Jay's POV
As we drove, I stared at the passing lights, my mind sharpening into a blade 🔪.
The coin, Lucas ,my past they are around
No Jay, you can't let them haunt your present and future .
I will stay strong, I vowed silently. I am a shield of steel 🛡️⛓️. I won't let my past bleed into present. I won't let Lucas touch my family... or him. I squeezed my bag, feeling the weight of the hidden coin 🪙. Not this time.
We arrived at the archery studio,"Finally ,took you long enough" Yuri's voice rang out. The rest of Section E was already there, bows in hand and energy at 100%
.
"Archery? 🤨" I asked, quickly sliding my Chaos queen 👑 back on.
"Section E challenge, Jay! 🏹🔥" Drew shouted, waving a bow. "Loser buys pizza for the whole class! 🍕💸"
Keifer's POV
The mood shifted instantly from heavy to chaotic. Section E never did anything quietly 📣💥.
Mica and Grace were already arguing over who had better aim, while Ella was busy teasing Aries about his 'stiff' form 🏹🤭. Mayo and Kit in their own world.Cin climbing on david back calling him grandpa. Yuri looked serious.
I picked up a sleek black bow and handed it to Jay. Our fingers brushed, and that familiar electric spark ⚡🔥 shot through me. She took it with a practiced ease that didn't go unnoticed.
"Ready for challenge, Jay 🏹," I challenged, leaning close so only she could hear me.
Jay stepped up to the line. Everyone stopped to watch. She took a breath, her entire aura shifting from student to lethal archer 🎯✨. She pulled the string back, the movement highlighting the strength in her arms that I'd felt earlier 🥵💪.
Whiz-Thwack! 🏹💥 Bullseye.
"WHOA! 😱🔥" the class erupted.
"Section E has a secret weapon! 🏹🛡️" Mica cheered, jumping up and down.
The Romantic Lesson 🏹💖
"Beginner's luck? 😏" I teased, even though I was blown away. I walked up behind her, using the excuse of 'correcting her form' to wrap my arms around her 🫂🧡. I guided her hands, my chest pressed against her back, my breath ghosting over her ear 👂🌬️.
"Your stance is a bit wide, Jay," I whispered, my voice dropping to that low, husky register 🎙️💓.
"Keifer... the everyone is watching 🏹💢," she breathed, her mask flickering. But she didn't pull away. She leaned into me just a fraction, a tiny surrender that made my heart swell 💖🛡️.
"Let them watch," I murmured, my hands lingering on hers as we pulled the string together 🤝🏹. "Focus on the target. Forget the shadows. Right now, it's just you and me 🏹✨."
"Get a room, you two! 🏨😂" Felix yelled from the sidelines, making everyone whistle and cheer 📣💋. Aries still giving his dead glare.
Jay's face turned a beautiful shade of crimson 🍎. We released the arrow together, and it split her first one right down the middle 🎯💥.
I turned her in my arms, my face inches from hers. The teasing was gone, replaced by raw adoration 🥺💖.
"I've got you, Jay," I whispered, grazing her lip with my thumb 👄✨. "You don't have to carry the world alone 🌎🛡️."
Others also started releasing arrows.Some even hit themselves in try.At last it was me, Aries ,Yuri and Jay for final competition.
Jay's POV
The playful chaos of Section E was suddenly cut short as a heavy silence fell over the range 🔇.
The air crackled with a different kind of energy—a raw, competitive tension that made the hair on my arms stand up.
Keifer stepped forward, his eyes scanning the group until they landed on Yuri, who was leaning against a tree with a cool, detached smirk 🎋😏.
"How about a real challenge? 🎯🥊" Keifer asked, his voice low and challenging. "One final round. Four of us. Highest score takes the title."
Aries stepped up beside me, his protective brotherly mode shifting into the elite athlete I knew he was 🦁🛡️. "I'm in. Let's see if you can keep up, Watson."
