Jay's Pov
The day of the Basketball Exhibition Game had arrived.
And apparently, so had every girl in the entire school.
I walked into the gymnasium with Mia and Ci-n, and my jaw literally dropped.
The bleachers were PACKED. Girls everywhere. Screaming. Holding signs. Some of the signs said "KEIFER" in glitter. Some said "WE LOVE YOU KEIFER." One girl had a whole BANNER that said "KEIFER, MARRY ME."
"WHAT," I said.
Mia grinned. "Told you. Keifer's kind of a big deal."
"Kind of?! This is INSANE!"
Ci-n nodded seriously. "He's the best player on the team. Also the hottest. According to the girls."
"According to YOU too?"
"I have eyes. I can observe."
I looked at the court. The Section E team was warming up. Keifer was at the center, dribbling casually, looking like he didn't notice the hundreds of girls screaming his name.
But I noticed something.
His eyes kept flicking toward the bleachers.
Toward ME.
Every time he looked, I looked away.
Ci-n noticed. "He's looking at you."
"He's looking at the crowd."
"He's looking at YOU. Specifically. Like you're the only person here."
"That's dramatic."
"I'm dramatic. It's my brand."
Mia grabbed my arm. "Come on! Let's sit closer!"
We pushed through the crowd. Girls were everywhere. Fixing their hair. Applying lip gloss. Practicing their screams.
One girl bumped into me and didn't even apologize. She was too busy staring at Keifer.
"Sorry," I muttered. "Didn't realize I was invisible."
"You are," Mia said. "To these girls, only Keifer exists."
"That's unhealthy."
"That's HVIS."
We found seats near the front. Sarah, Dave, Ben, and Bella were already there, saving spots.
"JAY!" Dave yelled, waving a hotdog. "I GOT SNACKS!"
"Of course you did."
Sarah pulled me down next to her. "Okay. Look at this crowd. LOOK at it."
"I'm looking."
"All these girls. For KEIFER."
"I see."
"And he's been staring at you since you walked in."
My head whipped around. "He HAS NOT."
"He HAS. Ben's been filming."
Ben nodded, camera pointed at the court. "I have proof. Multiple angles."
"BEN."
"What? This is history!"
I groaned. "I hate all of you."
"No you don't."
The Section A team was warming up on the other side of the court.
And there, at the center, was a guy I hadn't seen before.
Tall. Sharp features. Intense eyes. He moved like he owned the court.
"That's Aries," Mia said quietly. "Section A president. Keifer's... rival."
"Rival?"
"Something happened between them. Years ago. No one knows what. But they hate each other now."
I watched Aries. He was good. Really good. His shots were perfect, his movements smooth.
But something about him felt... familiar.
Like I'd seen him before.
But I hadn't. I was sure of it.
"Jay?" Mia frowned. "You okay?"
"Yeah. Just... weird feeling."
"What kind of weird?"
"I don't know. Like I should know him."
Mia's eyes flickered. Something strange in her expression. But it was gone fast.
"Probably just nerves. First basketball game and all."
"Yeah. Probably."
The game started.
And immediately, chaos.
Section E scored first. Keifer with a three-pointer. The gym EXPLODED.
Girls screamed so loud I thought my ears would bleed.
"KEIFER! KEIFER! KEIFER!"
"OH MY GOD HE'S SO HOT!"
"MARRY ME KEIFER!"
I stared at the girl next to me. She was crying. Literally crying.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"HE'S BEAUTIFUL," she sobbed.
"Okay. Sure. Great."
Ci-n leaned over. "This happens every game."
"Every game?!"
"Every. Single. Game."
"How is he not completely full of himself?"
"Honestly? No idea. He's weird."
I looked at Keifer on the court. Sweaty. Focused. Completely ignoring the screaming girls.
Then he looked up.
At me.
Our eyes met.
His lips twitched.
I looked away SO fast.
Ci-n cackled. "HE SMILED AT YOU!"
"He did NOT smile!"
"He TOTALLY smiled!"
"It was a FACE MOVEMENT!"
"That's what smiling IS!"
At halftime, Section E was winning by 10 points.
The energy was insane. Girls were losing their minds. One girl tried to run onto the court and got tackled by security.
"I want to have his babies!" she screamed as they dragged her away.
I looked at Mia. "Did that just happen?"
"Welcome to HVIS basketball."
Sarah grabbed my arm. "Okay but look. LOOK."
She pointed at the court. Keifer was standing with his teammates, drinking water, not looking at anyone.
Except.
Every few seconds, his eyes flicked toward our section.
Toward ME.
"I see it," I admitted.
"You SEE it?! He's practically STARING!"
"It's not staring. It's... glancing."
