*Continuation of Flashback*
Jay-Jay's POV
The sun felt different that day.It wasn't the usual burning kind — it was softer, the kind that makes everything look like a memory before it's even gone.
I stood by the window of our classroom, tracing my name on the glass with my finger — Jay-Jay, written faintly beside doodles and heart marks we'd made over the months. Our classroom was a mess of laughter, snacks, and the sound of a hundred goodbyes waiting to be said.
"Oi, Jay!" Yuri's voice broke through the noise. "Come here, picture na tayo!" (Come here, let's take a picture!)
I turned, half-smiling. Ci-N was already waving a polaroid camera like a weapon. "Jay-Jay, last na 'to. Don't be emo again, ha!" (This is the last one. Don't be all emotional again, okay!)
"Me? Emo? Never," I said, rolling my eyes. But my throat felt tight.
They dragged me into the middle of the group. Chairs scraped, papers flew, and someone yelled, "Section E forever!" before the flash went off.
Click.Just like that, another piece of our little world got frozen in time.
After that came the signing frenzy. Everyone was passing notebooks, yearbooks, and even handkerchiefs for autographs."Jay, sign mo 'to. Write something nice, ha.""Nice? Bro, she's gonna roast you instead.""Hey! I can be sentimental sometimes!"
They laughed, and so did I — but inside, every smile hurt a little.
Ci-N came over, hugging me from behind. "You're gonna forget us when you're famous someday, huh?""Please, I can't even forget my homework, how do you think I'll forget you?""Fair point."
We both laughed again, but she squeezed me tighter, like she didn't believe her own joke.
When the bell rang for the last time, nobody moved.Not even the class clown.It was funny — we'd spent the entire year waiting for that sound, and now, no one wanted it to end.
I caught Keifer looking at me from across the room. He was smiling — calm, easy, like he always was. But there was something in his eyes… something that said he didn't want to leave either.
He walked over, hands in his pockets."So," he said softly, "that's it, huh?"
"Guess so." I tried to smile. "We're officially unemployed students now."
He chuckled. "Until college eats us alive."
We both stood there for a while, watching our classmates take their last selfies, sign the last shirts, exchange the last inside jokes.I didn't realize I was gripping the hem of my uniform until Keifer spoke again.
"Jay.""Yeah?""Remember what I said?"
I frowned. "Which part? You say a lot of things."
He smirked. "The part where I promised to see you again — no matter what college, no matter how far."
I looked at him then — really looked. His hair was slightly messy, his eyes warm and steady.And for the first time, I didn't tease him back.
"You better keep that promise," I said quietly.
He grinned, the dimple on his left cheek showing. "Of course. I don't break promises, Jay. Hindi ko kaya kung mawawala ka agad." (I couldn't bear it if you disappeared so soon.)
He didn't say it aloud — but I saw it in his expression, like words written in silence.
As the afternoon melted into gold, we all gathered outside the building. Someone brought out a speaker, and "Leaving on a Jet Plane" started playing — because apparently, we were living in a movie.
We danced, took more photos, yelled random things like, "Section E, walang tatalo!" (Section E, no one can beat us!) and "See you in college, losers!"
When it was finally time to leave, Drew gave me a salute. "Don't cry, ha. We'll meet again. Maybe.""Wow, such optimism.""Just being realistic."We laughed, bumping fists one last time.
Ci-N came next, eyes already red. "Take care, Jay-Jay.""You too, drama king."We hugged, long and tight, the kind of hug that meant everything we couldn't say.
And then it was just me and Keifer.
The others had gone ahead, their laughter echoing down the corridor.We stood there, the empty classroom behind us, the sunset spilling orange light over our desks.
Keifer looked around and chuckled softly. "We really did it, huh?""Yeah," I whispered. "We made it."
He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear — the most casual thing, but it made my chest ache."You'll do great, Jay," he said. "Wherever you go."
"Don't say that like I'm moving to another planet."He smiled. "Still. Just in case."
Then, almost as if it were instinct, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss on my forehead.No teasing this time. No "profanity" rules. Just… quiet.
"See you soon," he murmured.
And I nodded, even though I felt something inside me already starting to break.
Keifer's POV
She looked smaller as she walked away, the wind playing with her hair, her laughter fading with the others.
I stood by the classroom door for a while, pretending to clean up just so I wouldn't have to move yet.The light on her seat — her usual corner — made the room feel emptier than it should have.
Yuri came in and asked. "Oi, Keifer. You're not gonna walk her home?"I smiled faintly. "She's with Ci-N. She'll be fine.""Hmm. Or maybe you're the one who won't be."
I laughed. "Maybe."
When she left, it was as if something familiar loosened inside me — something both heavy and freeing.
I reached into my pocket and felt the edge of the small note she'd written for me during exams:"If we pass, I'm buying you ice cream."
I smiled."Guess I'll collect that someday, Jay. Promise 'yan."(That's a promise.)
And as I stepped out into the fading light, I thought — maybe goodbyes weren't always the end.Sometimes, they were just the quiet beginning of something neither of them understood yet.