Jane's POV
The cafeteria of HVIS felt like a different dimension. After the damp, peeling walls of Section E, the floor-to-ceiling glass windows and the smell of expensive espresso were almost overwhelming. I sat at the circular table, my hands folded neatly in my lap, trying to project the "pageant-ready" version of Jane Mariano.
Aries was in his element here. He looked like he'd been born to sit at the head of a table of elites.
"Don't worry," Aries said, his voice carrying a hint of a mock, "Jay fits right in Section e . Jane, are you okay there? "
I nodded quickly, shooting Jay a pleading look, but she was already gone. She didn't just walk away; she retreated into her own fortress of solitude. I felt a pang of guilt.
"Don't worry about Jay," I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. I took a small sip of my mineral water. "She's always like this at first. I know Jay will adapt with them in sometimes. She just needs to realize that not everyone is out to get her."
"I doubt it," Mykle drawled. "She looks like she'd rather bite someone than start a conversation."
"She's just protective," Mica chimed in softly. She reached over and patted my hand. "I actually think her outfit was cool. Very... edgy. It takes guts to wear a leather jacket in this heat."
I looked at Mica, surprised. She had a genuine sweetness in her eyes. Even Freya stopped looking at her compact for a second.
"Actually," Freya added, tucking a strand of perfectly curled hair behind her ear, " I heard the way she handled section e boys , It was kind of iconic."
Despite her self-obsession, Freya seemed to have a secret respect for Jay's "don't-care" attitude.
Freya was beautiful, like a porcelain doll, but she rarely looked at anyone else when she spoke. She was clearly self-obsessed, her conversation revolving mostly around her skincare routine, but there was a strange kindness in the way she offered me a macaron.
"Eat, Jane. You look like you need the sugar."
Next to her, Ella was practically fused to Aries' side. She was clingy, her hand constantly resting on his forearm or adjusting his collar. It was a bit much, but she smiled at me warmly. "Aries told us you are very the talented one. I hope we can be good friends in future. And Jay also join us" she said.
I gave her a polite node .
Mica was the one I liked most. She was sweet, soft-spoken, and didn't seem to have an acidic bone in her body. She kept making sure I had water and asking me about my old school.
But then there were Kiko and Mykle.
They sat across from me, looking like they'd just stepped off a high-fashion runway. They were handsome, certainly, but there was something off about them.
Their eyes were too sharp, their smiles too practiced. When they looked at me, it wasn't with interest—it was like they were calculating my net worth and finding it lacking. They whispered to each other, laughing at inside jokes that felt like they were at my expense.
"So, Jane," Mykle said, his voice smooth as silk but cold as ice. "How does it feel to be in section e ?"
Kiko smirked, swirling his iced latte. "I bet the guys in Section E are already fighting over you and Jay. But be careful they hate girls."
The comment made my skin crawl. "Enough , Guys" , I heard Aries saying in his protective brother voice.
I looked at the expensive food on my plate and suddenly lost my appetite. The "gold-plated" dream felt heavy.
I missed Jay. I missed her bluntness and her umbrella and the way she didn't care if people liked her.
"I... I should go," I said, standing up abruptly. "I forgot my notebook in the classroom."
"Already?" Ella pouted. "But we haven't talked !"
"I'll see you later," I said, offering a tight smile.
As I walked back toward the section e , the air grew cooler and the noise of the elite faded. I felt a strange sense of relief. The cafeteria was beautiful, but it felt like a cage made of glass. Section E was a dump, but at least you knew where you stood.
I just hoped Jay hadn't started a war while I was gone.
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Jay's POV
Felix and his friends were gone, taking my lunch . I sat on the wooden bench, my stomach growling a protest. I reached into the hidden side pocket of my backpack, my fingers brushing against something smooth and crinkly.
Chocolate.
I'd forgotten Tita Gemma had slipped a dark chocolate bar in there "for emergencies." This definitely qualified as an emergency.
I pulled it out carefully, the dark wrapper glinting in the dim hallway light. I snapped off a square, the sound echoing in the silence. I was just about to pop it into my mouth when a shadow stretched across the floor, long and intimidating.
"Share it."
I didn't need to look up to know who it was. That voice—low, gravelly, and laced with an annoying amount of confidence—could only belong to one person.
Keifer.
He was standing there, leaning against the lockers, his hands in his pockets. The "King of the Uplong "looked bored, but his eyes were locked on the chocolate bar.
"I won't," I said flatly. "Go buy your own."
"Cafeteria is not for us" he said, stepping closer. "And I like yours better."
"Too bad." I raised the square to my lips.
Before I could bite down, Keifer leaned forward. He didn't grab the bar with his hand. Instead, he tilted his head and bit off half the square while it was still between my fingers.
I froze. My breath hitched as his face hovered inches from mine. I could smell the faint scent of mint and something metallic—like rain on asphalt.
He chewed slowly, a smug expression crossing his face. "Not bad," he murmured, his voice vibrating in the small space between us. "Now you have to finish it too. I don't like wasting food."
I stared at him, my heart doing a weird, frantic rhythm against my ribs. "Gago," I hissed, the word slipping out before I could stop it.
I took a bite of the remaining half, mostly out of spite, glare-fighting him the whole time. We stood there in the dusty hallway, sharing a single square of dark chocolate like two idiots.
"You have something..." Keifer said suddenly.
Before I could pull away, his thumb reached out. He brushed the corner of my lower lip, his skin warm and rough against mine.
It wasn't a quick movement; it was slow, deliberate. His thumb lingered there for a second too long, wiping away a smear of chocolate.
I gasped, a jolt of electricity shooting straight down my spine. I stepped back, stumbling slightly, my face erupting in a heat that had nothing to do with the humidity.
"Pervert!" I choked out, my voice cracking. "Stay away from me!"
I didn't wait for a response. I shoved the chocolate into my bag, spun on my heel, and bolted toward the classroom. My heart was thumping in my ears, and my face felt like it was on fire.
What was that? Why did he do that?
I touched my lip where he had touched it, my fingers trembling.Stop it Jay ! There is nothing like true love . Don't let him distract you. I hated him. I absolutely hated him. So why wouldn't my heart stop racing?
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Keifer's POV
I watched her run.
The way her boots thudded against the floor, the way her shoulders were hunched in a mix of rage and embarrassment—it was the most entertaining thing I'd seen in years.
I stayed leaning against the locker, the taste of dark chocolate still lingering on my tongue. It was bitter, just like her.
When I'd reached out to touch her lip, I hadn't really planned it. It was an impulse, a need to see if she would break. I didn't expect the way her breath would hitch or the way her eyes would widen, turning from flinty grey to something soft and startled.
She called me a pervert, but the flush on her neck told a different story.
I let out a small, quiet chuckle, the sound bouncing off the empty lockers. Most people in this school were predictable. They were either scared of me or wanted something from me. Jay was neither. She was a wildfire—dangerous, unpredictable, and impossible to ignore.
I looked at my thumb, the faint smudge of chocolate still there.
"See you soon, Jay," I whispered to the empty hallway.
The game was no longer about seeing if she'd leave Section E. Now, I wanted to see exactly how much it would take to make that wildfire burn for me.
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