Holy Grail by Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z was on and I felt like some king in his new kingdom. I held my head high and tried to look as confident as I can be. But... I really am not a king nor am I confident. I'm happy for my mother for finding a man that can treat her right since my dad, if you can even call him that, is such a douchebag. But adjusting to a new place is quite hard for me. I've been trying my best to be real, to just be me. That's what I am best at anyway. Yet that's gotten me hurtful comments and weird looks in this school. Am I in some teenage drama show? I caught sight of my step brother. He's the only person I have here. He seems cold, but I know he's a good person. 

“Look, Marcos is sitting with Lovely Rose,” I heard a schoolmate say

“Are they dating again?”

“Didn't they break up like two years go?”

“Well they look like a perfect match,”

“Don't ever say that when Daisy's around,”

“She'll fume!”

So Marcos dates. He didn't seem like the type to be interested in dating. He is too serious from what I've seen. I decided to approach him after a little more eavesdropping.

“Brother!” I exclaimed

“Brother?” the two girls looked confused

“Jackson, sit with us.”

I forced myself in between Marcos and who I am assuming to be Lovely Rose. 

“Hello there, I'm Jackson,”

“Hi Jackson. I'm Lovely Rose,”

“I heard a lot of people saying your name and my brother's name earlier. They kept asking each other if you two were dating again,” I turned to Marcos, “I didn't think you were dating anyone,”

“We're not,” cleared Lovely Rose

“No chance,” JB mumbled

“Such a shame. You two match,” I told them

“Hi Jackson. I'm Lily Anne,”

“Hi Lily Anne, nice to meet you,”

“I'm uh, Wonwoo,” the guy with round glasses stuttered

“Nice to meet you. So, it's Lily Rose, Lovely Anne and Wonwoo,”

“No, it's Lovely Rose and Lily Anne,” Marcos corrected me

“This is confusing. Can I just call you two girl by one of your names?” 

“Sure thing. You can call me Lily,”

“So if you're Lily, I'll call you Rose so I won't mix it up.”

I waited for Lovely Rose's approval. 

“Whatever you like,” allowed Rose

“That's new. No one calls her Rose,” JB commented

“Cool, it can be our thing,” I raised my hand to give her a high five. She smiled before doing so. 

“You're interesting,” she told me

“Thank you,” I grinned. 

I caught Marcos looking at me with a weird expression. Did I make a mistake?

“Lunch will be over in a bit. What's your guys' next class?” asked Lily

Wonwoo reached for the white paper sticking out in his jeans' pocket.

“We have English but different teachers,” Lily answered first

“By we, she means Lovely Rose and her. They're usually a package deal,” explained JB

“Oh, I have English too,” 

“Me too,” Wonwoo looked up from reading his schedule

“Who's the teacher?”

Marcos seemed too eager to ask Wonwoo. 

“It says M Lewis,” 

“I have her,” Rose stated

“Me three,” I raised my hand

“What? No fair,” whined Lily

“You still have Marcos and me,” JB tried comforting her

“Yeah and Daisy Grace,” she sighed

“How do you know she's in our class?” Marcos asked

“I caught a peek of her schedule slip during enrollment. Why did M Lewis class have to limit his class by the number of male and female students?” she groaned

“Have fun,” Rose laughed

“Is Daisy Grace your friend too?”

“No,” the girls replied in unison

“Do you know her?” Rose looked at me with curiosity 

“I had a class with her this morning,” 

“Be careful,” warned JB

“Don't be rude,” Marcos lectured, “Daisy's just..”

“Hard to understand,” Rose interrupted him.

I could hear bitterness in her voice. 

“Switch classes with me,” Lily pleaded with me

“Hey, I feel like you're insulting us,” frowned JB

“It's not that,” argued Lily

“Don't switch, Lily Anne.”

Lily immediately became quiet after Rose's order. For some reason, I felt a shiver down my spine as she spoke those words. Anyone would be able to feel the power in the way Rose talks. 

“Let's talk later,” she added. 

Rose stood up carrying her tray. 

“I'll go ahead. See you two in class.”

She looked at me first before at Wonwoo. He too seemed, at awe, by her. 

“She still scares me sometimes,” JB shivered

“What's that about?” Marcos focused on Lily

“Secret,” Lily winked at him before leaving

“Yah! Take your tray,” JB told her

“I can put it away,” offered Wonwoo

“Are you leaving too? The bell hasn't even rang,” I said

“I'm,” he paused, “I kind of forgot where the classroom is,” he scratched the back of his head

“Shoot, me too,”

“What will we do with you two?” JB shook his head

“Let's go then. JB and I will walk you to class.”

Why does it feel like I'm walking into something dangerous? 

The four of us walked to Wonwoo and I's English class in silence. It felt awkward. Why were the three so quiet?

“We're nearby,” Marcos informed us

“Uh oh. I see Daisy Grace with Lovely Rose,” JB pointed

Rose was leaning her back on the wall while facing Daisy Grace. I couldn't make of their facial expressions yet but judging from how JB spoke, I sense there's tension between them. 

“We should hurry.”

Marcos sounded worried. By the time we reached Rose, Daisy Grace had left already. 

“Look at you two being escorted by the resident cool guys in the school,” she teased. 

I didn't fully understand who she was talking about. 

“Take care of Lily,” she specifically told JB.

So why wouldn't she let Lily switch classes with me?

“I sit near the front. Is it okay with you, Jackson? I know Wonwoo is okay with is,” 

“I'll just sit behind you guys,”

“Alright, let's go in.”

Rose walked up to the second row at the far right of the room. 

“This alright?” she was asking Wonwoo

“Same spot,” he said with a smile

“Huh?”

“I figured Wonwoo was a consistent type of guy. In our other class, he also sits at the farthest right of the second row,”

“You're observant,” Wonwoo noted

“I just had a feeling.”

“Wait, did you two just meet today too?”

I realized as I sat behind Wonwoo. By the two guys resident cool guys earlier, she meant JB and Marcos then. Rose and Wonwoo faced me at the same time.

“Yup,”

“I'm new here,”

“This whole time, I thought you were just the quiet guy of the group,”

“Well, I usually don't talk much. I'm kind of shy,”

“Eh, we'll get you out of your shell,” assured Rose

“Wonwoo! We must be destined to be friends.”

Rose suddenly broke into laughter. 

 

Lovely Rose's words kept playing like a broken record in my ears. She knows me too well. It's not Daisy Grace's presence that bothers me, but JB's.  Even though Marcos and Lovely Rose broke up, JB and I stayed in touch, eventually becoming closer. The next thing I knew, I had caught feelings for him. I hate it. I have never confessed to Lovely Rose why but I know she already knows. I'm afraid of JB and I becoming like Marcos and her. They were the best of friends, fell in love and out of it. I didn't want to repeat that cycle, but Lovely Rose believes in taking risks. 

“Hey, you litterer,” JB said as he entered the classroom

“It was just once,” I defended

“I was not going to throw it for you,”

“And he didn't. Wonwoo did,”

“Man, why you gotta drop me like that?”

“How lovely,” Daisy Grace was standing by the doorway, “You two remind me of how lovely Rose and Marcos were. How sickening.”

The three of us became quiet at her comment. Could it be that JB feels what I feel too? Does Marcos also see himself and Lovely Rose in us? How awkward. Daisy Grace would ruin this class for me.