Jay's POV
The moment lunch break started, I stood up with one goal:
Avoid Keifer at all costs.
Section E had already swarmed him like he was some celebrity comeback.
I didn't care. I didn't want to sit across from him, breathe the same air, or listen to that stupid calm voice.
So I slipped out of the classroom quietly.
Or so I thought.
I made it two steps down the hallway before—
A hand wrapped around my wrist.
Firm.Cold.Too familiar.
"Jay."
I didn't even look back. "Let go."
He didn't.
With one pull, he dragged me into the old storage room beside the stairs.
Door shuts.
Click.
I glared. "Are you insane?!"
He didn't blink. "You ran again."
"Because I didn't want to see your face."
"Ouch. I'm hurt."
"Good."
He stepped closer.
I stepped back.
"Stop following me," I snapped.
"No."
"You left—"
"I came back."
"Why?"
"Because of—"
"SHUT UP!"
He smirked. The bastard actually smirked.
"You're adorable when you're mad."
"F**k off."
His eyes darkened—just slightly—but enough to make the air shift.
"You keep saying profanity," he murmured, stepping closer until my back hit the wall, "and I might actually do something you'll pretend to hate."
"Keifer—"
And then—
He kissed me.
Hard.
Hungry
Angry.
Like he'd been starving and I was the first breath he remembered how to take.
For a second—just one stupid second—my knees went weak.
Then I shoved him back.
"Don't ever do that again!"
Before he could reply—
Click.
Camera shutter.
We froze.
Slowly, we turned.
Right outside the small window panel of the door stood Cin, Felix, Eren, and Yuri — eyes wide, mouths open, all holding their damn phones like they just witnessed a forbidden Netflix drama.
"Oh hell no," I breathed.
Cin whispered loudly, "SO YOU'RE DATING—"
I yanked the door open, heat rushing up my neck.
"DELETE IT!"
Eren grinned. "Blackmail material—"
"EREN!"
I stormed past them so fast my shoes squeaked.
Keifer called after me, "Jay—wait—"
"NO."
I left the building, hands shaking, heart furious, face burning.
I didn't come back until one minute before the next class, just enough to prove I wasn't skipping.
But after roll call and teacher's back was turned,
I slipped out through the side gate.
I couldn't breathe there.
Not with him.
Not with them knowing.
Not with that kiss still burning on my mouth.
---
At Home
I threw my bag on the bed, face buried into a pillow, letting out a scream that could've cracked mirrors.
Why did he kiss me?
Why did I let it happen for even a millisecond?
I was still fuming when my phone buzzed.
A text.
A number I hadn't seen in a long time.
> "Hey MJ, important. The club tonight. Be there."
My stomach dropped.
That nickname.
That person.
That version of me.
M.J~Mariano Jay
The one I swore I'd buried.
My hands trembled as I stared at the message.
I never wanted to see that text again.
The message glowed on my screen like a threat.
"Hey MJ, important. The club tonight. Be there."
My heart dropped straight into my stomach.
No.
No, no, no.
If he was texting…
If that if he was involved…
It wasn't just important — it was dangerous.
And unavoidable.
I stared at the message, horrified, every muscle in my body tightening.
I didn't want to go back.
I didn't want to be her again.
But MJ only got called when the situation was bad enough that running wasn't an option.
I exhaled shakily.
"Fine," I whispered. "One night."
Just one.
---
My room felt smaller as I changed.
Black leather boots.
Black fitted jeans.
Black top — sleek, clean, sharp.
Black leather jacket.
Hair tied back, smooth and severe.
No jewelry.
MJ never needed extras.
The mirror didn't reflect Jay anymore.
It reflected the girl I kept buried six feet under.
The one who knew how to fight like it was her last fight, how to lie without even a hitch in breath, how to intimidate men twice her size with a single look, who when entered a room would make the whole room's jaw drop and chaos silent, the one the entire crew still fears even after 2 years.
The one I promised myself I would never resurrect.
I pulled my gloves on last.
"Let's get this over with."
I slipped out of the house quietly, walking through the shadowed back alley where no neighbors would see.
Then I stopped.
A motorcycle waited there.
Black. Polished. Engine still faintly warm.
A helmet hung on the handle.
And on the seat—
A folded note.
I snatched it, unfolding it with a knot in my throat.
> Ride this, MJ. Amini return gift😉
– A.V.W.
A.V.W.
I swallowed hard.
Him.
Of course it was him.
"Sh*t," I muttered, grabbing the helmet.
I swung onto the bike, tightened my grip, and turned the key.
The engine roared awake — loud, powerful, aggressive.
Everything MJ needed to be.
I kicked off the ground.
The city blurred past me — lights stretching into streaks of white and yellow.
Wind clawed at my clothes.
My heart hammered in my chest.
