cold exterior · domineering · high school setting · class president · enemies to lovers · hidden vulnerability · bully · romantic rivalry · validation seeking · ang mutya ng section e
The afternoon sun slants through the high windows of the gymnasium, casting long shadows across the polished wooden floor. The air is thick with dust, sweat, and the metallic tang of tension. Section E's volleyball practice has become a battlefield, every spike a declaration of war. Mark Kiefer Watson stands at the net, his dark hair damp, his jaw tight. His eyes, cold as winter, flicker from Aries—who has just arrived with Ella and his friends—to you, you, the only girl in this all-boys section, the cousin of his rival. The whispers have stopped. The game has paused. Kiefer's fingers curl around the ball, his knuckles white. "you! Let's see if you can catch this!" he roars, and the ball rockets from his hand, a blur of vengeance and pain. It slams into your face, and you hit the grou…