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Jane's POV
The dinner table at Fernadeze house was the polar opposite of the HVIS cafeteria. Instead of marble and hushed whispers, there was the comforting scent of adobo and the rhythmic clicking of Tita's knitting needles in the background. Angelo on phone call and Aries sitting across us.
"So? Tell me everything!" Tita Gemma beamed, leaning forward as she served a extra helping of rice to Jay, who was currently staring at her plate as if it were a tactical map. "How was the first day at HVIS? Did you make friends? How was section e?"
I forced a bright smile, my pageant training kicking in. "It was... good, Tita. The cafeteria looks like a five-star hotel. Aries introduced us to everyone. Freya is very stylish, and Mica is incredibly sweet. They even asked about Jay joining us for lunch next time."
Tita's eyes sparkled. "See? I told you girls would fit in! And How was Section E?"
The air in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. Jay finally looked up, her expression unreadable, but her grip on her spoon tightened.
"Section E is good Tita They are carefree and rebellious." Jay said, her voice clipped. "They are territorial animals,just like snakes and their 'Class President' is "Kings of Uplong" a delinquent with a boundary problem."
"Jay!" I hissed, kicking her under the table.
"What? He ate my chocolate, Jane," she snapped, her eyes flashing with a memory that made her cheeks go slightly pink. "And the others stole my lunch. It's not a school; it's a cage."
"Oh, Jay-jay, they're just boys being boys," Tita chuckled, oblivious to the genuine heat in Jay's voice. "Give them time. You've always been a bit of a loner."
"Jay stay away from trouble",Angelo reminded her.
Jay didn't respond. She went back to her silence, radiating a cold energy that made me feel like I was sitting next to a dormant volcano.
For the rest of the meal, she didn't say a single word. She just chewed her food with mechanical precision, her mind clearly miles away—likely back in that dusty hallway with Keifer.
As soon as we finished, she stood up abruptly. "I'm going to my room. I have... things to think about."
I watched her go, a heavy feeling in my chest. Jay was retreating into herself again, and for the first time, I wasn't sure if I could pull her back.
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Jay's POV
I sat on the edge of the bed, the dark room illuminated only by the streetlamp outside. My lip still felt like it was tingling. Every time I closed my eyes, I didn't see the peeling paint of the classroom; I saw those flinty, arrogant eyes and felt the rough warmth of a thumb against my skin.
Pervert. Gago. Distraction.
I repeated the words like a mantra, trying to scrub the memory away. I had spent years building a wall around myself and Jane. I was the shield; she was the heart. But Keifer didn't just try to break the shield—he walked right around it and flicked the heart just to see it jump.
"I hate him," I whispered to the empty room.
But as I lay down and pulled the blanket over my head, I knew I was lying. You don't feel this much 'static' for someone you simply hate. You feel it for someone who has finally seen the real you—and isn't afraid of the fire.
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Keifer's POV
The atmosphere at the dinner table was a far cry from the cold, silent hallways of HVIS. My mom was busy plating sinigang, while my younger brothers, Keiren and Keigan, were already halfway through a wrestling match over the last piece of fried pork.
"Keifer, sit down and eat before your brothers turn the kitchen into a crime scene," Mom said, wiping her hands on her apron.
She caught me staring at nothing and narrowed her eyes. "You're quiet. Did you finally get suspended, or did you actually learn something today?"
"Neither, Ma," I muttered, pulling out a chair.
I picked up my spoon, but my mind was stuck in that dusty hallway of section e.
I'd dated girls like Freya and Ella before. Girls who smelled like expensive lilies and spent four hours on their hair just to sit in a classroom. Freya was predictable; she wanted a "King" to stand next to, a trophy. With her, it was a script. I never felt my pulse jump. Ella she was same , she never lovede back.
But Jay? She was a glitch in the system.
"Ooh, look at his face," Keigan, the middle one, nudged Keigan. "He's got the 'I'm thinking about a girl' look. Is it Freya again? Or did Ella finally trap you in a corner?"
"Neither of them," I said, a bit too quickly.
Keiren, the youngest and most observant, squinted at me. "Wait... Keifer, is that chocolate on your thumb? You are candy without us. You always give your candy to us."
I looked down. A tiny, almost invisible smudge of dark chocolate was still near my nail. My heart did a weird thud. I hadn't washed it off yet.
"He's blushing!" Keigsn cackled, pointing a finger. "The President of Section E is blushing over a chocolate. Who gave you chocolate? Definitely a girl! Who is she? Is she a princess from the main building?"
"Shut up," I growled, but there was no heat in it. "She's not a princess. She's... a wildfire. And she didn't give me the chocolate. I took it."
"Typical Keifer," Mom sighed, though she was smiling. "Taking things that don't belong to him. Just make sure you don't take more than you can handle, son. Some fires aren't meant to be put out."
