Jay's POV
The next morning felt… weird.
Not because of school.
Not because of Keifer being back.
But because everyone knew something I didn't want them to know.
I walked into class, pushing the door slightly harder than necessary.
Instant silence.
Every single person in Section E turned to look at me — not judging, not angry, just… staring. Like they were trying to figure out whether what they saw last night was real or just their imagination.
Great.
Perfect.
Exactly what I needed.
I kept my face straight, walked to my seat, and sat down like nothing was wrong. Like they hadn't seen me dancing, smiling, laughing with a guy they didn't know.
No one said a word, but I could feel the tension pressing on my skin.
Even Keifer didn't speak.
But I felt his gaze.
Sharp. Heavy. Too familiar.
I ignored all of it.I ignored him.
I just wanted the day to end.
---
After School — Parking Lot
The final bell rang, and I practically raced out of the building.
I didn't want to answer anyone's questions — especially not theirs.
I stood near the parking area, arms crossed, pretending to scroll through my phone. My stomach twisted every time a car passed.
Then a familiar black car turned into the lot and stopped right in front of me.
Keifer's.
Of course.
The window rolled down.
"Aries isn't coming," he said, voice annoyingly calm. "He's busy with Angelo."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Then why are you here?"
Keifer didn't miss a beat.
"Angelo asked me."
I scoffed.
"Sure. And you just listened to him?"
He looked straight at me.
"Aries asked me first to let you know. I refused."
I blinked.
"Then—?"
"I called Angelo myself," he said, with that stupid half-smirk. "And I said yes to him that I'll drop you."
I stared at him. "Why? Why the hell would you do that?"
Keifer chuckled — a low, warm sound that made my heart betray me for a second.
"Because someone wasn't answering the group chat," he said, eyes flicking over my face, "and looked ready to walk home just to avoid seeing me."
My jaw tightened.
He wasn't wrong.
"Get in," he added.
I rolled my eyes, but I still opened the door and slid into the seat. The car smelled like leather, mint, and London — like him.
I hated it.
I didn't.
I hated that I didn't.
He didn't speak for the rest of the drive, and neither did I.
---
At Home
I headed straight to my room and collapsed onto my bed, my face buried in the pillow.
Finally. Quiet.
I pulled out my phone, and of course, the universe didn't give me peace.
Section E Group Chat: PRE-PROM PARTY TONIGHT FOR ALL 4TH YEARS!!!
Theme: Neon & Nightshade 😈
Everyone coming???
I stared at the messages.
A party.
Great.
Another place where people could stare at me, judge me, whisper about things they didn't understand.
My chest tightened.
I didn't know if I wanted to go.
I didn't know if I could.
I shut my screen off and dropped the phone on my stomach.
One night.
One decision.
And I was already exhausted.
I stared at the group chat message glowing on my screen:
Pre-Prom Party Tonight!!! Theme: Black & Gold ✨
Everyone pull uppppp 😭🔥
I groaned into my pillow.
Absolutely not.
But the more I stared at it… the more a tiny, irritating voice whispered:
'Show up. Make them choke.'
I sighed and grabbed my phone.
If I had to go, I wasn't going solo.
I dialed David.
He picked up on the third ring, sounding stressed — probably doing homework or pretending to.
"Jay? You okay?"
"I need a date."
There was a sound like he dropped something.
"…A what?"
"To the party tonight."
Silence.
"Jay," he said slowly, "Keifer will kill me."
"I know," I said sweetly. "but you are the only one who can dare to this and that's exactly why I'm asking you."
"Jay—"
"Please?"
A long, tortured sigh.
"Fine. Yes. But if Keifer punches me, you're paying my medical bills."
"I'll buy you ice cream."
"You better."
I hung up before he could change his mind.
---
Wardrobe Crisis: Level 10
I opened my closet.
Black hoodie.
Black tee.
Black jeans.
Repeat ten times.
I swear my closet looked like a funeral home for fashion.
No dresses.
No heels.
Nothing remotely capable of making the student body pass out.
why did I bury those dresses I regret it.
So I pulled out the emergency number.
Zack.
My personal assistant, chaos handler, errand ninja, the guy who once delivered me coffee while outrunning a gang on motorcycles.
Yeah. That Zack.
He answered immediately.
"Boss?"
"I need a dress," I said, rubbing my temple. "Tonight."
"What kind?"
"The kind that ends civilizations."
Pause.
"…Oh. One of those nights."
"Yes," I said. "Jaw-dropping. Unholy. Something that'll make everyone question their life choices."
He hummed thoughtfully.
"Color?"
"Black. Always."
"Length?"
"Short enough to stun. Long enough that angels don't weep."
"Slit?"
"Yes."
"Backless?"
"Yes."
"Cleavage?"
"Strategically," I said. "Not a crisis — just an existential threat."
"I know exactly what you need," Zack replied, excitement in his voice. "Give me twenty minutes."
"Fifteen," I corrected.
He clicked his tongue. "You're evil."
"Thank you."
---
True to his word — or mine, really — fifteen minutes later, someone tapped on my window.