"Girl, that man is GLUED to you."
Bella nodded. "The evidence is clear."
Ben held up his camera. "I have 47 photos. All of him looking this way."
"47?!"
"48 now."
I buried my face in my hands.
At that moment, a group of girls approached.
The leader was tall, beautiful, with perfect hair and a smirk that made me instantly dislike her.
"Hey," she said. "You're the new girl, right? From London?"
"That's me."
"I'm Freya." She flipped her hair. "Section A."
"Cool."
"I heard you're in Section E."
"Also cool."
"With Keifer."
I raised an eyebrow. "Your point?"
Her smirk faltered. "No point. Just... observing."
"Observing," I repeated. "That's Keifer's word."
"I know Keifer well."
"Do you?"
"We're close."
Mia snorted behind me. Freya's eye twitched.
"What?" Freya snapped.
"Nothing," Mia said sweetly. "Just... you're not close. You've spoken to him like three times."
"We have a CONNECTION."
"You have a delusion."
Freya's face went red. She turned back to me. "Listen. I don't know who you think you are, but Keifer is—"
"Keifer is what?"
"He's—" She stopped. Looked past me. Her face went pale.
I turned.
Keifer was standing there.
In his basketball uniform. Sweaty. Breathing hard. Looking directly at Freya with an expression that could freeze fire.
"Is there a problem?" His voice was flat.
Freya stammered. "N-no! No problem! We were just—I was just—"
"You were just leaving."
"I—yes. Yes. Leaving." She scrambled away, her friends following.
I stared at Keifer. "What was that?"
"Nothing."
"That was NOT nothing. You scared her."
"She deserved it."
"Why?"
"Because she was bothering you."
I blinked. "You... you came over here because she was bothering me?"
His ears went pink. "I was getting water. The water fountain is near here."
"The water fountain is on the OTHER side of the gym."
"I was... walking."
"You were INTERVENING."
"I was HYDRATING."
"KEIFER."
"JAY."
We stared at each other.
Ci-n appeared between us. "HI! This is romantic! Can I watch?"
"CI-N," we said in unison.
"What? I'm INVESTED."
Mia grabbed Ci-n and dragged him away. "Come on. Let them have their moment."
"We don't HAVE a moment!" I yelled.
"You're literally having one RIGHT NOW!"
The second half started.
Keifer was on FIRE.
Like, literally unstoppable. Scoring from everywhere. Stealing the ball. Making Section A look like amateurs.
And every time he scored, he looked at me.
Every. Single. Time.
The girls around me were losing it.
"HE'S LOOKING THIS WAY!"
"HE'S LOOKING AT ME!"
"No, he's looking at ME!"
I wanted to scream.
Then Felix appeared beside me. "Hey, wife of Keifer!"
I choked. "WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!"
"Wife! You know! Because you're basically married!"
"We are NOT married!"
"Yet." He grinned. "But soon. I can feel it."
"You can FEEL it?!"
"My husband-wife radar is never wrong."
"Your WHAT?!"
Ci-n bounced over. "Husband-wife radar! Felix has one! It's very accurate!"
"It's NOT accurate because we're NOT—"
Felix pointed at the court. Keifer had just scored again. And he was looking directly at me.
"See?" Felix said. "Husband looking at wife."
"THAT'S NOT—"
"Very loving. Very supportive."
"I'm going to KILL you."
"Worth it."
Sarah was cackling. Ben was filming. Even Bella was smiling.
I looked at Mia for help. She just shrugged.
"Sorry, bestie. I ship it."
"YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE ON MY SIDE!"
"I AM on your side. Your side WITH Keifer."
"THERE IS NO SIDE!"
"Yet."
I screamed into my hands.
The game ended. Section E destroyed Section A. Final score: 78-52.
Keifer was mobbed by fans. Girls surrounded him, screaming, trying to touch him, holding out things for him to sign.
But over the crowd, his eyes found me.
And he smiled.
A real smile. Full and warm.
My heart did a thing. A dangerous thing.
"OH MY GOD," Mia screamed. "HE SMILED AT YOU!"
"I SAW!"
"THAT WAS A REAL SMILE!"
"I KNOW!"
"JAY, THIS IS HUGE!"
"I KNOW!"
"You're in love!"
"I am NOT in love!"
"Your face says otherwise!"
"MY FACE IS A LIAR!"
Ci-n was jumping up and down. "MY SHIP! MY SHIP IS SAILING!"
"There's no SHIP!"
"The SHIP IS HERE! AT THE DOCK! READY TO SAIL!"
"CI-N!"
He grabbed my hands. "Jay. Listen. I'm 14 and I know more about love than you. And I'm telling you—he likes you. A lot. Like, a LOT a lot."
