Chapter 5 – Collisions
Jays pov:
PE class was already chaos. Balls bouncing everywhere, whistles blowing, people shouting. I'd barely tied my hair up before Keifer was in my space again.
"You're on my team," he announced.
I blinked. "Since when do you get to decide that?"
"Since I'm the captain," he said with that cocky grin, tossing me a basketball. "Try to keep up, sweetheart."
Sweetheart. Again.
I was about to fire back when the whistle blew. The game started, bodies moved, and somehow, Keifer was always right there. Blocking, teasing, crowding my space until—
It happened.
We collided mid-play, the ball bouncing away. Before I could process, his hands were on my waist, steadying me. And then—
He kissed me.
Right there in the middle of the gym.
The noise faded into a stunned silence. My brain short-circuited for all of two seconds before instinct kicked in.
WHACK!
My fist connected with his nose— not a knockout punch, but enough to make him stagger back with a grin like I'd just told him his favorite joke.
"Are you out of your mind?!" I hissed.
"Probably," he said, still smirking. "But worth it."
And of course — because the universe hated me — Aries was standing at the doorway, gym bag in hand, staring at us like he'd just walked in on a crime scene.
"…What the hell was that?" Aries asked, pointing between us.
"Ask him!" I snapped, storming off toward the benches.
Across the gym, Alys was leaning against the wall, arms crossed. I wandered over, still fuming, and she raised an eyebrow.
"You punched him," she said. "Nice form."
"Thanks," I muttered. "What's your excuse for looking like you're about to murder someone?"
She hesitated, glancing toward a group of guys watching her too closely. "They won't leave me alone. And before you ask — no, I'm not interested."
I frowned. "Want me to—?"
"No," she cut in, pushing off the wall. "I've got an idea."
She marched straight toward Drake, who was tying his shoelaces near the bleachers.
"Be my fake boyfriend," she said flatly.
He looked up, one eyebrow raised. "Tss." And then he stood, walking away without another word.
Alys blinked after him. "Cool. That's a yes."
"…That's a what?" I asked, following her.
She shrugged. "If he didn't want to, he would've said no. Or called me stupid. Or both."
I opened my mouth, then closed it.
"…You know what? Sure. Logic."