KEIFER POV
The silence in my house is a heavy thing. I woke up at dawn, the kind of quiet that only exists when you're truly alone. There's no one to bang on my door or tell me to get a move on. Mom died years ago, and Dad? He checked out of the fatherhood game the second things got hard. Honestly, I'm glad. I'm eighteen now, and I can barely keep my own head above water; I didn't need the baggage of a man who didn't want to be there.
(KEIFER IS THE ONLY CHILD SO THERE IS NO KEIRAN AND KEIGAN)
Grandma and Grandpa were the ones who pulled me out of the wreckage. They raised me for seventeen years, but they passed away last year, leaving me to navigate my final year of being a teenager solo. They left me an inheritance—it's not "private jet" money, but it's enough. Enough to keep the roof over my head and get me through college.
I've got a plan. I'm going to get my degree, start my own business, and build a life that's solid. No more disappearing acts. No more holes in the floor.
But then there's Jay Jay.
God, she's so easy to love it's actually dangerous. But I have to be careful. I have to prove to her—and to the rest of the world—that I'm not just another guy standing in line for her money or her last name. I want to be someone she can rely on, not someone she's paying for.
So, when she showed up at the playground today, looking like a dream and acting like a nightmare, I did what I always do. I put on the mask. I pretended to not like her. I played the part of the guy who's annoyed by her existence, even while my heart was trying to kick its way out of my ribs.
But Jay? She doesn't know the meaning of the word "quit." She's relentless. She's a hurricane that doesn't care if you've put up the shutters.
I eventually had to cut the conversation short. I needed to go change; school starts in a few minutes, and I have no intention of being the stinky kid in the front row of my morning class. I grabbed my bag, throwing one last "Tss" her way, and walked toward the locker room.
I'm playing a dangerous game, acting like I don't want the only thing I actually crave. But if it means I can one day stand beside her as an equal? I'll keep pretending as long as I have to.
It's that I'm very poor or something just not her level of rich
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
JAY JAY POV
"MARK. KEIFER. WATSON!" I screamed at his retreating back, my voice bouncing off the concrete.
The guy was playing hard to get, and he was a freaking professional at it. Asshole. And that comment about my gender? Just because I can throw a right hook better than most of the varsity team doesn't mean I'm not a girl. It just means I'm a girl who knows how to handle herself.
I shifted my weight, trying to ignore the dull throb in my hip from where he'd pushed me. My best friend Mia strolled up, shaking her head.
"Really, Jay? Again?" she asked, looking at the empty spot where Keifer had just been standing. "You're still going after the brooding basketball boy?"
"Looks like it," Dave grumbled, falling in step beside us. "Seriously, Jay, what do you even see in him? To the rest of us, he's just a guy who refuses to join the party."
I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt. "Asshole, please. He's better looking than half the guys in this school combined. And his character? Cold, mysterious, actually has a moral compass? Don't even get me started. It's like God reached into my brain, pulled out my imaginary man, and dropped him on a basketball court just to torture me."
Ben, the quietest of our group, looked at me with a worried frown. "Do you actually think your parents will let you date someone like Keifer? He doesn't have a name they can use for a merger."
I stopped walking for a second. My parent
"I don't know," I said, my voice going flat and cold. "Not that I care. They've spent my whole life ignoring me for business—they don't get a vote in who I love"
We walked into first period, and like clockwork, there he was. My North Star in a sea of mediocre teenagers.
I have every single class with Keifer. It turns out being Jasfher's daughter has its perks; a few "suggestions" to the administration and suddenly our schedules were a perfect match. If I'm going to be stuck in this hellhole, I might as well have a view.
I slid into the seat right next to him, my bag hitting the floor with a heavy thud.
"There are plenty of other seats, Jay," Keifer said, not even looking up from his desk.
"I know, but I've grown attached to this one," I replied, flashing a grin he didn't see. I pulled out my notebook and stared at the blank page. "Remind me, which class is this again?"
"It's ELA," he sighed, finally glancing at me with that look of exasperated patience I loved so much.
"Right. Thanks." I pulled out my ELA book, pretending I wasn't just there to watch him breathe.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over my desk. I looked up to see Max—some guy I'd rejected last month because his last name sounded like a brand of discounted canned ham. He was the typical rich-kid clone: teeth too white, ego too big.
"Jay, there's a massive party tonight. Want to come?" Max asked, leaning in like he was doing me a favor.
"No, she won't," Keifer snapped before I could even open my mouth.
Max's face twisted, his eyes darting to Keifer with pure annoyance. "And who the hell are you to talk for her?"
Keifer opened his mouth to deliver what I'm sure was going to be a very logical, very boring explanation about my drinking habits, but I didn't give him the chance.
"He's my future husband," I chirped, leaning back in my chair with a smug smile.
Keifer didn't even flinch; he just closed his eyes and rolled them so hard I thought they might get stuck in the back of his head. He didn't deny it, though. I'm counting that as a win.
"Sorry, Max, I can't make it," I said, turning my attention back to the canned-ham heir. "I have tennis practice tonight. I've got a lot of aggression to work out."