The speedometer climbed.
120. 130.140.
I didn't slow down.
Couldn't.
The closer I got, the more the old adrenaline flooded back — the part of me that lived on danger, speed, chaos.
The part of me I hated.
I skidded into the alley behind the club, parking the motorcycle where the cameras didn't reach.
Music thumped through the walls — bass deep enough to shake bones.
I walked straight to the back entrance.
Bouncer saw me.
His eyes widened.
"boss?"
I didn't answer.
Just pushed the door open.
Inside, lights flashed red and blue across the room.
Bodies moved on the dance floor.
Liquor burned in the air.
I walked past all of it like a blade through smoke.
Straight to the bar.
And then—
I saw him.
Sitting alone.
Elbow on the counter.
Dark jacket.Head bowed slightly.
The person I hoped I'd never have to face again.
A.V.W.
He lifted his head.
His eyes locked on mine instantly.
A slow, dangerous smirk pulled at his lips.
"Well," he murmured, voice low and familiar enough to knock the air out of me,
"look who finally came home."
The closer I got, the more clearly I saw him.
Alex Veron William.
A.V.W.
The Devil in a leather jacket with a smirk that could either ruin a person or save their life, depending on what mood he was in.
He took one slow sip of his drink, eyes never leaving mine.
"MJ," he drawled, leaning back. "Damn… I forgot how good the room looks when you walk into it."
I rolled my eyes.
"That line was old three years ago."
He grinned. "Still worked. You came over."
"I came because you texted 'important'. Not because I missed you."
He placed a hand over his chest dramatically.
"Ouch. Straight to the heart."
"Alex."
The teasing in my tone disappeared.
His smile faded instantly.
He studied me — really studied me — and nodded once.
"Sit."
I didn't. I stayed standing, arms crossed.
He exhaled. "Still stubborn. Good. You're gonna need that."
My stomach twisted.
"Why am I here?"
His jaw clenched.
When he spoke again, every trace of flirtiness vanished.
---
"Your head position is empty."
I stiffened.
"No."
"You haven't even heard it yet."
"I don't need to. I'm not coming back."
Alex took another slow sip of his drink, like he was buying time.
Then he looked straight at me.
"No one has taken it since Cole died."
Every bone in my body went rigid.
He continued, voice low, serious, the air around us thickening:
"And now the crew wants you to fill it."
I shook my head instantly.
"Absolutely not."
"MJ—"
"No. I left that life. I'm not stepping into anything. Especially not Cole's position. That was him. Not me."
Alex leaned in, elbows on his knees, face inches from mine.
His tone softened — dangerous, gentle.
"You think I don't know how much you cared for him? How much he cared for you?"
I swallowed hard, throat tightening.
"You're not listening," I whispered.
"No, you're not listening."
He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated.
"They're not offering you the role. They're asking for it. Demanding it. Because after Cole… you're the only one they trust."
My heart hammered painfully.
"Alex, I can't—"
"This isn't about what you can or can't do."
His voice dropped into a whisper only I could hear.
"This is about what Cole wanted."
I froze.
"He left something with us before he went to London," Alex said. "A message. Instructions. And your name was all over it."
My hands curled into fists.
He continued, quieter now:
"Cole said if anything happened to him… you'd take his place. That you were next. His choice."
My chest tightened so hard it hurt to breathe.
"No," I muttered. "Cole would never put that on me."
"He didn't want to," Alex admitted. "But because of Kaizer he did. And after what went down in London… after the fights, the ambushes, the betrayal—taking that position is the only way to keep your friends and your family safe."
My heart dropped.
"What do you mean?"
Alex sighed—heavy, tired—as if he'd been carrying the weight of this for months.
"The people who went after Cole? They're not done."
His eyes locked onto mine, sharp and unblinking.
"And they know about you, MJ. They know that mj and hasorr hean mariano are the same person.kaizer that man won't leave you for messing with his plan and other peoe who hate cole and the mj they know about your house. About those kids you hang out with."
My blood ran cold.
"Section E," I whispered.
"Yeah."
He nodded.
"Cole's and the mj war is about to follow you home."
I felt the floor tilt beneath me, but I kept my voice steady.
"So what? I just… take his place? That's your solution?"
"Not mine," Alex said softly.
"His."
Silence stung between us.
Then — very quietly — I said:
"…Fine."
Alex's eyes flicked up, almost relieved, almost sorry.
"You'll do it?" he asked.
"One condition," I muttered. "No one except the inner circle should know about this."
He nodded once.
"Deal."
I took a deep breath and turned—
And stopped dead.
The place throbbed with bass, lights slicing the air in neon streaks.
Alex slid off the barstool the second I reached him, eyes running over me with that familiar infuriating smirk.
"Well damn, MJ," he said, stepping closer, voice deep and teasing,
"Did the Philippines upgrade while I was gone… or did you?"
