Jay's POV
Four weeks.
That was how long I had been at this school.
Four weeks since the pranks.
Four weeks since the fight at the old basketball court.
And somehow…
Four weeks later, the boys had become my closest friends here.
Which was honestly strange.
At first I thought they were just a bunch of annoying troublemakers.
Now?
They were still annoying.
But also hilarious.
Felix was dramatic about everything.
Ci-N talked like his brain ran faster than his mouth.
Yuri laughed at literally everything.
David acted like the calm one but secretly enjoyed the chaos.
And Keifer…
Well.
Keifer was still Keifer.
Quiet.
Sharp.
But somehow… less hostile toward me.
Which was progress.
I was walking down the hallway with Ci-N.
We were both laughing about something Felix had done earlier in class.
"I swear," Ci-N said, wiping tears from his eyes, "Felix really asked the teacher if homework was emotionally necessary."
I laughed.
"And what did the teacher say?"
"He said yes."
"And?"
"And Felix said he emotionally disagreed."
I shook my head.
"That guy is unbelievable."
We were still laughing when suddenly—
I saw someone ahead.
Freya.
Walking straight toward us.
My smile disappeared instantly.
"Oh no."
I immediately turned around.
Ci-N blinked.
"Why are we turning?"
"Because I value my peace," I said quickly.
He looked confused.
"What?"
"You know I once offended Freya," I said, lowering my voice. "And I really don't want more trouble."
Ci-N frowned.
"But—"
"Matilda is already enough."
Then I started walking the other direction quickly.
Ci-N followed.
"You're scared of them?"
"I'm not scared," I said calmly.
"I'm avoiding unnecessary drama."
But then—
I stopped.
Because someone else was walking toward us.
Matilda.
Of course.
Perfect.
Just perfect.
Now I was standing in the middle of the hallway.
Freya behind me.
Matilda in front of me.
Two girls who looked like they would happily throw me off the school roof if given the chance.
Ci-N looked between them.
Then looked at me.
"…You're in danger."
"I noticed."
My eyes quickly scanned the hallway.
Then I saw a random student holding a book.
Without warning, I grabbed the book.
"Hey—!" the student protested.
"Borrowing this," I muttered.
Then I lifted the book and covered my face with it.
Ci-N stared.
"…That's your plan?"
"Yes."
"That's a terrible plan."
"Shhh."
Then I started walking forward calmly.
Past Matilda.
My face completely hidden behind the book.
Matilda slowed down as we passed each other.
For a second I thought she might stop me.
But she didn't.
I kept walking.
Slowly.
Calmly.
Like nothing was happening.
Then once we turned the corner—
I lowered the book.
Ci-N burst out laughing.
"That was the dumbest thing I've ever seen."
"But it worked."
He shook his head.
"You are unbelievable."
I decided to go somewhere quiet.
The gym.
When I opened the door, the large room echoed slightly.
Empty.
Almost.
Except for one person.
A guy running laps around the gym.
He was jogging steadily like he had been doing it for a while.
I didn't pay much attention.
I walked over to the bench and sat down.
The place was peaceful.
The sound of shoes hitting the floor.
My phone buzzed once.
But I ignored it.
After a while the guy stopped running.
He grabbed a towel from his neck and wiped his face before walking toward the benches.
Toward me.
Great.
I pulled out my phone.
If he wanted conversation, he picked the wrong person.
Then he stopped nearby.
"Excuse me."
I slowly raised my head.
The guy was sweating from running.
But even like that…
He was handsome.
Sharp jawline.
Dark hair slightly messy.
Athletic build.
Confident posture.
I blinked once.
"Yes?"
He pointed behind me.
"Could you pass me my bag?"
I turned.
There was a sports bag on the floor behind the bench.
"Oh."
I grabbed it and handed it to him.
"Thanks,"he said, smiling slightly.
Then he sat down beside me.
Great.
He wiped his face again before speaking.
"Hi.I'm Matteo."
I stared at him for a moment.
Then said calmly,
"I'm Jasper Jean Marino Fernandez."
He blinked.
"..That's a lot of name."
"You can call me Jayjay
He chuckled.
"Nice to meet you, Jay."
"You too."
Then he asked,
"So… why are you hiding in the gym?"
I shrugged.
"Escaping danger."
"Danger?"
"Two girls who want me dead."
He laughed.
"I feel like there's a story there."
"There is."
So I told him.
About Freya.
About Matilda.
About the pranks.
About the fight.
About the boys.
Matteo listened the entire time.
Then he leaned back slightly.
"…Out of all the students in this school…"
He looked at me.
"You managed to mess with Freya and my twin."
I froze.
"Wait."
"…Your twin?"
"Yeah."
"Don't tell me—"
"Matilda."
I stared at him.
"You're joking."
"Nope."
I leaned back slowly.
"…This school is cursed."
He laughed loudly.
"Probably."
Then he said,
"But honestly? My sister can be… intense."
"That's a nice word for terrifying."
He smiled.
"So what do you do when you're stressed?"
"Racing."
His eyebrows lifted.
"Racing?"
"Bikes ."
"Seriously?"
"Yes."
He nodded thoughtfully.
"I jog."
I looked at him.
"That's much healthier."
"Probably."
We both laughed a little.
The conversation was actually… nice.
Unexpected.
Matteo was funny.
Relaxed.
Very different from his sister.
After a while I stood up.
"Well," I said, stretching slightly. "I should go before someone else tries to kill me."
He chuckled.
"Good luck with that."
"Thanks."
I walked toward the gym doors.
Just as I reached them—
My phone buzzed.
A message.
From Ci-N.
Ci-N:
We're coming your way.
I frowned.
"Huh?"
Then I pushed the door open.
And immediately—
SPLASH.
Ice cold water poured over my head.
For a second I just stood there.
Dripping.
My hair soaked.
My uniform wet.
Water slowly sliding down my face.
I lifted my head.
A girl was holding an empty bucket above me.
Standing beside her…
Freya.
Matilda.
And a group of boys and girls watching.
Some laughing.
Some whispering.
My jaw tightened.
Cold water dripped from my chin onto the floor.
I wiped my face slowly.
Then I looked straight at them.
"What the hell…"
My voice was dangerously calm.
"…are you sick?"
Freya smiled slightly.
Matilda crossed her arms.
And the hallway went completely silent.
End of Chapter 17 📖🔥