2. SELF-IMAGE

The only person in this entire world that you can truly rely on without being judged is yourself, some people say. But then you also remember you can't trust yourself as well.

"Excuse me?" Jayce furrowed.

"For a new student, you have a lot of guts in you," he scoffed, "I don't even know your name,"

"Names don't define people," she replied.

Ashton lied against the tree bark, "Keep the video to yourself," he smirked, "Might miss me one day," he tipped her chin towards him and he winked.

She spitted on his face that he flinched and backed away.

Jaxon and Eric both clicked their tongue and pursed their lips in laughter.

"You really are the first girl to do this to me," he wiped off her saliva from his face.

"I'll find a way to destroy you,"

"You're so confident about that, are you? I don't even know you, you don't even know me," he furrowed.

"There are three types of academically smart students: the one who is forced, the one who forces themselves and the one who doesn't give a damn," she explained, "Which are you?"

"Since when does someone open up themselves to a stranger?" Ashton replied.

"If that someone is drunk or crazy, then it would do the trick, right?" Jayce queried.

"You're being a moodwrecker for the second time," he said immediately, "Go or stay," he opens up his jacket, "The choice is all yours," he was about to open his shirt to jump off the cliff when Jayce looked away and began walking out of their way.

On her way, she lifted up a sly smile, "You're predictable, Ashton Walker. With all your answers, you do give a damn about your grades, which means you're either being forced or is forcing yourself," she muttered in conclusion, "All I need to do is shake your mentality until you break, and that will do the entire trick," she curled up a lip and smirked in silence.

~~~

"She's getting on my freaking nerves," Ashton says before he dives in with the two boys.

The evening was getting colder, and it was one of the things the three boys liked.

"She, a new student, twisted the Ashton Walker's arm and spitted on the Ashton Walker's face," Jaxon let out a laugh from his nose, "I'll say she's pretty awesome,"

Ashton furrowed his brows and curled his lip, "No one will take first place from me," he jumped off the cliff and into the waters that glistened.

In Syville, everything was fine. It was the town with the least criminal records, at least that's what they say.

The cold waters washed over Ashton as his two other friends joined in. His life was anything but sweet, and it all comes under conditions.

~~~

"Where did you go?" Amber scowled as she met her sister in the lounge.

"Somewhere," Jayce replied, smiling, "Making new friends is a thing I need to do,"

"Hungry?" Amber asked.

Jayce shook her head.

"Please tell me you're not going to the library," Amber groaned.

"I'm not going to the library," she grinned, "I'm going to the book storage," she turned around and walked away.

"Hold on," Amber thought for a while, "That's the exact same thing, right?" she asked.

Jayce ignored her.

~~~

Amber wasn't like Jayce. She was naive, she was gullible, and she was easily in someone's control.

And with the new school filled with anyone she could fall with, she had not fallen for anyone yet. According to her, they were too uncontrollable, and they were too energetic in a bad way. Clinginess was something Amber never wanted.

In the old school, her least-liked crush was someone a year older than her, his name was Matthew. Her moderately-liked crush was someone from the other class in her grade, her name was Jess. But her most-liked/loved crush was someone in their class, their name was Cameron. There were a total of more than 5 crushes back at the older school, even on the first day there were two. But here, zero. Totally zero.

Not really. She secretly thought the brunette boy in the third level earlier was cute. But no, she wanted a serious relationship.

~~~

The library was nowhere near the dorm, it took quite a 10-minute ride by bicycle to get to it.

It was a three-level building, with a wide flooring area, decorated with swirls of old architecture and pillars for the entrance.

Students were sitting on the steps or walking across the bushy gardens.

The boarding school probably covered half of the town, but she had not even seen town yet. She went in the glass doors and the fresh air was filled with the scent of books and pages.

She pursed her lips and then went across the entrance to the tall bookshelves that were placed across the huge flooring. At the end of the first floor stood two elevators, and with the crowd, there was not a single voice that was heard except the flipping of the pages and the soles of shoes hitting the ceramic tiles.

