JAY-JAY POV
Me and Rakki started practicing tennis.
Every time I scored, Section E made some kind of noise.
Whistles. Screams. Applause. Animal sounds. I don't even know.
"That's my baby," Keifer said proudly from the sidelines.
I almost threw my racket at him.
"SHUT UP," I yelled.
Rakki laughed, nearly missing the ball.
"Is that your daily routine?" she asked, swinging again.
"Yeah, sadly," I said, breathing heavily as I returned her shot. "It's like… cardio but emotional."
She snorted. "You chose to be friends with Section E."
"I did NOT choose anything," I said, hitting the ball back. "They just… happened to me."
Rakki nodded like she understood the trauma. "Yeah, that sounds right."
Behind us, Section E immediately proved my point.
"LET'S GO JAY‑JAY!"
"YOU'RE DOING AMAZING SWEETIE!"
"DON'T BREAK THE RACKET THIS TIME!"
"RAKKI, DON'T GO EASY ON HER!"
"JAY‑JAY, MARRY ME—OW, KEIFER, WHY—"
I groaned. "See? Daily routine."
Rakki laughed so hard she almost dropped her racket. "I don't know how you survive them."
"I don't," I said. "I just pretend."
Rakki served the ball, and I hit it back cleanly. We were finally getting into a rhythm.
Which meant, of course, Section E had to ruin it.
Ci‑N cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone.
"RAKKI, YOU LOOK SO PRETTY WHEN YOU SWEAT!"
Rakki froze.
The ball bounced past her.
The entire gym went silent.
Then Rakki turned slowly — slowly — toward Ci‑N, her face bright red.
"CI‑N," she said through clenched teeth, "STOP TALKING."
Ci‑N blinked innocently. "What? I'm supporting you."
"THAT IS NOT SUPPORT," she snapped.
Section E immediately lost their minds.
"OHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"CI‑N YOU'RE DOWN BAD."
"BRO IS IN LOVE."
"HE SAID SWEAT IS PRETTY."
"THAT'S REAL DEVOTION."
"If you guys stay quiet, they can practice," Ben said, shooting Keifer a look so sharp it could slice concrete.
I blinked.
What is his problem?
Keifer raised an eyebrow back at him, arms crossing like he was ready to fight someone for breathing wrong.
Ben didn't look away.
Keifer didn't either.
The air between them felt… weird.
Rakki whispered, "Uh… why does it look like they're about to duel?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. Ben's been acting weird all morning."
Keifer scoffed under his breath. "I'm not the one yelling across the gym."
Ben stepped forward slightly. "I'm just trying to help Jay focus."
Keifer's jaw tightened. "I am helping."
"By screaming 'that's my baby' every time she hits the ball?" Ben shot back.
Section E gasped like they were watching a telenovela.
Rakki whispered, "Oh my god… is Ben jealous?"
I nearly choked on air.
"Jay, I think he likes you," Rakki whispered, eyes wide like she'd just discovered a government secret.
"No, Ben, please—" I said, trying to shut her up before she summoned a whole new problem into my life.
But of course, she didn't stop.
Rakki raised an eyebrow. "He literally glared at Keifer for breathing."
"I don't need this right now," I muttered, trying to focus on the ball coming toward me.
I hit it back—barely.
"Jay, be careful," Rakki said.
"I need a break," I muttered, heading straight for the bleachers before I passed out on the court.
Section E immediately scattered like they'd been waiting for this exact moment to cause chaos.
Keifer, of course, was the only one who followed me.
He handed me a bottle of water, already twisting the cap open like he'd rehearsed it.
"I didn't know you were this good at tennis," he said.
I took the bottle and drank half of it in one go. "Practice," I said between breaths.
He sat beside me, elbows resting on his knees.
"Why did you learn tennis anyway?"
I shrugged, still catching my breath. "Well… after you disappeared to London and your whole 'I used you' plan? I didn't know what to do with myself."
His expression shifted instantly.
"So I played tennis," I continued. "And I took all my anger out on it. Two hours of intense practice almost every day. Just… hitting the ball like it was your face."
Keifer's shoulders dropped. He looked genuinely sad — the kind of sad that made my chest tighten even though I didn't want it to.
I nudged him lightly with my elbow. "Don't worry. I'm not playing tennis because I'm mad at you now."
He looked up at me, eyes searching.
"I'm playing it as a hobby," I said. "Not therapy anymore."
I leaned back against the bleachers. "I just kept playing because… I don't know. It's fun. And it's one of the few things I'm actually good at."
Keifer looked at me for a moment — really looked — and his voice softened.
"You're good at a lot of things, Jay."
I blinked. "Like what?"
He smirked again. "Being stubborn. Threatening people. Punching me."
I groaned. "I'm leaving."
He grabbed my wrist lightly. "I'm kidding. Mostly."
I sat back down on the bleachers, catching my breath.
"You do know the spring festival is next week, right?" I asked.
He nodded.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Singing," he said casually. Then he glanced at me. "You're probably playing tennis, right?"
I nodded. "Yeah. I wanted to sing too, but this year they're making us pair with another section."
Keifer's expression brightened way too fast. "Did you find a section yet?"
I shook my head.
He leaned closer, eyes hopeful in a way that made my brain short‑circuit.
"Jay, please… let's sing."
Almost begging.
Almost desperate.
