Check-Mate

CHAPTER 6

Menchie’s POV

Please, let the road smoothen out, I thought, clutching my throbbing temples as the car hit another brutal pothole on the way back to our neighborhood.

Every single bump felt like a personal, physical attack on my skull. Manong driver was at the wheel, thankfully keeping the radio volume low, while Kaisha and I sat in the backseat, completely drained.

I stole a quick glance at Kaisha sitting right next to me. She was dead silent, staring blankly at the passing storefronts while her fingers frantically twirled the strap of her canvas bag. I knew that exact look.

Her chess brain was working in overdrive, calculating a hundred different variations of a move all at once. She was still completely reeling from finding out Eli lived under the same roof as Katherine.

Honestly? I was reeling too, but mostly from pure, unfiltered embarrassment.

Why did I let Kath pour that second glass? I scolded myself, my stomach doing a dangerous, watery flip at the memory of last night. I prided myself on being the organized one, the responsible best friend who always kept the group anchored. Instead, I had passed out on a designer sofa and spent a good portion of the early morning hours literally hugging a toilet bowl in the house of our student council vice president.

Worse, I couldn't even help my best friend when she completely crashed. I had a blurry, awful memory of slurring directly at Eli for help. “Eli, please... I can't lift her. Everything is spinning.”

He had just nodded, that sharp, teasing smirk completely vanishing from his face, replaced by this intense, surprisingly gentle focus as he lifted her out of the cushions.

Did he say something to her down the hall? I wondered, pressing my palms against my eyes to block out the harsh morning sun.

I had been way too busy fighting for my life in the bathroom to see how he laid her down, but when I finally staggered into the guest room later, Eli had already tucked her in so perfectly she looked entirely untouched. There was definitely something shifting between them. I just hoped Kaisha’s chaotic nature wouldn't accidentally burn his clean house down before I could figure out what it was.

"Hey," I murmured, my voice cracking slightly as the car engine hummed smoothly. "You've been staring at the headrest for ten minutes. Still trying to process the fact that our old chess captain is shielding the campus golden boy?"

Kaisha snapped out of her trance, a small, frustrated crease forming between her eyebrows. "I'm just trying to review the board, Mench. It doesn't add up. How does someone like Eli even end up being related to Katherine? They're total opposites."

"Genetics are a mystery," I groaned, closing my eyes as we passed a speed bump. "But right now, the real mystery is how we're going to survive this hangover. My brain feels like it's being interrogated."

"At least you don't have to face him at the council wing later," she muttered, turning her gaze back to the window, her fingers tightly knotting together.

I watched her from the corner of my eye, sensing the quiet panic she was trying so hard to hide. She wasn't just confused about the sibling connection—she looked completely out of her depth, and for Kaisha, that was a dangerous place to be.

"Well, look on the bright side," I offered, pulling out my phone to show her the massive flash notification on our student portal. "Thursday classes are officially suspended for an all-day faculty emergency meeting. We have the whole day to sleep this off."

Kaisha let out a massive, relieved sigh, her shoulders dropping. "Thank god. I think my brain would have melted in Accounting."

Kaisha’s POV

When the car pulled into our driveway, the heat of the summer sun immediately hit us as we stepped out of the air-conditioned car. The Philippine summer was in full swing, the air thick, dry, and practically begging for water.

Stepping inside our house, the atmosphere instantly shifted into our usual family chaos. But today, the smell coming from the kitchen wasn't burnt—it was incredible. Kuya Migz was at the stove, humming happily as he flipped perfectly grilled garlic-herb chicken breasts. He really was an amazing cook when he wasn't experimenting with dangerous fire levels.

"Look who survived their first legal drinking night," Migz teased, gesturing with his tongs.

"Don't start, Kuya," I muttered, dropping onto a barstool.

Beside him, Reign was aggressively chopping kale and cucumber. As the designated assistant cook, she took her health very seriously. "I’m making a vegan green smoothie and a side salad to flush out your toxins, Kai. I have to maintain my figure, and clearly, someone needs to save yours."

"I'll pass on the blended grass, thanks," I chuckled, resting my chin on my hands.

In the living room, Lanaya was giggling loudly on the rug, dangling a feather wand as Mochi and Patches tumbled over each other to catch it. On the large television screen mounted on the wall, a video call was active. Our mom, Helena, was holding her phone up, walking around the kitchen while chatting animatedly with our dad, who was waving from his brightly lit apartment in London.

"Oh, Kaisha's home!" Mom called out, turning the camera toward me. "Hi, sweetheart! How was Katherine's house?"

"It was great, Dad! Love you!" I waved at the screen, my heart warming at the sight of him. Even with the distance, our family always found a way to feel connected.