Yuri pushed off the tree, his movements fluid and cat-like 🐈⬛✨. "Count me in. It's been a while since I've had a reason to actually try."
I felt three pairs of eyes .I was firmly in place, but my blood was beginning to boil with excitement. I stepped to the center, my carbon bow held tightly in my grip. "Don't expect me to go easy on you just because we're friends... or family 🧊🏹."
The Competition 🏹💥
The rest of Section E crowded around the safety line, their cheers turning into hushed whispers 🤫👥. The targets were set at the maximum distance. Each of us had three arrows. One end to decide it all.
Round 1: The First Arrow 🏹✨
Yuri went first. With a casual flick, his arrow sailed through the air and hit the outer gold ring. 9 points.
Aries followed, his form perfect and disciplined. Thwack! 9 points.
Keifer stepped up, his focus lethal 🦁🔥. He didn't even hesitate. 10 points.
I took a breath, feeling the weight of the bow. I released. 10 points.
"Damn! 😱🔥" Freya yelled from the sidelines. "The king and queen are leading!"
Round 2: The Pressure Rises 🌡️📈
Yuri narrowed his eyes, his relaxed posture gone. He hit the center. 10 points.
Aries mirrored him with a grunt of effort. 10 points.
Keifer didn't look at the target; he looked at me for a split second before firing. 10 points.
I didn't let the heat in my cheeks distract me. I pulled back and let fly. 10 points.
Round 3: The Final Shot 🎯💣
The score was terrifyingly close. The girls—Rakki, Ella, Mica, and Grace—were holding their breath 🤐.
Yuri released his final arrow. It clipped the line between the red and gold. 9 points. (Total: 28)
Aries took his time, his muscles corded with tension. He hit a solid 9. (Total: 28)
Keifer stepped to the line. The air around him seemed to vibrate. He released. Thwack! Dead center of the X-ring. 10 points. (Total: 30)
It was all on me. If I hit anything less than a 10, Keifer won. If I hit the 10, we tied.
I looked at the target, but for a second, I saw Lucas's shadow 👤🌑. I blinked it away, focusing only on the gold circle and the man standing beside me. I released the string.
The arrow flew like a streak of lightning ⚡. It didn't just hit the 10; it slammed into the target right next to Keifer's arrow, their fletchings nearly touching 🏹🤝. 10 points. (Total: 30)
The Result: A Tie 🏆🤝
"IT'S A TIE! 📣🎉" Section E erupted into a frenzy.
"Jay and Keifer won! 👸🤴🔥" Freya and Ella were jumping up and down, hugging each other.
Aries let out a long breath, a small, proud smile tugging at his lips as he looked at me. "Good shot, Jay. You've definitely been practicing."
Yuri just chuckled, shaking his head. "I guess the power couple is too much for us today 🎋🤙."
KEIFER'S POV
I looked at Jay, our arrows standing side-by-side in the heart of the target—just like us 🎯❤️. I didn't care that I hadn't won outright. Seeing her standing there, her Ice Queen mask finally melting into a genuine, triumphant smile 🧊💧, was the only prize I wanted.
I walked over to her, ignoring the cheers of our classmates. I leaned in close, my shoulder brushing hers. "A tie, huh? 😏" I whispered. "Does that mean we have to share the pizza... or the prize? 🍕🎁"
Jay looked up at me, her eyes shimmering with a mix of competitive fire and that soft vulnerability she only showed me 🥺🔥. "What prize, Keifer? 🤨"
"This," I murmured, and before Aries could stop me, I leaned down and pressed a quick, lingering kiss to her temple 💋✨.
"HEY! 🛑👊" Aries yelled, but he was laughing. "I said take care of her, Watson, not use her as a target for your moves!"
Jay's face was bright red 🍎, but she didn't pull away. She just gripped her bow and looked at the sunset, her steel-heart feeling a little more like gold 🛡️💛.
A/N
GUYS COMMENT
TARGET :15+ COMMENT