(This book is a fan-fiction of "Ang Mutya Ng Section E Book-2". This book is similar to the real book written by Lara Flores. But some things have changed.. There are new characters! More chaos! So enjoy!)
Jay-jay's POV
Too bad, I'm already engaged to Yuri.
And the worst part? He knew — he knew — that my heart still belonged to Keifer. Oh, Lord… why did I even say yes to that damn proposal? Ugh. Yuri always had a way of ruining everything.
Now I just felt like the worst kind of person — a two-timer."Yuri," I hissed under my breath, glaring at the ring around my finger, "I swear, I'm going to kill you."
The silver band caught the morning light, glinting like a chain rather than a symbol of love. I sighed heavily."I have to do this… at least for a while," I whispered to myself.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand. A new message lit up the screen.
📩 From Little_SnakeHoy Jay! I'm sooo excited to see you! Meet me at school, I've got something important to tell you!
"Back to school already?" I muttered, reading the message again. "Something important? Fine, whatever."
I forced myself out of bed and headed for the bathroom. A quick shower, the usual HVIS uniform, socks, and a half-hearted attempt to tame my hair with my fingers — I hated combs. Bag slung over my shoulder, I was ready to go. But just as I reached for the door handle, I heard voices on the other side.
Kuya Angelo. Aunt Gema.
I opened the door, and the moment they noticed me, the conversation stopped cold.I scratched the back of my neck. "Good morning, Aunt Gema."I didn't bother greeting Kuya.
"Good morning, Jay," Aunt Gema said warmly. "Go eat breakfast before you leave."
I nodded silently and headed downstairs. My ever-so-annoying cousin Aries was already seated at the dining table, shoveling food into his mouth. I dropped into the chair opposite him, placed my bag on the floor, and started eating.
But Aries's constant glances were hard to ignore.
"Do you have something to say?" I asked, annoyed.
"You're the one who needs to say something," he shot back, still watching me closely.
"What?" I frowned, genuinely confused.
"What's your decision? Are you still going to stay in that stupid section of yours?"
And there it was — the usual Aries interrogation.Why did he hate Section E so much? And did he really think he could make me leave? Kuya Angelo would never allow it anyway.
I ignored him and continued eating. That seemed to irritate him even more.
"If you had just listened to me," he snapped, suddenly standing, "you wouldn't have been set up in this engagement."
I mimicked his tone under my breath as he stormed off.This engagement is so messed up.
Shaking off the thought, I finished my breakfast, grabbed my bag, and headed out. Aries was still outside, talking to someone near the gate. I didn't need to guess who — I already knew.
"Yuri," I said flatly, approaching them. "Why are you here?"
He was leaning casually against his car, arms crossed, and flashed me a smile the moment he saw me — his usual classic rooster grin.
"I'm here to pick you up," he announced.
Before he could step closer, Aries moved in front of me protectively, blocking his way.
"She's not coming with you. Leave," Aries growled, brows furrowed.
"You're not the one who gets to decide that," Yuri replied coolly.
"Aries… it's okay," I said softly. "I want to talk to Yuri."
He sighed but stepped aside. Yuri opened the car door for me, and I climbed in. The glare Aries shot us as we drove away burned into the back of my head.
"So… have you talked to Angelo?" Yuri asked once we were on the road.
I shook my head. "No. I don't want to talk to him yet."
"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I should've told you about all this from the start. I never wanted to force you, so I tried to make an effort."
So that was why he'd gone down on one knee. That was his effort.
I stared at the ring again."How are we going to tell Section E?" I asked quietly.
He exhaled deeply. "I've been thinking about that. It's better if we don't tell them for now."
"Why?"
"It's for the sake of our section. It'll cause chaos if they find out — especially since everyone thinks Keifer has feelings for you too."
I swallowed."Well…" I muttered, almost to myself. "It's true."
"What?" Yuri glanced at me. "What did you say?"
"U-uhh, nothing." I forced a smile.
"So… what do you think?"
"You're right," I admitted. "It would be chaos if they knew."
But deep down, I felt sick. Like I was playing with him. Like a liar.I stared at the ring again. They couldn't see this — not Ci-n, not anyone. They'd never stop asking questions.
I unclasped the necklace Poseidon had given me during the Christmas party. I still didn't know who it was really from, but I liked it. Carefully, I slipped the ring onto the chain and wore it around my neck instead.
