Chapter 8: The Queen's Guard and the "Black List"
The classroom was a riot of flying paper and loud laughter, but the second Keifer and I stepped through the door, the volume hit a level that probably violated several city ordinances.
"All hail the King and Queen!" Felix bellowed, standing on top of his desk and using a ruler as a scepter.
"I've already updated the Section E group chat! We have a new hierarchy, boys! Jay-Jay is now the Supreme Commander of our hearts—and Keifer's bank account!"
I felt my face heat up to a temperature that could cook a steak. "Felix, get down before you break your neck!"
"I can't!" he cried out dramatically. "I'm overwhelmed by the power of love!"
Keifer let out a dry chuckle, pulling me toward our desks.
He didn't let go of my hand, not even when he sat down.
It was like he was tethered to me, his presence a constant, warm pressure at my side.
Suddenly, Ci-N appeared out of nowhere, his eyes wide and watery. He sniffed the air like a bloodhound.
"I smell... I smell the scent of imported cocoa and high-end sugar. Jay-Jay, don't hold out on me. My heart is fragile, but my stomach is even more delicate."
I sighed, reaching into my bag and pulling out the extra-large bag of chocolates. "Here, you bottomless pit. This is for saving my life with Kuya Angelo."
Ci-N grabbed the bag, hugging it to his chest like it was a newborn baby.
"I forgive you for being official! In fact, I'll even be your personal bodyguard. If any of those girls from Section A try to give you the side-eye, I'll tell them you're pregnant with Keifer's twins and they need to show respect!"
"Ci-N! Gago!" I yelled, my eyes widening in horror.
Keifer's head snapped toward me, that dark, mischievous glint returning to his eyes. "Profanity, Jay-Jay. In front of the whole class? You're really racking up a debt today."
"Oooooh!" the whole class chimed in unison.
"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" someone started chanting.
"Not now, you idiots," Keifer said, though he was smiling. He leaned in close to my ear, his breath tickling my skin. "I'll collect later. With interest."
I tried to focus on the lesson, but it was impossible. Every time I moved, Keifer's eyes followed me.
Every time a male classmate came near my desk to ask for a pen, Keifer's grip on his own pencil would tighten, and he'd give them a look that said, 'Choose your next words very carefully.'
During the break, I headed to the restroom. As I walked down the hallway, the whispers started again. A group of girls from the "Royal High" clique—the ones who always looked down on Section E—were huddled by the lockers.
"I don't get it," one of them hissed, loud enough for me to hear. "She's just a Mariano. Why would Keifer Watson choose someone like her? She's probably just a temporary distraction."
My heart stung for a second. I reached for my ponytail, feeling that old wave of insecurity. Was I just a distraction?
Suddenly, a heavy arm draped around my shoulders. I didn't even have to look up to know who it was.
The scent of his expensive cologne and the sheer gravity of his presence gave it away.
"You have something to say to my wife?" Keifer's voice was like ice, cold and sharp.
The girls jumped, their faces turning pale. "K-Keifer! No, we were just—"
"I don't care what you were doing," Keifer interrupted, his eyes narrowing.
"But let's make one thing clear. If I hear one more word about Jay-Jay—if you so much as breathe in her direction with an attitude—I'll make sure your families' contracts with the Watson Group are 're-evaluated.' Do I make myself clear?"
They nodded frantically and scurried away like mice.
I looked at him, half-impressed and half-annoyed. "You didn't have to do that, Keifer. I can handle them."
"I know you can," he said, turning me to face him. He reached out, gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
"But you're a Watson now—unofficially official. And Watsons don't take trash from anyone. Besides, I told your Kuya I'd keep you safe. That includes protecting you from petty words.
I stared at Keifer, my mouth slightly agape. "Contracts? Re-evaluated? Keifer, you sound like a villain in a K-drama! You can't just go around threatening people's livelihoods because they called me a 'distraction'!"
Keifer didn't even flinch. He just leaned his back against the lockers, looking as cool as a mountain breeze. "Actually, I can. It's one of the few perks of having a last name that people are terrified of.
