JAY-JAY POV
The walls were too white. Too quiet. Too sterile.
I sat curled in the corner, knees drawn tight to my chest, Keifer's dried blood still smeared across my sleeves. A nurse had offered me clean clothes. I refused. I couldn't. Scrubbing it off felt too final — like letting go before I was ready.
Keifer was in surgery.
They wouldn't tell me much. Just that it was "critical." Just that I should "wait."
So I waited. And I came undone.
Section E arrived in waves.
Ci-n was first. His eyes were red, his voice barely a whisper. He didn't speak — just sat beside me and held my hand like it was the only thing keeping me tethered to reality.
Blaster brought snacks he didn't touch.
Felix paced like movement could fix something.
Drew cried quietly.
Kit and Mayo sat cross-legged against the wall, unusually silent.
Calix kept texting updates to Mica, Percy, Luna, Jare — anyone who wasn't here but needed to know.
Even David stayed awake.
Everyone was here.
Then the door opened.
Aries walked in, Kuya Angelo trailing behind him.
Aries looked like he'd sprinted through a storm. His hair was a mess, hoodie half-zipped, eyes wide and frantic as they scanned the room — until they locked onto me.
"Jay," he said, voice soft but trembling. "What happened?"
Before I could answer, David did.
"That bastard Yuri did it," he snapped.
"I told you not to trust him," Aries muttered, fists clenched at his sides.
Then he turned back to me.
"Jay," he said again, stepping closer. "Please. Say something."
I couldn't.
I broke.
The sob hit before I could stop it, and Aries didn't hesitate — he crossed the room and pulled me into his arms.
I collapsed against him.
"Aries," I cried, voice cracking. "He said he'd stay with me no matter what. But look at him. Look where he is."
Aries held me tighter.
"It's okay," he whispered. "He's not leaving. He wouldn't."
But I couldn't stop.
"He promised," I sobbed. "He promised he'd never leave again."
"I know," Aries said, voice breaking. "I know."
And for a moment, I felt him falter.
His grip tightened. His breath hitched.
Because he was Keifer's best friend. Before everything shattered. Before the silence. Before the distance.
And now?
Now Keifer was bleeding behind a locked door. And we were both falling apart.
I know Keifer still cared about Aries. Even when he denied it. Even when he pretended he didn't. Somewhere in his heart, he still cared.
And Aries?
He was holding me like he'd lost him too. Because maybe he had.
ARIES POV
The moment I got the call, I ran.
No jacket. No breath. No hesitation.
Just sprinted.
Through the streets. Into the hospital. Straight toward the worst words I'd ever heard.
Keifer. Shot.
It didn't make sense. Couldn't make sense.
Not him. Not the boy I used to call my best friend.
We hadn't spoken in four years. Not since the accident. Not since Yuri twisted the truth and Keifer believed him.
Percy had nearly died. Keifer's mom was already gone. And when Yuri pointed the blame at me, Keifer couldn't take it.
I didn't blame him. Not really.
Percy was his anchor. And I was the crack in the hull.
We drifted. We fractured. We stopped being "us."
But when I saw Jay curled in the corner, blood on her sleeves, eyes hollow — I knew.
This wasn't just about her. This was about him.
"Jay," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "How did it happen?"
David answered before she could.
"That bastard Yuri did it."
I clenched my fists. "I told you not to trust him."
But Jay didn't flinch. Didn't speak. Just stared at the floor like it held answers.
"Jay," I said again. "Please talk."
And then she broke.
Collapsed into me like she'd been holding herself up for too long.
"He said he'd stay," she sobbed. "He said he'd never leave."
I held her.
Tried to be strong. Tried to be the one who didn't fall.
But I couldn't.
Because I was scared. Because I was angry. Because I was guilty. Because I never said sorry. Because I never thought I'd lose him like this.
And Jay?
Jay was breaking in my arms.
And I couldn't stop it. Couldn't fix it. Couldn't do anything but hold her and hope he came back.
Because if he didn't?
We'd both be lost.
You will pray for his Yuri mark my words