Almost… not the Keifer I knew.
I stared at him.
Is this the same Mark Keifer Watson I knew?
What is happening to him?
He looked at me like singing with me was the only thing he wanted in the entire universe.
And that was terrifying.
And confusing.
And—
I swallowed.
"Keifer…" I said slowly, "why do you want to sing with me so badly?"
He didn't look away.
"Because it's you," he said simply.
My heart did a full gymnastics routine.
"So… can we sing together?" he asked again, softer this time. Almost careful. Like he was afraid I'd say no.
I stared at him.
This was not normal.
"Fine," I said. "But you better not mess up."
Before I could even blink, he pulled me into a hug — warm, tight, and way too confident for someone who'd been begging two minutes ago.
"Of course I won't mess this up," he said, voice low against my ear. "Especially my first song with my wife."
He pulled back just enough to wink at me.
I malfunctioned.
My soul left my body.
"KEIFER," I hissed, face burning. "I am NOT your—"
"Soon to be," he said without missing a beat.
I froze.
My brain stopped working.
My brain stopped working.And Keifer?
Keifer just stood there, arms crossed, smirk soft but annoyingly sure of himself — like he'd just stated a fact, not a delusion.
"W‑What is wrong with you?" I sputtered.
He tilted his head. "A lot. But you already knew that."
I covered my face with both hands. "Keifer, stop saying things like that."
"Why?" he asked, leaning closer. "It's true."
"It is NOT true," I snapped.
He smiled — slow, confident, dangerous.
"Not yet."
I nearly fell off the bleachers.
"You know what? You should give kids lessons," I said, wiping sweat from my forehead.
"What kind of lessons?" he asked, raising an eyebrow like he already knew the answer.
"Flirting lessons," I said.
His smirk appeared instantly. Dangerous. Predictable. Annoyingly attractive.
"If you be my student," he said, leaning slightly closer, "then I'll do it."
I stared at him.
"Keifer," I said slowly, "why would I need flirting lessons?"
He shrugged, eyes glinting. "So you can keep up with me."
I blinked. "I don't want to keep up with you."
"You already are," he said.
I opened my mouth to argue, but suddenly Ben stepped right in front of me like he teleported.
"Jay, you have to find a section to sing with," Ben said, voice tight, eyes flicking between me and Keifer.
Before I could even respond, Keifer's hand wrapped around my wrist and pulled me gently but firmly back toward him.
"She's already singing with me," Keifer said, tone calm but sharp enough to cut glass.
Ben's jaw clenched.
"Jay, we need to do our part for the festival. It's next‑next week, and tomorrow's the weekend. We have to prepare," Ben said, sounding way too stressed for someone who wasn't even the president.
I nodded. "Shit, I almost forgot about that. We've decorated the school already, right?"
He nodded again, more relaxed now that I was actually listening to him.
I stood up from the bleachers. "Bye, Keifer. I'll see you later."
He lifted a hand and waved, eyes lingering on me a little too long. "Yeah. Later."
Ben immediately stepped to my side like he was escorting me away from danger.
We walked to our class and started decorating the rest of the school.
"So… you forgave Keifer?" Ben asked suddenly.
"No," I said, stretching on my toes to reach the flower on top of the locker.
Ben reached up easily and grabbed it for me. "Good. I don't like him."
And then he just walked away.
Just like that.
I blinked. "What—"
Mia slid next to me like she'd been waiting for the moment. "Jay, Ben likes you."
I stared at her. "How do you know?"
She gave me the most judgmental look I've ever seen. "Everyone in our class knows. I think you're just being clueless."
I nearly dropped the flower. "Clueless? Me?"
"Yes, you," she said, crossing her arms. "He literally glares at Keifer every time he breathes near you."
I blinked again. "That doesn't mean he likes me."
"And," she added, leaning closer, "he gets jealous every time Keifer talks to you."
I froze.
Jealous?
Ben?
Mia smirked. "Exactly. You're the only one who hasn't noticed."
"Isn't Ben your ex?" I asked suddenly.
She nodded. "Yeah. We dated for two months… like four months ago."
I blinked. "Oh. That's… recent."
"This was before I came to Section B, right?" I asked.
She nodded, but her eyes dropped for a second — just enough for me to catch the sadness she tried to hide.
"Jay, Ben's a good guy," Mia said quietly.
"Then why did you break up with him?" I asked.
She took a breath. "I misunderstood him. That's why we don't talk much these days."
I frowned. "Misunderstood him how?"
Mia shrugged, but it wasn't casual — it was the kind of shrug people use when they don't want to reopen an old wound.
"I thought he didn't care. I thought he wasn't serious. I thought he was… distracted."
"Distracted by what?" I asked.
She looked at me — really looked — and her expression softened in a way that made my stomach twist.
"You," she said simply.
My breath caught.
Mia continued, voice gentle. "He talked about you a lot back then. Even before you joined Section B. I thought he was losing interest in me, but really… he was just confused about you."
I stared at her, speechless.
"And I didn't handle it well," she added. "So we drifted. And now we're… fine. Just not close."
I swallowed. "Mia… I didn't know."
She smiled, small but real. "I know. And it's not your fault. It never was."
I looked down at the decorations in my hands, suddenly feeling heavier than before.
Why is everything so complicated?
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💙🔥 Author's Note 🔥💙
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