Besides," he stepped closer, trapping me against the cold metal of the locker with that signature 'Watson' intensity, "you aren't a distraction, Jay-Jay. You're the destination."
My heart did a triple backflip. "Gago," I whispered, though there was no bite in it this time.
"That's another kiss you owe me," he murmured, his eyes dropping to my lips.
"In the hallway? Are you crazy? The teachers—"
"The teachers are too scared to look this way, and you know it."
He was right, which was the most annoying part. But before he could collect his 'debt,' the loud, obnoxious sound of a whistle blew through the corridor. We both jumped.
"BREAK IT UP, YOU LOVEBIRDS! This is a school, not a honeymoon suite at the Watson Hotel!"
It was eman. He was walking toward us with his hands in his pockets, looking like the ultimate killjoy.
Behind him, Ci-N was skipping along, still clutching his bag of chocolates as if it contained the secret to eternal life.
"Eman! Thank God," I gasped, ducking under Keifer's arm. "Your 'student' is being a tyrant."
Aries looked at Keifer and sighed. "I taught you how to fight, Keifer, not how to corner my sister in public.Tone it down. Kuya Angelo has eyes everywhere. Literally. I'm pretty sure the janitor is on his payroll."
Keifer smirked, unbothered. "He can watch all he wants. I'm not doing anything he didn't do at nineteen."
"Don't remind me," eman groaned. "Anyway, the guys are planning a 'celebration' after school at the hangout spot. You're both coming. No excuses."
"A celebration?" I asked, feeling a sense of dread. "With Section E? That's not a celebration, that's a riot waiting to happen."
"Exactly!" Ci-N chirped, his mouth smeared with chocolate. "Felix bought fireworks! Legal ones! Mostly!"
The "hangout spot" was a secluded area behind the old gymnasium where the grass grew a little too tall and the school guards rarely patrolled.
By the time we arrived, the air was already thick with the smell of grilled street food and the sound of Felix's portable speaker blasting OPM hits.
"THE KING AND QUEEN HAVE ARRIVED!" Felix screamed, waving a stick of Isaw like a conductor's baton.
The "Section E" boys let out a deafening cheer. It was chaotic. There was a small portable grill set up on some bricks, and someone had brought several boxes of pizza.
Keifer sat me down on a plastic crate, acting like it was a golden throne. He didn't leave my side for even a second.
If someone even looked like they were going to offer me a piece of pizza, he'd reach out and grab it for me first, inspecting it like he was checking for poison.
"Keifer, I can feed myself!" I hissed as he held a slice of pepperoni to my mouth.
"I'm just making sure it's the best piece," he said simply.
"You're being weird," I laughed, taking a bite anyway.
"I'm being protective," he corrected. "The 'Queen' of Section E needs to be well-fed. Plus, Ci-N looks like he's about to steal your crust."
"I HEARD THAT!" Ci-N yelled from across the circle, his face stuffed with fishballs.
As the sun began to set, painting the sky in deep purples and oranges, the mood shifted from rowdy to something a bit more mellow. Felix actually stopped shouting for five minutes, and the boys started talking about their future—about what would happen after high school.
"I'm going to take over my dad's shop," Felix said, looking surprisingly serious."What about you, Keifer? You going to be the big CEO?"
Keifer leaned back, his arm draped heavily around my shoulders, pulling me into the warmth of his side. "I'm going wherever Jay-Jay goes. If she goes to college in the city, I'm building a Watson office next door."
"Overprotective much?"denzal teased from his spot by the grill.
"Always," Keifer replied, his grip on my hand tightening.
I looked up at him, the flickering light of the small campfire reflecting in his dark eyes. For a moment, the chaos of the boys faded away. It was just him.
"I wanted to ask you something," I whispered, so only he could hear.
"Anything, Love."
"Is Keigen really okay? You've been extra... clingy today. Is it because of him?"
Keifer's expression softened, the 'King' mask slipping just a little. He sighed, leaning his forehead against mine.