"Great idea," Yuri said, smiling at me.
I smiled back. Silence settled over us. Traffic turned the car into a cage, and the tension grew thicker by the minute.
We'd glance at each other. Smile. Look away. Do it again. And again. We looked like complete idiots.
"This is awkward," Yuri chuckled. "You know what? We don't have to take this engagement too seriously. We can still treat each other the same as before."
"What?"
"No pressure. Let's only think about the engagement when we're together. Just be the same Jay-jay I know."
A smile tugged at my lips. Why was I overthinking this anyway? It wasn't even my idea.
"You got that right!" I said — and smacked him hard on the head.
"Ow! What was that for?" he complained, rubbing the spot.
"You said to act the same way I always do," I teased, raising my fist again.
"Hoy! I'm driving! We might get into an accident!"
I sighed. Missed opportunity.But the tension broke. We laughed, and the weight on my chest felt lighter.This was how we used to be.
The car finally stopped in the school parking lot. I unbuckled my seatbelt, ready to get out — but Yuri suddenly grabbed my arm.
"I forgot something," he murmured and leaned in to kiss me.
I quickly covered my lips with my hand.Nope. Not today.
Yuri froze, startled, and pulled back. "I-I'm sorry…"
"It's… okay," I whispered, my voice trembling. "I just want to say that…"I swallowed hard. "…I'm not comfortable with this engagement."
His eyes widened. "Then why did you accept the proposal?"
"I didn't have a choice…" The words left my lips like stones dropping into water.
I hurried out of the car. As I walked away, I realized Yuri wasn't following."I'm sorry," I whispered under my breath. "I really am."
Inside the campus, I spotted Ci-n heading into the main building. "Ci-n!" I called, jogging toward him.
"Jay-jay!!"
"Ci-n!!"
We collided in a hug, laughing like we hadn't seen each other in months — even though we'd spent Christmas together. People stared, but we didn't care.
"I have something to tell you!" he said excitedly, pulling me toward the building.
"What is it?"
"We're getting a new classmate!" he announced, practically hopping like an overexcited bunny.
"WHAT?!"
"I know! I can't believe it either!" he grinned.
I peppered him with questions — gender, age, anything — but he just shrugged. "I don't know."
We stepped into the Section E classroom, where everyone was buzzing about something."Jay-jay!" David greeted, patting my head. "How were your holidays?"
"Not bad," I smiled.
"Did you hear about the new transferee?" he asked.
I glanced at the King's empty chair. "Nope. Do you?"
He shook his head."I'll be back in a minute," I said, stepping into the hallway. Ten minutes until class. No sign of the King — but I did see someone else.
A girl stood near the door, her black hair brushing her chest, bangs slightly messy. High knee socks, a hoodie over her uniform, eyes glued to her phone. No makeup. Tanned skin. Brown lips. She looked like a tomboy.
"Uh… Miss? Is this Section E?" she asked, noticing me.
"Uhh… yeah. Are you the new transferee?"
She nodded and smiled. Just then, Ci-n and David appeared — and froze.
"KRISTINE?!""CI-N?!"
They shouted in unison before launching into a hug like long-lost siblings. I felt a small twinge of jealousy.
"Who's this?" David asked.
"She's my childhood friend," Ci-n explained, still smiling. "We haven't seen each other in years."
"I actually texted you last week," Kristine said.
"Oh, come on! That was just a text — it's been six years!"
"Wait — six years?!" David and I chorused.
"Yeah," she laughed. "I had to go to the U.S. for my studies."
"Hey, guys… who's this?" Keifer asked, appearing beside us.
"She's the new transferee," David answered.
"Who?"
The bell rang, ending the conversation. We all returned to class just as Sir Alvin walked in. Everyone's attention turned to Kristine.
"Kristine, right?" he asked. She nodded. "Perfect timing. Why don't you introduce yourself?"
She turned to the class. "I'm Kristine Manalo Williams — but you can call me Kris."
Her name's so American… but also so Filipino, I thought.
"I transferred from Rosewell Academy in L.A. I'm Filipino, but I grew up in the U.S."
"Any questions?" Sir Alvin asked. Silence. "Alright then, Kris, may I call you that?"
"Of course," she said politely. "And since no one's asking questions… may I take a seat?"
"Go ahead."
She took a seat beside Ci-n. Thank goodness, I thought. At least she's not sitting in my old spot.