Jay's Pov
The Next Morning
I woke up to the sound of something that might have been a rooster or might have been Dave snoring through the wall. In the Philippines, honestly? Could be both.
My phone said 5:30 AM.
FIVE. THIRTY. IN. THE. MORNING.
"This is violence," I croaked at the ceiling. "This is actual violence."
But I dragged myself up because today was THE day. First day of school. First day of meeting Mia in person. First day of possibly making a fool of myself in front of an entire class of strangers.
The uniform was waiting for me on a hanger. White blouse, checkered skirt, knee-high socks. I'd never worn a uniform in my LIFE. London schools were casual. This felt like dressing up for a play.
I put it on and stared at myself in the small mirror.
"Okay," I whispered. "You look... like a student. A real student. A student who definitely belongs here and is not an imposter from London who's about to mess everything up."
The mirror did not respond. Rude.
When I walked into the living room, Sarah was already there. OF COURSE.
She looked like she'd stepped out of a magazine photoshoot. Her hair was perfect. Her makeup was perfect. Her uniform looked like it was tailored specifically for her (it probably was).
"How," I said flatly.
"Genetics and determination." She handed me a cup of coffee. "Drink. You look like you need it."
"I look like I need a funeral."
"You'll be fine."
Dave stumbled in next, his tie already crooked. "Help. I'm being attacked by fabric again."
Jare appeared behind him and fixed it in two seconds without saying a word. Twin telepathy or just years of dealing with Dave? Both.
Ben came out with three cameras around his neck. "I'm ready to document EVERYTHING."
"That's excessive," Bella said, walking in behind him.
"Your FACE is excessive."
"That still doesn't make sense."
"Doesn't have to."
The school shuttle picked us up at 7 AM. The ride was short—only ten minutes—and then we saw it.
HVIS.
The campus was HUGE. Like, actually huge. Modern buildings with clean white walls. Green fields that looked fake they were so perfect. Students everywhere in uniforms, walking in groups, laughing, talking, living their normal school lives.
And then there was us. Six idiots from London who didn't know anything.
"Oh no," I whispered.
"What?" Jare asked.
"I'm nervous. I'm never nervous. Why am I nervous?"
"Because you're about to meet your best friend in person for the first time ever after tricking her into thinking you weren't coming?"
"OKAY WHEN YOU SAY IT LIKE THAT IT SOUNDS BAD."
Sarah patted my shoulder. "It's fine. You're chaotic. She's probably chaotic too. You'll match."
We were led to a big auditorium where other exchange students were gathered. Kids from different countries—Korea, Japan, Singapore—all looking as lost as we felt.
A woman in a sharp suit walked onto the stage. "Good morning, everyone! Welcome to HVIS. I'm Principal Reyes. In a few minutes, you'll be given your section assignments. Please listen for your name and proceed with the student guides to your classrooms."
My heart was pounding.
The announcements started. Names called one by one.
"Sarah Chen — Section A."
Sarah squeezed my hand. "Good luck. Try not to burn the building down."
"No promises."
She walked away with a guide, looking back once to wave.
"David Martinez — Section A."
Dave pumped his fist. "SECTION A LET'S GO! SEE YOU GUYS AT LUNCH! SAVE ME FOOD!"
"Benjamin Cruz — Section D."
Ben kissed his camera (he actually did) and followed his guide.
"Bella Santos — Section D."
Bella gave us a small wave and left.
Now it was just me and Jare.
"Jasper Jare Mariano — Section E."
Jare looked at me. I looked at him.
"Go," I said. "I'll find you later. We're in the same section, right? We'll be together."
He nodded and walked off, looking back once with that worried expression he gets when he thinks I'm about to do something stupid.
Joke's on him. I WAS about to do something stupid. I just didn't know it yet.
"Jasper Jean Mariano — Section E."
I let out a breath and followed my guide, a senior student who walked fast and talked faster.
"Section E is... interesting," he said.
But before I could ask a question, we arrived.
The Section E building was at the back of the campus. It looked older than the other buildings. The walls were faded. There was a giant sign outside that literally said "SECTION E" in chipped paint.
And standing right in front of the wooden doors were four guys.
Human gatekeepers.
I took a deep breath, adjusted my hair (which was already losing the fight against humidity), and walked toward the entrance.
The four guys didn't move.
One of them was leaning against the doorframe like he owned the place. He had messy hair that looked perfectly unkempt—like he spent an hour making it look like he spent zero minutes on it. A leather jacket. In the Philippine heat. A LEATHER JACKET.
And he was sucking on a lollipop.
A lollipop.
Like he was in a music video or something.
I stared for a second too long.
I mean, can you blame me? He looked like he walked straight out of a Wattpad story—messy hair, sharp jawline, dark eyes full of something that looked like trouble. He was everything you'd want to see in my future partner.
