Jay's POV
The air inside the car felt way too fancy for my nerves. The seats were soft, the AC was perfect, the city outside looked like a movie—but all I could think was: I'm going to embarrass myself in front of rich smart strangers and then die.
"Relax, Jay," Jane said, scrolling through her phone like this was just another Monday.
"Yeah," I muttered, staring at the gleaming gates of HVIS—Higher Value International School—as they came into view. "Just school. Just a huge international school full of geniuses and future CEOs. No big deal."
Jare smirked from the other side. "If you faint, can you at least fall in a funny way? I need new meme material."
I smacked his arm. "If I faint, it'll be because your face is a jump scare."
The car rolled to a stop in front of the main building, all glass, stone, and way‑too‑many‑flags. Boys in crisp uniforms streamed past like they'd been born here—laughing, shoving each other, juggling backpacks and basketballs. I clutched my backpack straps so hard my fingers hurt.
"Triplets, assemble," Percy said dramatically from the front seat, twisting around to grin at us. "Go conquer the elite or whatever. Don't mess up the Mariano name."
"Percy, you literally failed math twice," I said.
"And look at me now—thriving," he replied, flipping his hair. "Now go."
We stepped out together—me, Jare, and Jane—like some budget version of a power trio. Jane's hair was perfect, Jare looked cool and unbothered, and I… nearly tripped on absolutely nothing. Great start.
Inside, the hallway smelled like new books, polished floors, and too‑expensive cologne. Bulletin boards lined the walls, covered in club posters: Debate Team, Robotics, Basketball Tryouts, Music Society, even a Baking Club. My stomach growled.
"Focus," I whispered to myself. "No joining clubs just because they sound tasty."
"Section E is upstairs," Jane said, checking the paper in her hand. "We're all in the same class, remember?"
Right. Triplets in one class. HVIS had no idea what they'd signed up for.
As we walked up, I felt eyes on us—curious, judging, measuring. New uniforms, new faces. I tried to keep my chin up like Jane, but inside I felt like a blob.
We reached the door: SECTION E – 503 . My heart did a backflip.
"Ready?" Jare asked.
"No," I said.
He opened the door anyway.
The classroom was buzzing with chatter. Sunlight poured through big windows, desks were arranged in disoriented rows, and boys were already in their little groups. A few heads turned as we stepped in.
That's when I saw him.
Up front, near the teacher's desk, a tall guy leaned back in his chair, one arm slung over the backrest like he owned the whole room. Dark hair, sharp jawline, sleeves slightly rolled up, tie loose like rules didn't quite apply to him.
His eyes flicked over us—over me—and for a split second, I felt like he'd seen right through my blazer into the panicking goblin that I truly was. Then he looked away, bored.
Rude.
" oh Mr and Miss Marianos welcome " " they are new students triplets actually please introduce yourselves " sir Alvin said
"New students?" someone called from the back.
" hi, I'm Jane " she said unbothered already walking towards an empty seat " I'm jasprit Mariano you can call me jare he said calmly then walked towards the back where someone saved him a seat leaving me all alone okay Jay you can do this.
" hi, I'm Jasper Jean Mariano but you can call me Jay " I said as I looked around for a seat "
A boy with messy hair and a lazy grin lifted a hand. "Hey! Over here!"
I blinked. "Uh—me?"
"Yeah, you.," he said. "I'm C‑in."
He leaned back in his chair, one leg hooked over the bar, looking like he'd been born in that seat. His tie was loose, shirt a little untucked, and there was a bandage on one finger like he'd tried something stupid recently and absolutely succeeded.
"You nearly fell outside," C‑in added, smirking. "Respect. Not everyone starts their HVIS career with a near‑death trip."
My face heated. "You saw that?"
"Everyone saw that," a boy next to him said, doodling on his notebook. "I'm Drew. Solid almost‑face‑plant."
Around them sat a whole cluster of boys:
A guy with glasses typing like his life depended on it—David.
A boy tapping a pen in a beat on his desk—Josh.
A dude with headphones around his neck, nodding along to silent music—Blaster.
Erin, Rory, Edrix, Yuri, Eman, Mayo, Kit, Denzel—names flew at me like confetti as C‑in jerked his thumb around the group.
My brain stored exactly three of them and dropped the rest into a black hole.
"Don't worry," C‑in said, as if he'd read my mind. "You'll forget all our names by lunch and remember them when we're already trauma‑bonded by exams."
I snorted. "I like you already."
I was about to relax when a shadow fell over my desk.
I looked up.
He stood there, hands in his pockets, expression somewhere between amused and annoyed. Up close, he was even more unfairly good‑looking. That should be illegal on a Monday morning.
"Mariano, right?" he asked, eyes flicking to the list in his hand. "Jasper Jean, Jasprit, and Jane."
"Jay," I corrected automatically. "Only my birth certificate calls me Jasper Jean."
His mouth twitched. "Section E's new troublemakers, huh?"
"Excuse me," I said. "I'm a very responsible, mature—"
"You came in with your backpack unzipped," he cut in, pointing.
I looked down. Two notebooks and a chocolate bar were halfway out, clinging to life. "...That was a test. I passed."
A couple of boys snickered. C‑in gave me a thumbs‑up from behind Keifer's shoulder.
Keifer raised an eyebrow.
Something in me bristled. "Don't worry, Your Majesty," I said sweetly. "I'll try not to ruin your precious kingdom."
From somewhere in the room, someone whispered, "Is she seriously talking back to Keifer already?"
His eyes narrowed just a little, like he wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or impressed. Then he turned and walked back to the front like he hadn't just declared himself monarch of all idiots. He shouldn't be president he is the king of the ulupongs
"Wow," I muttered, slumping in my seat. "He's annoying."
"You get used to it," C‑in said, grinning. "Or you start throwing erasers at his head in your imagination."
As the homeroom teacher walked in and the class scrambled to attention, I glanced around Section E—the buzzing boys, the perfect windows, the smug class president, my siblings beside me, my heart pounding with nerves and excitement.
New school. New classmates. New enemies. Maybe new friends.
And I had no idea that by the time this year was over, the King of Ulupongs, C‑in, and the rest of Section E would be tangled in more chaos with me than any of us could handle.
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I have a question should I do keifer's pov or not
Next chapter is locked 🔒
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