For the first time in years—
Mark Keifer Watson looked afraid.
I didn't know that, of course.
At that exact moment, I was lying in my bed, hugging his handkerchief like a complete idiot and replaying every one of our interactions as if my brain had decided to become a full-time romance editor.
He looked at me.
He told me to be careful.
He knows my name.
Pathetic.
Absolutely pathetic.
I buried my face in my pillow.
Then I remembered the way he had stood at the end of the street until I reached my gate.
And just like that, the stupid smile returned.
The next day was Saturday.
Which meant two things.
One: I had half-day classes.
Two: My emotions were becoming unbearable.
And when my emotions became unbearable, I boxed.
Some girls journal.
Some cry.
Some listen to sad music while staring dramatically out the window.
I punched people for recreational purposes.
Holy Saint School
"Good morning, Miss Survivor," Raf announced the moment I entered class.
Rafael Mendoza had the energy of a golden retriever who had consumed too much caffeine.
Messy brown hair. Hazel eyes. Permanent smirk.
He was annoyingly handsome and catastrophically unserious.
Raf : " you're smiling."
Beside him sat Aileen Cortez, sweet-faced and deceptively savage.
Jay : " No I am not."
Aileen : " she smiled " Aileen gasped dramatically.
Raf : " Our little introvert is having feelings "
Jay : " Would you like me to demonstrate how quickly feelings can become violence."
Raf : " There she is.." Raf say in dramatic horror way.
"Ignore him," she said. "He woke up and chose nonsense."
"I always choose nonsense," Raf replied proudly.
I slid into my seat.
Raf narrowed his eyes in amusement like he want to solve puzzle.
I ignored him and adjusted my glasses.
I laughed despite myself. And Raf amusement maintain throughout the lesson in this whole Chaos and time slip like sand..
Classes passed in a blur.
At lunch, I caught sight of Mark in the courtyard.
He stood with two seniors.
The first was Selene Rivera.
Tall, elegant, silver-blonde hair, expression permanently set to I tolerate your existence.
The second was Lucas Dela Cruz.
Dark-haired, devastatingly handsome, and so shamelessly flirtatious that even the teachers looked tired around him.
Lucas spotted me and elbowed Mark.
Mark glanced up.
Our eyes met.
And for one breathless second, the world went completely still.
Then Lucas said something.
Mark looked away.
Raf appeared beside me like an unwanted but entertaining ghost.
"Interesting."
"What is?"
"The senior president looked at you like he was trying to solve advanced mathematics."
I nearly choked.
"Raf."
He shrugged.
"I'm just saying. If he keeps staring like that, people are going to assume things."
Aileen smiled innocently.
"Like he likes her?" They both gave statement like this whole situation is serious and amused them. And i can't quite believe them what they are doing in whole cafeteria. And then Raf added with a dramatic sigh..
" Heavy eye contact with a High chance of emotional damage "
I stared at both of them.
"I need new friends."
"Too late," Raf said. "We're emotionally attached."
Phoenix Fight Club
That evening, I changed into black athletic clothes and tied my hair into a high ponytail.
Then I pulled on the mask.
A matte-black half mask covered the upper half of my face, hiding my features and making me nearly impossible to recognize.
Without my glasses and school uniform, I looked like someone else entirely.
At the gym, nobody called me Jay Jay.
They called me Jade Phantom.
And Jade Phantom did not blush around handsome seniors.
"Back again?" Coach Ben asked.
Coach Ben was built like a refrigerator and had the emotional range of a surprisingly affectionate grizzly bear.
"Yes."
He eyed me.
"Boy trouble?"
I nearly dropped my gloves.
"Why does everyone assume that?"
"Because you punch harder when you're emotionally compromised."
"That is a very rude observation."
"And accurate."
Tonight's opponent was bigger than me.
He looked at me and smirked.
"You're the famous Jade Phantom?"
I rolled my shoulders.
"Depends. Are you planning to stay conscious?"
The crowd laughed.
The bell rang.
He lunged.
I slipped to the side.
Jab.
Cross.
Pivot.
Hook.
He stumbled.
I stepped back and tilted my head.
"You swing like your Wi-Fi connection. Weak and unstable."
The crowd exploded with laughter.
Thirty seconds later, he was flat on the canvas.
Coach Ben raised an eyebrow.
"Feeling better?"
"Immensely."
Mark's POV
I had not intended to spend my evening at Phoenix Fight Club.
Lucas, unfortunately, had other plans.
"You work too much," he said.
"You talk too much."
"And yet here we are."
Then the lights shifted.
A masked fighter entered the ring.
Black hood.
Half mask.
Lean frame.