Max took the hint, nodding quickly before scurrying off to find a girl who was less of a headache. I turned back to Keifer, who was already staring at his textbook again. He was acting like he didn't just try to protect me, but I knew better. Underneath all that "normalcy" and those "Tss" sounds, he was paying attention.
The teacher finally walked in, slamming a stack of papers onto the desk to get us to shut up.
"Okay everyone, settle down. We have a new student joining us today," she announced, gesturing toward the door.
"But Teach, isn't it a bit late in the year for a new student?" Dave called out, leaning back in his chair. "The school year is almost over"
"Yeah, it's totally not fair that they get an excuse from the exams," I piped up, crossing my arms.
I know how the handbook works. New students who transfer in this late don't have to sit for the term finals because they "haven't covered the material." They basically get a free pass for the entire term
It pisses me off. I have to bleed for my grades—mostly because if I don't, my parents will use it as an excuse to ignore me even more
"Enough, class. Be nice," the teacher warned, looking directly at me. "The new student is Yuri Hanamatchi."
I rolled my eyes
I didn't pay any attention to Yuri's little "introductory speech." I was too busy focused on the only person in the room who actually mattered.
"So, can you please help me with Math today? You know Math is not my thing," I whispered to Keifer, leaning in so our shoulders brushed.
Keifer didn't look up from his book, but a small smirk played on his lips. "What do I get in return?"
"For every problem I solve, you get two kisses," I said, my voice dropping to a teasing purr.
Keifer's ears turned a hilarious shade of bright red. "Jay Jay," he warned, finally glancing at me with those intense eyes.
"Fine, fine. What do you actually want?" I asked. He was about to answer when the peace was shattered.
"Hey. Move," Yuri's voice sliced through the air. He was standing over Keifer, looking down at him like he was a bug on a windshield.
Keifer didn't budge. "Why would I move? There are plenty of empty seats, Hanamatchi."
"Because I want to sit here," Yuri snapped.
"Keifer, what is the problem?" the teacher sighed from the front of the room.
"Ma'am, he wants my seat, but I'm already sitting here," Keifer explained calmly.
The teacher didn't even blink. "Come on, Keifer, be the bigger person. He's new here. Get up and find another seat."
"But that's not fair!" I yelled, slamming my palms against the desk as I stood up.
"Ms. Mariano, sit down and don't get involved in things that don't concern you," the teacher barked at me.
Keifer gave me a look—the one that told me to stay cool—and stood up. "I'm moving." Before he stepped away, he gave Yuri a glare so cold it could have frozen the Mediterranean. Yuri just smirked and slid into Keifer's chair like he'd won a war.
"Hey, Jay Jay. I'm Yuri," he said, extending his hand like we were at some corporate gala.
"You already said that this morning," I said, rolling my eyes at his hand. "I'm not shaking that."
"Yeah, but you didn't listen to me then," Yuri said, his voice dripping with that arrogant 'rich kid' tone.
"I very much did," I snapped, gathering my books in a chaotic pile.
"Where are you going?" Yuri asked, looking confused.
"I need a change in seat because my deskmate is a rooster," I said loudly. I heard Mia burst out laughing. Yuri's face hardened; he clearly wasn't used to being talked to like he was a nuisance.
"Ms. Mariano, what is the problem now?" the teacher groaned.
"I'm moving my seat," I stated.
"You were already settled. Why are you moving?"
"Her chair is broken, Ma'am," Ben chimed in quickly, saving me from a trip to the principal's office.
"But your chair seems fine to me," Yuri said, suspicious.
"Why don't you sit in it and check it for her then?" Mia suggested, a devious glint in her eye.
Yuri, wanting to prove some point, nodded and sat. The second his weight hit the seat, I gave the weak adjustment lever under the chair a sharp, calculated kick. Nobody noticed—except for the inner circle.
The chair collapsed with a loud CRACK, and Yuri went down hard, his legs flying up as he hit the floor. The entire class erupted into hysterics.
"See, Yuri? Stay in your limits," I said, looking down at him while I hoisted my bag over my shoulder. "Don't try to put your nose everywhere. Next time, it might be worse."
I walked over to the back of the room and slid into the empty seat next to Keifer. I caught it for a split second—a genuine, honest-to-god smile on Keifer's face. He tried to wipe it out instantly, going back to his stony expression.
"Did you just smile for me?" I asked, leaning into his space.
"N-no," he lied, his voice wavering just a tiny bit. "It's just… he fell. That's why I smiled."
"Right," I whispered, a slow grin spreading across my face. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Watson."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Okay so I know what everyone was thinking… "How is Keifer not rich when he's literally known for being rich?" 🌫️💭
I get it, but I really wanted Keifer to actually work for what he has instead of just getting an inheritance handed to him 🕊️✨ Not saying he doesn't deserve it — he does — but even in real life, I feel like you should work hard and then you'll see your results 🌱🌟
Keifer, to me, is a hardworking person, and I want him to build his own name, not just rely on family money or inheritance 🖤🏹
So yes… spoiler alert: Keifer is going to work hard to get where he wants to be 🌌🔥
And just to be clear — he's not poor in this book. He's just below Jay‑Jay's level financially 🤍💸