Chapter 3 Firecracker Best Friends

DENZEL'S POV

Rule #6: Let people underestimate you. It makes the win more satisfying.

Later that evening, I found myself reading one of my older brother's application letters. He'd left it on the kitchen counter again, forgetting he needed to attach a cover letter.

Mom was working late. Again.

The apartment was so quiet, even the hum of the fridge felt deafening. I closed the laptop and went to my room, collapsing on the bed. I stared at the ceiling, hearing my father's old voice in my head: "Don't be afraid to win, but don't lose your heart trying."

I used to love that advice. Now it felt more like a warning.

My phone buzzed.

Group Chat: Cross Queens

Hannah: Luke is hotter but Basti has the mysterious-guy playlist energy. Change my mind.

Rheiza: I still say it's a trap. Tall boys who play guitar are never safe.

Me: I'm going to sleep.

Hannah: dream of him. you deserve it!

Hannah: u alone again tonight?

Me: Yep. Ivan's gone. Ma's at work.

Hannah: our damsel is in distress again. This calls for a sleepover!

Rheiza: It won't hurt I guess.

I shook my head. I didn't know how they did it. They always knew when to crash in and pull me out before the silence swallowed me whole.

I typed out a polite decline. It wasn't like I was scared to be alone.

I was trying to disappear into the couch when Hannah jumped on me.

"Victory queen!" she shouted, knocking the wind out of me as she sprawled on top of my lap. "Bia didn't know what hit her."

"I'm ninety-nine percent sure my spine just cracked," I groaned.

"Shut up, you loved it."

"Is that what you tell all your victims?"

"Only the ones who win gold."

We were at Hannah's house-a.k.a. the Dizon Mansion-where the living room looked like a Pinterest dream on steroids, and the aircon was working overtime like a clingy ex trying to redeem himself. Rheiza was curled up in an armchair, nursing a glass of fresh mango juice like a retired CEO.

I didn't come here willingly. I was kidnapped for this overnight.

"You know, for someone who just dismantled Mater Carmeli's top seed," Rheiza said, "you're alarmingly quiet."

"I don't like bragging."

"You don't like attention," Hannah corrected. "Which is tragic, because attention LOVES you."

"I like results," I muttered.

"Yeah, well, today's result was flawless. You're not exactly the type people fall for at first glance... but it hits hard when it does. I mean, I'm not saying you're ugly. But we all know you don't have Medusa's seductive capability." She leaned closer. "So. Spill. What's the deal with Captain Tall-Dark-and-Smoldering?"

Should I be insulted? I should. But this was our language. And if anything, they got this skill from me.

I blinked. "Who?"

"Oh, don't play dumb, damsel. You know. Basti. Mater Carmeli's volleyball guy who gave you eyes like you were his final boss level."

"He said two words to me. Maybe three."

"And yet. Chemistry."

"There was no chemistry," I said firmly. "There was a chess match, a checkmate, and a guy who looked at me like I was a game he could solve."

"You make that sound romantic," Rheiza muttered.

"I make that sound like a red flag."

"You also didn't deny he's cute."

I stood and grabbed the nearest throw pillow, aiming it square at Hannah's head. "I'm going to end this conversation before you build an entire fanfic in your head."

"Too late," she sang. "Chapter one is called 'The Queen and the Captain.'"

"You guys are impossible."

"I'm still waiting for the details," she said, grinning at me like a child asking for a candy. "Like how many seconds Basti looked at you. How intense the eye contact was. On a scale from 'accidental glance' to 'slow-burn k-drama fate.'"

"It wasn't even five seconds," I muttered, adjusting my bag strap.

"So it did happen!" she squealed. "Aha! You just confirmed the Eye Contact of Doom happened!"

I shot her a look. "Hannah."

"Denzel."

"You're making her twitch again," Rheiza said without looking up.

"She's in denial," Hannah whispered, loud enough for me to hear.

"About what?"

"She had a moment. With a boy. A tall one. From Mater Carmeli. The Basti."

I groaned. "Please don't say 'The Basti' like he's some overpriced bottled water."

"Oh, but he's thirst-quenching."

"I'm going to delete your TikTok account."

Rheiza handed me the iced tea packet. "For when you're done committing verbal homicide."

"Thanks," I muttered.

We ended up sprawled across her floor later that night, textbooks scattered between us under the pretense of studying. Hannah played old 2000s pop ballads on her Bluetooth speaker, singing at the top of her lungs while Rheiza and I pretended not to exist.

But I was thinking about him.

Not like that. Not seriously. Just... not nothing, either.

Just a fragment. A flicker. The way his eyes lingered-not in a creepy way, but in that quiet kind of noticing that always makes me nervous.

And then there was the dancer. Luke. The one who moved like he'd stepped straight out of a music video. I could still hear Hannah whispering "flirt alert" under her breath every time he moved on the court.

I didn't get boys like them.

Confident. Wealthy. Handsome.

The kind who smiled like confidence was oxygen-and everyone else was gasping for air. The kind who reminded me of my dad.

Before the accident. Before the betrayal.

I excused myself around midnight and went to the guest room, where the lights were softer and where my thoughts could sprawl like shadows in the low light.

My dad used to take me to weekend chess tournaments when I was younger. He called me "General Denz." He used to sit behind me, arms crossed, watching with quiet pride.

I used to love him without question. Now, I didn't know what I felt.

Pity. Rage. Maybe both. Maybe neither. I couldn't tell anymore.

I pulled out my phone and stared at the screen. I had a photo of him saved. Him and Mama, back when they were still smiling. It hurt too much to look. So I didn't.

Instead, I opened the group chat: Cross Queens.

Hannah: tell me u dreamed of basti already

Rheiza: she won't admit it but she's sooooo thinking about him

Me: i'm thinking of how to beat Bia faster next time

Hannah: liarrrrrr

Rheiza: we love a deflecting queen

I smiled.

Barely there. But it counted.