JAY JAY POV
Honestly, I love volleyball. There's something about hitting a ball with all your might that just really helps with stress management—and trust me, being in Section E, my stress levels are currently peaking. But the way the two presidents were staring at each other in the middle of the court? Yeah, I could practically smell the trouble brewing, and it smelled a lot like burnt pride and bad decisions.
We finished our warm-up laps—which was basically me trying not to inhale Keifer's expensive cologne while he ran suspiciously close to me—and finally, it was game time.
We took our positions on the court. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm good at volleyball. I have the reflexes and the speed, but I wouldn't call myself a "master" at it. Back in London, I was the captain of the soccer and tennis teams, so I'm used to having a ball at my feet or a racket in my hand. Using just my bare arms to receive a spike? That's a whole different level of pain that I wasn't exactly missing.
"Focus, London," Keifer's voice rumbled from behind me. He was playing the back row, and I could feel his gaze burning a hole in my ponytail. "Try not to let the ball hit that pretty face of yours. I'd hate for you to have a matching bruise for your jaw."
I shot him a glare over my shoulder. "Worry about yourself, President. Just make sure you actually hit the ball and not just pose for the nonexistent cameras."
From across the net, I saw Aries watching us. He had this small, mysterious smile on his face, but his eyes were sharp, tracking every move Keifer made. It felt less like a friendly school match and more like a territorial dispute between two lions, and I was stuck right in the middle of the tall grass.
The whistle blew, and Section A served the ball. It was a high, floating serve—the kind that looks easy but is actually a total nightmare to track.
"MINE!" I shouted, stepping forward.
I dug my heels in and braced my arms, perfect London form and all. The ball hit my forearms with a dull thwack, and for a second, I felt that familiar rush of the game. I sent it flying perfectly toward our setter.
"Nice save, Jay-Jay!" Ci-N cheered, bouncing on his toes.
But I didn't have time to celebrate. Because as the ball went back over the net, I saw the look on Keifer's face. He wasn't just playing to win a gym grade. He was playing like he wanted to break the floor—or maybe just break Aries' spirit.
Lord, give me strength, I thought, wiping a stray hair from my face. It's only the first set and I already feel like I need a vacation.
Everything was happening so fast. It was like watching an action movie in 2x speed, but I was the one about to get hit by the stunt car. Keifer and Aries were basically using the volleyball as a weapon, launching hits so hard I'm pretty sure the ball was crying for mercy.
And then, logic left the building.
That brat Ci-N decided that that exact moment—the moment a high-velocity projectile was screaming across the net—was the perfect time to ask me something.
"Jay-Jay! Did you know the food at our—"
"Ci-N, move!" I tried to shout, but I was too late
Between trying to ignore the genius puppy at my side and tracking the rocket Aries had just sent over the net, my coordination hit 0%. I didn't have time to receive it. I didn't even have time to duck.
WHACK.
The ball didn't just hit me. It made a home on my face. More specifically, it decided to land right on my nose with the force of a thousand suns.
"Oww!" I gasped, the world spinning in technicolor. The impact sent me stumbling back until my butt hit the polished gym floor with a pathetic thud.
For a second, all I could see were stars—and not the cool, Hollywood kind. My nose felt like it had been replaced by a pulsing vibrator, and the heat was rising to my cheeks faster than a London radiator in mid-January.
"JAY-JAY!" Sarah's screech echoed through the gym, loud enough to burst an eardrum.
I clutched my face, blinking back the involuntary tears that prickled my eyes. Great. Just great, Jay. You survive the London elite, the haunted villa, and the Lollipop King, only to be taken down by a piece of inflated rubber in front of the whole school.
Sarah rushed over, her face a mask of horror, and practically pried my hands away from my face.
"Oh my god, Jay! Are you okay?" Aries asked, his voice laced with a level of concern that seemed way too intense for a guy I'd only known for a few days. He was hovering over me, reaching out as if he wanted to carry me out of there himself.
