Jay's Pov
The Inter-Section Tennis Tournament was a BIG deal.
Like, whole school shuts down big. Students packed the bleachers. Teachers as referees. Trophies that actually looked expensive.
Section E's representative?
MIA.
My best friend. Keifer's sister. The girl who'd been practicing for WEEKS.
"This is going to be amazing!" Mia bounced next to me, racket in hand. "I've been training so hard!"
"You're going to destroy them."
"Obviously!"
Jare appeared beside her. "Good luck, Mia."
Mia's face went pink. "Thanks, Jare."
I watched them with a giant grin. These two. So obvious. So cute. So STUPID.
Keifer wrapped his arms around me from behind. "Stop staring at them."
"I'm OBSERVING."
"Using my lines?"
"Learn from the best."
"You're not the best."
"I'm the BEST."
"Sure."
"STOP."
"Make me."
I elbowed him gently. He just laughed.
The bleachers were PACKED.
Our families had taken over an entire section.
Mama Reycee, Papa, and Percy. Tita Serina, Victor, Keigan, and Keiren. Even Jeana was there, sitting quietly but smiling.
And they had SIGNS.
Keiren's sign said: "GO MIA! GO ATE JAY!" (Even though I wasn't playing.)
Percy's sign said: "I'M THE FAVORITE CHILD" with an arrow pointing at himself.
Mama Reycee had a sign that just said "MY DAUGHTERS" with hearts.
"Our families are insane," I told Keifer.
"OUR families."
"Our families are insane."
"The best kind of insane."
The tournament started.
Mia's first match? Section D. A girl named Trixie. Tall. Muscular. Looked like she ate nails for breakfast.
"Who's that?" I asked.
"Trixie," Ci-n said, appearing beside me. "She's really good. Like, REALLY good. Won the tournament last year."
My stomach dropped. "But Mia's been practicing—"
"Trixie's been playing since she was five."
I looked at Mia. She looked nervous but determined.
She could do this. She HAD to do this.
The match started.
And it was... not good.
Trixie was FAST. Her serves were POWERFUL. Mia was running everywhere, barely getting the ball back.
First set: 6-1. Trixie.
Second set: 5-0. Trixie.
Mia was exhausted. Sweating. Struggling.
"Come on, Mia," I whispered. "You can do this."
One more point. Match point for Trixie.
Trixie served. Fast. Mia ran for it—
And fell.
Hard.
Her ankle twisted underneath her. She screamed.
"MIA!"
Jare was OFF the bleachers before anyone else moved.
I ran too. Keifer right behind me.
We reached her as she lay on the court, face contorted in pain.
"Mia! Mia, talk to me!"
"My ankle—" She gasped. "I think I twisted it—"
Jare knelt beside her. Gently touched her ankle. She winced.
"We need a medic!" he shouted.
The school medic rushed over. Checked her ankle. Shook his head.
"Sprained. Maybe worse. She can't continue."
Mia's face crumpled. "But—the tournament—I was supposed to—"
"Hey." Jare grabbed her hand. "Hey. Look at me."
She looked at him. Tears streaming.
"You tried your best. That's what matters. Okay?"
"But I lost—"
"You didn't lose. You got hurt. There's a difference."
Mia cried harder. Jare pulled her into a hug.
Right there. On the court. In front of everyone.
The crowd went AWWWW.
Even in pain, Mia managed to blush.
Trixie walked over. Smirking.
"Guess I win by default." She looked down at Mia. "Too bad. You were never going to win anyway."
I felt my blood BOIL.
"Excuse me?" I stepped forward.
Trixie looked at me. "What? It's true. She's terrible. I don't know why Section E even picked her."
"She's been practicing for WEEKS."
"And? Practice doesn't fix talentless."
My hands clenched into fists.
Trixie wasn't done. She looked at Jare, who was still holding Mia.
"Seriously? This is who you're with? A loser who can't even play tennis?" She laughed. "She doesn't deserve you. She doesn't deserve ANYTHING. She's just a—"
"FINISH THAT SENTENCE."
Trixie looked at me. Smirked.
"A WHORE. A BITCH. A—"
I LUNGED.