If my future partner was also apparently an idiot who wore leather in 40-degree weather.
"Excuse me," I said, trying to sound polite. "Is this the Section E building?"
The second the words left my mouth, I wanted to facepalm. The giant half-broken sign literally said "SECTION E" right behind him. Great job, Jay-Jay. Way to make a brilliant first impression.
The guy with the lollipop didn't answer right away.
He just pulled the stick out of his mouth with a slow, deliberate pop and looked me up and down. His eyes traveled from my head to my shoes and back up again, and a cocky smirk played on his lips.
His eyes were dark and full of mischief. The kind of look that said he already knew he was going to be the biggest headache of my life.
"No," he said flatly. "This isn't it. Go back to the main building."
The three guys behind him barked out a laugh, clearly enjoying the show.
I blinked. "What?"
"You heard me." He put the lollipop back in his mouth. "This is the wrong building. Section E is somewhere else. Maybe try the other side of campus. Or the next city. I don't know. Just leave."
I really didn't like his attitude.
For a split second, I had a very vivid mental image of shoving that lollipop down his throat. But I managed to keep my hands to myself. Barely.
"Are you sure?" I asked, my voice getting tighter. "Because the guide brought me here and—"
"The guide was wrong." He shrugged, lazy and annoying. "Happens a lot. New students always get lost. It's sad, really. You should go before you're late."
"Are you deaf?" one of the guys behind him snickered. "He said leave. This isn't Section E."
My blood started boiling.
I'd been in the Philippines for less than 24 hours. I was jet-lagged. My hair was expanding by the minute. I hadn't had enough coffee. And now some leather-jacket-wearing idiot with a lollipop was trying to send me on a wild goose chase?
"I know this is Section E," I said through gritted teeth. "The sign is literally right there."
The guy glanced at the sign like he'd never seen it before. "Oh, that old thing? Yeah, they forgot to take it down. This building is actually the janitor's closet now. Bigger one. More mops."
"More mops?" I repeated.
"Many mops. It's a whole mop situation." He popped the lollipop again. "You wouldn't understand."
I was going to KILL him.
"You think this is funny?" I stepped closer, ignoring the fact that I was a tiny girl facing four guys who could probably bench press me. "You think messing with new students is a fun hobby?"
His smirk widened. "I think it's a GREAT hobby. Top five, easily."
"I swear to—"
"Jay!"
Jare's voice.
I turned and saw my twin brother walking toward us from the other direction, looking confused. "What's going on? I've been waiting inside for five minutes. Why are you out here arguing with—" He stopped when he saw the four guys. "Uh. Who are they?"
"Gatekeepers," I spat. "Apparently."
The lollipop guy looked at Jare, then back at me, then at Jare again. His eyebrows went up. "Wait. You're twins?"
"None of your business," I snapped.
"There's two of you?" He actually looked amused. "Great. Double the fun."
Jare frowned. "Did he do something?"
"He tried to send me away. Said this isn't Section E."
Jare looked at the sign. Then at the guy. Then back at the sign. "...Why would he do that?"
"Because he's an IDIOT with a LOLLIPOP and a LEATHER JACKET in THIS HEAT."
The guy laughed. Actually laughed. "I like her. She's feisty."
"I WILL SHOVE THAT LOLLIPOP—"
The wooden door behind them suddenly creaked open.
An older man stepped out, holding a clipboard. He had glasses and a tired expression, like he'd been dealing with teenagers for too long.
"Jasper Jean Mariano?" he asked, looking at me.
I nodded, still fuming.
"Oh, good! The new student." His face broke into a smile. "I'm Sir Alvin, your adviser. Come on in, this is indeed Section E. Sorry about the welcoming committee—they think they're funny."
I whipped my head around to look at the lollipop boy.
He wasn't even pretending to be sorry. He was just standing there, smirking at me like he'd just won a prize. The lollipop was back in his mouth, and his eyes were sparkling with pure, unapologetic mischief.
"You—" I pointed at him. "I will remember your face."
"I hope so." He winked. "Most girls do."
"I'm going to—"
"Inside, Miss Mariano," Sir Alvin said gently. "Class is starting. And you," he added, looking at the four guys, "get in there too. Now."
The lollipop guy pushed off the doorframe and walked past me, close enough that I could smell whatever expensive cologne he was wearing (probably also a bad choice for the heat).
"Welcome to Section E, new girl," he murmured as he passed. "Try to keep up."
I watched him walk inside, my hands shaking with rage.
Jare grabbed my arm. "Jay. Breathe."
"I'm going to kill him."
"Not on the first day. Wait at least a week."
"I don't think I CAN wait a week."
"Try."
I took a deep breath. Then another. Then I followed Jare into the classroom.