Jayce went to one of the section where the school's textbooks were at, "If Ashton is really that good, then I need to be better,"

This wasn't a dream or a want. This was a need for her. Jayce's life had only one principle: To not be her mother in any way. And to do that, she needed to be successful, and no matter how much blood was lost, she didn't care. After all, her entire need was more important than someone else's life.

"Hey!" a voice broke in as Jayce took out some textbooks from the section. Jayce turned around to see Brenda, "Hey?" she gave out a smile.

"We didn't really properly introduce ourselves before," she said, "And those aren't the books they're using this year," she immediately noticed the books in her hands.

"Oh?" Jayce lifted a brow.

Brenda turned to the shelves and took out the books from the top, "These are,"

Jayce put back the books on the shelves and took the books from Brenda, "This curriculum is used in this school? This is advanced," she said.

"This school was never easy to begin with," Brenda said, "Only the rich and the prestigious come, and the scholars as well though. Which are you?"

Jayce took time to think, "I wouldn't know, all?" she confidently said.

"Ooh," Brenda immediately said, "What's your parents' jobs?" she started walking to a table for Jayce to put her books at, "I'm the rich, my dad's an engineer and my mom's a data scientist," she said.

"Oh," Jayce bit her lip before answering, then smiled a crooked smile, "My dad's a prestigious police officer and my mom's a..." she paused for a while, "She's a world- class fashion designer, she's in Italy right now,"

"Oh," Brenda gasped, "Who?"

Jayce sat down at the chair and clicked her tongue, "Izzie Brooks," she said.

Brenda gasped, and everyone in the library looked at her. She immediately gulped and shut her mouth, "Your mom's Izzie Brooks?"

Jayce pursed her lips and nodded, "Yeah,"

"Woah, woah, woah," Brenda started jumping on her toes, "You have no idea how much I loved her Fall Collection or her Golden Collection," she said, "They were my top-tier,"

"Oh," Jayce chuckled, "I can get her autograph if you want, not sure when though," she scratched her hair.

"Really?" Brenda exclaimed softly, "That would be so so so wonderful, I swear it's so lucky to have a new student like you,"

Jayce smiled an unsure smile, "Thanks, I guess,"

"Wait so your names are Jayce and Amber right?" Brenda asked, making sure. Jayce nodded, "Yes, surname is Brooks,"

Brenda took out her phone and started typing on it.

"What are you doing?" she asked, standing up.

"Uhh, spreading the word of course," Brenda said, as if it was obvious, "People like you need to be respected,"

Jayce was about to snatch the phone from Brenda when she clicked send.

"There we go, sent!" Brenda said.

Jayce pursed her lips, "Where did you spread that to?" she asked.

"The school community," she replied, "Everyone in the school can see it," she shoved her phone up to Jayce's face.

The words: 'HOT TEA: New students, Jayce and Amber Brooks (twins) are daughters of the world-class fashion designer Izzie Brooks and a prestigious police officer, CONFIRMED.'

Jayce pursed her lips, thinking of her decision, "I don't want special attention, Brenda," she said, "Please delete that,"

"Too late," Brenda said, "The entire school's probably seen it," she smiled as she stared at her phone.

The library was suddenly filled with pings of phones with the notification of the tea. Great, Jayce's mind said, Now I have to pretend until graduation.

But then she thought about it again.

Great, Jayce's mind said, Now I have allies.

~~~

Amber was in the kitchen on the recreational floor, she cooked some cup noodles when suddenly a lot of people appeared behind her.

"She's Amber Brooks, she introduced herself to us before right?" one boy whispered. "Yeah, she introduced herself as well," another girl said.

Amber furrowed her brows and turned around, "Any problem?"

"Is it true?" one girl started.

"About?" Amber raised a brow.

"You're the daughter of Izzie Brooks?" another boy continued. Amber furrowed her brows, "Excuse me?"

"There's news in the school community that you're the daughter of Izzie Brooks, that fashion designer," one replied.

Amber took time to think, then she lifted up a nervous smile, "Yes, I am," The crowd went wild.

"Oh my gosh, can you tell her to make me my prom dress?"

"Can I have her autograph?"

"Can I meet her?"

"I want her collection,"

"Silence!" Amber yelled, "She's in Italy right now, I wouldn't have a way to contact her. She's pretty busy. Now, may you please excuse me," she brought her cup of noodles and went to the elevator before anyone else could follow her.

They both had to live in a lie now. ~~~

"Bro," Eric held his phone and interrupted Ash who was drying himself, "I think I found out that girl's name, the one who beat you up,"

"Who?"

"Shocking news," Jaxon stared at his phone.

Ashton furrowed and took his phone from his bag. He read the school's community's message, "Jayce and Amber," he said, "Daughters of Izzie Brooks?"

"Shocking, isn't it?" Jaxon queried, "Normal girl like her, daughter of a top fashion designer,"

"She's not normal," Ash said, "With her status as a daughter of a police officer and a fashion designer, she has access to everything with that money and position,"

