NEW KID

D. J SERRANO'S POV

"What are you thinking about?" Enrique asked.

Ignacio was pulling up in front of St. Lorenzo High School: my new school.

Having Enrique with me made me feel like a kid on his first day of kindergarten. A kid without his mother.

All of a sudden, I was back to that night, the night of the accident. 'The impact had come from Dad's side. Afterwards, he was in a really bad shape but my mother had been my major concern. She wasn't moving. She was barely breathing...' Out of the corner of my eyes, Death reared her head.

"Daniel."

I turned to face my brother. His eyes were narrowed on my wrists. I was playing with my wristbands again. They bothered him. They were a reminder of what I'd tried to do to myself just six weeks ago. But Enrique didn't say anything. It was hard for him.

"I'm thinking of my old friends," I lied. "I'll be the new kid here. Remember how we used to treat new kids at Excelsior?"

Enrique's lips curved in a smirk at the reminder of all the hazing that typically went on at my former school. Excelsior was his former school too, and nobody had dared to touch us because our father basically owned the school.

"Nobody will pick on you here, D. J," he told me. "I made sure to emphasize this point to your principal, and he assured me of their strict anti-bullying policy. I also told him that I would sue his ass if that policy was violated."

"What if I'm the one doing the violating?" I joked.

Enrique regarded me thoughtfully.

"Then I guess we'll work something out. You'll probably have to see more therapists while I fend off the lawsuits." He grimaced. "I can just imagine the headlines."

I could picture them too. "Daniel Serrano, younger son of comatose business mogul involved in bullying scandal," I mused aloud.

Enrique shuddered.

"Don't worry, bro." I reassured him. "I've seen enough therapists to last a lifetime." 'Although, someone would argue differently,' I thought. My mind wandered to the girl I met at the beach- 'Stranger.'

Enrique chuckled. Then, he sobered up.

"I don't expect this to be easy for you, Daniel. You've never had to be the new kid before-"

"And neither have you," I reminded him.

"But I'm better at making friends," he quipped back.

"Right."

"When I put my mind to it, I'm very good at making friends," he insisted, even though we both knew he was incredibly anti-social.

"I still can't see where you're going with this."

Enrique shook his head in exasperation.

"It's a new school," he pointed out. "Trust me. You need friends. Good friends," he added pointedly. "Not douchebags like Mario."

'Solid burn, bro.' I thought. 'You just have to bring up Mario.'

"I do know how to make good friends, okay?" I scoffed.

I was trying very hard not to feel insulted. Okay, maybe I didn't always make the best choices when it came to friends, or girlfriends.

To his credit, my brother didn't push the matter. He didn't say anything more about my ex-bestfriend/ arch nemesis/ stealer of all my girlfriends/ Mario Guevarra 'by name.' He just hinted at him, and it was enough to send me thinking.

While it was a little satisfying that Mario-the-douchebag still thought he was the reason I tried to kill myself - and I was having a hell of a swell time letting his conscience torment him for me - deep down inside I felt bad. Guilty was a better word for it. A long time ago, Mario's family had been destroyed because of me and no amount of apologies, and letting him walk all over me, was ever going to fix it... The worst part was the fact that he knew it too.

"In that case, I think you'll do great. And you're right, I've never had to be the new kid in high school. This is a new experience for the both of us. Enjoy it. Have a blast. Just stay out of trouble." Enrique gave me the pointed look again.

"You know what? I will."

"Right."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," I sassed, as he motioned for Ignacio to let me out.

"I mean it, D. J."

"Yeah, yeah."

His eyes got all solemn- and slightly watery- then he gave me a quick hug- awkward- that ended in him patting my shoulder repeatedly.

"Don't get all teary on me now," I warned.

"When I get back today, you can tell me all about how some mean kid shoved your head in the toilet."

"Really, Enrique?" I grabbed my backpack and stepped out of the black BMW.

"If it isn't a toilet, it's going to be a trashcan, D.J!" He said, laughing.

"Have a nice day," I said dryly.

I glared at him as I slammed the car door shut.

My idiot brother only laughed harder.

"Have a nice day, Sir Daniel," Ignacio said kindly.

He was the only household staff that insisted on coming with us from Manila. He had been working for my family since I could remember, since before Enrique was born.

He was practically family.

"Thank you," I replied gratefully.

Then I walked through the entrance of my new school.

