Her eyes went distant."He was cute — in that 'forgot-to-brush-his-hair-but-still-somehow-smart' way. Always had a book in his hand. He'd leave notes on my locker like, 'You look tired, drink water.' I thought he was sweet."
Sam muttered, "He sounds like Michael if Michael had manners."
Michael gasped. "Excuse me, I do have manners!"
Jay snorted. "Sure. Anyway—"
She took a breath. "Cyrus was different. He didn't treat me like a broken thing.
At first. He was calm, patient, funny in that awkward, nerdy way. I laughed again. For the first time since… Serina."
Keifer's gaze softened. "He made you feel safe."
Jay nodded. "Yeah. Until he didn't."
Cyrus Turns
Her voice hardened."It started small. He'd get jealous if I talked to anyone. Said he 'just worried'. Then he'd tell me who to hang with, what to wear, what not to say."
Michael frowned. "Classic manipulation 101."
Jay's smile was bitter. "we got into many fights because he wanted power to scare everyone in a bad way . he used to bully helpless people and when i used to disagree he used to fight "
She ran a hand through her hair, eyes darkening."I tried to break up with him. He begged, cried, promised to change. But then… he snapped."
The Fight
Everyone stayed silent as Jay continued.
"He cornered me behind the gym one day. Said he wouldn't let me leave him. I told him I wasn't asking."Her hands tightened slightly. "He grabbed my arm. I tried to walk away. Then he shouted, said I owed him for 'fixing' me."
Keifer's jaw clenched.Jay's voice lowered. "Something in me broke. Or maybe it woke up. I pushed him. Hard. Too hard. He fell — hit his head."A long pause."I don't remember much after that. Just… blood. Sirens. Everyone screaming."
Section E sat frozen.Jay exhaled shakily. "He lived. But he never came back to school. They called it an 'accident'. Angelo came that night. He didn't yell. He just… looked at me. Like he'd seen it before."
Adam's voice was quiet. "The trauma attack again?""Yeah," Jay murmured. "The blackouts. The shaking. Same as Greenwood."
After the Fall
She shrugged lightly, but her eyes glistened."I thought I'd ruined my life. Again. I stopped talking to everyone. Stopped eating. Angelo didn't know what to do. The school tried to expel me — but he pulled some strings."
Michael looked pained. "And that's when you met… them?"Jay smiled faintly. "Yeah. Section E."
Meeting Section E
Her eyes met Section E's. "You guys gave me what Holy saint never could — family."
The Making of a Leader
Adam leaned back, a small smile forming. "That's when the legend of Jay Aces began."
Jay chuckled. "Hardly. I was just trying to survive. But they kept pushing me — making me laugh, making me fight again, but for something worth it."
Keifer watched her quietly, pride flickering in his eyes."So you went from haunted to unstoppable."She smiled faintly. "No. I just learned that you can't erase your past… but you can weaponize it."
Present Moment
The room stayed quiet for a beat.Only the faint hum of the old projector filled the silence again.
Then Michael broke it softly, "So… haunted doesn't mean cursed anymore."
Jay nodded. "No. It means survived."
Sam added, with a small grin, "You've got more lives than any of us, Jay."
She smirked. "Guess I'm the school's official ghostbuster."
Laughter returned — shaky, real.
Keifer reached over, his voice low, meant just for her."For what it's worth… I'm glad you made it out. I'm glad you found them."
Jay met his eyes. "Me too. Maybe this time… we both get to finish what Serina started."