Section E was... chaos.
Desks were scattered everywhere. Boys were standing on chairs, throwing paper balls, yelling across the room. Someone was playing music from their phone. Someone else was doing what looked like a dance battle in the corner.
We looked around for empty seats. There were two at the very front, near the window. Perfect.
But as we started walking, someone suddenly stood up from the middle of the room.
"WAIT."
A girl. Same height as me, with big curious eyes and a confused expression. She was staring at me like she'd seen a ghost.
Then she screamed.
"JAY?!"
My brain short-circuited.
Because standing there, in Section E, in the Philippines, wearing the same school uniform as me...
Was Mia.
Mark Mia Watson.
My best friend. My phone buddy. The girl I'd been texting for YEARS but never actually met.
"MIA?!" I screamed back.
"YOU'RE ACTUALLY HERE?!"
"YES?!"
"YOU TOLD ME YOU WEREN'T COMING!"
"IT WAS A SURPRISE!"
"A SURPRISE?!" She ran toward me and grabbed my arms, shaking me. "JASPER JEAN MARIANO I COULD ACTUALLY KILL YOU RIGHT NOW!"
"I'M SORRY BUT ALSO YOU'RE HERE?! IN SECTION E?! I THOUGHT THIS WAS ALL BOYS?!"
"It's NOT all boys! I'M here! I'VE been here! SINCE THE START OF THE YEAR!"
"WHAT?!"
"WHAT?!"
The entire class was watching us. Thirty boys. All entertained.
Someone whistled. "Drama sa Section E!"
"Shut up, Felix!" Mia yelled without looking away from me.
Keifer cleared his throat. LOUDLY.
Mia and I froze.
Mia turned to him. "Kuya, this is Jay! My best friend! The one from London! The one I'm always texting!"
Kuya.
Kuya.
SHE CALLED HIM KUYA.
I looked at Keifer. Then at Mia. Then back at Keifer.
"You're... you're BROTHERS?!"
Mia blinked. "Yeah? Didn't I mention that?"
"NO. NO YOU DID NOT MENTION THAT."
"Oh." She thought about it. "Huh. I guess I forgot."
"YOU FORGOT TO MENTION YOUR BROTHER IS A SCARY CLASS PRESIDENT?!"
"He's not scary!"
"He looks SCARY!"
"He's soft inside!"
"I don't need to know what's inside him!"
Keifer pinched the bridge of his nose like he was getting a headache. "Mia. Take your seat. Both of you. We'll talk later."
Mia grabbed my hand and dragged me toward the back, past all the staring boys. Jare followed, looking confused.
"You owe me SO MUCH explanation," I hissed.
"You owe ME one! You lied about coming!"
"It was a SURPRISE!"
"A SURPRISE HEART ATTACK!"
We sat down next to each other at the very back. Two desks. One window. And a clear view of the whole classroom.
Mia finally noticed Jare, who was sitting on my other side.
"Oh! Is this—"
"My twin, Jare," I said. "Jare, this is Mia."
Jare's face did something weird. Like he was trying to look cool but also dying inside. "Hi."
"Hi!" Mia smiled at him. "Jay never told me she had a twin!"
"Really?" Jare looked at me. "You never mentioned me?"
"I mention you ALL the time."
"You say 'my annoying brother Jare.' That's different."
Mia laughed. "Wait, you're ANNOYING? Jay never said that part."
"I'm not annoying!"
"You kind of are," I said.
"Traitor."
Keifer's voice cut through the room again. "Everyone quiet. We have announcements."
The class actually listened. It was impressive, honestly. One word from him and 15boys turned into angels.
But I could feel his eyes on me. On us. On Mia laughing with the new students.
This was fine. Everything was fine.
I was in a new country. In a new school. In a section full of boys. My best friend was here but also her brother was my terrifying class president. And some leather-jacket idiot with a lollipop had already decided I was his personal entertainment.
What could possibly go wrong?
Mia leaned over and whispered, "I can't believe you're actually here."
"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT EITHER."
"Girls," Jare muttered. "He's looking."
We both looked up. Keifer was staring directly at us.
Mia waved at him.
He did not wave back.
I buried my face in my hands.
This was going to be a LONG semester.
At the front of the room, near the door, I caught a glimpse of messy hair and a leather jacket.
Lollipop guy was sitting in the front row, turned around, watching me with that same infuriating smirk.
When our eyes met, he pulled the lollipop out of his mouth and pointed it at me like a toast.
I flipped him off behind my notebook.
His smirk widened.
Great. Just great.
My best friend's brother is the scary class president. Some random hot idiot has declared war on me. And I'm trapped in a room with 15 boys who all witnessed my dramatic entrance.
Welcome to Section E, Jay-Jay.
Try to survive.