Unmistakable confidence.
The bell rang.
What followed was one of the most technically precise fights I had ever seen.
Fast footwork.
Controlled breathing.
Beautiful timing.
No wasted movement.
Lucas whistled.
"Well. I think I just fell in love."
I didn't answer.
I was too busy watching.
The fighter moved with a strange elegance.
And something about the style tugged at my memory.
The way they tilted their head.
The stubborn set of their shoulders.
The sharp sarcasm.
Familiar.
Disturbingly familiar.
"That fighter looks somewhat familiar," I thought, my eyes narrowing. "But I can't figure out where I've seen them."
For the first time in a long while, I was impressed.
Not because the fighter was strong.
But because strength like that was usually hidden beneath years of discipline.
This wasn't talent.
This was survival.
The fighter stepped out of the ring and adjusted the hood.
A few strands of yellow-brown hair slipped loose.
My heartbeat stuttered.
No.
Impossible.
Before I could get a better look, they turned away.
Lucas grinned.
"You're staring."
"I'm thinking."
"Dangerous hobby."
I ignored him.
But one thought refused to leave me.
Why does that fighter remind me of Jay Jay?
The idea was absurd.
Jay Jay was shy.
Soft-spoken.
Delicate. That's the is reason she doesn't even defend herself when her classmates Bully her.
The masked fighter was a controlled storm.
And yet…
The feeling lingered___
Lucas leaned closer, a wicked grin spreading across his face.
"Well, well," he drawled. "Our fearless class president is staring at a masked fighter like he's about to write wedding vows."
Mark didn't even blink.
" Well I think I just fell in love. "
"Be quiet."
Lucas clutched his chest dramatically.
"Oh, this is serious. You only use that tone when you're emotionally compromised."
"I am not emotionally compromised."
"Right," Lucas said. "And I'm the Pope."
Mark folded his arms.
"The fighter's style seems familiar."
Lucas raised an eyebrow.
"Familiar, huh?"
He glanced toward the ring and then back at Mark.
"Should I be worried that your type is now 'mysterious people who can knock out a grown man in thirty seconds'?"
Mark gave him a cold look.
"My standards are higher than yours."
Lucas grinned.
"That's true. Mine are mostly based on eye contact and availability."
Mark looked back toward the ring.
Lucas followed his gaze and smirked.
"You know, if this is what impresses you, your future girlfriend should be able to flirt and throw uppercuts."
Mark's jaw tightened.
Lucas's grin widened.
"Oh my God."
Mark closed his eyes briefly.
"Lucas."
"It's the transfer girl, isn't it?"
Mark turned sharply.
"What?"
Lucas pointed a finger at him like a detective solving a murder case.
"You have the exact same expression."
"What expression?"
"The one that says, 'I am trying very hard not to care, which unfortunately means I care a lot.'"
Mark said nothing.
Lucas gasped.
"I knew it."
He slung an arm over Mark's shoulder.
"My friend, you are in trouble."
Mark removed the arm without looking at him.
"You're intolerable."
"And yet," Lucas said proudly, "I'm always right."
As Lucas continued talking, Mark ignored him.
But for once, he couldn't deny the uncomfortable truth.
The masked fighter had impressed him.
And somehow…
Jay Jay was still the one on his mind.
Jay Jay's POV
As I stepped out of the ring, I glanced toward the entrance.
And froze.
Mark.
Standing in the shadows.
Watching.
My soul left my body.
Why is he here?
Why now?
Do I still look mysterious?
Did he recognize me?
I turned away quickly and lowered my hood.
Coach Ben handed me a towel.
"You look like someone just announced a surprise exam."
"Worse."
He smirked.
"The boy?"
I stared.
"Do you people have cameras in my life?"
Mark's Family
That night, the Watson estate felt colder than usual.
Mark stood in his father's study.
"Our clan has guarded this city for generations," his father said.
"There is an old enemy bloodline. Hidden. Dangerous."
Mark remained silent.
"If they return," his father continued, "everything changes."
Mark nodded.
He knew the stories.
He knew the rivalry.
But he did not know who belonged to that bloodline.
And he certainly did not know that the quiet girl occupying his thoughts was connected to it.
As I lay in bed that night, exhausted and sore, one thought circled endlessly in my mind.
Mark had seen me fight.
He didn't know it was me.
And somehow…
That secret thrilled me.
Because to everyone else, I was Jay Jay.
Quiet.
Shy.
Adorable, according to Aileen.
Terrifying, according to Raf.
But behind the mask—
I was something else entirely.
And for the first time, the boy who made me feel safe had seen a glimpse of that hidden world.
He just didn't know it yet.