~~~

Jayce exited the library with a sly heart after Brenda told her to join the school community in an app the school had made on their own.

As she arrived at the dorm, she typed on the school community's groupchat. She typed, 'Hello everyone, I'm Jayce Brooks. Pleasure to meet you all,'

"OMG! It's the daughter of Izzie Brooks! Pleasure to meet you, I'm Helen!' one student texted.

'I can't wait to start school with someone like you, I'm Keith by the way,' another one texted.

'You're probably as talented as your mother,'

'You're going to be successful definitely,'

'God, I wish I can be like you,'

Jayce smiled reluctantly on her phone, "Reputations, reputations," she muttered and went up the elevator.

~~~

"She's acting so sweet and humble," Ashton cursed on his phone as he read through the group messages, "Is this the twin or the one who beat me up?

Eric was driving the jeep, on the way back to the dorms.

Ashton, who was the son of the boarding school's fund's foundation's owner, Kimberly, received special attention. But that special attention was something he couldn't have unless he rewarded it back with something.

"Who knows, but if it really is her, she's really a wolf in sheep's clothing. Like what is she? Janus?" Jaxon asked.

They were riding across the road of the cliff, and in those steep mountains, there was a graveyard that the three boys always skipped.

"So, we skipping that graveyard again?" Eric asked Ashton. Ashton had his eyes on his phone, "Yep,"

"Why though, man?" Jaxon, who was at the back seat, asked, "Like that means we literally have to circle the area on the other descent,"

Ashton was still looking at his phone, reading through the messages of the brunette girl being sweet, he didn't know if it was Amber or Jayce who beat him up. But the one thing he knew was that who was texting sweetly was Jayce, from the introduction about herself she had.

"Ash?" Jaxon asked again in his cloudy thoughts.

"Oh," Ashton said immediately, "I just don't like graveyards,"

"Scared of ghosts?" he teased.

"It hurts seeing other people living my dream," Ashton replied emotionlessly.

Eric pursed his lips, "Mom still treating you like trash?"

"Mhm," Ashton said, still staring at his phone.

Jaxon gave Eric a look to quit the questions. He nodded back.

He had everything but comfort.

~~~

"You've lost your entire mind, haven't you?" Amber scolded her sister as soon as she stepped in the dorm.

Jayce hid her phone in her pocket and faced her sister, "I think I helped your social status, this way, you can get your perfect relationship. You should be thanking me instead,"

Amber threw her now-empty cup of noodles across the room, "You sound like you haven't done enough thinking," she stood up from her chair and approached her, "If we get caught, it's on you,"

"Was I really lying about it?" she replied back, "She's our mother, birth or not, she is. She is a mother figure towards me,"

"You're saying we don't have a birth mother," Amber said.

"We have a birth mother?" Jayce gasped, "Surprise, surprise," she teased and walked past her and put the books on her study table.

Amber pursed her lips and approached her sister, grabbing her by the collar, "Stop the nonsense. You're just being selfish at this point. If the real word goes out, you're going to fall, but I won't, because whoever my birth mother is, I will love her. She was our mother, even though she was a terrible one. She's healing herself right now,"

Jayce gave a short breath and jerked away Amber's arms from her collar and pushed her against the bed, "I never recognised her as my mother," she pouted.

"What on earth did she do to you that you hate her so much?" Amber yelled, picking herself off the bed.

Jayce winced at the question, and after a while, she answered, "If it wasn't for me, you'd probably be dead by now,"