Jay's POV
The air in the gym was thick with the scent of floor wax and the stunned silence of fifty boys who had just watched their "weak girl" theory go up in smoke.
My muscles were humming, that familiar, rhythmic thrum of exertion that always felt more like home than any house ever had.
Jane stepped into my space, her eyes sparkling with a mix of sisterly pride and "I-told-you-so" smugness. "Proud of you, sis," she whispered, her voice a cool balm against the heat of the room. "You didn't just do the reps; you took their souls." She squeezed my shoulder before turning away. "Stay put. I'm going to fetch you some water before you combust."
I watched her walk toward the coolers, then felt a familiar, hyperactive presence at my side.
"That was INSANE!" Cin was practically vibrating, his sneakers squeaking on the hardwood as he did a lap around me. "The form! The speed! Jay, you're like a human hydraulic press! Did you see Kikos face? He looked like he forgot how to breathe!"
I wiped a bead of sweat from my forehead, a small, genuine smile tugging at my lips. "It was just fifty, Cin. Don't blow a fuse."
"Fifty? To them, that was a miracle!" Cin chirped.
Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted. The temperature didn't change, but the "static" in the room spiked. A shadow fell across the floor, long and jagged.
"MARIANO!"
The roar echoed off the high rafters. I turned to see Keifer standing by the equipment rack, his face a mask of turbulent emotions—aggression, curiosity, and something darker I couldn't quite place. He kicked a bin of dodgeballs, sending them spilling across the floor.
"Let's see if you can catch as well as you can push, 'War Goddess'!"
Before I could even process the taunt, his arm blurred. A red rubber ball whistled through the air, aimed straight for my chest. I caught it with a sharp thwack, the impact stinging my palms.
"Is that all?" I challenged, my voice low.
But it wasn't just him. Like a pack of wolves following their Alpha, the rest of Section E surged forward. Denzel, Rory, Blaster, Felix—they all grabbed balls. It wasn't a game; it was an ambush.
"Catch this!" Mayo yelled, hurling a ball at my knees.
I dodged, spun, and deflected, but the sheer volume was becoming a chaotic hail of red rubber.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Jane's voice screamed from the sidelines. She had dropped the water bottles, running back toward the fray. "Stop it! Now!"
But the boys were in a frenzy. Someone—I think it was Mayo—spun around and launched a ball directly at Jane's face. It was moving too fast, a blurring projectile aimed at her temple.
Time slowed. My heart gave one violent, singular thud.
I didn't think. I lunged, my body a coiled spring. I intercepted the ball inches from Jane's nose, my fingers digging into the rubber.
Without a second's hesitation, I pivoted on my heel, channeled every ounce of my frustration into my shoulder, and fired it back at the source.
The ball didn't just fly; it screamed. It whistled past Keifer's ear—so close it ruffled his hair—and slammed into the concrete wall behind him with a sound like a gunshot.
The gym went graveyard silent.
Keifer stood frozen, the wind of the ball still ghosting against his skin. His eyes were wide, fixed on me.
I started toward him, my hands balled into fists, my vision tunneling until all I saw was his smug, arrogant face. I was going to end this right now.
"Jay, no!" Jane's hand clamped onto my wrist. She was shaking, but her grip was iron. "He's not worth the expulsion. Move. Now."
She didn't give me a choice. She dragged me toward the exit, my heels skidding on the wood as I glared back at Keifer. He didn't move.
He just watched me leave, looking like a man who had finally seen a ghost and realized he liked the haunting.
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Keifer's POV
After the pushup Jay went to Jane they were talking then I saw Aries who was standing with Ella on his side . Then she kissed him.
I don't know why I don't like it.And then she waved at Jay and Jay waved back.Aries stiffened. A strange, bitter feeling curdled in my gut. Why was she waving at Ella? How did they know each other? The mystery of the Mariano twins was growing teeth.
