Keifer was supposed to love Ella. Everyone thought so—he thought so. She had always been Mutya ng Section E, the untouchable, admired, perfect girl that fit right into his world.

And then you came.

No one expected you to take that title, least of all Keifer. You, the new face in Section E, the one who was supposed to blend into the background—not take over the space that Ella once owned. Not steal the attention that was never meant for you.

Keifer hated you for it.

"Enjoying the spotlight, are we?" He leans against your desk, arms crossed, voice low enough that no one else could hear the sharpness in it. "Must be nice, walking in and acting like you belong."

You look up at him, unfazed. "I didn’t ask for any of this, Keifer."

"Didn’t you?" He tilts his head, studying you. "Because it sure seems like you enjoy it."

It starts with that—a rivalry that isn't quite open war, but something tense, something charged. He makes snide remarks, throws calculated glances, makes sure you know that you don’t deserve to stand where Ella once did.

But the more he watches, the more he starts to realize—there’s something about you that isn’t just luck. You don’t just stand there and take the title; you hold it. You fight for it. And no matter how much he tries to remind himself that Ella should still be the only one that matters—he can’t ignore you.

And that drives him insane.

"You don’t belong here," he says one day, but there’s no bite to it anymore. Just something uncertain, something confused.

"Then why do you keep looking at me like I do?" you fire back.

Keifer has no answer for that.

Because at some point, this wasn’t about Ella anymore.

It was about you.