St. Lorenzo High School.

With each step I took, I kept remembering the last time I was actually a new kid at school; Enrique had forgotten about my first day of kindergarten but I never would. And sometimes, I ask myself if everything would have been okay with Mario's parents if he hadn't been kind enough to play with me on that very first day. Maybe then, we never would have been friends; our parents would have never met outside school, his movie star mother would never have cheated on her husband with my father, and they never would have had a child from the affair. 'If I'd had enough sense to avoid Mario then, would my father have had an illegitimate child?'

I didn't know the answer, but not knowing didn't take my guilt away.

ENRIQUE SERRANO'S POV

The moment Ignacio parked the car in the underground parking lot of the new headquarters, I knew today was going to be a long day.

I'd been having long days for a while now.

Each day that passed seemed longer than the one before it. One day, I would have a day that goes on forever.

I walked into the office and I swear, the entire building felt it.

They don't have a choice; I'm the boss.

Enrique Daniel Serrano II.

My father named me after himself, down to the last letter on my birth certificate.

He was hoping for a clone. Instead he got me: his antithesis.

They had to know by now- those old partners of his- they had to know that I was different.

I may pour all my hours into the work but it wasn't because of some sonly love I had for the company.

I had nothing but hate for anything that had my father's name on it. His stamp of approval. His sweat.

I wanted to burn it all to the ground and dance over its ashes.

I wanted to sell it all for one peso so that I could gleefully watch Highlander stock fall on the market.

But only in my wildest dreams.

Reality dictated that I maintain my hold on my father's legacy. For my sake. For D. J and Lalanita's sakes. Otherwise it would all fall apart and the board would swoop in like vultures. Or worse, it could all go to her; Althea Villamor- Mario Gueverra's mother, my father's mistress...and the mother of his illegitimate child.

Unlike D.J, I didn't have the luxury to try not to think about these things. I was the older one, the protector; especially now that Mom was gone, and Dad was in a coma. I had to protect my family, and the company. So, as I settled into my new office a skyscraper in the business district of Cebu, I pulled out my mobile phone and put through a call.

He picked on the first ring.

"Brian, I need you to check out something for me." I'd found something during our move, our old family album, hidden among my mother's things.

"Enrique." My friend, and former college roommate sighed. "No 'hello, Brian. How are you doing?'"

A small smile tugged at my lips, as I echoed, "Hello, Brian. How are you doing?"

I could hear him shaking his head from miles away.

"Now, how soon can you be in Cebu?"

"A few days. A week tops."

"Okay." I didn't push. I'd be patient, even though it really wasn't my strongest suit. The only reason was that Brian was very complicated, and he lived a dangerous life; a lawyer by profession but you'd rarely ever see him in court. His father was a mercenary, his brothers too and sometimes, he dabbled in the life as a former military-trained special forces personnel. And so, Brian was the kind of lawyer you called when you needed to get things done.

D.J SERRANO'S POV

As I took my first steps into St. Lorenzo High School, I knew this was the beginning of the rest of my life. It was more than a gut feeling. It was fate.

Late last night, Lalanita came into my room and told me a secret. I've tried not to think about it. But it wasn't easy around Enrique- especially when he got all touchy feely in the car. I loved the guy. He was my brother. And he deserved to be happy.

So, I would play my part. And I would keep this secret.

For now, anyway.

The thing about joining a new school is the fact that you don't know anybody. It's not like your former school where you have all the inside gossip and you're able to accurately predict- to a reasonable extent- who people really were, under the mask of propriety.

As the new kid, you can only rely on your senses, and facial expressions. This person is smiling, therefore, he or she must be a nice person. Then you move closer and see them trade sly looks when their friends' backs are turned and you think, "okay, maybe not."

Then, if you're me- or some other secret celeb- you wonder how many of them read your blog.

"Excuse me," I stop a guy who's jogging down the corridors, towards me. He's the first person I've mustered the courage to talk to. Maybe because he looks...cool? Anybody with a guitar pick on his wrist bracelet and miniature guitars stitched to his shoes has to be cool.

There's a connection between music and food. Add drinks, good conversation and you have a party on your hands.

"Hi," he said. "I'm really in a hurry. I'm on the welcoming committee and we have to meet at-"

"The administrative block?" I interjected. "Can you tell me where that is?"

He gave me an appraising look.

"Are you a new student here?"

"Yeah." I smiled. "Is it that obvious?"