Zack didn't believe in doors.
He climbed in lightly, a garment bag slung over his shoulder.
"You better gasp," he declared, unzipping it dramatically.
And oh.
I did.
A black velvet satin dress.
Backless.
Liquid-looking.
High slit up the thigh.
Neckline deep enough to be sinful but not stupid.
Paired with sharp, glossy black heels that looked like they could kill someone.
The lethal red lipstick woah he really out did himself...
My breath caught.
Zack smirked. "I know your taste."
"You do," I admitted quietly. "Thanks."
He saluted and slipped back out the window like some kind of fashion ninja.
By the time I finished getting ready, my room looked like a battlefield — makeup brushes everywhere, hair tools still hot, and my heartbeat louder than my playlist.
But none of that mattered.
What mattered was the girl staring back at me in the mirror.
Me.
But upgraded. Sharper. Unapologetic.
A version of Jay who could make the whole school stop breathing.
The black velvet satin dress hugged every line of me perfectly.
The high slit traced up my leg like a weapon.
The backless cut dipped low, elegant but dangerous.
The neckline — just enough to cause chaos, not enough to beg for it.
I slipped into the glossy black heels Zack had sent… and suddenly, the air in the room felt different.
I looked expensive.
I looked like payback.
I looked like someone who knew exactly what she was doing.
For once, I didn't shy away from it.
I took out my phone, angled the camera, and snapped a full-body picture.
Then I sent it straight to the Stella-David-GC.
It took two seconds.
Stella:
JAY—
WHAT—
ARE YOU TRYING TO END MEN?? 😭🔥🔥🔥
David:
Holy—
You look INSANE.
People are gonna faint. Like drop DEAD.
Stella:
DAVID FUCK THE FAINTING , SHE'S GONNA OUTSHINE THE WHOLE EVENT 💀💗
David:
Stella she already did
The second she sent the pic
I need a moment....😵
I laughed, warmth curling in my chest.
"Good," I whispered to myself. "Let them all choke."
---
I grabbed my small black clutch, took one last look at my reflection — a Jay who wasn't hiding, who wasn't shrinking, who wasn't broken — and stepped outside.
The cool night air kissed my skin.
But something else caught my attention.
A sleek black Lamborghini was parked right at the end of the alley — glowing under the streetlights like it belonged in a magazine.
A note sat on the hood.
I picked it up.
Thought you might want to arrive in style.
— Zack
Of course.
Zack never missed.
I shook my head, smiling despite myself, and slipped into the Lamborghini.
The leather was soft, the engine purred like it had been waiting only for me.
I revved it once — low, deep, powerful.
Then I drove toward the hotel.
Every corner I took, the city lights reflected off the car, off me.
And by the time I pulled up to the entrance — walls vibrating with music, crowds sparkling in gold and black — I knew one thing for sure:
Tonight, Jay Mariano wasn't coming to blend in.
She was arriving to be noticed.
The Lamborghini purred to a stop right in front of the hotel, and the moment I stepped out…
the world went quiet.
A hush.
A shift.
A ripple through the crowd like someone had dropped a bomb in the middle of the pavement.
Whispers ignited instantly—soft at first, then sharper, louder, urgent.
"Holy sh*t—"
"Is that… Jay?"
"No way that's her."
"Bro, she looks—"
"What the hell happened to her—"
Eyes widened.
Jaws dropped.
Girls stared like they couldn't decide whether to hate me or worship me.
Boys straightened up unconsciously, barely blinking.
The black velvet draped around me like sin, the slit revealing just enough leg to be dangerous.
My heels clicked against the marble—slow, controlled, deliberate.
Every step said:
Look.
Stare.
Choke.
Because tonight, I didn't just walk.
I entered.
---
Inside the Hotel
The music thumped from below, bass rattling the staircase railing.
Warm lights spilled upward, golden and hazy, and a cool draft brushed against my bare back as I approached the stairs.
The entire upper lobby froze.
My fingers brushed the railing lightly as I started descending the first step—slowly, intentionally—each movement choreographed like it belonged in a movie.
One step.
Two.
Three.
And the whispers intensified.
"Damn…"
"She's unreal."
"I didn't know she could even look like that."
"That dress—holy f*ck."
"Is she even from our school??"
My slit opened with every step, the fabric catching light, showing glimpses of skin—
dangerous, elegant, untouchable.
Boys on the lower dance floor paused mid-conversation.
Girls turned, grabbing their friends' arms.
Phones discreetly rose.
Someone actually gasped when the light hit my neckline.
Good.
Let them choke.
And then I saw them.
Section E.
The kings of the room—mid-laugh, mid-drink—suddenly frozen like statues.
Eren's jaw unhinged.
Felix blinked so hard he nearly spilled his drink.
Cin mouthed something that was definitely "holy sh*t".
David went still, eyes sweeping over me once… twice… too slowly to pretend it was accidental.
Their faces shifted from shock
to awe
to something darker.
Like they'd seen a ghost.
Or a weapon.
Or both.