"He's stable. But seeing you with him last night... it made me realize how much I need you. Not just because I love you, but because you're the only person who isn't afraid of the mess I come with."
I reached up, cupping his cheek. "I told you, Keifer. I'm a Mariano. We don't do 'normal.' We do 'ride or die.'"
He smiled, a genuine, beautiful smile that didn't have a hint of a smirk. "Ride or die, then."
"KISS HER ALREADY!" Felix screamed, ruining the moment.
"Gago!" I yelled back, throwing a napkins at him.
Keifer didn't wait for a second invitation. He leaned in, ignoring the hoots and hollers of the Section E boys, and kissed me. It was a long, sweet kiss that tasted like the sunset and the promise of a thousand tomorrows.
The campfire crackled, sending orange sparks dancing toward the stars as the Section E boys started a very off-key rendition of a classic Eraserheads song. Keifer's thumb traced circles on the back of my hand, a silent rhythm that grounded me amidst the madness.
"You know," Keifer whispered, his voice barely audible over Felix's aggressive drumming on an empty pizza box.
"This is the first time I've felt like a normal teenager. No board meetings, no specialized therapists, no 'Master Keifer' bullshit."
"Well, you're currently sitting on a plastic crate eating cold Isaw with a guy who just used a napkin as a headband," I teased, pointing at Ci-N. "It doesn't get more normal than this."
But the peace didn't last long. My phone vibrated—a text from Aries, who was sitting only five feet away.
Aries: Look at the time, Little Sis. 10:15 PM. The 'God of War' is probably polishing his brass knuckles right now.
I gasped, jumping up so fast I almost knocked over our 'throne.' "Keifer! We have forty-five minutes before Kuya Angelo turns into a literal dragon!"
The Section E boys groaned in unison.
"The Queen is leaving!" Felix wailed, dramatically collapsing into the tall grass. "The light of Section E is being extinguished by the shadows of parental supervision!"
"Shut up, Felix!" I yelled, grabbing my bag. "Ci-N, if you eat any more of those chocolates, I'm sending you the dentist's bill!"
Keifer was already on his feet, his playful demeanor shifting into 'Mission Mode.' He grabbed his keys and gave Aries a sharp nod. "I'll get her there with five minutes to spare."
"You better," Aries said, his eyes fixed on his watch. "Because if you don't, I'm the one who has to hold him back, and I value my life."
The drive back was a blur of neon city lights and the roar of Keifer's engine. He drove like a man possessed, weaving through the late-night traffic of Manila with a precision that made my heart race for all the wrong reasons.
"Keifer, slow down! I want to get home, not to the afterlife!"
"Relax, Jay. I've been driving these streets since I was fourteen. Your Kuya's curfew is the only law I'm afraid of right now," he joked, though his knuckles were white on the steering wheel.
We pulled up to the Fernandez gates at exactly 10:54 PM. The massive iron bars creaked open slowly, like the jaws of a beast.
As we rolled up the driveway, I saw a single silhouette standing on the porch, arms crossed. Kuya Angelo.
"He looks like he's practicing his 'Intimidating Boss' pose," Keifer muttered, killing the engine.
"He's not practicing," I whispered. "He's perfected it."
We stepped out of the car, and the silence of the night was heavy. Kuya Angelo didn't say a word. He just tapped his wrist, pointing at his watch.
"Six minutes, Keifer," Kuya's voice boomed across the driveway. "You're learning."
"I aim to please, Boss," Keifer replied, stepping toward me. He didn't care that my brother was watching; he reached out and pulled me into a quick, firm hug. "I'll call you when I get home."
"You better," I said, looking up at him. "And check on Keigen for me."
Keifer's expression softened. "I will. Sleep well, wifey."
"Gago," I mouthed, glancing at Kuya.
Keifer smirked, gave a respectful nod to my brother, and backed away toward his car. As he drove off, I felt a hand on my shoulder.
"He's a good kid, Jay-Jay," Kuya Angelo said, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "But if he ever thinks his 'Watson' status means he can skip a curfew, he'll find out why the Fernandez name is respected in this city too."
"I know, Kuya. I know."