Jay-Jay's POV
The clock was past midnight, and my room looked like one of those moody Pinterest boards — lamp light too warm, window slightly open, air heavy with that smell of old paper.The photo album sat on my lap, open right in the middle — the Section E page.
I sighed, tracing my finger along the edge of a photo where Ci-N was mid-blink, Yuri looked like he'd seen a ghost, and I—of course—was in the background holding up a peace sign like I owned the world.
"God, we were so chaotic," I muttered under my breath, half laughing.Then my eyes caught another photo — me, Keifer, and the rest of the class after exams, everyone sweaty, loud, and alive.
And just like that, the air shifted.
The laughter in the photo wasn't still anymore.It moved. It echoed.
My mind began to pull me back——to when I was seventeen again.
Flashback-
The classroom smelled like cheap perfume, spilled soda, and the faint trace of whiteboard marker that never really went away.
It was the last week before graduation, and even though exams were officially done, Section E was still as noisy as ever — or maybe even louder. Because when you put 20 teenagers who just survived finals in one room with zero adult supervision, chaos was guaranteed.
I leaned back in my chair, swinging it dangerously on two legs, watching Felix try to balance an eraser on Ci-N's head while Keifer laughed quietly in the corner.
"Yuri, stop it!" Ci-N yelled, swatting the air. "You're gonna mess up my hair, gago ka!" (You idiot!)
Felix only grinned. "Wala ka namang hair to mess up, 'no?" (You don't even have enough hair to mess up!)
The whole room exploded in laughter, and I nearly fell off my chair from laughing too hard.
"That's it," Ci-N said dramatically, pointing at him. "After graduation, I'm deleting you from the group chat."
"Promise?" Felix teased, dodging another pencil Ci-N threw.
I wiped a tear from laughing too much and muttered, "You two act like a married couple."
Keifer looked at me, lips twitching. "Says the one who curses at everyone like she's their mom."
"Oh, shut up," I said, smirking. "At least I don't sound like an old man trying to be wise all the time."
He chuckled. "You love it."
I pretended to scoff, but he wasn't wrong.
The door slid open, and the sudden silence that followed told me something was off.Because the only person who could silence Section E that fast was someone scary.
And then I heard it.
"Jay-Jay!"
I froze.No.Not now.
"Kuya Angelo," I said, my tone immediately defensive.
Every head turned like synchronized robots. David even whispered, "Uh-oh. Parental authority alert."
Angelo — tall, calm, and wearing that signature 'don't-test-me' expression — stood at the front with a folder under his arm.
"Can I talk to your teacher for a second?" he asked politely.
Our adviser blinked, clearly intimidated, then nodded and stepped out with him. But of course, my dear brother didn't leave it at that. He came right back inside, closed the door, and looked straight at me.
Everyone started whispering.I heard Drew say, "Dude, is she in trouble again?"Eman whispered back, "Probably."
Angelo crossed his arms. "So, you're really planning to follow your friends to the same college?"
I blinked. "Uh, yeah? Why wouldn't I?"
He sighed. "Jay, you barely passed your exams."
I made a face. "Excuse me, I passed well enough."
"Barely," he repeated. "You did good, but not great. And I know why."
I frowned. "Because I had a bad math teacher?"
"No," he said simply. "Because you've been too distracted."
The whole class went silent again.
Angelo's gaze softened a bit. "I know you love your friends. I know you love… this," he gestured around the room. "But if you keep going like this, you'll just stay the same. You need space to focus. So you're not going to the same college as them."
For a moment, it didn't register. Then it hit like a slap.
"What?" I said sharply. "You can't just decide that for me!"
"I can. And I already did," he replied, firm but calm.
"That's not fair!" I stood up, voice cracking from anger. "You think separating me from them will magically make me smarter?!"
"Jay—"
"No! You don't get to control everything in my life!"
My hands were shaking. I hated how childish I sounded, but the thought of being away from everyone—of being away from him—made my chest ache in a way I couldn't explain.
Angelo sighed. "Jay, this isn't punishment. It's protection. I just want you to do well."
I didn't respond. I couldn't.