I deadpanned. "Flirt again and I'm breaking your ribs."
He grinned wider. "God, I missed you."
I ignored him, dropping onto the stool beside him. He ordered us drinks without asking.
I didn't drink much.
But tonight wasn't about comfort.
Tonight was business wrapped in danger.
Alex clinked his glass against mine.
"To Cole," he said.
My throat tightened. I forced myself to take the sip.
"That's all you get," I said.
"Then you'll enjoy the next part," he murmured and—
bam
—pulled me toward the dance floor just as the beat exploded.
"Alex—"
"Relax. You look like you need to breathe for once."
---
On the Dance Floor
Lights flashed.
Bodies moved.
The bass rattled the floor.
I let go — only a little.
Jumping with the beat, hair flying, Alex laughing like an idiot beside me.
For a few minutes…
I wasn't Jay.
I wasn't grieving.
I wasn't hunted.
I wasn't chased by ghosts with Cole's voice.
I was MJ.
Alive. Sharp. Electric.
Alex spun me, hand sliding down to steady my elbow.
"Still got it," he teased.
"Still annoying," I shot back.
He laughed, a low warm sound that almost drowned in the music.
---
Section E POV:
Cin's POV
"We're here to celebrate Keifer, not to get you to have an alcohol poisoning!" Eren yelled over the speakers.
"Shut up, let me live! You are sounding like Jay Jay " I shouted back, climbing onto the railing.
Then Eren froze.Like froze-froze.
"Bro… bro, bro, BRO—"
"What?" Felix slurred.
Eren pointed.
And we all turned.
There — in the middle of the dance floor — was Jay.
Except…
That wasn't Jay.
Her hair sleeked back.
Black boots, black outfit.
Sharp. Confident. Untouchable.
Laughing.
Actually laughing.
And dancing.
With… some guy.
Tall, sharp-featured, leather jacket, hand on her waist like he belonged there.
Felix blinked.
"Who the hell is THAT?"
Cin swallowed.
"Uh. Her… cousin?"
Eren glared. "Does she look like she brings her cousin to a club?!"
David leaned forward, silent, observing, eyes narrowed.
He didn't speak, but we could feel the tension rolling off him.
Then Felix whispered, stunned,
"She's… smiling."
We all stared.
Yeah.
She was.
A real and lethal one.
The kind we hadn't seen since Cole.
Then Alex leaned in and said something in her ear —
and she threw her head back laughing.
Cin whispered, horrified,
"Whoever that guy is, Keifer's gonna kill him."
---
Author pov:
He had seen her the second she walked in.
He had watched her talk to that man.
Let him touch her wrist.
Let him pull her to the dance floor.
Let him make her smile.
Make her smile.
He didn't move.
Didn't blink.
His jaw was clenched hard enough to crack teeth.
But he stayed still—
like a storm holding itself back.
David felt the shift beside him.
"You good?" he asked quietly.
Keifer didn't look away.
"Fine," he lied.
A lie carved out of glass and fire.
---
Back on the Floor — MJ
Alex leaned close again.
"Your friends are watching."
"I know," I murmured without turning.
"You want them to stop?"
"No."
I raised my chin.
"I want them to wonder."
Alex's grin sharpened.
"Dangerous girl."
My eyes glinted.
"You have no idea."
We danced one more song — wild, fast, reckless.
Then Alex tugged my wrist.
"Come on. Let's get you out of here..."
I nodded once.
We slipped through the crowd, through the back hall, toward the exit.
I didn't look up at Section E.
But I felt them staring.
And I knew one pair of eyes burned hotter than the rest.
---
Section E POV
Cin gasped.
"She's leaving with him—WITH HIM—"
Eren snapped, "Shut up, I'm trying to see—"
But by the time they reached the stairway, the pair was gone.
The club's back door swung shut.
Cold air rushed in.
They ran downstairs.
Through the main exit.
Into the parking lot.
Nothing.
No Jay.
No mysterious man.
No motorcycle.
No car.
Just an empty lot humming with silence.
Felix swallowed.
"Guys… where did she go?"
No one answered.
Because none of them knew.
But Keifer —
Keifer stood there, fists tight at his sides, staring into the night.
Silent.
Furious.
Next Morning
Jay woke up with a pounding head and a lingering heaviness in her chest — not from the alcohol, but from everything else.
The night replayed in flashes — Alex's warning, the music, the dance floor, Keifer's stare burning into her back, and then the silent ride home through dim streets.
Alex had dropped her at the alley behind her house, the motorcycle engine humming low.
He didn't lecture, didn't pry. Just said:
"Be careful, MJ."
And left.
Now she stood in front of school, uniform neat, hair tied, face blank — like nothing happened.
But everything inside her was running....