I didn't think. Didn't plan. My fist was already swinging toward her face when—
Arms around my waist. Lifting me off the ground.
"JAY. JAY, STOP."
Keifer.
He dragged me back, holding me tight against his chest.
"LET ME GO! SHE CALLED MIA—"
"I KNOW. I HEARD."
"SHE—"
"JAY." His voice was calm. Firm. "Look at me."
I looked at him. Breathing hard. Shaking with rage.
"You can't hit her. As much as she deserves it, you CAN'T."
"But—"
"If you hit her, you get disqualified. You get in trouble. You might get sent home." He held my face. "Is she worth that?"
I wanted to say YES. Wanted to scream it.
But Mia's voice stopped me.
"Jay."
I looked at her. Still in Jare's arms. Pale. In pain. But looking at me with pleading eyes.
"Don't. Please."
I took a deep breath. Forced myself to calm down.
"Fine." I glared at Trixie. "But she's NOT getting away with this."
Trixie laughed. "What are YOU going to do? Play instead?"
"Yes."
Silence.
Everyone stared.
"What?" Trixie blinked.
"I said YES. I'll play instead of Mia. It's allowed—substitutions for injury. Right?"
The referee nodded slowly. "Yes, but—"
"Then I'm playing."
Mia grabbed my arm. "Jay, you can't—she's really good—"
"I know."
"You haven't played in—"
"I know."
"She'll destroy you—"
"No. She won't."
Mia stared at me. Then slowly, a smile spread across her face.
"You're going to destroy her, aren't you?"
I grinned. "Absolutely."
Jare was smirking. He KNEW. He was the only one who knew.
Keifer looked confused. "Jay, are you sure? I've never seen you play—"
"Trust me."
He looked at me for a long moment. Then nodded.
"Okay. I trust you."
The crowd was BUZZING.
Substitution. New player. The London girl who'd been making waves.
Percy was screaming from the bleachers. "THAT'S MY SISTER! THE ONE WHO'S ABOUT TO DESTROY THAT UGLY GIRL!"
"Percy!" Mama Reycee hissed.
"What? She IS ugly. Inside and out."
Keiren was bouncing. "ATE JAY IS PLAYING! ATE JAY IS PLAYING!"
Even Jeana looked excited. Nervous. But excited.
I walked onto the court. Picked up Mia's racket. Tested its weight.
Trixie laughed. "This is going to be easy."
"Sure."
"I'm going to destroy you."
"Sure."
"You're nothing."
"Sure."
She glared. "Do you have anything else to say?"
"Yeah." I smiled. "Serve already."
She served.
Fast. Powerful. Exactly how she'd been serving all match.
I returned it. Easily.
She blinked. Ran for it. Returned.
I returned again. Harder.
Back and forth. Back and forth.
She was good. I'd give her that.
But I was BETTER.
Growing up in London, I had nothing to do but play sports.
Soccer. Basketball. And TENNIS.
My school had a coach who'd played professionally. He'd trained me for YEARS.
I'd won tournaments. Trophies. Championships.
No one here knew that.
Except Jare.
He was watching from the sidelines, a giant grin on his face.
Mia was next to him, eyes wide. "Jare... is she...?"
"Yeah."
"SHE'S ACTUALLY GOOD?!"
"She's the BEST."
"WHAT?!"
"I thought you knew!"
"I DIDN'T KNOW!"
They both looked at me. I winked.
First set: 6-0. ME.
Trixie was FURIOUS. Sweating. Shaking.
"How—you—this isn't—"
"Keep talking. It's entertaining."
Second set: 6-1. ME.
The crowd was going WILD.
Section E had made new signs. "JAY IS OUR QUEEN!" "DESTROY HER, JAY!"
Ci-n was screaming so loud I thought he'd lose his voice.
Felix was crying. Obviously.
And Keifer?
Keifer was watching me like I was the most incredible thing he'd ever seen.
During the break, he came down to the court.
"Jay."
"Yeah?"
"You're AMAZING."
"I know."
"No, really. I had no idea."
"Surprise."
He pulled me close. Kissed my forehead.
The crowd EXPLODED.