But none of that compared to the one leaning against the far wall, half-shadowed, eyes locked on me like gravity itself had betrayed him—
Keifer.
His smirk died instantly.
His expression sharpened, darkened, turned predatory.
He straightened, the muscle in his jaw ticking hard enough to crack stone.
His eyes dragged up my body so slowly I felt it like hands.
Disbelief.
Possession.
Danger.
And something I refused to name.
I didn't stop walking.
Didn't falter.
Didn't let him see the way his gaze scorched me from ten steps away.
I kept descending.
Slow.
Elegant.
Lethal.
Until my heels hit the last step—
and every single person in that room knew one thing:
Jasper Jean Fernadez Mariano didn't just show up.
She arrived to own the night.
The whispers hit me before I even reached the last stair.
I could feel them — eyes dragging over me like heat, like pressure.
Some wide, some judgmental, most stunned. And honestly?
Good. Let them look.
The slit of my dress brushed against my leg with every step, velvet hugging me in all the right ways.
I walked slow on purpose — chin up, spine straight, confidence dripping even if my heart was beating fast as hell.
But the second I spotted them…
Section E.
All of them.
A whole wall of black suits, deadly stares and stupidly attractive chaos.
Cin's drink froze halfway to his lips.
Rory straight-up mouthed holy sht.*
Edrix blinked like he needed a minute.
Josh, Felix, Kit — jaws on the floor.
Eren? He looked at me like he was recalculating my entire existence.
And then Keifer.
Just standing there — hands in pockets, sharp jaw, eyes glued to me like he forgot how to breathe.
My pulse spiked.
The old me — the one who cared too much — would've gone soft seeing him look at me like that.
But not tonight.
Tonight I wanted the upper hand.
So I walked toward them, hips swaying just slightly, pretending I didn't notice the storm building behind Keifer's eyes.
Cin recovered first. "Jay— you look… f*cking incredible."
I gave him a polite smile. "Thanks."
Eren leaned forward, openly staring. "Are you trying to kill us? Because it's working."
I laughed lightly — a sound I didn't let reach my eyes.
Then I saw Keifer move.
One step forward.
Slow. Controlled.
Dangerous.
His gaze held mine like a grip around my throat.
"Jay," he said, low, rough, like a warning… or a confession.
My breath stuttered for half a second — just half — then I turned away deliberately.
My hand slid around David's arm.
He tensed, surprised, but I gave him a slow, sweet smile. He understood instantly.
"Ready?" I asked him.
The whole group snapped upright like someone slapped them.
"What—hey, hey—" Josh sputtered.
"Where are you two going?" Calix asked, suspicion sharp.
Eman frowned. "Jay… with him?"
Yuri stepped closer. "You're leaving?"
I leaned in closer to David, smirking.
"We're on a date."
Every single one of them froze.
And Keifer…
His jaw flexed hard enough to crack.
His eyes went dark — storm-dark.
His hands tightened inside his pockets like he was holding himself back from something reckless.
The satisfaction that bloomed in my chest?
Delicious.
I turned with David and walked away, feeling their eyes burning into my back.
Especially his.
---
SECTION E'S POV
Jay.
Jay???
That was not their Jay walking down those stairs.
That was someone else — someone lethal, someone polished, someone who looked like she belonged on a magazine cover, not in their school hallways arguing with cin about dumb sh*t.
Cin literally stopped breathing for two seconds.
Rory nudged Edrix like bro are you SEING THIS.
Mayo muttered something in Tagalog that was definitely sinful.
Eren's eyebrows went so high they nearly left his face.
Blaster whispered, "We're dead. We're all dead. Keifer's dead."
They had prepared themselves to see her tonight, sure.
But they hadn't prepared for this.
Jay in a velvet black dress that threatened peace treaties.
Jay in heels that could end wars.
Jay with confidence sharp enough to cut.
Then she walked toward them and their brains collectively glitched.
The compliments flew out instinctively — stunned, honest, borderline desperate.
But the moment Keifer stepped forward, everything shifted.
They knew that look.
Their leader wasn't subtle.
He only looked at three things that way:
1. enemies
2. threats
3. and Jay.
He said her name like a claim. Like a warning.
Like he was two seconds away from dragging her somewhere private.
So when she suddenly curled her arm around DAVID of all people…
Section E nearly combusted as one.
"What the—
"Wait, wait—
"Jay, what!?"
"With HIM???"
They all stared as she leaned into David like it meant something.
Then she dropped it:
"We're on a date."
Rory's jaw fell open.
Calix whispered, "Keifer's going to murder someone."
Felix smacked Josh's arm. "Say something — FIX IT."
But Josh was speechless.
And Keifer…
He went still.
Too still.
His expression didn't change, but the air did — heavy, cold, dangerous.
They all felt it.
Denzel muttered quietly, "He's going to snap."
But they could only watch as Jay walked away with David.
All of them dumbfounded.
All of them stunned.
Keifer especially.
He didn't move for a long moment.
Just stared after her, jaw locked, eyes dark, chest rising and falling like he was fighting something deep and violent.
And they knew:
This night wasn't over.
Not even close.