"OMG, THERE IS BLOOD!" Sarah yelled, pointing at my face like she'd just discovered a crime scene. Trust Sarah to be the loudest person in the room when I'm trying to keep my dignity intact.
"I'm the one bleeding, Sarah! Chill!" I snapped, though it came out sounding more like "I'm de wun bweedin," thanks to my currently malfunctioning nose.
"Let's go to the nurse," Aries said firmly, placing a hand on my arm to help me up.
But before I could even find my footing, another hand gripped my other arm. A much tighter, more possessive grip.
"I'll take her," Keifer's voice rumbled. He wasn't even looking at me; he was glaring at Aries with a look that could have curdled milk. The air between them was practically vibrating with tension.
"I've got it, Watson. I'm the Section A President, it's my responsibility," Aries countered, his voice calm but his eyes flashing.
"She's in my section," Keifer growled, stepping closer until he was practically towering over me. "Which means she's my responsibility."
I sat there on the floor, blood dripping onto my scratchy gym shirt, watching the two of them have a territorial dispute. I was ready to start swinging my gym bag at both of them just to get some breathing room, but then a familiar blur of movement burst through the crowd.
"JAY-JAY!" Jare shouted, dropping to his knees beside me.
I blinked through my watery eyes, staring at my twin in total shock. "What the hell? How did you even know?" I asked, instinctively reaching out to take Jare's hand.
"I texted him," Sarah said, proud of her lightning-fast fingers. But then she paused, looking at her phone and then at Jare with a confused frown. "But damn, Jare... you're here in less than a minute? I literally texted him like 30 seconds ago."
"I was nearby," Jare muttered, his face pale as he inspected the damage to my face.
Yeah, right. Nearby? The Section B wing is on the other side of the planet compared to this gym. My brother must have developed teleportation skills the second he felt his twin-sense tingling. He looked like he was about to go on a rampage, his eyes darting between Keifer and Aries like he was deciding which one to tackle first.
"Who did this?" Jare demanded, his voice dropping into that low, dangerous 'Kuya' tone that usually means someone is going to end up in a hospital bed.
I could practically see the steam coming out of his ears. My twin is usually the calm, analytical one, but when it comes to me getting hurt, he loses his logic faster than Sarah loses her temper at a makeup sale. He was looking at Keifer and Aries like they were target practice.
"Jare, can we please just go to the nurse's office? It was an accident," I said, tugging on his arm. I really didn't want a "Battle of the Titans" breaking out in the middle of the gym while I was leaking like a broken faucet.
"I will come too," Aries said, stepping forward. He looked genuinely distressed, his eyes searching mine as if he were trying to apologize a thousand times over without saying a word.
"No, you did enough," Jare snapped, cutting him off with a voice as cold as a London winter.
The rejection was so sharp it made even me flinch. Aries froze, his hand half-extended, looking like Jare had just slapped him. The atmosphere in the gym went from "chaos" to "arctic" in three seconds flat. I looked at Jare, surprised by the sheer venom in his voice. I knew he was protective, but this felt... personal.
"Jare—" I started, but he didn't let me finish.
"And you," Jare said, shifting his glare to Keifer, who was still standing way too close to me. "Step back. I've got her."
Keifer's jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing as he sized up my brother. For a second, I thought the Lollipop King was actually going to push back, but he looked at my bloody hand, then at my pale face, and surprisingly, he stepped back. Just an inch, but it was enough.
"Fine," Keifer muttered, though his gaze stayed locked on me. "Make sure the nurse actually does her job"
Jare didn't even acknowledge him. He just wrapped his arm around my shoulder, guiding me toward the exit. Sarah followed close behind, while the rest of the Section E boys watched us go in a weird, stunned silence.
As we walked out of the gym doors, I could feel the weight of everyone's stares. I looked back one last time and saw Aries still standing there, his head bowed, looking completely defeated.
What is up with Jare? I wondered, leaning my head against his shoulder. He was shaking—not from fear, but from a rage so intense I could feel it radiating off him.
"You're walking too fast," I complained, my voice sounding more nasally by the second.
