Jay's Pov
Monday started normal.
Well, as normal as things get when you're me.
I walked into school with Mia, laughing about something stupid Ci-n had texted at 3 AM. Jare was behind us, pretending to be annoyed but definitely smiling.
Sarah and Dave were already at the gymnasium entrance, saving seats.
"JAY!" Dave waved, spraying bits of his breakfast. "I saved you a spot near the front!"
"Thanks, Dave."
Sarah pulled me aside. "Okay. So. You and Keifer. Holding hands at dinner? Felix sent photos. MULTIPLE photos."
"We weren't holding hands the WHOLE time."
"Felix's photos say otherwise."
"Felix needs a hobby."
"His hobby IS you and Keifer."
I groaned. "I hate my life."
"No you don't."
The gymnasium was PACKED.
All sections. A, B, C, D, E. Everyone.
Principal Reyes was on stage, talking about some upcoming event, but no one was listening. Students were talking, laughing, scrolling through phones.
I found our section's area. Section E was already there, chaotic as usual.
Ci-n ran over. "JAY! JAY! Did you see Felix's photos?! The hand-holding ones?!"
"I saw."
"THEY'RE SO ROMANTIC!"
"They're so INVASIVE."
"Same thing!"
"CI-N."
Keifer was sitting with Yuri, a few rows ahead. When I walked in, he looked back.
Our eyes met.
He smiled. That small, private smile.
I smiled back.
Mia noticed. "OH MY GOD, YOU TWO ARE DISGUSTING."
"We're NOT disgusting."
"You're literally making heart eyes at each other across a crowded gym."
"I'm just LOOKING."
"With HEART EYES."
"I don't have heart eyes."
"Your entire face is heart eyes."
I shoved her. She laughed.
Everything was perfect.
And then Aries walked in.
Section A entered behind him. Ella, his girlfriend, was clinging to his arm. Freya was nearby, already glaring at me.
Whatever. I was used to Freya's death stares by now.
But Aries wasn't looking at Freya.
He was looking at ME.
That same weird look from the gym. The one I couldn't understand.
"Jay?" Mia frowned. "You okay?"
"Yeah. Just... Aries keeps staring."
"He does that. He's weird."
"No, like... really staring. Like he knows me."
Mia's face flickered. Something there. Something she wasn't saying.
"Mia?"
"What? Nothing. He's just... he's like that."
I wanted to push, but Principal Reyes started talking.
"For those who don't know, we have exchange students this semester from various countries. Today, we'd like to officially welcome them and introduce them to the student body."
Great. Public attention. My favorite.
One by one, exchange students were called to the stage. Sarah. Dave. Ben. Bella. Jare.
Then me.
"Jasper Jean Mariano from London, UK."
I walked to the stage, trying not to trip. The entire school was watching. Hundreds of eyes.
I found Keifer in the crowd. He nodded. Encouraging.
I smiled.
And then—
"Wait."
Aries stood up from the Section A area.
Everyone turned.
Principal Reyes blinked. "Aries? Is there a problem?"
Aries walked toward the stage. Toward ME.
His eyes were intense. Focused. Like he was about to do something he couldn't take back.
"Aries?" I said. "What are you—"
"Everyone," he announced, voice loud enough for the whole gym to hear. "I have something to say."
The gym went silent.
My heart started pounding.
"I've kept this secret for a long time." Aries looked at me. "But you deserve to know the truth."
"Know what?" My voice came out small.
Aries took a breath.
"Jasper Jean Mariano is my half-sister."
The words hung in the air.
Silence.
Complete, total silence.
Then EXPLOSION.
Gasps. Shouts. Everyone talking at once.
"What?!"
"SISTER?!"
"ARIES HAS A SISTER?!"
"JAY IS ARIES'S SISTER?!"
My brain stopped working.
Half-sister?
Half-sister?!
I looked at Aries. Really looked. His eyes. His nose. The shape of his face.
It was familiar.
It was like looking at—
No.
No no no.
"You're lying," I whispered.
"I'm not."
"You HAVE to be lying!"
"Jay." He stepped closer. "Our mother is Jeana Fernandez. She had me first, with my father. Then she had you and Jare, with your father. But your parents—the ones who raised you—they hid this from you. They hid HER from you."
Jeana.
The name echoed in my brain.
Mama Reycee wasn't my real mother?
The woman I'd called Mama my whole life wasn't—
"I don't believe you."
"Ask your parents. Ask them why they never told you about the Philippines. About your real mother. About ME."
I couldn't breathe.
I looked for Jare. He was frozen, face pale.
I looked for Mia. She had tears in her eyes. Like she already knew.
"Mia?" My voice cracked. "Did you KNOW?"
"I—Jay, I—"
"You KNEW?!"
"Not the whole thing! Just that Aries had a secret about you! I didn't know what!"
"YOU KEPT IT FROM ME?!"
"I was trying to PROTECT you!"
