(Jayjay's Point of View)
The morning bell echoed across Higher Value International School — sharp, too early, too loud.
I used to hate that sound. Now, I kind of liked it. It meant another day
I could pretend things were fine.
"Jayjay, are you even listening?"
Keifer's voice broke through my thoughts as we walked to class together.
"I am," I lied.
He smirked. "You always say that when you're not."
I rolled my eyes and bumped his shoulder lightly. "You're so annoying, you know?"
"Yeah," he said, smiling. "But you still walk with me every morning."
My cheeks warmed. I looked away, pretending to check my phone.
We weren't official, but everyone in Section E already knew. Even Ella wouldn't stop teasing me about it.
We just never said it out loud — like saying it might break whatever fragile peace we'd built since Checkmate.
When we reached class, the energy felt different — like everyone knew something new was coming.
Our homeroom teacher clapped her hands. "Alright, settle down, everyone. We have two transfer students joining Section E today."
Two? That was rare.
"Come in!" she called.
The door opened, and a boy and girl stepped inside.
The boy was tall, calm, with neat dark hair and an unreadable face.
The girl beside him was the opposite — bright smile, colorful hair clip, waving like she already owned the room.
"This is Adrian Voss and his younger sister Ciel Voss," the teacher said. "They transferred from East Division. I hope you'll make them feel welcome."
"Hi!" Ciel said cheerfully. "I'm seventeen, I love strawberry bread, and I can't survive without my phone!"
The class laughed. Even Ci-N raised his hand. "Finally, someone who understands me!"
They instantly clicked — two chaotic souls in one room.
Adrian just gave a polite nod. "Nice to meet you all."
His voice was calm — too calm — and when his eyes met mine, I felt something odd.
Like he recognized me.
The teacher pointed. "You can sit behind Jayjay and Keifer."
Ciel whispered as she passed me,
"You two look like a couple."
I almost choked. "We're not."
Keifer smirked. "Yet."
"Keifer!"
The class burst out laughing. Even Adrian smiled a little.
At lunch, we all gathered in the courtyard — the same spot where the old Section E used to hang out before everything went wrong.
It felt strange having new people there.
Ciel fit in immediately, telling stories about her old school, laughing too loud, dragging Ci-N into a dance trend she learned online.
Adrian sat quietly beside me, his lunch untouched.
"You don't talk much, huh?" I said.
He glanced at me. "I talk when it matters."
I raised a brow. "So… this doesn't matter?"
He smiled faintly. "I'm still deciding."
Keifer shot him a quick look from across the table — the kind of look that said I'm watching you.
I sighed. Boys.
Later that day, we had P.E. — which meant chaos.
Ella and Aries were the star couple of the hour. She couldn't stop cheering for him, and he couldn't stop showing off.
"Aries! Over here!" she yelled.
He winked at her before scoring another point. "That's for you, babe!"
"Ugh, they're so sweet it's disgusting," Ciel groaned beside me.
"Right?" I laughed. "But secretly… kinda cute."
She grinned. "I'm calling it now — you and Keifer are next."
I shook my head, hiding a smile. "Nope. We're just—"
"—not official?" she interrupted.
"Yeah, that's what everyone says before they become official."
After class, the sky had started to turn gold. The campus looked calm, almost peaceful again.
Adrian was waiting outside the classroom, hands in his pockets.
"You walk home with Keifer every day?" he asked casually.
I hesitated. "Sometimes."
He nodded slowly. "You two seem close."
"We are."
He didn't say anything after that, just looked out at the sunset. His expression was soft, but there was something sad behind it — like he'd lost something he didn't know how to get back.
That evening, Section E's group chat finally came alive again.
Ella: omg the new girl is CRAZY 💀
Ci-N: SHE STOLE MY BREAD
Ciel: YOU DIDN'T GUARD IT 😜
Aries: I'm in love with both of them — my girlfriend and my new chaos child
Jayjay: 😭😭😭
Keifer: who said she could join the group
Ciel: me <3
I couldn't help laughing. It felt normal again — something I hadn't felt in months.
But later that night, while scrolling through my phone, I saw Adrian's message pop up privately.
"You ever wish the past didn't happen?"
I stared at the screen for a long moment before replying.
"Sometimes. But maybe it made us who we are now."
He didn't reply.
And as I put my phone down, I realized something I didn't want to admit —
There was something about Adrian that scared me…
because he reminded me of myself before I broke.