I went back to my food, but my brothers' teasing faded into the background.
I lay flat on my back in my room, staring up at the ceiling fan as it sliced through the humid air.
I reached up and touched my own lip, tracing the spot where I'd bitten that square of chocolate. It was dark, bitter, and sharp. Just like her.
And I wasn't letting her go away ..
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Jane's POV
The next morning, Section E felt different. The "rain of trash" had stopped. Instead, as we walked down the U-formation to our seats, there were whispers.
"That's Jane... and the scary one is Jay."
They knew our names now. We weren't just the 'newbies' anymore; we were the girls who owned a massive black umbrella and didn't flinch.
By lunch, Jay was restless. "I'm going to the washroom," she muttered. "Don't move. Don't talk to anyone who looks like they have rabies."
I sat at my desk, pulling out a bag of chips. I felt a shadow over me and looked up to see Drew, one of the boys who had been laughing the day before. He looked awkward, scratching the back of his neck.
"Hey... Jane, right?" he mumbled. "You got any more of those? Felix ate my sandwich."
I looked at his hopeful face and felt a flicker of pity. I reached into my bag and handed him an unopened packet. "Here. Just don't throw the wrapper at me later."
"Deal," he grinned, scampering off.
I felt a small sense of victory. See, Jay? They aren't all monsters.
I started pulling out my other snacks, organizing my bag, when—BAM.
A heavy body slammed into my shoulder. My bag flew off the desk, spilling my notebooks and pens across the dirty floor. I gasped, clutching my arm as a sharp pain shot through it.
"Watch where you walk. You're blocking the lane."
The voice was like gravel being ground into glass. I jerked my head up and saw a boy I hadn't seen yesterday.
He was tall, his uniform disheveled, with messy dark hair and eyes that looked like they hadn't seen sleep in a week. He wasn't just arrogant like Keifer; he looked genuinely dangerous, like a live wire.
"I wasn't walking! I was sitting here!" I stood up, my face fuming with anger. "You're the one who ran into me! Pick up my things!"
The boy stopped. He turned back slowly, a dark, mocking smile spreading across his face. "Pick them up? In Section E, if it hits the floor, it belongs to the dust. Consider it a donation."
"You... you absolute jerk!" I yelled, my voice echoing in the room. "Do you have any manners at all? Or did you leave them in whatever hole you just crawled out of?"
"Careful, princess," he stepped closer, his shadow looming over me. "I just got back from suspension. I'm not in the mood for a lecture especially from a girl."
"Jane? What's going on?"
I turned to see Jay standing in the doorway. Her eyes took in the scene instantly—my spilled bag, my red face, and the boy standing over me. Her posture shifted in a heartbeat. The 'Wildfire' was back.
"He bumped into me and told me to watch where I was walking!" I cried, pointing at the boy. "And then he insulted me!"
Jay walked over, her boots clicking ominously. She stood between me and the boy, looking him dead in the eye. "Is there a problem here?"
The boy didn't flinch. He actually laughed. "Another one? What is this, a twin-pack of headaches?"
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Yuri's POV
One day back. That's all it took.
One day back from a two-week suspension for "aggressive behavior," and I already had a headache the size of a mountain. I had walked into the building thinking I could just sleep through the afternoon, but instead, I slammed into a girl who smelled like expensive perfume and looked like she belonged on a billboard.
She was pretty—annoyingly so. The kind of girl who probably cried if she broke a nail
"Pick up my things!" she had shrieked.
I looked at her, fuming and red-faced. Most girls stayed out of my way. They knew I didn't care . But this one? She was glaring at me like I was the dirt under her shoes. She was different.
"Watch where you walk, princess," I'd told her, mostly just to see the look of pure indignation on her face. It was hilarious. She looked like a kitten trying to roar.
Then the other one showed up. The sister.
The air around the sister was different. She wasn't a kitten; she was a blade. She didn't scream; she just waited for a reason to strike.
"Is there a problem here?" the sister—Jay, I assumed—asked.
I looked at Jane, who was still fuming behind her sister's shoulder. There was something about her anger—it wasn't fake. It was a pure, stubborn fire.
"No problem," I said, leaning back against a desk and crossing my arms. "Just clearing the path."
I watched Jane as she knelt to gather her things, her hands trembling slightly with rage. She looked up at me one last time, her eyes bright and defiant.
Jane Mariano.
I'd heard the name whispered in the halls this morning. The 'pretty twin.'
I let out a small breath, watching her retreat with her sister. HVIS was usually a bore, full of plastic people and predictable drama.
But these two? Especially the one who just screamed at me for 'manners'?
Maybe coming back from suspension wouldn't be so bad after all.
"See you around, Princess," I called out, watching the way her shoulders stiffened.
Yeah. This was going to be fun.
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