"Um...surprisingly, no. I think I stand out more than you do."

Was this a compliment? I wasn't sure.

"Thanks?"

"Oh! I haven't introduced myself- so sorry for that- I'm Cesar Salazar. Or Zar- sorry, Ces." He corked his head to the side. "Emmy was right, Ces does sound better."

"What?"

"Call me Ces or Cesar. Not Zar."

"Okay. That's cool, dude."

Dude was weird. He didn't begin to compare to Stranger, though.

"Okay. Follow me, newbie."

"That's not my name," I said. He was already walking away.

This was yet another person that managed to carry out an entire conversation with me without asking for my name. What was up with the people of this town?

Or was it just me?

When we reached the administrative block, some people on the welcoming team and other new students were already there. We weren't the first to arrive, at the same time, we weren't the last.

That suited me just fine.

After a short address from the Principal, the school counselor- Mrs. David- paired us up. Guess which member of the team I paired with. That's right.

Ces.

"Looks like you're stuck with me, newbie," he mused when we were dismissed.

"D. J," I corrected.

"What?"

"My name is D. J. D. J Serrano."

"D. J," he echoed. "That's cool. What does it stand for?"

"Nothing important," I replied in a tone that left no room for further discussion on the matter. "Just my initials."

"So if you became a DJ, you would be DJ D.J? That's dope stuff. Do you know that Ces, as in C-E-S -my initials- are actually the first three letters of my first name? You get it? Cesar? Ces?"

I humored him with a nod and a small smile. It was the best I could manage. If he noticed my lack of profound enthusiasm, Ces was undeterred.

He proceeded to show me around the school.

"It's so cool that we have the same schedule, at least for the most part. You're more into the sciences, I think."

"I want to be an engineer," I told him. "I'm really good at physics and mathematics. Chemistry, though..."

"Yeah, I know," he chuckled. "But don't worry. Miss Dela Reyes- that's the chemistry professor for our class- she's one of the best teachers in the school. She's really nice so you're in good hands."

It took everything I had to keep myself from grinding to a halt when he mentioned her name. It had to be her.

Lalanita's words from late last night rang in my ears.

I remembered the beseeching expression on her face when she handed me the picture and the other papers.

"When she came to me, I couldn't turn her away," she'd said. "Your mother and I, along with your grandfather- may God rest his soul- arranged everything without your father's knowledge. We sent her abroad to finish her education and helped her change her name. Veronica returned to the Philippines about three years ago. And now she works at St. Lorenzo."

"Why haven't you told him, Lalanita?" I was gob smacked. "Enrique deserves to know."

My grandma shook her head slowly. Her eyes were full of shadows. Doubts. The questions were displayed as clearly as the wrinkles on her face.

How would my brother react?

Would he forgive her?

"You see how he reacts whenever her name comes up! What do you think he'll do?"

"He'd go after her! She's the one, Lalanita. Veronica is always going to be the one for Rico. Even now, when he hates her, it's her name he whispers in his nightma- in his dreams."

It always astounded me how Enrique and I had lived through the traumatic experience that was our father and yet, our nightmares were very rarely about the same things.

We both had our separate demons- our individual hells.

A huge part of his was her-Veronica.

"Enrique has a right to know, Lalanita. He has to know that she kept the baby. And the sooner he finds out, the better."

"How do you expect me to tell him now, child? After so long? Your mother was supposed to do it but she waited for too long. Now, it has become my responsibility. I don't know how to tell him, D. J."

She looked so helpless. She looked far older than anyone her age should ever look in that moment. I wanted to step in and relieve her of the burden. The same way Enrique had always protected me when Dad was alive- healthy, awake...

But I couldn't do it.

"You have to tell him, grandma. You just have to."

"Ahh!" Ces exclaimed, dragging me back to the present.

"What's wrong?"

"We still have twenty minutes of Economics left with Professor Acosta. It's the first period."

I still didn't see what was wrong.

"Is it bad?" I asked stupidly.

At some point, he was going to have to stop squeezing his eyes shut and start answering my questions...right?

"It's beyond bad. It's terrible. It's Armageddon."

My lips quirked in humor.

"You're in the theater group as well, aren't you?" I guessed.

"How ever did you deduce it?" he asked wide eyed...with a heavy English accent.

"Elementary, Watson. Elementary," I replied in my own exaggerated English voice.