JAY JAY POV
When I stepped into Section E today, I felt like I had walked into a parallel universe. The atmosphere was… weird. These assholes were treating me differently, and not in the "let's throw paper at the London girl" kind of way. It was worse. It was almost like they were being nice.
Did they catch a virus? Was there something in the school water?
I turned around to Felix, who was sitting right behind me.
"Felix," I called out, expecting a sarcastic remark or a joke about my royal status.
He didn't even look up. He just rolled his eyes and shifted his attention to his notebook, completely ice-cold.
Okay, definitely an asshole.
I turned my attention to David. Miraculously, he wasn't sleeping for once.
"David," I said.
"Hmm?" he responded, glancing up at me.
"Is your section sick? Do I need to call a doctor or an exorcist?" I asked, leaning closer.
David's expression twisted into one of genuine confusion. "Why would you ask that?"
"Because you guys are being... I don't know, freakishly civil? Suddenly everyone is acting like I'm not a 'Trashcan' anymore. It's making my skin crawl."
David's face flickered with a sudden, sharp shadow of sadness—something so heavy it actually made me pause. But just as quickly as it appeared, he brushed it off with a forced shrug.
"Nah, they're just... you know. They're adjusting to the change," he muttered, though he wouldn't meet my eyes.
"Right. That totally clears things up. Crystal clear," I said, my sarcasm shield at full power.
But something felt off. I looked toward the back of the room, and my eyes landed on Keifer. He wasn't staring at the wall or plotting his next lollipop heist. He was looking right at me.
But he wasn't smirking. Instead, when our eyes met, he gave me this small, almost gentle smile—the kind of look that actually made my heart do a traitorous little skip.
No. Abort mission. Do not find the villain charming, I told myself, quickly turning back to my desk.
"Hey, Jay-Jay!"
I nearly jumped out of my skin as Yuri suddenly appeared in front of my desk. Honestly, these guys need to come with warning labels or bells around their necks.
"Hey, Yuri," I sighed, clutching my heart.
"So—" Yuri started, clearly about to invite me to whatever mischief they had planned, but he was cut off by the shadow of the Lollipop King himself.
"I'll take care of her, Yuri," Keifer said, his voice dropping into that low, commanding tone. Yuri didn't even argue; he just gave a quick nod and retreated to his seat
Keifer turned those dark, intense eyes on me. "Come with me," he directed.
"No," I shot back immediately. I don't do 'commands,' especially not from guys who smell like mint and trouble.
"Oh, come on, Jay-Jay! Just go," Drew teased from across the aisle, a mischievous smirk in his eyes. "Maybe Keifer has a present for you. Or a kiss!"
I rolled my eyes so hard it actually hurt. "In your dreams, Drew. Why? What do you want now?"
"Tss.We have Gym next period," Keifer noted, looking entirely too calm.
"So? I have eyes, I can see the schedule."
"So... I was going to show you where the girls' locker rooms are so you can change. Unless you planned on going to the gym in that outfit?" He gestured to my clothes with a smirk.
I stared at him for a second, suspicious. This was way too helpful. In a moment of pure impulse, I reached up and pressed my palm firmly against his forehead.
Keifer froze instantly. His eyes widened, and for a split second, the "King of Section E" looked like a deer caught in high-beam headlights. He scrambled backward, swatting my hand away as if I'd tried to hex him.
"What the hell are you doing?!" he barked, his face flushing a light shade of pink.
"Checking for a fever," I said flatly. "I think you're sick. You should go see a doctor immediately before this 'kindness' symptom becomes terminal."
"Wow, Jay-Jay! I didn't know you cared about our President's health that much!" Mayo teased, leaning back in his chair and howling with laughter.
"In your dreams!" I snapped at the peanut gallery.
I grabbed my gym bag, huffing a breath of frustration. Even though I was 90% sure this was some kind of trap, I didn't actually know where the gym was, and the Section E building was a literal maze. I had no choice but to follow him.
"Move it, Watson," I muttered, brushing past him. "And if we end up in a broom closet, I'm screaming."
"Trust me, London," he murmured, falling into step right behind me, his presence heavy and warm. "A broom closet is the last place I'd take you. For now."
I ignored the shiver that crawled up my spine and kept walking, wondering why the air in the hallway suddenly felt so thin.
I peeked inside and immediately made a face. "Eww," I muttered. The locker room was a far cry from the marble-tiled luxury of my school in London, but I didn't have much of a choice. I went in, held my breath, and quickly changed into the HVIS gym uniform. It was a simple shirt and shorts, but somehow managed to feel stiff and scratchy.
As I made my way toward the gym, I spotted a familiar face walking down the opposite corridor.
"Hey, Jay-Jay!" Aries called out, approaching me. He was already in his gym gear
"Hey, Aries," I said, adjusting the hem of my shorts.