"FROM WHAT?!"
"FROM THIS!"
I stumbled back. Away from Aries. Away from Mia. Away from everyone.
And then I looked for Keifer.
He was still sitting. Still in his seat.
But he wasn't looking at me.
He was looking at the floor.
"Keifer?" I called.
Nothing.
"Keifer!"
He looked up. His face was... blank.
Empty.
"Keifer, please—"
He stood up. Walked toward the exit.
Without looking at me.
"KEIFER!"
He didn't stop.
Didn't turn around.
Just walked out.
And my heart shattered.
Meanwhile, Back in the Gym...
Chaos.
Absolute chaos.
Section A was losing their minds. Ella was trying to calm Aries down. Freya was just staring, mouth open.
Section E was in shock.
"Did that just happen?" Ci-n whispered.
"I think so," Felix said, for once not crying.
"JAY IS ARIES'S SISTER?!"
"Apparently."
"AND KEIFER JUST WALKED OUT?!"
"Also apparently."
Yuri stood up, watching Keifer's retreating form. "I should go after him."
"Yeah," Felix nodded. "Go."
Yuri ran after Keifer.
Ci-n grabbed Felix's arm. "What do we DO?!"
"I don't KNOW!"
Sarah and Dave pushed through the crowd.
"Where's Jay?!" Sarah demanded.
"She just—she ran—I don't know—"
"We need to find her."
"I'll check the bathroom," Bella said calmly, already moving.
Ben was filming, but his hands were shaking. "This is... this is huge."
"PUT THE CAMERA DOWN, BEN."
"Right. Right. Sorry."
Outside the Gym
I ran.
Didn't know where. Didn't care.
Just ran.
My brain was screaming. A million thoughts at once.
Aries is my brother.
Mama Reycee isn't my real mom.
Everyone knew but me.
KEIFER WALKED AWAY.
I stopped near the old oak tree behind the gym. Bent over. Tried to breathe.
Couldn't.
My phone buzzed.
MIA: Jay please come back. Please let me explain.
MIA: I'm so sorry. I should have told you.
MIA: Jay please.
I turned off my phone.
Later
I don't know how long I sat there.
Minutes. Hours. Both.
Eventually, footsteps.
"Jay."
Jare.
He sat down next to me. Didn't say anything. Just sat.
We stayed like that for a while.
"Did you know?" I finally asked.
"No."
"Really?"
"Really. I'm as shocked as you."
"But you're handling it better."
"I'm not. I'm just better at hiding it."
I looked at him. His eyes were red.
"Jare..."
"We have another brother, Jay. A brother we never knew about. Our whole life, we thought—we believed—and now—" His voice cracked.
I grabbed his hand.
"We'll figure it out."
"How?"
"I don't know. But together."
He nodded.
Then: "Keifer walked away."
"I know."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
"Maybe because Aries is his enemy."
My heart clenched. "But that doesn't—I'm not Aries. I'm ME."
"To him, right now, you're Aries's sister."
"That's not FAIR."
"Life isn't fair, Jay."
I wanted to argue. But I couldn't.
Because he was right.
Meanwhile, Somewhere Else on Campus
Yuri found Keifer near the basketball courts.
Sitting on the bench. Staring at nothing.
"Hey."
No response.
Yuri sat next to him. "You want to talk about it?"
"No."
"Okay."
Silence.
Then: "She's his sister."
"I know."
"His HALF-sister."
"I heard."
"The enemy. The guy I've hated for years. His sister."
"She's still Jay."
"IS she?!" Keifer's voice cracked. "Or was that all a lie too?!"
"Keifer, you KNOW her. You KNOW she didn't know."
"Does it matter? She's still connected to him. She still shares his blood. His FAMILY."
"And? Does that change who she is?"
Keifer didn't answer.
"Look," Yuri said. "I get it. You and Aries have history. Bad history. But Jay isn't Aries. She's not responsible for what happened. She didn't even KNOW."
"She should have."
"How?! Her parents lied to her! Her whole life is a lie! You think she wanted this?!"
Keifer was quiet.
"I'm not saying you have to be okay with it right now," Yuri continued. "But walking away? Ignoring her? That's not going to fix anything. That's just going to hurt her more."
"What do you want me to do?!"
"I want you to THINK. About what you actually feel. About HER. Not about Aries. About JAY."
Keifer stared at the court.
"I don't know what I feel anymore."
"Then figure it out. But don't shut her out while you do. That's cruel."
Back at the Tree
Mia found us eventually.
She approached slowly, like approaching wounded animals.
"Jay? Jare?"
I didn't look up.
"I'm so sorry." Her voice broke. "I should have told you. I knew Aries had something about you, but I didn't know what. I thought—I thought it was just some family connection, not—not THIS. I didn't want to hurt you."
"Mia." I finally looked at her. "Did your mom know?"
She hesitated. "I... I don't know."
"Ask her."
"What?"
"Ask her. Right now. Call her."
