The Scantron Battlefield
[Jay's POV]
The morning air tasted like anxiety and over-brewed espresso.
I sat at my small desk in Room 412, my fingers flying as I did one last sweep of my Advanced Macro-Engineering notes. My phone sat face-down on the wood, a silent brick of stress. After the call from my mother, Jeena, last night, I knew today wasn't just a test of my knowledge—it was a test of my right to exist in this university.
"Jay, stop. You're going to set the paper on fire with your eyes," Mica said, pulling her hair into a tight, athletic ponytail. She was already in her "combat mode"—black leggings and a focused scowl.
"I have to be perfect, Mica," I whispered, not looking up. "Percy told my father about the arcade. If I don't get the highest score in the section today, my father will use it as 'evidence' that I'm being distracted. He'll pull my funding."
"He wouldn't dare," Freya groaned, throwing a pillow at me from the top bunk. "You're the top student! Pulling you out would be like a team benching their star quarterback before the Super Bowl."
"My father doesn't care about the game," I said, finally closing the book with a heavy thud. "He only cares about the control."
Rakki and Ella were already by the door, armed with lucky pens and extra hair ties. "Then we don't give him any control," Rakki said firmly. "We go in there, we crush the curve, and we walk out like the queens we are. And besides..." She winked. "You have a secret weapon waiting in the hallway."
I felt my heart skip. I gathered my things and stepped out of the room.
Directly across the hall, the door to 411 opened at the exact same time.
Keifer stepped out, looking incredibly sharp in a simple charcoal sweater. He looked like he'd slept better than I had, but the moment he saw me, his 'chill' mask flickered. He walked across the narrow hallway, ignoring the whistles from Rory and Erdix behind him.
"You look like you're going to war," Keifer said softly, stopping just a few inches from me.
"I am," I replied.
He reached out, and for a second, I thought he was going to touch my waist again. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, wrapped piece of dark chocolate. He pressed it into my palm.
"Glucose for the brain. And a Watson Decree for the heart," he murmured, his eyes locking onto mine. "Don't let the name on the exam paper scare you, Jay. You're Jasper Jean, but you're also just you. And you are brilliant."
"Thanks, Keif," I whispered, the chocolate feeling like a warm talisman in my hand.
The Grand Lecture Hall
The atmosphere inside the examination hall was suffocating. Professor Thorne stood at the front like an executioner, a thick stack of papers on his podium.
Our group took our designated seats. The "Section 1-A" grid was back in formation:
I sat in my usual spot, Keifer directly behind me.
Percy and Aries were to my left, whispering and glancing at me with predatory smirks.
Drew, Blaster, and Mayo were spread out, looking uncharacteristically nervous.
My friends—Freya, Mica, Rakki, Ella—and Keifer's squad—Erdix, Rory, C In, David, Calix—formed a protective perimeter around us.
"This exam," Thorne announced, his voice echoing, "is designed to break you. It is three hours of multi-variable calculus, structural integrity simulations, and economic forecasting. You may begin."
The sound of five hundred papers turning at once sounded like a flock of birds taking flight.
For the first hour, there was nothing but the scratching of pens. I entered the 'Zone.' The numbers started to lift off the page, forming three-dimensional structures in my mind. I forgot about Jeena's threats. I forgot about Percy's smirks. I was a Mariano, and in the world of logic, I was a goddess.
Suddenly, a small ping sounded from the front of the room.
Aries had raised his hand. "Professor? I think there's a mistake on Page 14. The variable for the tensile strength seems... corrupted."
Thorne walked over, frowning. As he leaned over Aries' desk, I felt a sharp kick against the back of my chair.
I ignored it. Kick. I glanced back slightly. Percy was leaning forward, a smug look on his face. He held up a small, folded piece of paper—a cheat sheet. Before I could react, he flicked it. It landed right under my desk.
My heart stopped. The oldest trick in the book. If the proctor saw that paper under my seat, I'd be expelled instantly.
I looked at the paper, then looked at Percy. He was already raising his hand to alert the Professor.
But Percy's hand never went up.
From behind me, I heard a faint, metallic clink. Keifer had dropped his heavy metal water bottle. It rolled perfectly, sliding under my chair and over the top of the cheat sheet, dragging the paper with it until it rolled all the way back to Keifer's feet.
Keifer leaned down, calmly picked up his bottle—and the paper—and tucked both into his bag before Thorne even turned around.
"Is there a problem, Mr. Watson?" Thorne asked, looking over.
"Just gravity, Professor," Keifer said, his voice as cool as ice. "My apologies. Please continue."
I exhaled a breath I didn't know I was holding. My hands were shaking, but I forced myself back to the paper. I worked twice as fast, fueled by a mixture of rage at my brothers and gratitude for the boy behind me.
The Results
Two hours later, we turned in our papers. The hallway outside was a sea of exhausted students, but Percy and Aries were standing by the lockers, looking furious.
You got lucky, Jasper," Percy hissed as I walked past. "But Father is in the Dean's office right now. He's looking at the real-time grade uploads. If you aren't number one, you're coming home today."
I felt the blood drain from my face. My father, Jasper, was actually here?
The digital monitors in the hallway flickered. The results were being posted.
JASPER JEAN MARIANO — 100%
KEIFER WATSON — 99.8%
DAVID — 96%
...
PERCY MARIANO — 72%
A collective gasp went through the hall. I had done it. I had been perfect.
"Impossible!" Aries yelled, staring at the screen.
Before they could say another word, the heavy oak doors of the Dean's office opened. A tall, imposing man in a charcoal suit stepped out. His eyes were like flint, his presence so heavy it felt like the ceiling was lowering.
Jasper Mariano.
He didn't look at Percy. He didn't look at Aries. He walked straight toward me, his leather shoes clicking rhythmically on the tile.
"Jasper Jean," he said, his voice like a winter frost.
"Father," I whispered.
"A hundred percent," he noted, his eyes scanning me as if I were a balance sheet. "Acceptable. But I hear you've been 'cooperating' with the competition. A Mariano does not share the podium."
"She didn't share it, sir," a voice rang out.
Keifer stepped forward, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with me. He didn't look intimidated by my father's billions. "She dominated it. And if you think a hundred percent is just 'acceptable,' then you clearly don't understand the difficulty of your own daughter's genius."
My father narrowed his eyes. "Keifer Watson. Your father, Keizer, speaks highly of you. But don't think your name protects you from interfering in Mariano business
"I'm not interfering in business," Keifer said, stepping half an inch in front of me, a protective shield of a man. "I'm looking out for my peer. And in this university, she's the one in charge. Not you."
The silence was deafening. My father looked at Keifer, then at me, then back at the leaderboard.
"We will speak this weekend, Jasper Jean," my father said, turning on his heel. "Do not let the Watson boy distract you again. You are a Mariano. Remember that."
As he walked away, taking Percy and Aries with him, the hallway erupted in whispers. My friends swarmed us—Freya, Rakki, Rory, Erdix—all of them cheering and shouting.
But I could only look at Keifer.
"You saved me," I said, my voice barely audible above the noise. "The paper... and my father..."
"I told you, Jay," Keifer said, a small, genuine smile finally breaking through his 'chill' exterior. He reached out and squeezed my hand, right there in front of everyone. "It's a Watson Decree. You don't fall on my watch."