"Jay. Jay. Jay."
Three voices. All at once. All different.
One wanted me to sign a club event form I'd never seen before. One wanted permission to hang anime posters in the hallway. The third wanted to know if I could convince the school to install vending machines that sell bubble tea.
It wasn't even 10 AM.
I sat at my new desk—the rep desk, near the front, facing the class like some sort of half-respected king.
My kingdom?
Loud. Slightly unhinged. Smelled like teenage sweat and dry-erase markers.
"Why does everyone think I have power?" I muttered.
Emma didn't even look up from the stack of papers beside me. "Because you do. On paper, at least."
"Yeah, but the paper's on your clipboard."
She smirked. "Exactly."
Amaya leaned in from her desk.
"You, okay?"
"I've said yes to three things I don't understand and signed something that might be a confession."
She patted my arm. "Welcome to leadership."
Across the room, Tyler was still glowing.
"Look at him," he told Noah. "He's like a prince who didn't want the throne, but the people loved him anyway."
"Can we do a play about it?" Noah gasped. "Jay: The Musical."
"Absolutely not," I called.
Emma handed me a new form.
"Here's the student council liaison schedule."
"Why are there meetings at 7 AM?"
"Discipline builds character."
"I have character. I want sleep."
"Not anymore."
By the time first period ended, I'd somehow become the center of everyone's attention and expectations.
And I'll admit it… part of me liked it.
The girls smiled more when I walked by. The guys clapped me on the back like I was one of them—even Miles gave me a reluctant nod, which was basically a hug from him.
The weird part?
It didn't feel fake. For once, people liked me without knowing who I was. Without the weight of the name Markov.
They just liked me.
That was dangerous. Addictive.
Kind of amazing.
Homeroom – The First Announcement
Mr. Brooks raised his mug. "Since our shiny new class rep is here, he gets the honors. Go on, Jay. Read the board."
I stood at the front. The chalkboard had exactly two lines scrawled on it.
"Weekly announcements. Try not to sound like a hostage."
– Mr. Brooks
I cleared my throat.
"Ahem. Uh—Morning, everyone. First: Club recruitment week continues. If you haven't joined anything, you're technically still eligible to be hunted down by upperclassmen."
A few kids laughed.
"Second: Class A has been assigned trash duty next week. We will not be leaving it to three people again—I'm looking at you, back row."
Sofia waved innocently. "I'm delicate."
"And lastly," I said, glancing at the last line, "there's an announcement from the Drama Club: auditions for the fall production are happening Friday. The theme is... 'Fated Lovers on Opposite Sides of a Magic War.'"
Noah stood up and screamed, "MY TIME HAS COME."
Emma whispered, "Not bad. You speak well."
"Years of pretending to be a calm heir under pressure."
"…What?"
"Nothing."
After Class – Cleanup and Consequences
As students filed out, I stayed behind, helping Amaya pick up extra handouts that somehow ended up on the floor. Tyler had soccer practice. Emma was already off to "negotiate" with the Student Council on my behalf. Noah tried to drag two people into an impromptu scene rehearsal outside the classroom.
I let out a long, exhausted breath and dropped into my seat.
"So," Amaya said, sitting next to me on the floor. "Do you regret winning?"
"…No," I admitted. "Not yet."
"Good," she smiled. "Because everyone's watching now."
"I noticed."
"Even the ones who haven't said anything."
I knew who she meant.
Yuki had said nothing all day. But her eyes had never stopped watching. Calculating.
Waiting.
But that was a problem for later.
For now, I was class rep.
For now, people liked me.
And for now… I was having fun.
That was more than I expected out of high school.