Mia pulled out her phone. Called. Put it on speaker.
"Mom?"
"Mia? What's wrong?"
"Mom, did you know? About Jay and Aries? That they're half-siblings?"
Silence.
Long silence.
"Mom?"
"I... I knew Jeana had children with two different fathers. But I didn't know—I didn't know Aries was one of them. I swear, Mia. I didn't know."
"So Aries's mom and Jay's real mom are the same person?"
"Yes. Jeana. She was my friend. But after she... after she left, we lost touch. I didn't know what happened to her children."
Mia looked at me. "Jay..."
I closed my eyes.
Another lie. Another secret.
Everyone knew something. No one knew everything.
And I was stuck in the middle.
Hours Later
I finally went back to the residence.
Sarah, Dave, Ben, and Bella were waiting.
Sarah hugged me immediately. "Jay. Oh my God."
"I'm okay."
"You're NOT okay. No one would be okay."
Dave offered me chips. "Here. Food helps."
I took them. Didn't eat.
Ben put his camera down. "I'm not filming. I promise."
Bella sat next to me. Quiet. Solid.
"We're here," she said simply. "Whatever you need."
I nodded.
My phone buzzed.
CI-N: Jay we're all here for you. The whole section. We love you.
FELIX: Husband and wife forever even if husband is being stupid right now.
EMAN: I made you cookies. Bringing them tomorrow.
CALIX: Mica says she's here for you too.
RORY: If you need anything hacked, let me know.
EDRIX: Same.
MAYO: Kit and I are sending love.
DENZEL: Grace says you're strong. You'll get through this.
JOSH: 👊
BASTER: 🎵 (that's a supportive music note)
DAVID: ...I just woke up. What happened?
I almost laughed. Almost.
I scrolled through the messages. Felt something warm in my chest.
These idiots. These chaotic, wonderful idiots.
They were my family too.
One message I kept waiting for.
From Keifer.
It never came.
That Night
I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.
My conversation with Mama Reycee replayed in my head.
"Jay, baby, I can explain—"
"Is it true? Is Jeana my real mother?"
"...Yes."
"And you never told me?!"
"We were protecting you! Her family was dangerous, there were issues, we thought—"
"You THOUGHT wrong!"
"Jay, please—"
"I don't want to talk to you right now."
I'd hung up.
Maybe that was harsh. Maybe she really was trying to protect me.
But right now, I didn't care.
Right now, all I felt was betrayed.
By my parents.
By Mia.
By Keifer.
My phone buzzed.
GAGONG BALIW: I'm sorry.
I stared at the message.
ME: For what?
GAGONG BALIW: For walking away.
ME: Why did you?
Long pause.
GAGONG BALIW: Because I didn't know how to process it.
ME: Process WHAT? That I have a brother you hate?
GAGONG BALIW: It's not that simple.
ME: Then EXPLAIN it to me.
GAGONG BALIW: Aries and I... we have history. Bad history. And finding out you're connected to him—it messed with my head.
ME: So I'm guilty by association?
GAGONG BALIW: NO. That's not what I meant.
ME: Then what DID you mean?
Another long pause.
GAGONG BALIW: I meant that I panicked. And I handled it wrong. And I'm sorry.
ME: Sorry doesn't fix walking away when I needed you.
GAGONG BALIW: I know.
ME: I was alone out there. Crying. Confused. And you just LEFT.
GAGONG BALIW: I know. I'm sorry.
ME: You keep saying that.
GAGONG BALIW: Because I don't know what else to say.
I wanted to scream. To throw my phone. To cry.
Instead, I typed:
ME: I need time.
GAGONG BALIW: Okay.
ME: Time to figure out who I am. What's real. What's not.
GAGONG BALIW: I understand.
ME: Do you?
GAGONG BALIW: I'm trying to.
I didn't respond.
He didn't either.
The Next Morning
I walked into Section E.
Everyone was there. Watching me. Concerned.
But one seat was empty.
Keifer's.
"Where is he?" I asked.
Ci-n looked down. "He's not coming today."
"Oh."
"He's... processing, I think."
"Yeah." I sat down. "Aren't we all."
Mia slid into the seat next to me. "Jay?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry. For not telling you what I knew."
"I know."
"Can you forgive me?"
I looked at my best friend. The girl who'd been there for years. The girl who'd kept a secret, but only because she didn't know how big it was.
"I need time," I said. "But... yeah. Eventually."
She nodded. "I'll wait."
The morning passed in a blur.
Teachers talked. I didn't listen.
Students stared. I ignored them.
At lunch, I didn't go to the cafeteria. Stayed in the classroom.
Ci-n brought me food. Eman sent cookies. Felix left a note that said "HUSBAND AND WIFE STILL. HE'S JUST BEING STUPID."
I smiled. A little.
But inside, I was hollow.
Because the person I wanted to see most wasn't there.
And I didn't know if he'd ever come back.