"Sorry," Jare whispered, slowing down immediately. He looked at me, and for a second, the anger vanished, replaced by that deep, twin-bond worry. "I just... I hate this place, Jay. I hate that you're hurt."
"It's just a nose, Jare," I teased, trying to lighten the mood. "At least I'll have a cool story to tell Percy when he gets here. 'How I conquered the Philippine gym with my face.'"
Jare didn't laugh. He just gripped my shoulder tighter as we turned the corner toward the clinic. "Percy is going to lose his mind," he muttered.
Yeah, I thought, thinking about my flamboyant, over-protective older brother. If Jare is this mad, Percy is going to bring a literal war to HVIS.
The nurse's office was quiet, smelling of rubbing alcohol and that weirdly nostalgic scent of baby powder. After about twenty minutes of Jare pacing a literal hole in the linoleum floor and Sarah offering me every single snack in her bag as "emotional support," my nose was finally cleaned up and plugged with gauze.
"You're lucky it's not broken, Miss Mariano," the nurse said, giving me a stern look over her glasses. "But you need to rest. No more volleyball or street fights for at least twenty-four hours."
"Street fights? I wish. At least then I would've seen the punch coming," I muttered, though it sounded like 'Id wid I wood de pudch codding' because of the cotton in my nose.
Jare didn't even ask for permission. He grabbed my bag, signed my early-out papers with a flourish, and practically marched me to the parking lot.
"I'm taking the rest of the day off to look after you," he decided, his tone leaving zero room for argument.
"Jare, you have classes! You're going to miss—"
"I don't care about History or Math right now, Jay. I'm not leaving you alone in that house with just your thoughts and your vanity," he countered, helping me into the passenger seat of his car.
The drive home was peaceful, and for the first time since we landed in this tropical whirlwind, I actually felt like I could breathe—even if I had to do it through my mouth. We pulled up to our new house, and I immediately headed for the couch, burying myself in a mountain of plush pillows that Sarah had insisted we buy yesterday.
By 4:00 PM, my phone was basically a vibrator from all the notifications.
LITTLE SIX GROUP CHAT
DAVE: Jay-Jay! Are you alive? I heard there was so much blood that the janitor had to use a mop. 😱
BEN: Dave, you're exaggerating. It was more like a small puddle. I have photos for the yearbook if you want them, Jay! 📸
MIA: Oh my god, Ben! Delete them! Poor Jay-Jay! 😭 Are you okay, bestie? Do you need me to bring over some mangoes?
SARAH: She's fine, guys. Jare is hovering over her like a gargoyle. Also, Keifer kept asking me if she was 'still conscious' every five minutes after you guys left.
ME: I'm alive. 🙄 And tell Keifer to worry about his own jaw. My nose is fine, just twice its original size.
I tossed my phone aside, but then a private notification popped up.
Aries: I'm so incredibly sorry, Jay-Jay. I should've been more careful. Please let me know if you need anything at all. I'll make it up to you, I promise.
I stared at the screen. Why did he sound so... heartbroken? It was just a volleyball accident.
Before I could reply, another message appeared.
King of Assholes: You look ridiculous with those cotton balls in your nose, Go to sleep. I'll deal with Ci-N for distracting you.
I didn't even have to check the contact. I knew that "sweet" sentiment could only come from the Lollipop King. I felt a stupid grin spread across my face despite the throbbing in my bridge.
"What are you smiling at?" Jare asked, walking in with a bowl of soup.
"Nothing," I said quickly, locking my phone. "Just thinking about how much I'm going to charge Keifer and Aries for pain and suffering."
Jare sat at the end of the couch, watching me. "You should sleep, Jay. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."
"Why?"
"Because," Jare said, his eyes darkening slightly. "I have a feeling the 'accident' in the gym was just the beginning. This school... it's not what it seems."
I didn't ask him what he meant. I was too tired to care about mysteries. I just closed my eyes, letting the hum of the air conditioner lull me to sleep, dreaming of London rain and avoiding anything that looked even remotely like a volleyball.
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