"How do you know?!"
"Because I've known him for years. He never smiles. He never looks at anyone. He never cares about what anyone thinks. But you? He cares. He looks. He smiles. That's everything."
I didn't know what to say.
Ci-n patted my arm. "You'll figure it out. But figure it out fast, because that girl Freya is already planning her wedding to him in her head."
"She WHAT?"
"I have sources."
After the game, the team was celebrating.
I was standing near the exit, waiting for Mia, when Keifer appeared.
Still sweaty. Still in his uniform. Still looking at me like I was the only person in the room.
"Hey," he said.
"Hey."
"Good game?"
"You were... okay."
"Just okay?"
"I've seen better."
"Liar."
"I'm NOT lying."
"You're literally lying. Your nose is twitching."
"It does NOT twitch."
"It does. I've noticed."
"You've NOTICED my nose twitching?!"
"I notice everything about you."
I stopped breathing.
He stepped closer. "The game. Did you watch?"
"The whole thing."
"And?"
"And what?"
"What did you think?"
I looked up at him. "I think you're show-offy."
"Always."
"I think you're annoying."
"Also always."
"I think..." I swallowed. "I think you're not as bad as I thought."
His eyes softened. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."
"Don't get used to it."
"Too late. Already used to it."
We stood there, close but not touching.
Felix's voice echoed in my memory: Husband and wife.
Stupid Felix.
Felix appeared. Of course.
"HUSBAND! WIFE! PHOTO!"
"FELIX," Keifer growled.
"What?! This is a moment! Moments need photos!"
"There's no MOMENT!"
"There's DEFINITELY a moment!" Felix held up his phone. "Smile!"
We didn't smile.
He took the photo anyway.
"Perfect. Framing this."
"I'll delete it," Keifer said.
"You'll try."
"I WILL succeed."
"Your ears are red, kuya. Very romantic."
Keifer's hand twitched. Like he wanted to strangle Felix.
I laughed. Actually laughed.
Keifer looked at me. The anger faded.
"You're laughing," he said.
"You're entertaining when you're annoyed."
"I'm always entertaining."
"Debatable."
"Same thing."
"STOP."
"Make me."
Felix gasped. "THAT'S FLIRTING! THEY'RE FLIRTING!"
"WE ARE NOT FLIRTING!"
"You SO are! Ci-n! MIA! THEY'RE FLIRTING!"
Ci-n and Mia appeared instantly.
"WHERE?!" Ci-n yelled.
"RIGHT HERE!"
"I SEE IT! THE EYES! THE PROXIMITY!"
"THE PINK EARS!"
"THE RED FACE!"
Keifer and I stood there, surrounded by chaos, unable to escape.
"I hate your friends," Keifer muttered.
"They're YOUR friends too."
"Unfortunately."
I smiled. "You love them."
"I tolerate them. There's a difference."
"Same thing."
He looked at me. "Using my lines?"
"Learn from the best."
"You're not the best."
"I'm the BEST."
"Sure."
"STOP."
"Make me."
Felix screamed. "THEY'RE DOING IT AGAIN!"
Mia grabbed my arm. "Jay. This is the most entertainment I've had all year."
"I'm glad my suffering amuses you."
"Immensely."
Later, as everyone was leaving, Keifer caught my arm.
"Jay."
I turned. "Yeah?"
"Tonight. Same time."
"For what?"
"Texting." His ears went pink. "I like... talking to you."
My heart flipped. "You do?"
"I do."
"Even though I call you Gagong Baliw?"
"Especially because of that."
I smiled. "Okay. Tonight."
"Good."
He let go of my arm. Walked away.
But before he disappeared, he looked back.
"Jay?"
"Yeah?"
"Your face is red."
"YOURS IS TOO."
He smiled. That real smile again.
And then he was gone.
That night, my phone buzzed.
GAGONG BALIW: You were watching me today.
ME: Everyone was watching you.
GAGONG BALIW: I only noticed you.
I stared at the screen.
ME: That's cheesy.
GAGONG BALIW: It's honest.
ME: Same thing.
GAGONG BALIW: Using my lines?
ME: Learn from the best.
GAGONG BALIW: You're not the best.
ME: I'm the BEST.
GAGONG BALIW: Sure.
ME: GAGONG BALIW.
GAGONG BALIW: ❤️
Another heart.
I saved it in my gallery.
ME: Goodnight, Keifer.
GAGONG BALIW: Goodnight, Jay. Sweet dreams.
ME: Don't.
GAGONG BALIW: ❤️
I put my phone down, heart pounding.
This boy was going to be the death of me.
And honestly?
I was starting to be okay with that.