The problem with having two identities is this:
Eventually, both worlds start colliding.
And when that happens?
Your mental stability quietly packs its bags and leaves.
Monday morning at Holy Saint School felt unusually noisy.
Students crowded the corridors, teachers yelled about discipline, and somebody in the science lab had apparently set something on fire before first period.
Again.
Raf walked beside me carrying iced coffee like it was a sacred object.
"This school is one minor inconvenience away from becoming a documentary."
Aileen sighed.
"That was one time."
"The chemistry explosion had witnesses, Aileen."
"It was educational."
"It was smoking."
I laughed softly.
Honestly, these two were exhausting.
But comforting.
Which was dangerous because I was becoming emotionally attached to idiots.
As we entered class, Raf suddenly froze dramatically.
"Oh no."
I blinked.
"What?"
He pointed toward the hallway.
"The senior council."
I turned.
And immediately regretted having functioning eyesight.
Mark Keifer Watson walked through the corridor with Selene and Lucas beside him.
As usual, he looked unfairly attractive.
Clean uniform.
Sharp jawline.
Calm expression.
The kind of face that could ruin academic careers.
My brain immediately stopped cooperating.
Raf looked between me and Mark.
Then he smirked.
"Oh, this is getting entertaining."
"There is nothing entertaining happening," I muttered.
"Right," Raf said. "And I'm emotionally stable."
Aileen leaned toward me.
"For the record," she whispered, "if a senior looked at me the way Mark looks at you, I would simply pass away."
"I hate both of you."
"We love you too," Raf replied instantly.
Mark's POV
Something was wrong with me.
That was the only explanation.
Because normal people did not spend entire weekends thinking about a masked fighter from an underground boxing gym.
And yet here I was.
Distracted.
Again.
Lucas appeared beside me at my locker like an annoying curse sent directly from the universe.
"You look terrible."
"Good morning to you too."
"You've got that look."
"What look?"
"The emotionally constipated one."
I shut my locker harder than necessary.
Lucas grinned.
"So we are thinking about the fighter again."
"I'm thinking about school responsibilities."
"Liar."
Selene walked past us carrying books.
"You are both embarrassing."
Lucas pointed at me dramatically.
"He's in denial."
"I am not."
Selene looked unimpressed.
"You stared at that masked fighter like a man discovering religion."
Lucas nearly collapsed laughing.
I rubbed my forehead.
"This conversation is over."
"It never began," Selene said coldly.
Then I saw her.
Jay Jay.
Standing near the classroom window with Raf and Aileen.
She was laughing.
Small and soft and real.
And suddenly the memory of the masked fighter flashed through my mind again.
The same tilt of the head.
The same sharp sarcasm.
The same stubborn energy beneath calm eyes.
My chest tightened.
No.
Impossible.
Jay Jay was shy.
The fighter was chaos wrapped in black clothing.
…Right?
Jay Jay's POV
The entire day felt weird.
Every time I looked up, Mark was somewhere nearby.
Not obvious enough to seem creepy.
But noticeable enough to make my heart malfunction.
At lunch, I nearly dropped my tray after catching him staring again.
Lucas noticed immediately.
His grin turned absolutely evil.
"Oh," he said loudly enough for Mark to hear, "this is tragic."
Mark looked tired already.
"What now?"
"You keep looking at her like she personally invented emotional suffering."
I choked on my juice.
Selene calmly continued eating.
"Technically," she said, "he does look more unstable lately."
"I am perfectly stable," Mark replied.
Lucas gasped.
"He's lying in complete sentences now."
Raf leaned toward me.
"I think your senior is broken."
"He is not my senior," I whispered.
Raf stared at me.
"…He is literally your senior."
"You know what I mean."
Aileen smiled sweetly.
"Oh, we absolutely do."
I wanted the floor to open and consume me whole.
After School
By evening, my thoughts were too loud again.
Which meant only one thing.
Phoenix Fight Club.
The moment I entered the gym, my body relaxed.
This place understood me in ways people didn't.
No pretending.
No awkwardness.
No confusion.
Just movement.
Just strength.
Coach Ben spotted me immediately.
"You're back."
"I live here emotionally."
"That explains the anger issues."
"I do not have anger issues."
He stared.
I stared back.
"…Fair."
I changed into my black gear and pulled the half-mask over my face.
Jay Jay disappeared.
Jade Phantom stepped into the ring.
Tonight's sparring partner looked nervous.
Smart man.
The bell rang.
He attacked first.
I ducked.
Countered.
Swept his footing.
The crowd cheered.
"You fight dirty!" he shouted.
I tilted my head.
"No. I fight effectively."
The audience laughed.
Coach Ben sighed.
"She's becoming cocky again."
Mark's POV
I should not have returned to Phoenix Fight Club.
And yet somehow, I did.
Lucas walked beside me looking entirely too pleased.
"You came back voluntarily," he said. "This is character development."
"Be quiet."
"That's your favorite phrase. Very romantic."
The lights brightened over the ring.
And there they were again.
The masked fighter.
Jade Phantom.
The moment the fight started, I understood something immediately.
They were holding back.
Even while dominating the match, every movement was controlled.
Disciplined.
Calculated.
The fighter moved beautifully.
Fast enough to overwhelm.
Precise enough to intimidate.
Lucas whistled.
"Okay," he admitted, "that's terrifyingly attractive."
I ignored him.
But internally?
I agreed.
Not about the attractive part.
Probably.
Maybe.
The fighter spun to avoid a punch.
And for one brief second, I saw familiar light-green eyes beneath the mask.
My heartbeat stopped.
Jay Jay.
No.
That was insane.
Wasn't it?
Jay Jay's POV
I felt it instantly.
Mark was here again.
I could practically sense him watching.
My pulse betrayed me immediately.
Focus, Jay.
Focus.
My opponent charged forward recklessly.
I sidestepped smoothly and landed a clean hit to his ribs.
"Ow!" he complained.
"You walked into that voluntarily," I replied.
The crowd laughed again.
Then my eyes flicked toward the entrance.
And there he was.
Mark.
Watching me with narrowed eyes.
Like he was trying to solve me.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Mark's POV
The fighter stepped back.
Breathing steady.
Head tilted slightly.
Exactly like Jay Jay whenever she got sarcastic in class.
A strange feeling crawled down my spine.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
Lucas glanced at me.
"Oh no."
"What?"
"You've activated detective mode."
"I think I know that fighter."
Lucas blinked.
Then grinned slowly.
"Well."
He placed a hand on my shoulder dramatically.
"My friend."
"What?"
"You are either about to uncover a shocking secret…"
His grin widened.
"…or develop a deeply concerning type."
I shoved his arm away.
"You're intolerable."
"And yet," Lucas said proudly, "always entertaining."
But I barely heard him.
Because for the first time—
I started wondering if the shy girl with glasses and the dangerous fighter in black were somehow connected.
And if that was true…
Then Jay Jay Mariano was hiding far more than anyone realized.