted.
I instinctively turned toward him.
THUD.
Something slammed into my face with terrifying force.
For a second...
Everything went silent.
The volleyball rolled somewhere across the court.
I just stood there.
Frozen.
Slowly...
I lifted my trembling hand to my nose.
Something warm trickled over my fingers.
My breath caught.
I looked down.
Blood.
No.
No...
No, no, no...
Not here.
Not now.
Breathe.
Breathe in...
Breathe out...
Come on, Jay...
My entire body began trembling uncontrollably.
The court around me blurred.
The voices returned.
You slut.
You whore.
You worthless piece of shit.
I'll kill you.
"No..." I whispered.
"Stop..."
My breathing turned uneven.
My chest tightened until it hurt.
The voices grew louder.
Worthless.
Pathetic.
I'll kill you.
"N-No..."
My knees finally gave out beneath me.
I collapsed onto the ground.
The world around me erupted into chaos.
People were shouting.
Someone called my name.
But I couldn't hear them anymore.
Everything was drowned out by those voices.
Then...
Through my blurred vision...
I saw someone running toward me.
Aries.
Panic and fear were written all over his face.
Before I could understand anything...
Darkness swallowed me.