The summer heat was getting intense, making my hangover feel twice as heavy. I pulled out my phone and quickly texted Menchie.

Kaisha: The sun is trying to kill me. Ask your parents if you guys want to come over later. Let's have a dip in the swimming pool to freeze this hangover.

Menchie: On it. Mom’s already packing containers.

By mid-afternoon, our backyard pool area was the place to be. The cool, clear water looked like paradise under the blazing sun. True to her word, Menchie arrived with her family car loaded. Her parents, Elsie and Jon, walked through our side gate carrying insulated bags filled with grilled pork belly and cold fruit platters.

My mom, Helena, immediately welcomed them with open arms, ushering them onto the shaded patio. "Elsie! Jon! Come in, come in. It’s entirely too hot outside. Sit down, let’s get some iced tea."

While the parents conversed and laughed over old stories, Menchie and I immediately slid into the deep end of the pool. The cold water was an instant shock to my system, washing away the dull ache in my temples and the lingering exhaustion from the night before. We spent hours just floating, talking about Katherine, and completely letting our minds rest. By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a beautiful orange and purple glow across the sky, I felt like a human being again.

The text from the Unknown Number never came that Thursday. No warnings about my evaluation, no cryptic messages. I went to bed feeling safe, assuming the mystery was finally fading into the background.

I was wrong.

The next morning was Friday.

I sat in the very back row of Section E, the classroom buzzing with the high energy that always came before the weekend. My notebook was spread flat on my desk, and I was determined to treat today like a clean slate.

"Morning, block section!" a booming, incredibly cheerful voice echoed from the front door.

It was Paolo Mendoza, our class representative, carrying an absolute mountain of printed syllabus sheets. Paolo was the definition of a jolly extrovert—the kind of guy who knew every student, every security guard, and every shortcut on campus. He was flanked by a group of other guys and classmates from the front rows, all of them laughing as Paolo accidentally dropped a pen and caught it mid-air.

"Make sure you guys pass your case studies by Monday, or Dela Cruz will use our tears for coffee!" Paolo joked, tossing a packet of papers onto Kyle’s desk.

"Hey, Kaisha's actually awake!" one of the guys in the group called out, earning a chorus of chuckles from the surrounding rows.

"Very funny, guys," I rolled my eyes, though I couldn't help but smile.

"Hey. You're spacing out again," Kyle muttered, suddenly sliding his desk five inches closer and invading my personal space.

I gasped, aggressively slamming my notebook shut before his prying eyes could see anything. "I'm not spacing out. I am mentally preparing for the lecture."

"Right. And I'm graduating top of the class," Kyle snorted, tossing a crumpled piece of plastic at my shoulder. "You've been burning a hole in the classroom door with your eyes for ten minutes. What's the deal? Are you waiting for the VP to drop off another bakery bag?"

"He is not my crush, Kyle," I hissed, my voice coming out entirely too sharp and defensive.

"Whatever you say, Detective Kaisha," he laughed, turning back to Paolo and the other guys to loudly argue about a gaming tournament.

I let out a shaky, frustrated breath, trying to calm my racing pulse. I reached down, unzipping the main compartment of my backpack to grab my green highlighter. But before my fingers could even touch the bottom of the bag, the rowdy chatter near the front door suddenly quieted down.

A tall figure stepped into our classroom.

Eli.

He was holding a stack of official university guidelines, his eyes casually scanning the rows. My breath caught in my throat as he walked straight down our aisle, looking completely composed. But before he could pass my row, one of our classmates from the middle row suddenly stood up to grab a fallen binder, nearly colliding straight into Eli.

"Oh! Sorry, Vice P," the classmate said, stepping back quickly.

Eli didn't flinch, but the sudden movement caused his left hand to smoothly pull away from the side pocket of my backpack, which was resting against the leg of my desk.

He didn't look guilty at all. His composure was absolutely flawless.

"No problem," Eli replied smoothly, completely unbothered as he handed a sheet of paper to the classmate. He used the moment to look up, his eyes locking directly onto mine. He gave me a tiny, almost invisible tilt of his head. "Just checking the room assignments for next week's seminars to make sure the boards are cleared. Carry on, Section E."

He turned and walked out of the room, calm, collected, and leaving me in a state of absolute shock.

The moment his back was turned, I shoved my hand into the side pocket of my bag. My fingers brushed against a crisp, small square.

I pulled it out beneath the edge of my desk. A bright yellow sticky note. Written in that exact same neat, sharp print were just five words:

Good. You're early again today.

My heart did a sudden, frantic flip. It was him!

It was officially, 100% him!

He wasn't some ghost professor or an outside stalker.

The Student Council Vice President was personally leaving notes right under my nose.