"FOREHEAD KISS!" Ci-n screamed. "IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TOURNAMENT!"
"THEY'RE SO IN LOVE!" Felix wailed.
"THIS IS BETTER THAN THE GAME!"
Keifer ignored them all. Just looked at me.
"Win this. For Mia."
"Already planning to."
"Good."
He walked back to the bleachers. But not before looking back once.
Obviously.
Final set.
I was up 5-0. One more point.
Trixie was CRYING. Actually crying. Her perfect record. Her reputation. Destroyed by some random London girl.
"Last point," the referee announced.
Trixie served. Weak. Pathetic.
I hit it back. Hard.
She ran for it. Missed.
Match point.
But I wasn't done.
The ball bounced toward her. And I aimed.
My racket connected. The ball flew—
Straight at her face.
SMACK.
Right in the nose.
Trixie stumbled back. Clutched her face. Blood dripped through her fingers.
"OOPS," I said sweetly. "My bad."
The crowd ROARED.
Section E was on their feet. Mia was laughing so hard she was crying. Jare was cheering.
And Keifer?
Keifer was walking toward me.
He grabbed me. Kissed me. Right there on the court.
Deep. Passionate. Perfect.
When he pulled back, we were both breathless.
"What was that for?" I whispered.
"For being the most incredible, terrifying, amazing person I've ever met."
"That's cheesy."
"Your cheese."
"MY cheese."
The trophy ceremony was CHAOS.
They gave me the first-place trophy. Which I immediately handed to Mia.
"This is yours."
"Jay, I didn't—"
"You represented Section E. You got hurt. You still showed up. This is YOURS."
Mia cried. Again. Grabbed me in a hug.
"I love you," she sobbed.
"Love you too, weirdo."
Percy ran onto the court with a camera. "PHOTO! ALL THE CHAMPIONS!"
Somehow, we all ended up in the photo.
Me, Mia, Jare, Keifer, Percy, Felix, Ci-n, the whole Section E squad.
And behind us, our families. Mama Reycee crying. Papa proud. Tita Serina beaming. Victor laughing. Keigan pretending to be cool. Keiren holding his sign. Jeana smiling softly.
The photographer—Ben, obviously—yelled, "EVERYONE SAY CHAOS!"
"CHAOS!"
Click.
Perfect.
Later, at the Residence
My phone EXPLODED.
SAME BRAIN CELLS (PLUS EVERYONE)
CI-N: JAY IS A TENNIS GODDESS.
FELIX: THE FINAL SHOT! TO THE FACE! ICONIC!
YURI: Keifer hasn't stopped smiling. It's been THREE HOURS.
KEIFER: ❤️
ME: KEIFER.
KEIFER: What? I'm proud.
ME: You're EMBARRASSING.
KEIFER: Your embarrassment.
MIA: MY ANKLE HURTS BUT I DON'T CARE. JAY AVENGED ME.
JARE: Best sister ever.
ME: BEST TWIN EVER.
ARIES: I missed the match but heard EVERYTHING. Jay, you're a legend.
ME: I KNOW.
SARAH: The way she just... DESTROYED her...
DAVE: I ate so many snacks. BEST DAY.
BEN: I have 500 photos. The lighting was PERFECT.
BELLA: Of course it was.
PERCY: I'M IN SO MANY OF THEM LOOKING FLAWLESS.
KEIREN: ATE JAY IS MY HERO!
KEIGAN: ...She's pretty cool.
VICTOR: That's high praise from Keigan.
TITA SERINA: MY CHILDREN. ALL OF THEM. CHAMPIONS.
MAMA REYCEE: THAT'S MY BABY!
PAPA: We raised warriors.
JEANA: I'm so proud. Of all of you.
CI-N: JEANA IS THE COOLEST MOM.
FELIX: NEW FAVORITE ADULT.
JEANA: I've only been here a week.
CI-N: AND YOU'RE ALREADY THE BEST.
I put my phone down.
Looked at the trophy on Mia's lap. At Jare's arm around her. At Keifer's hand in mine.
This was my life now.
Chaotic. Loud. Insane.
And absolutely perfect.