Jay's POV
The final bell rang.
Not loudly. Not dramatically. Just that familiar ding that told every student that the day was finally over.
Chairs scraped the floor. Bags zipped. Voices filled the classroom like birds escaping a cage.
But I stayed seated.
My eyes were locked on my phonewatch.
Or… what was left of it.
The cracked screen reflected the classroom lights in jagged little lines. It still worked, barely, but the glass had spiderweb cracks across it.
I rubbed my thumb gently over it.
"Seriously…" I muttered under my breath. "You have the worst luck."
My chest tightened a little.
Lola gave this to you before she left.
Aries' words echoed in my head again.
I sighed and stood up, sliding my bag over my shoulder.
It's fine, I told myself.
It's just a watch.
Just a watch.
Totally not something my grandmother personally gave me before leaving the country.
Totally not something important.
Yep.
Totally fine.
I walked out of the classroom with the other students, the hallway buzzing with chatter.
HVIS in the afternoon looked completely different from the morning.
The sun poured through the tall glass windows, turning the polished floors gold. Students laughed, some ran toward the parking lot, others leaned against lockers talking about homework, gossip, or weekend plans.
And me?
I walked slowly.
Because I was still staring at my watch.
My fingers carefully tried pressing the side button.
The screen flickered.
Then froze.
Then flickered again.
I groaned quietly.
"You have to be kidding me…"
I didn't even notice where I was going.
And that was my mistake.
Because suddenly—
THUD.
I walked straight into someone.
My bag slipped.
My arm jerked.
And the watch flew from my hand.
It hit the floor.
CLACK.
I froze.
For half a second, my brain simply stopped working.
Then I dropped down quickly, grabbing the watch from the floor.
The cracked glass now had another thin line across it.
I stared at it in disbelief.
"You have to be kidding me," I groaned again.
I rubbed my forehead before standing up.
"Can today get any bet—"
Then I looked up.
And instantly regretted it.
Standing in front of me was Matilda Salvador.
Perfect hair.
Perfect uniform.
Perfect expression of disgust.
Like she had just stepped on something dirty.
Her eyes slowly scanned me from head to toe.
Then she laughed.
A soft, mocking laugh.
"Well well," she said sweetly. "If it isn't the scholarship girl."
I blinked once.
Oh great.
Her arms crossed as she leaned slightly forward.
"You should really watch where you're going," she continued. "People here might think you're trying to steal something."
I stared at her.
Blank expression.
Inside my head though?
Oh, I definitely want to steal something.
Like five seconds of peace.
I dusted my uniform casually.
"Relax," I said calmly. "If I wanted something from you, I'd ask for better taste first."
Matilda's smile twitched.
Her eyes narrowed.
"Oh?" she said sharply. "You're quite bold for someone who got in here through charity."
Ah.
There it was.
The scholarship insult.
Classic.
I tilted my head.
"Scholarship," I corrected. "It's called a scholarship. You should try one sometime."
A couple students walking past slowed down.
Matilda's face stiffened.
"You should know your place," she said coldly. "This school isn't for people like you."
I shrugged.
"Funny," I replied. "The acceptance letter says otherwise."
Her jaw tightened.
Then suddenly—
"Keifer!"
Her voice instantly changed into something soft and dramatic.
I blinked.
Oh no.
I turned slightly.
And there he was.
Mark Keifer Watson.
Walking down the hallway like he owned it.
Uniform messy.
Tie loose.
Hands in his pockets.
And that same bored expression like everything in the world was mildly annoying.
Students nearby immediately went quiet.
Matilda hurried over and grabbed his arm, clinging to him.
"Keifer," she said, almost whining. "She was being rude to me."
I raised an eyebrow.
Wow.
Fastest victim transformation I've ever seen.
Keifer looked down at Matilda for a moment.
Then slowly his eyes moved to me.
His expression remained completely uninterested.
He sighed.
Then said lazily,
"You always bump into people."
I blinked.
Excuse me?
My eyebrow lifted.
"Would you talk to your girlfriend?" I said calmly. "I have somewhere I should be."
A few students nearby inhaled quietly.
Matilda smiled smugly.
But Keifer immediately replied,
"She's not my girlfriend."
I tilted my head.
"Not how I'm seeing it."
Keifer finally looked at Matilda.
Just one look.
That was all it took.
Matilda instantly removed her hands from his arm.
The hallway became strangely quiet.
I nodded slowly.
"Good," I said casually. "Glad we cleared that up."
I picked up my bag strap properly.
"I have to go."
Then I waved lightly.
"Bye. See you tomorrow."
And just like that, I walked past them.
No drama.
No yelling.
Just leaving.
But as I walked away, I could still feel a pair of eyes watching me.
Cold.
Curious.
And slightly amused.
I didn't turn back.
Instead I looked down at my broken watch again and sighed.
"Yeah," I muttered softly. "Definitely the worst luck."
Then I headed toward the parking lot.
Because one thing was certain.
Tomorrow at HVIS?
Was definitely going to be interesting.
End of Chapter 🌙