"Mariano..." I shouted, "Let's see if you can catch as well as you can push, 'War Goddess'!"
And then she said something I was not expecting. She challenged me. The fire within herself is strong enough to burn one's soul. Then other also joined me.
Jane also came and other started throwing balls at her also.I didn't know what I didn't stop them. And then ball was about to hit Jane nose but Jay stopped it.And threw it back with force.
The ringing in my ears wouldn't stop. That ball had missed my temple by a fraction of an inch. If she had aimed a hair to the left, I'd be in the infirmary.
I looked at the wall. There was a faint scuff mark where the rubber had hit. God, she's magnificent.
I turned my head slowly toward the far end of the gym..
Then I saw it. As Jay was being dragged away by Jane.
I looked at the scattered dodgeballs, then at Aries, whose jaw was set in a hard, resentful line.
The "disruption" I had told Yuri about wasn't coming—it was already here. And for the first time in my life, I wasn't sure if I wanted to fight it or let it burn me alive.
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Jay's POV
"I should have punched him," I growled, pacing the length of the hallway outside the cafeteria. "I should have broken his nose. Did you see his face, Jane? He thinks this is a game."
"And you almost gave him exactly what he wanted," Jane said, her voice calm but firm. She reached out, grabbing my shoulders to stop my pacing. "Listen to me. If you hit him, we're out. We promised Mom and Dad we'd last more than forty-eight hours. Deep breaths, Jay. Calm the storm."
I closed my eyes, forcing the adrenaline to recede. "Fine. Fine. But if he throws one more thing at you, I'm not promising anything."
"Deal," she sighed. "Now, let's eat. I'm starving."
We walked toward the cafeteria doors, but as we approached, I noticed a large, hand-painted wooden board leaning against the entrance.
SECTION E AND JASPER JEAN MARIANO BANNED FROM CAFETERIA
I stopped dead. "Jasper Jean? That's me. Why am I on the list?"
"It's Aries," a voice squeaked. Cin appeared from behind a pillar, looking uncharacteristically somber. "He's the one who runs the cafeteria logistics. He... he really hates us And now you are also in section e so..."
"Why?" Jane asked, crossing her arms.
Cin looked around nervously. "It's about the fight. He and Keifer have this unspoken truce about ella. You guys are 'Keifer's problem, But..." Cin paused, looking puzzled. "He didn't block you, Jane. Just Jean."
"Obviously," I muttered, my stomach growling in protest. "Grumpy Horoscope."
"Hi Jane! Hi Jean!"
A girl with a high ponytail and a bright, clinical smile stepped toward us. She was wearing a pristine uniform with a "President" badge pinned to her blazer.
"Hi, I'm Rakki," she said, her voice bubbling like a fresh spring. "Section C President. Why are you guys standing out here? The daily special is actually edible today."
"I'm banned," I said, gesturing to the board.
Rakki looked at the sign, then back at us, her expression shifting to one of genuine annoyance. "Oh, please.Poor girl got involved in their fight.." She looked at Jane, then at me, and I felt a strange sense of ease.
She wasn't looking at us like we were "Section E trash." She looked at us like we were peers.
"Don't worry about it," Rakki said, winking at me. ". Give me your orders, and I'll bring the food out to you. Consider it a 'Welcome to HVIS' gift from the students who actually have brain cells."
I blinked. I liked her. I liked her a lot. She had this "take-no-prisoners" energy wrapped in a polite package. Beside me, Cin looked like he was about to faint.
"Rakki... talked... to us," he whispered, his eyes wide.
I looked at Jane and smiled. Maybe this school wasn't just a battlefield. Maybe, if we looked hard enough, we'd find a few more people who weren't afraid of the fire.
"I think I like her, Jane," I whispered. "She's got spark."
Jane nodded, a small smirk playing on her lips. "Finally. Someone with a bit of style."
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A/n
Guys here's a new chapter for you all...
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