"So, how are you adjusting to the school so far?" he asked, his voice full of that genuine, older-brother warmth that always confused me.
"Good, I guess," I replied. "Dealing with the heat and the... interesting personalities in Section E."
Just as he was about to say something else, a girl appeared at his side and slipped her arm through his. She was undeniably pretty, with perfectly styled hair but of course, I'm more pretty than her—it's just a geographical fact.
"Who is she, babe?" the girl asked, her eyes scanning me from head to toe with a look that was less than friendly.
"She is my s—" Aries started, the word catching in his throat. He paused for a heartbeat before his expression smoothed over. "She is our new student exchange student from London."
I blinked, my brain spiraling. She is my s... What was he going to say? Was he about to call me his shit? My servant? My secret?
"Jay-Jay, this is my girlfriend, Ella," Aries introduced, gesturing to the girl.
Ella.
She looked at me weirdly, her eyes narrowing as if she were trying to solve a puzzle she didn't quite like. She didn't offer a handshake or a "welcome." She just stood there, marking her territory.
"Nice to meet you," I lied, keeping my London sass tucked away for a moment.
"London, huh?" Ella said, her voice dripping with a sweetness that felt as artificial as a plastic flower. "Aries has told me so much about the 'new girl.' I didn't realize you two were so... close."
I was about to give her a piece of my mind when I heard a familiar voice.
"JAY-JAY!" Sarah shouted, practically tackling me into a hug.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, pulling back to inspect my uniform with a critical eye.
"Gym," I explained, gesturing to the scratchy shorts. "Section E and Section A are apparently having a combined session. Pray for me, Sarah."
Behind Sarah, a boy and a girl were approaching. My heart did a weird little stutter when I saw the girl. I felt like I had seen her somewhere before—maybe in an old photograph—but the memory was just out of reach.
"You must be Jay-Jay," she said, her eyes scanning me with an intensity that made me feel like I was being X-rayed.
I nodded, trying to place her face.
"I'm Freya, Queen Bee of Section A," she introduced herself, her voice dripping with enough sass to start a war for absolutely no reason. She flipped her hair and looked at me like I was a fashion trend that had already expired.
"Ignore that. I'm Kiko," the boy said, stepping forward with a grin. He had dark, curly hair that looked perfectly messy and was, honestly, quite handsome. He had this laid-back energy that actually felt refreshing compared to the tension radiating off Ella and Freya.
"Nice to meet you, Kiko," I said, giving him a small smile.
"So, Jay Jay" Freya said, crossing her arms and blocking my path. "I hear you're stuck in Section E with all the... leftovers. Must be a real cultural shock after being a 'powerhouse' back home."
I felt my eyebrows go up. Clearly, word of my London records had traveled fast. "Section E has its perks," I replied, my voice cool. "For one, people there don't feel the need to introduce themselves with a title. 'Queen Bee' usually implies there's a hive... but I only see a couple of drones."
Sarah stifled a laugh, and Kiko's eyes widened in amusement. Freya's face went stiff, her perfectly applied lip gloss shimmering as she tightened her mouth into a thin line.
Aries chuckled at my comeback, which only made Ella roll her eyes harder. "Wow, keep it down. I don't like your tone," Freya snapped, stepping into my personal space.
"And I don't like you at all," I said flatly. I didn't have time for a wannabe Regina George. I gave her a firm push—nothing crazy, just enough to get her out of my way—and marched into the gym.
I spotted the Section E guys clustered in a corner, half-heartedly stretching. As soon as I arrived, Ci-N bounced over to me, looking like a caffeinated puppy.
"Jay! Where were you?" this brat asked, hands on his hips. "I was waiting for you, but you took too long, so I had to come to the gym first!"
I looked down at him, unimpressed. "Oh, really? When you said 'waiting,' did you mean thirty seconds? Oh, wait, I know—ten seconds?"
Ci-N let out a dramatic gasp, clutching his chest. "I have a very fast internal clock, Jay-Jay! Time moves differently for geniuses. Ten seconds is like an hour in my brain!"
"Whatever, Einstein," I muttered, starting my own stretches.
I could feel a pair of eyes burning into the side of my head. I didn't even have to look to know it was Keifer. He was leaning against a volleyball pole, watching me with an unreadable expression. He had seen the whole interaction at the door—the push, the sass, everything.
The gym whistle blew, a sharp, ear-piercing sound that echoed off the high rafters.
"Alright, listen up!" the coach barked. "Section A and Section E, combine! We're doing a warm-up lap, then moving into volleyball. Captains, front and center!"
Aries stepped forward for Section A, looking calm and collected. Then, Keifer pushed off the pole and walked toward the center of the gym, his eyes locked on Aries. The tension between them was so thick you could practically see the sparks flying.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++