He turned to the class and gave a short, polite smile."Take care of her while you can, ha?" (Okay?)Then he left, closing the door behind him with the kind of finality that felt like the end of something.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Then Eren coughed. "Sooo… family drama level: 100."
"Shut up," I said without looking up.
Ci-N patted my back. "Hey, baka naman temporary lang 'yan." (Hey, maybe it's just temporary.)
"Yeah," I muttered. "Like temporary insanity."
Keifer finally spoke, quiet but steady. "He's just worried."
I glared at him. "You're taking his side now?"
"No," he said. "I'm just saying—he's not wrong."
"Wow, thank you, very comforting," I shot back sarcastically.
He smiled a little. "Jay…"
"What?"
"It's gonna be fine."
"How?" I demanded. "He literally just banned me from my own friends!"
He tilted his head slightly, the corners of his lips lifting. "Maybe that's what makes these moments special."
I rolled my eyes. "You sound like a quote from a sad movie."
He grinned. "You like sad movies."
"Touché," I muttered.
He reached out and brushed his thumb against my hand, the gesture small but grounding.And just like that — the world didn't feel like it was ending anymore.
Later that Day
Our classroom looked like a party store exploded inside it.Someone brought chips, someone else blasted music from their phone, and Blaster insisted on singing "Hawak Kamay" off-key just to annoy everyone.
"Hoy, stop!" Ci-N threw a crumpled paper at him.Blaster dodged, laughing. "You just don't appreciate my talent!"
"Talent mo? Screaming?" (Your talent? Screaming?)
"Artistic expression!"
"Annoying expression!"
Their banter filled the room, and I couldn't help but smile. For a second, I forgot about the argument with Kuya.
Then Keifer walked over, holding a drink. "Hey."
"Hey," I said quietly, pretending to be fascinated by the crumbs on my desk.
"You okay?"
"Do I look okay?"
He chuckled. "You look mad, but cute."
"Ew," I said, but couldn't stop the smile forming on my lips. "Gross."
He leaned slightly closer. "I mean it."
I swallowed. "Don't say things like that when I'm trying to be dramatic."
He laughed. "Okay, fine."
For a moment, we just stood there, surrounded by laughter and noise, pretending the world wasn't about to change.
Then he said, almost softly, "Promise me something?"
"What now?"
"Don't lose yourself trying to be perfect for him. Or for anyone."
I froze. "Why does that sound like you're saying goodbye?"
He smiled faintly. "Maybe I am. But not forever."
"You promise?"
He nodded. "Always."
And maybe I didn't realize it then, but that was the moment something shifted.The beginning of goodbye——or maybe the beginning of forever.
Keifer's POV
The sunset spilled through the windows, painting everything gold.Everyone had left — except me, Rory, and Edrix, who were still arguing over who looked better in our graduation photo.
"Bro, I swear, delete that one," Rory groaned. "I look like I'm sneezing."
"You were sneezing!" Edrix laughed. "That's the point!"
I smiled faintly, half-listening. My mind was elsewhere — on Jay, on Angelo's words, on that look in her eyes earlier.
She was angry, hurt, but mostly scared of change.And I couldn't blame her.Because I was too.
"Hoy, Keifer," Rory nudged me. "What's with that serious face? You look like you're writing a love song in your head."
"Maybe he's thinking of Jay," Edrix teased.
I gave them both a look. "You two are so nosy."
They smirked.
"Admit it," Rory said. "You're gonna miss her."
I shrugged. "Maybe."
"Maybe daw!" (He said maybe!) Edrix laughed, elbowing him. "Bro, we all saw your face earlier."
I threw a crumpled paper at them. "Go home."
They finally left, laughing their way down the hall.
And then it was just me.Silence.The kind that hums softly after a long, loud day.
I walked over to Jay's desk. Her pen was still there, her handwriting carved faintly into the wood — Jay-Jay S. of Section E.
I ran my thumb over it, feeling the weight of it all.
Angelo wanted her to focus.He was right.But I also knew something he didn't — that Jay didn't need to be alone to grow.She just needed someone who wouldn't leave when things got hard.
So that night, when I got home, I opened my laptop and started searching.Colleges near hers. Business programs. Management courses. Anything that would keep me close.
I smiled quietly to myself, fingers still on the keyboard.
"See you soon, Jay-Jay."